Denon - Japanese company founded in 1910 as Nipon Chikuonki Shokai, producing phonographs and records with recorded classical music. The company was officially registered as Nipponophone Phonograph Company. In 1927, 35.7% of its shares were acquired by Columbia Graphophone, and in January 1928, Nippon Columbia Phonograph Company Ltd. was founded. The modern brand name appeared only in 1939, when the name of one of the branches, Japan Denki Onkyo, was combined into one word. In 2002, Denon merged with the Japanese company Marantz into the parent corporation, D&M Holdings.