There are some great things about starting a hardware venture. Let alone the product  itself, one of those is that you have to physically promote and export your product abroad. It’s very exciting, especially when this concerns far lands, exotic countries and cultures that you really cherrish.

Baptiste and I met in Japan, a couple of blocks away from the Tokyo Tower (cover picture), in the corridors of KEIO University‘s Mita Campus.

Japanese woman testing the VK-1 at the Tokyo Headphone Show

Last week-end, some VK-1 traveled to Japan and were exhibited at the Tokyo Headphone Festival organized by Fujiya Avic. It is a bi-annual event and considered as the most important headphone show in Japan. It was the first official appearance of Aëdle and the VK-1 in Japan – a teaser prior to an introduction into the Japanese Market in a couple of months. A lot of  ”きれい!”s (kirei) and “かっこいい!”s (kakkoii) could be heard at the stand as well as very positive impressions about the sound quality from japanese professionals and audiophiles attending the show.

Japanese friends: you can now follow Aëdle on Facebook here (AEDLEの日本語のFacebookが公開されました)

We can’t wait to travel back to Japan again for the Official Launch as well as meeting our friends there or eating in our favorite gyudon restaurants.

//Raphaël

In GQ France

In VOGUE UOMO ITALY (ITW of Raphaël & Baptiste / People section)

In ESQUIRE UK Magazine (TOP 50 – Man Spring)

In GQ UK (High-Tech Selection)

In INTERSECTION FRANCE (May Issue – Press Clipping soon to be released)

Last week we went to Milan with our friends: David from Ateliers Rosenblum and Kathia from FLOZ. It was the preview of a special project on whom we partnered together with Wallpaper* Magazine for their annual and prestigious Handmade exhibition. Here are some pictures of our trip there. It was a short but intense trip, we mixed business with ‘fine fleur’ design, culture and tourism not to forget, cappuccios (and not capuccinos it seems), good food, apperitivi on Navigli, Buffala bars and Camparis.

The photoshoot of our project will be published this summer in the August issue of Wallpaper* Magazine. We’ll keep you in touch.

//Raphaël

This morning I had a very important mission to accomplish.

It was Stephanie’s husband – Gregoire (http://www.gregoiredelafforest.com/) - birthday today. She was quite desperate to realize that FEDEX shipping being scheduled today at 2pm, her loved one would not have received his gift in time. Needless to say that this was enough of a ‘raison supérieure’ for me to come back earlier than expected from our factory in Brittany and ride my scooter this morning to L’OREAL Headquarters on rue Royale in Paris where she works as Interior Architect. It was a very special delivery indeed. We could not have missed this deadline. That made Stephanie, the very first VK-1 owner ever. Thank you Stephanie, it was great to meet you!

Later I had other special VK-1 deliveries to do. I also met Scott McGrath in La Défense Novotel where he had just checked in, arriving by Eurostar from London this morning. Scott is an Australian man from Brisbane but established in Europe and working as consultant at DELOITTE. We share the same passion for classical epic symphonies.

This afternoon, Scott also sent us this very supportive message after having tried the VK-1 for the whole day. Thank you Scott, a message like this worths the 2 years of commitment we have gone through.

I’m sitting in a Paris restaurant waiting to meet a friend later. I was incredibly incredibly lucky to be travelling to Paris on the day the VK-1 were meant to go out and Raphael very kindly travelled on his scooter to my hotel to deliver these beautiful headphones personally. Unboxing them was a pure pleasure and I’ve photographed it. Will share later. My last pair of headphones were about 30% cheaper than these and I felt I wasted my money. 3 hours with these more expensive VK-1′s and I know my money has been spent well. These really are beautiful headphones. In this restaurant many people have looked and 2 have even asked where they come from. 2! never been asked that before. When I first put them on they felt wonderful on the ears but dug in a little on the top of my head. Then I realised I had them back a touch too far, I moved them only about half a centimetre and it felt like they were moving into their rightful spot. Sounds a little silly but I fell like this pair of VK-1′s were made for me. But of course, the all important question is how do they sound… well… I’ve only played them for a couple of hours so playing them pretty low to give them a few days to burn in. But already I’ve heard a different more vibrant bass in Elbow’s One day like this. The first track I listened to was Chopin Revolutionary. It had a real concert hall feel about it. Then I broke out some old U2. I’ve not listed to them in years because I don’t like where they’ve gone but can’t deny their old stuff is amazing. I listed to Bad from the ‘Wide awake in America’ EP. Just beautiful. I could chronicle the last three hours but have probably lost you already so let me just say this. The first 300 are very lucky. I look forward to hearing from you. If you’re not lucky enough to be in the first 300, get ordering, these headphones on my head don’t sound as good as they will after a couple of day usage and I already feeling like they’re the best I’ve ever owned. These are what happens when Artists through themselves into engineering. Beauty and form. I’m so happy…. Oh and Sympathy for the Devil just started… I’m off.

//Raphaël