The flagship A-S2000 and CD-S2000 models inherit the legacy of Yamaha’s renowned CA-1000 Hi Fi amplifier from 1973. The key phrase in the design of these products was “A Container for Sound.” Released more than thirty five years ago, the CA-1000 had a crowded control panel, resulting in a very mechanical feel. Nowadays however, people look for a more tranquil appearance in their audio equipment. I felt that this compared to the role that “pianissimo” plays in the music world. What emerged from that concept was a design that utilized a typically Japanese aesthetic of stressing the beauty of spaces. Those spaces are the balance between the rough and the fine. To a feel of spaciousness to something, we need to pare down compositional elements, and refine the details, working to achieve a balance between the two. Take, for example, the CD tray, honed to a minimum thickness, the minutely textured, knobs and switches, or the minimalist remote controls… the design concept of “beauty in spaces” permeates throughout.. Dishes, vases, letterboxes… "containers” are found everywhere in our lives. But the important thing about containers is what we put inside them. For an audio component too, the product itself is not important; rather the music, and the listener take the central role. The restrained presence that brings those roles to the fore is what constitutes the new design identity for Yamaha Hi Fi Audio.