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Japanese Audio

I've owned a few great low powered Japanese tube amps and wonder if anyone knows why this niche of low power class A and tube amps exists in Japan. Luxman, Leben, Airtight, Yamamoto, Almarro (no longer), SPEC, Accuphase to name a few. If your goal is building a low power amplifier, where does the inspiration come from? Did these brands spring up from western influence like other areas of Japanese culture or are there many unheard of Japanese high efficiency speakers?   
bjesien

Showing 1 response by puffball08

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puffball08
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Regarding SE Triode amplifiers in Japan, it may be traced to a guy named Jean Hiraga who discovered the WE 300B while living in France then conveyed its magic in a magazine article in Japan.  This was 1973.   Later in the decade and into the early 80s, a flurry of single ended triode amplifiers appeared in Japan.  Some were based on Westrex 91A (designed by Western Electric) amplifiers using 300B triodes.

Read Eric Barbour's article "History Of The WE300B And Its Relatives" in Vacuum Tube Valley (begins on page 8) about the history of the Western Electric 300B and how it spread to Japanese audiophiles.

http://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/eMagazines/VTV/VTV03.pdf
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