Iconic Marantz engineer-designer, Ken Ishiwata, has died at age 72.
Ken was among the classiest of men. He always had a pleasant, friendly demeanor. I have to tell you that MOST designers would rather not mingle with sales people, the public or the press. Ken liked everybody. He dressed to the nines in Euro Japanese attire. He took his personal presentation, music and designs seriously- regardless of price.
Ken brought Marantz into a unique category in the 80s with exceptional CD players at about $400. Everyone else’s were generic in that range. There is no doubt that Ken’s successful products pushed the competition to follow suit. Competitors were always chasing Ken’s work.
Ken designed for the high end as well. He felt DSD/SACD was THE state of the art. His SA-10 and SA-Ruby disc players are his best creations and they remain unsurpassed in today’s market place. I’m a die hard silver disc fan and cherish my SA-10!
Marantz will miss Ken’s passion and guiding light, as well as his nuts & bolts talent. As a Marantz retailer since the mid 80s, I have been honored to sell hundreds of Ken’s products. Our industry has benefited immensely from Ken’s devotion to music and the gear that makes it happen in our homes. Ken made everyone get better, and he did it with grace and humility.