1970s Yamaha Design Renaissance (2024)

Does anyone out there know anything about the design history for the Yamaha CR line? The CR 1000 and 2020 are radical aesthetic departures from the CR 700 (see photos). Clearly, there was a significant industrial design change, for the better externally, and internally no doubt with the electronics. Also amps like the B-2, M-3, M-4 and A-1 were elegant design changes toward simplicity inside and out (IMHO). Thanks.

CR-1000 photo courtesy of Merrylander
CR-700 photo courtesy of an ebay auction

Interestingly, Yamaha did -- and apparently does -- still take design pretty seriously. In fact, there's even a section on "Design" at their Japanese website. I haven't tried translating any text, but the Bellini-designed headphones (I have a pair of HP-2's) need no translation. They sound pretty good, too.

http://www.yamaha.co.jp/design/index.html
http://www.yamaha.co.jp/design/products/1970/hp-1/index.html

As to the sea change between the CR-700 and CR-1000, I really don't think it is anything more radical than the industry shift from the 'blackout dial' of the late 1960's/early 1970's to the 'silver face' design ethic of the second half of the 1970's. Consider for example, the change from the Sansui xx1 series to the x0x0 series to the "G" series.

The more interesting question might be who the actual innovator of the 'silver face' school really was?

EDIT: oops, I just noticed there is an English-language version of the Yamaha Design site: http://www.global.yamaha.com/design/

I won't go into design because I'll make a 1000 lines post - without counting the footnotes and addendums

CR-1000/1020/2020/1040/2040/CT-7000/1010/CA-1010/S1/X1 etc are all the same basic design with only the finish changing for the later xx40 and S/X/G units (matte/rounded vs. shiny/sharp). The B-1/B-2 represent the other Yamaha which gave way to the B-3/A-1/B-5/M-2/B-4/M-4/BX-1/B-2x etc - again: three years separate the B-1 and B-5/M-2 but it is the same design structure. (ok - I'll stop here now.)

But the Sansui connection?? I sincerely doubt about this - Yamaha had enough industrial clout to make and design its own set of audio components, whatever the time or market.
The CR-500 and 700 share much of their looks' structure with contemporary Kenwoods (KT-6005/8005) for instance, or even some earlier Luxman units and no doubt others... these things are in the air! But it is true Yam' did make a radical departure in '74 with the launch of the CR-1000 on one side and the B-1/B-2/NS-1000/TC-800 on the other ; all that followed (even today) is just variations on these two sides/faces.