Neglect, all for agood cause

I have been midful,of my recent neglect of this blogging area, but as most of you make your way here via the Sonneteer website, you will have noticed why. The Sonneteer News Blog has been refreshed more often than normal of late and Sonneteer mansionshave been a hive of activity.

Off to CES next week, where my mind may turn to more interesting things. Every self respecting writing fiend has a review of the year of some sort. It is not my intention to not deliver. The year started by someone saying that it would be two thousand and fine. Well I know of a few great and good things that have happened and they alone would qualify the entire year. Also having seen her book we should be glad that Sarah Palin's bottom is nowhere near the Oval office. That's as political as I will allow mmyself to get on this blog.

Colours

It's all colour here at Sonneteer.

I am at our stand at Selfridges Oxford street

It's a busy saturday afternoon here at Selfridges where I am stood at the Sonneteer Morpheus dispaly.

Manic is not astrong enough word.

Come pester me.

Big in Japan..again

So the Japanese have seen fit to acknowledge us with an award again. We are of course most grateful. Following in the footsteps of the Sedley, SedleyUSB and the Bard system, Morpheus has hatched a place on top of the podium to receive an Audio Excellence award from our very good friends at the Pacific end of this planet. Apparently this time a dealer decided he liked the product so much that he would nominate us. Thankfully, the awards board agreed with him.

I'll write this up as a news piece for the site news pages very soon banners etc.

A peacefull day.... I left my phone at home

Today has been exceptionally productive. It's only 9.30am, I have been in the office since 8 and it feels like I have done a days work already.

Analysing it is simple, I forgot my phone at home. So no checking emails on the hoof i.e. while not at my desk, no skyping and definitely no text. I also no longer leave my Skype on all the time(on my desk PC) and when I do the sound is OFF. This way I check messages when I am good and ready. In all an efficient day..so far!

Technology killed the radio star or something!?

Now all I have to figure out is how to stop turning the kettle on and Utopia.

LinkedIn

Just introduced Remo, my esteemed friend and colleague(he'd never imagine me saying as such) to Linkedin and apparently, due to this and not long since introducing him to Facebook, I have ruined his life!

hehe!

Life update...found it!

Yes, my calculator! It was on the sofa under a cushion. I swear I looked there two weeks ago!
Bit twittery this. Promise I won't do it again.

Serious tweet, I mean post, later.

Oh and we have run out of coffee in the office so it promises to be a productive day.

Technology delivery mechanism.......on a silver tray with a rose and a hot cuppa!

I see gadgets of green and thorny issues too and I think to my self, what a complicated swirl. Bedside radios with twits twittering and gadgets with big colour displays, reinventing laptops and selling them for double! Ok, ok, I mean that's all we do really isn't it? Repackaging technology in a way the end user..erm..can use it?

With the exception of us gadget junkies, i strongly beg to differ (with myself). Technology shouldn't be about just bells and whistles as fun as they are for the first five minutes of a purchase, but something that makes life simple and more comfortable. I want it to make my life better without me feeling the pain of getting there. To coin a Meerkat, simples! As in keep it stupid!

Still looking for my calculator!

The Harvard Business Review and the Sonneteer Morpheus.

I had some time, as one does, at the airport so I popped into WHSmiths's to buy some magazines for the beach. Time, Newsweek, Stuff, T3; all the usual’s and then the Harvard Business review caught my eye. To put this into perspective, I also had a book on branding, as well as another on entrepreneurs with me, so I was in that frame of mind. Anyway, the Harvard Business review: I had a flick through and I stumbled upon a report on consumerism post recession and quite interesting too, it was.

Before I elaborate too much, I need to go back a couple of years or so when Credit Crunch was just a little sub-prime bother in the colonies(America) and S&P ratings were still sky high on many a now defunct establishment. In those happier times of consumer madness my business partner and I were crunching over some figures that reflected our own market, the high end hi-fi separates one which we resided and that most of our products under the Sonneteer brand serviced. Although our sales at the time were creeping upwards, the market as a whole was in decline and the new products being touted by our competitors were not growing the market place one jot. It was time for a rethink. No time to panic however and the cause was worthy of some serious thought.

