Technics and Zonotone have much in common. With its advanced, innovative technology, the Technics brand has sent many wonderful products out into the world, such as the development of the direct-drive turntable, and its linear phase speakers, leaving its mark on the history of audio. As suggested by the brand name, which evokes “technology” that faithfully reproduces the original sound, its production of high-quality sound has gained a superior reputation not only in Japan, but among passionate audiophiles the world over.

It has long been known that, having being reborn as a brand specializing in audio, Technics has in its second act embarked on a new global course, including the introduction of new high-fidelity audio systems into the European market. This new direction is based not only on the physical qualities of its products, but also on the company’s determination to deliver excitement to music lovers and audio fans who appreciate the real thing.

Technics’ such spirit has much in common with our spirit at Zonotone. Audio cable is a key factor in the excitement generated by the art form that is music. This factor is what lies at the heart of Zonotone’s foundation. The Zonotone brand was launched from the pure desire, from our own passion for music, to stir the hearts of audiophiles. In other words, we do not confine ourselves to the pursuit of scientific numbers; what we always aim for is to recreate the excitement of art. This, indeed, is the true worth of the Zonotone brand, which has carved out the history of audio cables in Japan.

Technics, creating the excitement of sound and music. Zonotone, recreating the excitement generated by the art form that is music.

These two top brands, by chance, are joined by the common feature of “excitement.” The adoption of Zonotone speaker cables in the Technics Listening Rooms could be described as an inevitable chance encounter with Technics.

　　

As the front-runner in the manufacturer of audio cables, Zonotone has won broad support from audiophiles for the many outstanding products it has released. Their astonishing quality, born of proprietary materials, construction, and design, is imbued with our confidence that it is without equal. It is Zonotone’s great fortune to have that quality recognized by Technics, a company that pursues the rich sounds of musicality. What were the specific reasons that led Technics to select Zonotone’s speaker cables for the Technics Listening Rooms? We asked Tetsuya Itani, Chief Engineer of Panasonic Corporation. (Interviewer: Chikara Maezono)

I’d known about Zonotone for some time through my own personal audio pursuits. I had also been using the cables from Zonotone’s predecessor at home, so I have been using Zonotone’s cables in my system since the brand was launched.

The impetus came when we restart Technics blandcables our senior colleagues used were obsoleted and needed to be replaced with new standard. After comparing and evaluating a number of different cables, we really felt that the Zonotone cables most achieved the sound that Technics was aiming for. Initially, we were using the Zonotone cables only for our demonstrations, but when we decided that it would be better to standardize the sound of the listening rooms in Tokyo and Osaka, we made the decision to use Zonotone cables in both locations.

There were other reasonably priced cables, but in terms of being easy for customers anywhere to purchase and achieving the sound that Technics is aiming for, Zonotone cables were the ones that were the easiest for customers to choose. The fact that Zonotone is made in Japan is also reassuring, and with the founder, Toshihiko Maezono, having dedicated himself to cable production, there was a great sense of confidence in the product.

No matter what class of cable we use, they are consistent in sound. With the high-end cable, the quality of the sound increases considerably and the elegance of tone changes, but even with the basic models, there is a sense of reassurance. They offer powerful and clear sound with thickness in the low to middle ranges. The vocals also seem to rise up before your eyes and there is a definite sense of realness. Even with a single listen, you can clearly sense the difference in bass resolution compared to other cables. Zonotone cables’ ease of handling is also a major point in their favor. We also use Zonotone cables as standard in the Technics audio systems we install in CASART, the premium houses in Japan, build by our house building company Panasonic Homes.