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August 23, 2005
Bé Is Back, by Ken Kessler
For a variety of seemingly unrelated reasons, I found
myself in Japan a few weeks ago for an achingly short
72 hours. In that time I crammed in a visit to a six-story
high-end store called Dynamic Audio in the Akihabara district,
had lunch with the president and deputy general manager
of TEAC's Esoteric Division, heard their astounding five-chassis
SACD player, was recorded in conversation with the legendary
Japanese audio journalist Okihiko Sugano, and spent time
with a company called Acrosound. Kanno-san, the company's
boss, chauffeured me around in a vehicle that had netted
him four speeding tickets in the previous month. I told
you it was a whirlwind visit.
But
the key to all of this, linking every party, was Bé Yamamura.
A century from now, when some industrious soul writes
the history of high-end audio, Bé will feature in the
chapter with Harvey Rosenberg, Jean Hiraga, Tim De Paravicini,
and other edgy visionaries. He is the consummate high-end
"mad professor" without looking like a geek. In fact,
he looks normal.
Fluent
in English and Italian, with a hit record and motor racing
in his background, Bé is best known in our circles for
having developed, in the early 1990s, a range of outlandish
graphite accessories and cables for Italy's late, lamented
A.R.T. Additionally, he was one of the first proponents
in the West of the use of silver wiring, horns, and single-ended
triodes, and had his own range of tube and transistor
amps, a turntable, a cartridge, horn speakers, and more.
After he'd spent extended periods in the UK, Italy, and
Florida, personal reasons dictated a return to Japan.
It
turns out that, on his return, Bé's services were snapped
up by the Acrojapan Corporation. The company has relationships
with Mitsubishi, who use Acrojapan's MEXCEL digital cables
in their state-of-the-art digital space telescope. Said
cables also serve in the Japanese Air Force's jet fighter
planes for various digital connections such as engine
management, and Acrojapan is intimately involved with
the Nikko Mining Corporation.
Of
last connection Bé said, "When someone says they're using
'four-nines' or 'five-nines' copper, be very skeptical.
We've measured them all. But ours is. Our copper comes
from Nikko Mining." So, although I hate cables and absolutely
refuse ever again to review any, I was curious. Bé and
Kanno showed me their interconnects and speaker wire,
and I was immediately impressed with a build quality and
finish that appear to be without equal. No kidding. The
stuff had more in common with Aeroquip hoses; I could
smell the milspec approval. And as one who avoids "locking"
phono plugs, I was taken by their unique carbon-fiber
connectors, made exclusively for them by Oyaide Elec.
Gorgeous . . . and secure without breaking off your phono
sockets.
Now
this isn't even the range Bé has worked on, but he told
me he'd be proud to have designed it. It turns out that
it's available only in Japan, branded as TEAC Esoteric
and exclusive to Esoteric. (See how this fits together?)
And when Bé told me how much business they do solely with
TEAC, and only in Japan, I realized that they were bigger
than just about every other specialist cable manufacturer
on earth south of Monster Cable.
Their
stuff ain't cheap, but you're paying for genuine metallurgical
credibility at the very least. Sonically? Well, I heard
their wires in systems consisting of their own electronics—not
for sale, alas—with TEAC Esoteric sources, with Krell
Evolution amplification, with DartZeel and other high-end
champs, through Krell LAT1000 speakers. Suffice it to
say I was dazzled. I came home with a few pieces, which
are burning in at this very moment. Initial impressions?
With prices below those of the usual suspects, this range
could be a winner Stateside.
Acrojapan's
products are now distributed in the US by The Lotus Group.
Tel: (415) 897-8884. If the name "Acrolink" starts appearing
in your favorite magazines, remember that you read about
it here first. And take a tip from ol' KK: the 75 ohm
digital cables will spin your head.
The Lotus Group
415-897-8884
info@lotusgroupusa.com
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