The first couple of things that came to our minds were: 1. Neither of us had any of our own equipment in proper use in our houses anymore and 2. Why were the new integrated products(amp, CD, radio in one) touted by the competition, not actually growing the overall market whilst starting to dominate its turn over?

As you may have noticed, I digressed a little from the Harvard Business review report so I'll get back to that now and here's the link to the full story on our rebirth http://haiderway.blogspot.com/2009/09/you-mean-like-b.html which is just below

Except to say the product that materialised some two and a half years later reflected an important assumption we made: that customers want high quality, ergonomic, sexy, and green (credentialwise) products.

Ah yes, the report! You still with me?

My own interpretation of the review's report was that the post exposure to credit crunch consumer would be a more savvy one who would be thrifty but not afraid to spend money on quality. The report also placed a closer eye on the now under 35s who would be the next drivers of the global economy in this so called post consumerism age. The characteristics I just described, again according to the report's projections, would be more subconsciously ingrained as well as a more natural leaning towards greener, more environmentally aware products and where apt, fair-trade ones. The growth of thrifty brain cells would be counterbalanced by the willingness to spend more on products with all or some of these features.

As I was being hurried out of the newsagents about to miss my flight I breathed a small sigh of relief and allowed myself a gentle smile of satisfaction. Until, that is, I saw the price on the front of the journal! FIFTEEN QUID I gassped. So I paid for the stuff under my arm and ran for the gate. I am writing this after a week of reflection on the beach and I think as soon as I get back I will pay for a copy.

Oh and the product; the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre. Code named project BORO at the time. Hand made in Britain from as many locally resourced, high quality and recyclable bits and bobs as possible and when it works it uses the minimum amount of energy possible for the highest quality performance possible. Easy to use and looks damn sexy to boot.

You mean like B&O?

[The title] The answer I get everytime I say I have a high end luxury hi-fi company!! Yes, it happened again yesterday while at a presentation! Sigh! Anyway:

A couple of years or so ago when Credit Crunch was just a little sub-prime bother in the colonies(America) and S&P ratings were still sky high on many a now defunct establishment my business partner and I were crunching over some figures that reflected our own market. The high end hi-fi separates market in which we resided, to be exact, and the one that most of our products under the Sonneteer brand serviced. Although our sales at the time were creeping upwards, the market as a whole was in decline and the new products being touted by our competitors were not growing the market place one jot. It was time for a rethink. No time to panic however and the cause was worthy of some serious thought.

The first couple of things that came to our minds were: 1. Neither of us had any of our own equipment in proper use in our houses anymore and 2. Why were the new integrated products(amp, CD, radio in one) produced by some of our competitors, not actually growing the overall market whilst starting to dominate its turn over?

We then had a more detailed look at the market overall and particularly in the so called high ticket price items sector. Our attention was grabbed by a little company in Denmark called Bang and Olufsen. You may have heard of them?! And that became just the point! Go out to dinner, attend a party or bump into anyone in a nice English pub in surrey and they ask, ' so what do you do?' and I reply, ' I have a small high end hi-fi company' and nearly every time they say,' oh you mean like B&O?'. Never do they mention, Arcam, Meridian, or even Lynn or Naim for that matter. This was surely a sign. So we went digging deeper.

The numbers game tells a story. At the time, back in early 2007 B&O were turning over approx £450m and growing the hi-fi separates electronics market was a fifth of this at best and declining. We already knew the heyday had long past in this area, but it was also clear that there was still a solid market for people buying expensive music systems. So what was wrong?

