Rotel has introduced two special editions of the company’s already popular A11 Integrated Amplifier and CD11 CD Player models, each named as Tribute versions in celebration of the company’s partnership with the late audio legend, Ken Ishiwata.
Ishiwata
died on 25 November 2019 aged 72 following an illness.
He was admired by many across the hi-fi industry for his unique ability to identify the most ideal products for modification and then define the musical references plus the suggested component changes to the engineers, in order to take the products’ performance to new levels – while still keeping it affordable.
“Having both been in the hi-fi industry for a similar amount of time, I was in the same audiophile circles with Ken over the years, as were the Tachikawa family in Japan – founders and owners of Rotel,” said Daren Orth, CTO, Rotel, describing the partnership.
“There was mutual respect of the talent and market position and a long desire to work together but the opportunity never arose. An opportunity did finally arrive in the late summer of last year when the initial discussions began, with the project becoming a reality in September. All of the Rotel engineering team were delighted at finally having the opportunity to work with Ken.”
The new Tribute editions were created to honour the late audio legend, Ken Ishiwata
A joint decision was made to focus on the A11 and CD11, products that Ishiwata was already familiar with and had already been successful, having won multiple awards.
The team believed that the Class AB 2 x 50W A11 Integrated Amplifier and the CD11 CD Player were the perfect base for this project to turn them into something extra special.
Making his initial appraisal, Ishiwata agreed a new specification with the Rotel engineering team. He then produced initial prototypes with his own long-term acoustic engineering contacts, with the final specification agreed with the Rotel team.
Specially selected improved components were chosen for the A11 amplifier to offer higher performance throughout the signal path. In the amplifier stage, all 10 capacitors and two resistors in the signal path were changed. Six capacitors were upgraded in the pre-amp, representing over 50%of the components in the signal path. All six capacitors in the volume stage were also upgraded.
In order to reduce ringing, custom damping materials were added to the A11’s mechanical chassis, further isolating/insulating and dampening any vibrations in the product.
Eight capacitor changes and one resistor change were made in the DAC stage of the CD11 CD Player, while nine capacitors were changed in the power supply with improved components.
Again, a great deal of thought was given to the damping of internal vibrations, adding custom damping material to the top cover to eliminate vibration and ringing, while further changes were made to the mechanical and electrical grounding of the CD player.
Having agreed the changes and overseen the creation of the first prototypes, Ishiwata sadly passed away before the project could be completed.
However, some of his long-term contacts and partners from the industry, including his personal friend Karl-Heinz Fink, volunteered to continue his work with the Rotel team in order to complete the product and fulfil Ishiwata’s original vision.
The project concludes with an increase in resolution and detail while also delivering a more musical presentation with both improved rhythm and timing, resulting in the A11 Tribute and the CD11 Tribute.
The Tribute Editions are now ready for launch and carry special Tribute badges in honour and as a legacy to the man whose total passion for music was the impetus that made them happen.
The A11 Tribute and CD11 Tribute will be available in September and are available in both silver and black finishes.
The A11 Tribute Stereo Integrated Amplifier has a suggested retail price of £499 / €599 / $799 and the CD11 Tribute CD Player has a suggested retail price of £399 / €449 / $599.