-
제품
-
애플리케이션
-
서포트
-
AKM 소개
News Release
- Information -
[Notes] * Information on this page is current on the date of press release. * AKM is trademark of Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation in Japan, Europe and the United States. * Appellations, company names and product names on this page are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.
Conductor and Composer Masato Suzuki Appointed as VELVET SOUND Brand Ambassador
2026/02/13
Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Conductor and Composer Masato Suzuki as brand ambassador for its premium audio brand, VELVET SOUND. Mr. Suzuki's unique perspective will help us to share the VELVET SOUND philosophy: delivering a listening experience “as if you were there."
Shaping the Future of Sound, Together
The goal of VELVET SOUND has always been to deliver a lifelike listening experience—an authentic recreation of sound that makes you feel "as if you were there."
We devote ourselves to every single note, continually refining our technology not only to reproduce sound itself, but also to faithfully recreate the apce and atmosphere of the original recording. This commitment aligns deeply with Masato Suzuki’s musical philosophy of bringing "the intent engraved in the score naturally into the space."
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Suzuki experienced VELVET SOUND at firsthand during a visit to our Audio Room.
Throughout that listening session, he noted that our long-held philosophy and approach to sound creation deeply resonates with the way that he has engaged with sound in real performance settings.
There are aspects of sound that cannot be fully captured by specifications alone. As such, we've spent a great deal of time at AKM building a set of initiatives with respect to sound quality and the listening experience. Mr. Suzuki’s insights, rooted in his perspective from the places where music unfolds, are of great value to us and will help us to share the VELVET SOUND concept with the world in a tangible and sincere way.
Comments from Masato Suzuki
I am honored to have been appointed as the brand ambassador for AKM’s audio brand, VELVET SOUND.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit AKM’s Audio Room and observe their experimental environment, where the full depth of their technical expertise is brought together. While “speaker sound quality” may sound like a single concept, it is in fact shaped by an immense number of parameters. I was deeply impressed by the uncompromising attitude with which the team addresses each and every one of them.
As performers, we too devote ourselves daily to conveying the messages embedded in a composer’s score in the purest and most unadulterated form possible. In the shared pursuit of refining sound through continuous exploration, I felt a strong sense of resonance that transcends professional roles.
Through my involvement as a brand ambassador, I believe I will learn a great deal myself and gain a broader and deeper perspective on the world of sound creation. Moreover, I hope to serve as a bridge between music and technology, and between people, contributing in some small way to the spread of richer and more meaningful audio experiences throughout society.
I sincerely look forward to participating, together with everyone at Asahi Kasei Microdevices, in initiatives that look ahead to the future of sound.
Scene from Mr. Suzuki’s visit to AKM’s audio room
Profile / Masato Suzuki
Masato Suzuki is Principal Conductor of Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ), Conductor and Creative Partner of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, and Music Director of Ensemble Genesis.
In January 2025, he conducted Mozart’s Requiem in his own revised and completed edition on BCJ’s European tour, performing in seven cities. In November, he made his debut with the Orchestre de Paris at the Philharmonie de Paris. As producer of the BCJ Opera Series curated by Masato Suzuki, he has led productions of Monteverdi’s "L’incoronazione di Poppea"and Handel’s"Rinaldo" (the 19th Sagawa Yoshio Music Award), as well as "Giulio Cesare". In Bunkamura Produce Mozart Opera Series, following "Die Zauberflöte" (2024, artwork by Hiroshi Senju) and "Don Giovanni" (2025, artwork by Hiroshi Sugimoto), he will collaborate with BCJ on "Le nozze di Figaro" in February 2026, with artwork by Kengo Kuma.
He regularly appears on radio program "The Pleasure of Early Music" on NHK FM and frequently appears as a guest on TV Asahi's program "The Untitled Concert".
He graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts and completed its postgraduate program, and also studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. His awards include the 71st Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists, the 18th Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award, the 18th Hotel Okura Music Award, and the 29th Watanabe Akio Music Foundation Award. He serves as Executive Producer of the Chofu International Music Festival and as a Visiting Professor at Kyushu University.
VELVET SOUND Brand Ambassador Masato Suzuki
What is VELVET SOUND ?
A complete listening experience is not easily quantifiable, and cannot be faithfully re-created through the pursuit of numerical perfection alone. Such an achievement requires deep knowledge and expertise in sound quality, from system design to component selection. It also requires our designers to trust their ears, and not just their measurements.
At AKM, we've accumulated more than 35 years' worth of knowledge and experience in the field of audio product development. We are continuously learning, and improving our system design, audio IC, software, and tuning technologies to deliver a world of sound that makes you feel "as if you were there" in any environment.
VELVET SOUND is widely adopted from home to high-end equipment and is also deployed in VELVET SOUND for Cars, which works on creating acoustic spaces inside vehicles.