To our minds, it was obvious really and it goes back to the point the, we no longer had our own products singing and dancing in our own homes. We were starting to reflect the wider consumer rather than the hi-fi enthusiasts which were and still are deep down, the drivers of our thinking. We wanted all the performance and purity of sound etc. But we also wanted it to compliment our lifestyles. This translates to I want it to grace the living room and not disgrace the wife's mood towards me..ehem.

Back to the integrated products, that were steeling market share from the amplifier and CD player market. Now a strong argument could have been made to simply jump into that boat and shove a whole load of features into a box we already made and hey presto! This would definitely give us a faster time to market. A couple of reasons why not:

1. All these products are, as mentioned already, only replacing market share and not in any way growing the overall, still shrinking market.

2. These products do not fulfill the criteria that bring B&O customers to buy erm, B&O.

So, two or so years down the line and the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre is the result. www.sonneteer.co.uk/morpheus.htm

Diapason Magazine reviews the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre and they love it.

Sonneteer Morpheus reviewed by Diapason, the high brow French classical music review magazine not unlike Gramophone magazine in the UK.

A had a call from our man in France 'Danny' and he said I am about to fax you over the review. He said little else as he was in a hurry, he always seems to be trying to do five things at once. Naturally, moments of anticipation followed with my heart beat fluttering like a drunken sparrow. Moments later it popped up on my screen (fax to email) and my schoolboy level French kicked into overload. They like it. No, they love it. Phew! like I had any doubt!

Well I can't print the whole review out here for copyright reasons but I can give you a few snippets so here goes:

They started by saying that the sonneteer Morpheus is, "a unique 'media centre' that lacks nothing in charm or seductive qualities and is very ergonomic and easy to use". I am translating, you appreciate, so hopefully I have not lost too much of the French eloquence.

They went on to say that the Morpheus was, "a digital amplifier of audiophile quality". Well of course, it's a Sonneteer, what did they expect! And that it was, "a very Avant Garde product in the manner of Sonos" and needless to say a lot more expensive which readers would have noted as it was reviewed on the same page in the magazine which seemed not to detract from the reviewers praise for the Sonneteer one bit.

The reviewer, in summing up also wrote, "it's reproduction [of music] demonstrates an incontestable transparency in the true spirit of digital amplification". Which should have been no great shock as Sonneteer pioneered the adoption of digital amplification into the audiophile arena late last century. Then in conclusion the article ended on saying the sonneteer Morpheus was, "an intelligently conceived product that is very attractive". Well I think I'll pop over to Paris and spend some euros to say thank you for their appreciation. Not too many though. I mean have you seen the exchange rate!

www.sonneteer.co.uk/s-news.htm

Find us on Facebook, Sonneteer that is!

Oh nearly forgot. Sonneteer are now on facebook. Please go have a look and by all means become a fan.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sonneteer/109476999491

it is updated regularly and has only been going for a short while so there is a lot to put up.

Pictures of a very special red Morpheus can be seen today.

Sonneteer s-news page

Hi if you've come here from the Sonneteer s-news pages then welcome. Hopefully it wont be the last time you pop in and have to tolerate my brain dumps.

I have been quiet for August mainly because so many things to do and so little time. I could go on about the Americans and the NHS as well as what staycationing is doing for the economy, butthere is plenty of that elsewhere. Muse yourselves on what I have written before and argue with me please. Keep it polite and clean, I beg of you.

Morpheus in Deutsch

First Morpheus landed in Germany yesterday care of our friends at UPS and our new friends at Design and Sound. We had a call to say thank you and how they were smitten as soon as they opened the box. They had some friends pop over in the evening and they all seemed to want one and the luxury price tag was clearly no barrier.

