In Japan in 1910, an American trader named Frederick Whitney Horn established a company called Japan Recorders Corporation. With his Japanese partners, he released the company’s first product: a single disc record and gramophone.

The brand name “Denon” was born in the late 1930s and ever since has become synonymous with the development of new technologies and products for consumer and professional use.

Throughout its century of innovation, Denon has built a strong legacy of firsts, including introduction of the first professional disc recorder (1939), the first sales of stereo records and stereo systems in Japan (1951) and invention of the first PCM recorder (1970), which marked the basis of today’s CD format.

In 1982 Denon debuted another historical first – the first consumer-use CD player (DCD-2000). With the advent of home theatre technologies, Denon again became the first to release a home cinema component supporting Dolby Digital/THX 5.1 decoding for enjoying the best in multi-channel content.

As this is a monumental point in Denon’s history, the company is inviting everyone to join in the celebration. To this end, Denon has launched a special Anniversary website, www.denon100.com, where people can learn all about the company’s “Legacy of Firsts,” and it will also release several limited-edition anniversary products later this year.