Watanabe Sound Festa opens door to Japan for TW Audio

Published: August 17, 2010 ASIA

JAPAN: Loudspeaker manufacturer TW Audio has made strong inroads into the Japanese market in recent months, participating in a line array exhibition at the Watanabe Sound Festa in Osaka whilst also staging a demo day in Tokyo.

Both events were managed by the German manufacturer’s new Japanese distributor Graphica Inc, described as ‘an excellent match’ for the loudspeaker brand by TW Audio managing director Bernhard Wuestner.

A long-established presence in the Japanese A/V market, Grahpica represents a wide range of professional sound and lighting brands, with Mr Wuestner praising his new distributor as ‘driven by a passion for innovative technology, inspirational products, and design. Graphica is a well-established company in the sound, light, and event industry in Japan with a broad network. They are well-known for their service, and their understanding of customers needs. We believe that together with Graphica we can establish TW AUDiO as a new brand in the upper professional Japanese rental and installation market.’

TW Audio’s participation in the 2010 Sound Festa line array exhibition, which took place at Osaka’s Grand Cube, was intended as a striking introduction to the regional sector. Taking place on June 16^th and 17^th, the event saw the manufacturer pitched alongside brands including Meyer Sound, Yamaha, d&b audiotechnik, Electro-Voice, JBL, L-Acoustics, Nexo and more. Two six-element strong VERA10 line arrays were hung per side for the demonstration, with four B30 subs stacked per side to provide low-end support. Two Powersoft K3DSP amplifiers were used to drive the system.

‘Japan is very important to us,’ stressed Mr Wuestner. ‘Japan is one of the world's largest economies with a very high living standard, and is home to some of the leading, and most technologically advanced products and brands. Also the service sector plays a big role in Japan. All things considered, we believe TW AUDiO fits in the Japanese market very well, hence we see a good market potential.’

Following the Sound Festa, Graphica organised a brand-specific demonstration of TW Audio equipment at Tokyo’s Club Diana, with 1,000 audio professionals in attendance.

‘We presented several systems for different applications,’ explained Mr Wuestner. ‘Firstly, we showed our compact mini-PA, which is called M-Sys-Two and is for FOH and monitor use, or for small club events. It is a pair of 8-inch speakers combined with a pair of 15-inch subs with a passive crossover.

‘Secondly, we presented our mid-size system, called PA-Sys-One. It is a combination of two T24 tops (two 12-inch horn-loaded speakers) and four B30 subs (two 15-inch enclosures). This system works for gala shows as well as for smaller rock and roll events.

‘Finally, we presented our line array system, Vera-Sys-One. It consists of 12 tops of Vera10 two by one 10-inch boxes and eight S30 subs. Like all our systems it is extremely compact and powerful, highly versatile and expandable. Therefore it can be used for all kinds of concerts up to an audience of 10,000. The top element, the Vera10, is very often used for installations and TV productions. In Germany it was used for the qualification rounds of the European Song Contest.’

Having completed an initial push into the Japanese market, Mr Wuestner is confident that together with Graphica, TW Audio will quickly rise up the ranks of the major brands jostling for attention with the territory. ‘The quality of the sound, the design and also the way our products are manufactured speaks for itself,’ he declared. ‘We are optimistic that we can fulfil the high expectations of the Japanese market.’