As I was having the conversation with a clearly very pleased customer, I was reminded of our experience when showing the Morpheus in Las Vegas for first time in a beautifully laid out suite at the Venetian Hotel. Imagine a split apartment set out with an elevated Dining area and a lower level living room. The Morpheus was set out on the Side board with a pair of beautiful Penaudio Rogue loudspeakers and the machined aluminium handset astride.....Now where was I going with this? Oh yes, the experience: Well as people started to stream through the corridors and snifffing their way around all the show bits and pieces as they stumbled upon us the reaction was quite extra ordinary. We in the hi-fi trade are more used to afictionados dissecting the sonic reproduction of their favorite CDs and records as they sit for lengths of time, very seriously, critiquing the products. This time the experience was quite different, more instant , and very pleasing. Almost without exception as eyes locked onto the first Sonneteer Morpheus in the room, they all said:"Oh that's beautiful, I want one" then they said, "oh what is it?". It may as well have been a toaster, we got them at, erm, hello! That's sort of what our friend Christian experienced yesterday at his place.

Now, I am one the two guys who designed the Campion, Alabaster, Byron, Bronte and Sedley as well as one or two non Sonneteer things we will not mention and I am quite fussy about sound qulity and am rarely happy if its not spot on. rarely do I think we've got something spot on as there is always room to improve. Of course if I didnt let go then the campion, 15 years on, would still be on the test bench and in the listening room and Sonneteer would never have come to be. I digress! What I was trying to say is that I have Morpheus in my living room. It is my main system.

Oh I still love the natural stress reliving sound of the Byron through an Alabster and I have as pair sitting to the side begging to take the Morpheus's spot in the corner of the room. Aint gonna happen!

Smelling mistakes!

I just read down and noticed quite a few typos and spelling errors. I'll get round to sorting them out.

Must use spell checker more often, must use spell chocker mre oftem, mist use smell cheker more opten, must use....

On Stephanomics Something I put on a BBC News blog site-Haidernomics anyone?

Posted on the BBC Blog:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/stephanieflanders/2009/07/two_labour_markets.html#comments

I wrote;

82. At 4:39pm on 22 Jul 2009, Sonneteer wrote:

Interesting reading one or two of the comments about markets. Selling DVD players to China caught my thoughts particulalrly and this is why: Both China and India are growing despite the global downturn and their Middle classes continue to grow at a rate of knots. Demand for high quality, luxury, lifestyle goods will hence grow and most of these are developed over here(the so called west). My company, Sonneteer, makes such things for example.

Also, recently, we were costing up a new product for production and one of sub contractors insisted on getting part of the quote subbed out to China. So we compared this with another supplier based in the UK and landed cost actually turned out to be the same. On top of the fact they are less than an hours drive away, in the same time zone, and speak English means the choice is a no brainer. We had decided to make everything in the UK anyway, but it was interesting to find out that the cost argument already means making it here. This will happen more and more as long as we encourage R&D to stay here and we continue to develop and make the quality products here.
In our particular case its luxury 'sexy' hi-fi and area which Britain has a traditional reputationonce akin to Swiss watches. If this can be harnessed in all similar areas of engineering and manufacturing then we have a solid bases to take advantage of these growing economies and at the same time winning the cost as well as the quality argument. it also means keeping and developing the skills and expertise right here.

This is a solid basis to build an economy and if we see it by looking far enough ahead(and it's really not that far to look really) then we can thrive.

Absolute democracy corrupts absolutely

I thought i'd write the heading down while it goes through my mind. pondering upon it.

Sonneteer history updated

Oh I just updated the Sonneteer about page with some more about us and history:

http://www.sonneteer.co.uk/about.htm

So those who read below and wondered if I was ever going to get round to finishing it, this will fill the void. No one reads this anyway! Do they? I wouldn't.

Post on FT.com [link to ft blog shown]

from: http://blogs.ft.com/gapperblog/2009/07/little-laptops-snap-at-the-oligopoly/#comments

This is my comment posted [ go to the above link to see the ft blog]:

This is an interesting take on a theme I experienced indirectly at a course i represented my company, Sonneteer, on recently funded indirectly by HMG.
It was to do with presenting businesses to other businesses, be it for investment or just telling them who you are and what you do. It was part of a lot going on locally here in Surrey by the technology centres and the University, aided by funds from the Government to accelerate British small businesses.

