Who am I?
I am an audio-industry veteran, a dad of two, a husband and an all round nice guy (not necessarily in that order)
You could call me the quintessential gentle-giant as despite standing 6' 8" and weighing in at 200Lbs+, I couldn't fight my way out of a paper bag.
Based in Sheffield, England, I have either worked in retail or been customer facing in (one way or another) for over two decades. I am a personable and polite individual. I am a terrific communicator. I am empathetic, and for my sins I am a perfectionist, a pedant and some would argue, a workaholic.
I have an extremely wide range of talents both practically and technically {too many to list here} but needless to say, I am technically accomplished, which, when combined with my personable nature and ability to communicate, makes me quite the paradox.
You could call me the quintessential gentle-giant as despite standing 6' 8" and weighing in at 200Lbs+, I couldn't fight my way out of a paper bag.
Based in Sheffield, England, I have either worked in retail or been customer facing in (one way or another) for over two decades. I am a personable and polite individual. I am a terrific communicator. I am empathetic, and for my sins I am a perfectionist, a pedant and some would argue, a workaholic.
I have an extremely wide range of talents both practically and technically {too many to list here} but needless to say, I am technically accomplished, which, when combined with my personable nature and ability to communicate, makes me quite the paradox.
What's my background?
Having initially trained as an electrical engineer straight-out-of-school, I soon realised that a career in engineering was not for me.
To fill in the time while I decided what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I started volunteering at my local hi-fi store {Sevenoaks Sound and Vision}. Almost 18 years later, and after progressing through every role the company had to offer; from sales, to custom installer & manager, I finally moved on to bigger and better things with an aspiring new custom installation company based in Nottingham {Trusted Technology}.
I eventually left the AV industry for personal reasons; but it would be fair to say, it never left me.
My life has gone full circle and I am now back in the saddle doing high-end retail, but this time for a long established {125+ yr old} furniture retailer, {H. Ponsford ltd}.
To fill in the time while I decided what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I started volunteering at my local hi-fi store {Sevenoaks Sound and Vision}. Almost 18 years later, and after progressing through every role the company had to offer; from sales, to custom installer & manager, I finally moved on to bigger and better things with an aspiring new custom installation company based in Nottingham {Trusted Technology}.
I eventually left the AV industry for personal reasons; but it would be fair to say, it never left me.
My life has gone full circle and I am now back in the saddle doing high-end retail, but this time for a long established {125+ yr old} furniture retailer, {H. Ponsford ltd}.
Rules for living
I have few mantras by which I live my life
- Never make a threat you are not willing to follow through
- Never make a promise you can't keep
- Choose your words carefully
- Never give something away expecting something back in return - to do so makes you bitter
- Don't expect anything from others, but give yourself freely to others as often as you can
- Believe in the inherent good of people
- Today you... Tomorrow Me
- Try never to lie
- Try to do things straight away if you can (aka "Eat the frog")
- Remember that temporary becomes permanent, so do it right the first time
- Make a "triumph" out of a "bollock" (which is my dear ole' pa's version of 'make a feature of your mistake')
Want to know more?
Want to know what turns me on?
In a word..... knowledge.
Specifically knowledge related to all things Audio & Video including but not limited to; cinema design, room acoustics and the "rules" and calculations that are used to standardise "the industry".
I also have a real soft-spot for CAD (both Autocad 2D and Sketchup), photo realistic renders (of said Sketchup models), motorbikes, cars and other manly sports like clay pigeon shooting. I am also partial to a bit of welding, building and on occasion, exercise (see picture above :-) ).
Most recently I have embarked on a new venture in the form of a full home renovation and extension, which I plan to undertake myself in-full and with as little assistance as possible. I strongly believe if one man can build it, so can another... so why not me? (ooh, a new mantra to add to the list).
In a word..... knowledge.
Specifically knowledge related to all things Audio & Video including but not limited to; cinema design, room acoustics and the "rules" and calculations that are used to standardise "the industry".
I also have a real soft-spot for CAD (both Autocad 2D and Sketchup), photo realistic renders (of said Sketchup models), motorbikes, cars and other manly sports like clay pigeon shooting. I am also partial to a bit of welding, building and on occasion, exercise (see picture above :-) ).
Most recently I have embarked on a new venture in the form of a full home renovation and extension, which I plan to undertake myself in-full and with as little assistance as possible. I strongly believe if one man can build it, so can another... so why not me? (ooh, a new mantra to add to the list).
The future!
In the coming weeks, months and maybe years, I plan on documenting in painfully exquisite detail all that I have learned over my time in high-end A/V and CI, from design to execution, mainly so I can continue to help those looking to better themselves in this area and partially because A/V has become my hobby once more and I can start to enjoy it again. Also, because nothing irks me more than the snake oil which people peddle on the web...
As part of that process I will be teaching myself AI, web design, programming, and designing and building my very own dedicated home cinema.
I live version of my toolkit will be available on github and at nsav.co.uk (networks, security, audio and video)
Want to contact me?
Send me an email to [email protected] and I will respond... eventually
or
view my bio on Linked-In and contact me that way.
As part of that process I will be teaching myself AI, web design, programming, and designing and building my very own dedicated home cinema.
I live version of my toolkit will be available on github and at nsav.co.uk (networks, security, audio and video)
Want to contact me?
Send me an email to [email protected] and I will respond... eventually
or
view my bio on Linked-In and contact me that way.
Thank you for dropping-by...
and...
Good-bye for now.
Website Updated 31/3/26
