United Kingdom
HISTORY LESSON !
Clarion career highlights
What's been around for 63 years, constantly updates image and function, has a string of awards in the trophy cabinet and brings listening pleasure to the masses? The answer is not Tom Jones, but Clarion in-car entertainment which began life in 1940 and while it's true that no lust-crazed female has thrown her undergarments its way, the brand has beaten off opposition for the number one spot in the car audio market - one of the most competitive in the world - ever since.
Right from the off, the Clarion mission has always been a simple one - to offer the very best in terms of quality, technology, style and affordability to a discerning and diverse audience. From humble beginnings in transistorised car radios in the 50's right through today's 150+ strong product offering with award-winning multi-media offerings, sat-nav systems, speakers and amps the motivation to lead the way has never faded.
50's firsts
Career highlights include being the first manufacturer to supply audio units to the automobile industry in 1953 followed by being the world's first to develop a fully transistorised car radio in 1959.
Swinging 60's
Clarion developed Japan's first in-car stereo radio in 1963 - a mite more innovative than the coming of the lava lamp which shares the same birth year - and followed this the following year by bringing out Japan's first stereo tape player for cars.
Sound 70's
1978 saw Clarion introducing the first car audio component system into the market.
Love the 80's
Mindful to the requirements of two-wheeled music lovers, Clarion develops the world's first radio for motor bikes in 1980 and then in 1987 presented the world's first car audio DAT player. This in a decade when Madonna went from being Like a Virgin' to being Mrs Penn.
High 90's
In 1993 the Clarion CMX270CD is rated Best Design by journalists from leading European specialised publications (ECAP). Then in 1995, the first single DIN car monitor with motorised opening/closing of the screen.
Noughties
In 2001 Germany's premier car audio magazine Autohifi' declared both the Clarion DAH913 and DXZ718R Absolute Top Class', the latter even voted a new object of desire. Bringing us right up to date, the Clarion DXZ928R is voted Head Unit of the Year across Europe by EISA - high praise and well deserved as the unit brings Dolby Pro Logic II out of the lounge and into the car, thrusting the listener into 5.1 channel-surround sound heaven.
Firsts in full
- First: car radio in Japan (Model A-214 - 1948)
- First: audio equipment supplier to Japanese auto makers (Renault Motor Co 1953)
- First: fully-transistorized car radio in the world (1959)
- First: car stereo set in Japan (CA-802 - 1963)
- First: cassette car stereo set in Japan (PE-801 - 1968)
- First: auto-reverse car cassette player in the world (PE-666 - 1971)
- First: car radio FM impulse noise suppressor in Japan (CZ1 - 1978)
- First: car graphic equalizer booster in the world (EQB - 1978)
- First: AM noise-suppressing IC in the world (CZ2 - 1979)
- First: motorcycle radio set in the world (Honda Motor - 1980)
- First: DAT player for the car in the world (DAC2000 - 1984)
- First: combination AM/FM, CD changer-controller, and cellular telephone with voice- recognition (CAL-1000 - 1992)
- First: active digital control system (ADCS-1 - 1993)
- First: car multimedia system (TTX7101/VMA9181 - 1995)
- First: single DIN-size car monitor with motorised opening/closing of the screen (TVX4151 - 1995)
- First: multimedia centre marketed in Europe (VRX8370R - 1997)
- First: in-car computer/audio system (Clarion Auto-PC - 1998)
- First: head-unit integrating the Dolby Pro-Logic II technology (DXZ928R - 2002)
- First: to propose the Direct Exchange Program (2002)
