Why? The past lives long in the memory.
Sony was at the Vanguard of Japan’s post-war recovery. Making any electronics for the home.
Rice cookers and standard small white goods in the 40s.
They had a huge success with the transistor radios in the mid 50s.
Bearing in mind transistors themselves were first created in 1947. Sony is putting them in consumer products 8 years later. Copying a product produced in small numbers but making it better. Using the latest technology.
I own a 1960s reel to reel machine that still works perfectly. Sound on sound recording, echo and reverb effects. Built using transistors and “solid state” amplifies. Not at the cutting edge but using transistors to mass produce a product more reliably than previous tech.
All high fi equipment following the same pattern. Can they replace the old style amplifiers in record players. Yep.
The cassette tape comes along Sony makes it portable. And this is the point they also start hitting the top of the market in quality.
The portable tape decks Sony produced are considered the best.
This is while they’re dealing with videotape and producing betamax and the first consumer recorders and cameras.
Sony is a mark of reliability from the 50s by replacing old tech with transistors and a mark of quality by being better than the mass market competition by the 70s.
They then look at digital and create their own media. Betamax is a war they eventually lost even though it was better quality than VHS. But they made money on the professionals end of the market because of that quality.
This moved Sony into that direction. Focusing on the premium product, aiming high and for the mass market, but with the idea that quality will guarantee the high end segment.
In audio
Digital cassette DCC, DAT CD SACD Competition for Dolby Surround SPDIF optical audio. LDAC Bluetooth protocol
All the devices to play and record/transmit these.
In video: U-matic Betamax MMCD (mothballed to then partnering with DVD) Blu-ray Blu-ray 4K
The devices to play and produce them. The media to go on them from Sony Music and Sony Pictures.
Displays they created Trinitron displays to go with their analogue video cameras and formats.
They produced the first LED backlit LCDs. They produced the first quantum dot displays to go with the professional cinema quality digital cameras.
In the computing world they produced the first 3.5" floppies then CDs, then flash memory storage.
They tried to partner with Nintendo on the first CD-Rom gaming system and, when they were kicked out, launched their own console.
Sony have aimed for the professional market and bring those lessons learned to the masses.
Always based around a media format.
1999 Sony produced SACD. R&D in audio finished when that wound up in 2007.
High end audio equipment before that point is great. After that it’s just badges up stuff made to the lowest price.
2006 Sony produced Blu-ray. Blu-ray 4K looks to be the last gasp in 2016.
They were aiming for the top with video, TVs and blu ray players were great.
They’re still the best quality audio and video products you can buy.
But no one is buying them. We left quality of CDs for the convenience of mp3. We left Blu-ray for streaming.
We left high quality physical products for software products and codecs for convenience.
We left individual electronic devices for smart phones.
Sony have stopped R&D and quality control on devices as the market for them has dropped.
You can still buy a great high end TV from Sony.
Everything else, they’ve let the high end go.
If the high end isn’t mass market. Then they’re not going to make it high end anymore.
But as the last mass manufacturer to leave so many segments over the years. The cheapest high end device is still often a second hand Sony.
When the high end drops out of a segment all the individual components they would mass produce get penny pinched. Before they would produce huge numbers of lasers for CD players and make sure they were all good enough across the whole range.
When no one wants a high end CD player, no more high quality lasers get made.
The same with each component. Amplifiers, connectors, buttons, power supplies.
Sony’s products borrowed from each other’s tech and as the high end went in one area it had knock on effects in others.
Look at the PS5, the components are not produced in Japan by Sony. They’re outsourcing.
The 4K Blu-Ray disk drive is optional.
They say they’re unlikely to ever release their 8K Blu-Ray standard.
Top quality is no longer a priority and you place 20 years ago about right for audio. Probably 10 years ago for video.
The playstation 3 was Sony’s last CD player in a console. The last to be backwards compatible. The last of the Sony attitude of trying to be the best and trying to be backwards compatible.
The best CD players, SACD, players, DVD players etc all come in one Sony 4k UHD Blu Ray box.
Then you need a decent receiver and speakers to take that digital signal through a DAC, and amplify it. The last vestage of high end Sony audio is there.
The TVs the last of Sony’s high end lines in general.
The best portable cd players without breaking the bank, old Sony’s.
You’ve proven yourself wrong.
Mochi Tetsu is mentioned in that article as being a source that produces higher quality products than iron sand. Exactly what you’re arguing against.
The facts are that due to the limited availability of good quality iron ore the steel produced in Japan often used iron sand and that led to lower quality products.