Message from tueks to Stereo Era Neo

Hello, this is tueks.

I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for this valuable opportunity. Whether you've learned about me through this magazine or have known me from before, thank you for taking the time to read this.

When I received the request for this magazine interview, I was actually dealing with a mental health issue, and I had doubts about whether I could continue living a normal life in society. However, I decided to participate in the interview, clinging to a glimmer of hope.

I create things to be true to myself. When something I've created is accepted by others, and they desire to own it, I feel truly blessed. Audio equipment is intriguing because, if it looks good, it can stimulate the desire to possess it. However, it's a kind of product that you don't consciously think about while it's functioning but becomes noticeable when it's not. I believe this applies to smartphones and PCs as well.

When I create something, I always consider how it exists when it's not performing its function. During moments of extreme fatigue or mental stress, even listening to music can become a burden. So, I designed the ex-01 speaker to be something that comforts people during those times, something that feels incredibly beautiful and smooth to the touch.

My attraction to acrylic, a transparent material, might be connected to the city where I was born and raised. Kaihin-Makuhari is a reclaimed land area, carefully planned with apartment buildings, commercial facilities, schools, and the sea. Finding beauty in circuit boards that are formed with rules and purpose, and actively displaying them, might be a reflection of my love for my hometown. Preferring designs that don't call attention to themselves but blend with the environment is also influenced by the changing scenery of Tokyo Bay that I saw every day.

When I start creating something, it often begins with anger. Why did they remove the headphone jack from the iPhone? I can't use my favorite wired headphones anymore! This anger led to the creation of the BT-02, and the desire for a speaker with just the right size for bedside listening, which wasn't available, resulted in the ex-01.

Even though my projects start with anger, I try to make products that are easy to accept and interact with daily, without causing stress. I spend time refining the details according to the concept—what shape should go here, which electronic components to choose, how to wire it to achieve the desired characteristics, and so on. When creating something entirely new, I show prototype data to close acquaintances and compare my ideal with how others perceive it.

Moreover, to make great products, you need technology. When creating the ex-02, I focused on eliminating the pain points from the ex-01—such as the large AC adapter, three squares, many cables, and difficulty in handling with both hands. This required various technical challenges. I used a reflow soldering technique and even programmed the temperature control for the reflow oven myself. By incorporating a new structure that hadn't been tried before to reduce three elements to two, we managed to decrease the board's area to less than one-fourth of the original size.

Currently, as we design new products, we continue to incorporate innovative techniques that we haven't used before to deliver better products to you all. We're also working on establishing a system to ensure stable product supply in the future.

You might notice that this website reflects the same philosophy as our product designs in various aspects. We've put a lot of effort into its creation, so please explore the different pages.

This has been quite lengthy, but that's all for now.

Thank you for your continued support of tueks products.

tueks