Ken Ishiwata: a tribute to the late engineering great

Sad news fills the Insider section of our magazine this month: Ken Ishiwata, legendary hi-fi personality and audio engineer, has recently passed away. Ishiwata died on 25th November following an illness, and we remember him here.

We suspect many readers will have come across Ken Ishiwata’s work, even if they might not know it. If you’ve ever heard or owned a Marantz product made any time during the past 40 years, the chances are he had a hand in it.

Over the decades he became synonymous with the brand. His demonstrations at various hi-fi shows were legendary thanks to his eclectic choice of music and unusual but highly effective set-ups. His penchant for