When Sugawara-san (designer of FAST amplifiers) was in high school, he was impressed by the sound emanating from his friend's Hi-Fi system. Since he was a high school student, he did not have enough money to buy such a system, so instead, he built one himself. Right away, he was hooked and he knew he wanted to make a career out of building audio components.
When he was in university, he worked a part-time job at one of the biggest sound reinforcement companies in Japan.  He enjoyed the job very much and ended up dropping out of university and becoming an employee.
After he entered the company, he worked as a circuit designer for mixing consoles, etc.
In 1976, Sugawara-san established his own company and named it FAST.
He designed various circuits for recording equipment as well as sound reinforcement equipment.
In 1979, Sugawara-san met Shimamoto-san and started to built amplifiers for the Hi-Fi market under the brand name FAST.
FAST has been well received in the Hi-Fi market (especially the high-end part of it) so far in Japan. The company has won various awards.

I am Sumio Shimamoto, the president of Izumi Inc.

I first met Tatsuo Sugahara, the president of FAST, in February 1997. I quickly became a fan of both the FAST amplifier and Mr. Sugahara himself, and as a result of our meeting, I became a sales agent for FAST. This may have been a reckless adventure on my part, but I was driven by my desire to have as many audiophiles as possible hear the FAST sound.

I first met Sugahara-san on February 1^st, 1997. I am an engineer by trade, so I could tell as soon as I met him that he was a highly competent engineer. Even so, he did not have the arrogance that is so common in the audio industry. I still remember his sincere personality as if it were only yesterday. Being an audiophile myself, I am honored to have the opportunity to carry amplifiers built by this genius engineer who laid the foundation for PA systems in Japan.

 In the end, the ultimate standard for evaluating audio products is the quality of the sound they produce. In an audiophile’s quest for the very best sound, the types of products he or she listens to is important. I can confidently recommend the FAST amplifier because engineers, musicians and audiophiles unanimously agree with me about its phenomenal accuracy. Also, people who know the sound of live voices and the qualities of live sound are continually impressed by the highly accurate reproduction of the source. The FAST amplifier seems to know the sound that it is reproducing. We are also proud of the way the amplifier appears to learn from the sound as it polishes and draws out the original recording.

 Thanks to the support of many audiophiles, the FAST fan base is growing. The FAST amplifier is also becoming popular in recording studios, winning out in head-to-head competitions with other amplifiers. We are also seeing a growing repeat business from satisfied customers. We are very thankful for everyone’s continued support. The best way to find good sound is to listen to various systems and let your own ears decide. If you are in the market for an amplifier, please give the FAST amplifier a listen so you can hear for yourself why MJ says that we are “setting a new standard in high fidelity.” (MJ, February 1999) You will be surprised not only by the quality sound, but also by the overwhelmingly high cost-performance. For audiophiles in search of the best sound, I am confident that you will find the FAST amplifier to be among the very best.

Sumio Shimamoto
President
FAST Sales Agency
Izumi Inc.