A press release issued by the Stella Group reads: “It is with great sadness that we announce that our founder, colleague and former CEO Hideaki Nishikawa passed away on the morning of June 28, 2023, surrounded by a loving family. Hideaki was 81 years old. He was under treatment after suffering respiratory failure. We express our deepest condolences to his family . ”
Hideaki Nishikawa was a talented engineer and visionary entrepreneur. In 1989, he co-founded Stellavox Japan (currently Stella Inc.), which was involved in the import and distribution of high quality audio components in Japan. In 2001, he founded Zephyrn Inc., and then in 2010, his own brand TechDAS, under which he developed the famous Air Force turntables.
The pinnacle of his talent, the TechDAS Air Force Zero turntable , premiered in 2019 and became his “analog sound statement”, fulfilling a lifelong dream of perfect record reproduction, to which he devoted all his energy.
Colleagues from the Stella Group say: “He had deep knowledge and experience in the field of audio and strived for absolute perfection, driven by passion, without any compromise. He dedicated himself to achieving his goal, with creativity and insight in everything. His energy and ambition have always inspired and motivated us to work towards the same goal. At the same time, he was very cheerful, generous and open by nature. He enjoyed traveling to meet friends in the audio community around the world. Spending time in this circle always gave him great pleasure. He was loved and respected by friends and each of us. It has been a great honor for us to work closely with Hideaki . “
