JOY IN THE LITTLE THINGS
This is where IKIGAI audio wants to help. IKIGAI audio is about giving you happiness thru your music listening. Giving you the motivation to listen more and longer. This will not only give you a short term benefit. Music also has a mindfulness healing. Reducing stresses and anxieties which will have a much longer benefit.
Ikigai does not mean everything needs to be GREAT and XXL. Ikigai means also having and seeing the
pleasure in the litle things of life. This is why IKIGAI audio doesn’t put much effort in the BIG and BOLD bling – bling of the cables. There is no sonic benefit and it raises the prices.
We do believe in the right mixture of measurements and listening.
We use a Sourcetronic precision LCR meter with a bandwidth up to 300KHz and a RIGOL 300MHz scope to preform our measurements before we start listening and finetuning. After finetuning, we do our final measurements before a cable is released.
Cable treatments
Every SUGURE, KANGAI and KINZAN cable have a special recrystallization process to form very large crystals. We don’t believe in the term ‘mono crystal’, because this is physically impossible. Yes we use very pure silver and gold, so it’s a mono material, but due to the metal structure it is never a mono crystal. What we can obtain is very large crystals. This process takes approx. two days depending on the level of the cable and has a very large impact on the sonic quality. The process gives the cable a more relaxed signature then you have ever heard before. There is no edginess in the music any more. No loss in dynamics, control, details. The music is just there as it was recorded. The process also reduces the burn-in time. Typically the cables still need a break in period of approx. 100h.
CABLE TERMINATION
IKIGAI audio uses almost solely ETI Research KRYO and BRYO series and WBT termination. If you have a favorite brand in termination i.e. Furutech, don’t hesitate to request. We can make a cable with your favorite brand. For our Kinzan level interconnect cables, we invested heavily in a new wire to connector bonding technique. The connector contacts are welded to the cable wires to form a point to point connection losing contact resistance and keeping the material properties on a same, high level.
LOGO rings
IKIGAI audio makes for each cable a dedicated logo ring. On this ring you will find some important information:
- It has the level name on it SUGURE – KANGAI – KINZAN
- It has an arrow indicating the direction of the signal
- It has a unique and traceable serial number
The rings are made on a lathe out of aluminum. They are grinded and polished to create a mirror finish. We use a fiber laser to engrave the information on the rings.
Noise control
Every cable from each level has at least double EMI/RFI screening to keep unwanted radio frequency pollution/distortion out. This unique grounding system runs from plug to plug, ensuring full EMI/RFI protection. Moreover, power cords also have the capability to connect to the speaker and/or ethernet cable’s EMI/RFI shield in the KANGAI and KINZAN levels. Engaging this grounding system becomes a fantastic free sonic upgrade for your cable! Furthermore, the KANGAI and KINZAN series implement a special sleeve that minimizes unwanted vibrations, such as airborne sounds vibrating the cable and contact noises from hi-fi racks and your stereo system. Notably, the KINZAN DC and grounding cables incorporate an additional conductive carbon sleeve to effectively prevent unwanted noise.
PACKAGING
IKIGAI audio believes in a total IKIGAI experience. Therefore, the packaging of the cables is a feast to unpack, giving you joy in every step. All packaging materials have a low carbon footprint. IKIGAI audio only uses recycled paper, wooden logos, recycled fiber bags, and cork inlay. All items are produced in-house or within the Netherlands, reducing transport to a bare minimum. We also incorporate subtle differences in packaging for our levels. For example, the logo on top of the box is made out of Bamboo for our SUGURE level and Rosewood for our KANGAI and KINZAN levels.