Roksan

Origins of Roksan

Roksan, a British manufacturer of high-fidelity audio products, was founded in 1985 by Tufan Hashemi and Touraj Moghaddam, both graduates of the University of London. The company’s name “Roksan” is derived from the name of Roxana, the daughter of the Persian King Darius, reflecting the Persian heritage of its founders.

The origins of Roksan can be traced back to Touraj Moghaddam’s dissatisfaction with the state of audio technology. He became frustrated when he heard his television set reproduce music more satisfactorily than his high-end Linn/Naim audio system. This led him to experiment with turntable design, aiming to improve the way the cartridge was held still relative to the groove on the record. His innovative design ideas, which included isolating the cartridge’s movement and using a solid plinth, resulted in the creation of the Xerxes turntable, launched in 1985.

Hashemi, impressed by Moghaddam’s prototype, joined him to form Roksan Audio. Their first product, the Xerxes turntable, was launched at a hi-fi show in London in 1985 and quickly gained recognition for its superior sound quality, challenging the dominance of established brands like Linn Sondek LP12 in the market.