Started after WWII as the Kasuga Radio Company, Trio made its first firm steps into the US market in 1963 with the founding of Kenwood Electronics Inc., which would import and distribute Trio products in the US under the Kenwood name. Over the next four years, the audio industry would expand and change as tubes gave way to solid state and Trio struggled to differentiate itself from a pack of Japanese competitors vying for customers worldwide.
In 1967, Trio released the landmark Supreme 1 stereo integrated amplifier. It was an ambitious undertaking, with six channels of amplification and an internal electronic crossover. Unfortunately, the amp failed to sell in any appreciable number.
Trio fell back on a solid Plan B. The ATC Series, led by the KA-6000 and KA-7002 amps, would imitate Sony's internationally successful ES line (ushered in by the 1120 amp in '65). The feature set wasn't revolutionary, but these were lines aimed at luring buyers away from premium US brands like McIntosh and Marantz, with uncompromising build quality and attractive pricing.
By the time the KA-7002 was released in '71, the 1970's stereo boom was in full swing. Remaining competitive would have to mean cost-cutting in future Trio offerings.
Co-founder Jiro Kasuga hadn't been happy with the way Trio's best products had been developed and marketed since the Supreme 1 debacle. In '72, he stepped out to found Kensonic Laboratories, Inc. (later Accuphase Laboratories, Inc.) with investment, cooperation, and talent from Trio. Kasuga also poached engineers from Marantz Japan and Luxman, in a time when headhunting, or even switching companies mid-career, was only beginning to be an accepted practice in Japan.
A year later, Accuphase products hit the market and were hailed immediately as Japan's answer to McIntosh. To anyone paying attention, that first Accuphase line was the direct successor to the '71 Trio/Kenwood ATC Series.
Trio/Kenwood products from the mid-late 70's remain much beloved. The mass-market gear, including the dual mono amplifiers and monster receivers, was great in its own right, but the build quality that had defined the company's best offerings dwindled as the decade progressed. To modern collectors, Trio/Kenwood takes a backseat to Marantz, Sansui, and Pioneer.
Trio/Kenwood would again attempt to compete in the premium market with the Supreme and L series, likely developed with assistance from Accuphase. Though these products were top-notch, they failed to sell well in the US. Perhaps the vision to market them worldwide left with Kasuga's team.
Trio would rename itself Kenwood in '81, retained partial ownership of Accuphase until the mid-90's, and would ultimately merge with JVC. Today, there are no home audio components marketed in the US under the Kenwood name.
Accuphase is still around, and some still regard it as the Japanese Mc. Distribution in the US is spotty, with many units coming in through the eBay gray market. Perhaps because Accuphase has stubbornly refused to re-embrace vacuum tubes, it does not carry the torch of Japanese high end in the US imagination as brightly as Luxman and, maybe, Leben.
In 1967, Trio released the landmark Supreme 1 stereo integrated amplifier. It was an ambitious undertaking, with six channels of amplification and an internal electronic crossover. Unfortunately, the amp failed to sell in any appreciable number.
Trio fell back on a solid Plan B. The ATC Series, led by the KA-6000 and KA-7002 amps, would imitate Sony's internationally successful ES line (ushered in by the 1120 amp in '65). The feature set wasn't revolutionary, but these were lines aimed at luring buyers away from premium US brands like McIntosh and Marantz, with uncompromising build quality and attractive pricing.
By the time the KA-7002 was released in '71, the 1970's stereo boom was in full swing. Remaining competitive would have to mean cost-cutting in future Trio offerings.
Co-founder Jiro Kasuga hadn't been happy with the way Trio's best products had been developed and marketed since the Supreme 1 debacle. In '72, he stepped out to found Kensonic Laboratories, Inc. (later Accuphase Laboratories, Inc.) with investment, cooperation, and talent from Trio. Kasuga also poached engineers from Marantz Japan and Luxman, in a time when headhunting, or even switching companies mid-career, was only beginning to be an accepted practice in Japan.
A year later, Accuphase products hit the market and were hailed immediately as Japan's answer to McIntosh. To anyone paying attention, that first Accuphase line was the direct successor to the '71 Trio/Kenwood ATC Series.
Trio/Kenwood products from the mid-late 70's remain much beloved. The mass-market gear, including the dual mono amplifiers and monster receivers, was great in its own right, but the build quality that had defined the company's best offerings dwindled as the decade progressed. To modern collectors, Trio/Kenwood takes a backseat to Marantz, Sansui, and Pioneer.
Trio/Kenwood would again attempt to compete in the premium market with the Supreme and L series, likely developed with assistance from Accuphase. Though these products were top-notch, they failed to sell well in the US. Perhaps the vision to market them worldwide left with Kasuga's team.
Trio would rename itself Kenwood in '81, retained partial ownership of Accuphase until the mid-90's, and would ultimately merge with JVC. Today, there are no home audio components marketed in the US under the Kenwood name.
Accuphase is still around, and some still regard it as the Japanese Mc. Distribution in the US is spotty, with many units coming in through the eBay gray market. Perhaps because Accuphase has stubbornly refused to re-embrace vacuum tubes, it does not carry the torch of Japanese high end in the US imagination as brightly as Luxman and, maybe, Leben.
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