Ok, well to the point, a lot of talk was about the technology in products not being as crucial as how they are delivered to the customer in a package they end up desiring and hence 'investing in'.
At Sonneteer, as a luxury British music systems(hi-fi) manufacturer turned to this approach a couple of years or so ago when we started to look at what customers actually really want (even if they dont know they want it yet) rather than stuffing every latest technology one can think of into an ugly box and trying to flog it.

In a sense a PC or full blown laptop is just this, a box of too many tricks, hampered in its usability because it tries to do so much. Netbooks, for want of a better term, do exactly what they are expected to do.
As a luxury goods maker, at Sonneteer, we have to try very hard to appeal to the 'wants ' of the buying public and more so than in the commoditised(can I say that?) market. So now we make 'Sexy hifi' in the same vein as apple make sexy MP3 players etc. And that's just the point. Desire and actual need, rather than; it makes the tea, cooks the dinner, feeds the dog we dont have and changes light bulbs as long as you are willing to plug in your laptop to it to download some software into it it and spend a day programming it if you have an IT degree!!

Keep it simple, keep it beautiful, make it sellable. HMG says so! To coin a Gordon Brown phrase, 'we've heard you'.

www.sonneteer.co.uk

I left this on the what hifi site yesterday:

haider June 18, 2009 18:39

Of course works exceptionally well with the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre.

I Have a linkstation at home and most of our distributors worldwide are now swearing by them as a perfect companion as they are so plug and play compared to many other. A Buffalo linkstation, Sonneteer Morpheus and a network router can have you streaming music through a decent pair of loudpeakers in literally minutes. I installed one in the Harrods AV experience a week or so back. It took longer for them to get me a cup of coffee!

Of course if you have a couple of other units(Morpheus that is) in other rooms they all have access to the same music. I think they call it local control with central distribution. :-)

Sonneteer Morpheus

Hey I'm Back. Yes, It has been a while and I'll come to that some other time for anyone who is interested.

Today I'm interested in a little bit of 'biggin myself up', as I've heard it refered to on one or two TV stations.

My company, that's Sonneteer. of which I am one of the owner founders, launched the Sonneteer Morpheus music Centre this January past and very recently installed it in Harrods.

Those of you who have followed Sonneteer over the years will know that we come out of a tradition of High End hi-fi and in the late 90's started to play with cutting edge technology and bringing in it into the hi-fi mainstream.

Canny observers will have noted that Sonneteer products and ideas have been copied through the years by none other than the most famous of electronics firms and the list is long. We have always been small and perhaps not as able to capitalise on our ideas as much as we should have but we certainly have lead the way in style, ergonomics and the adoption of technologies.

Ok I'm rambling on a bit here, but please allow me to take you back a Little to the beginning and then give you some of the philosophy of what we do.

Sonneteer was conceived out of a final year project at University by myself which was taken by my then friend and now business partner and colleague, Remo and turned into a viable product for market. This was to become known as the Sonneteer Campion, integrated hi-fi, stereo amplifier. In hi-fi circles it has become a legend and sells well even today some fifteen years on.

[ Oh before I go on why the name Sonneteer and why Campion:

Well Sonneteer is a writer of Sonnets or a Poet of sorts. I have or at least had a hobby of writing(bad) poetry and wanted the brand to have something to do with that. So we agreed to have the brand name associated with this theme. A thesaurus came to our aid for the name and we then decided to name all teh products after writers and Poets and Thomas Campion was the first. No particular reason other than, out of the list we had drawn up, we liked the name best.]

Well that was the first product, which was very much in the 'British' tradition of esoteric, high end, hi-fi with great sound quality (we have a legend of reviews and customers to back that up) oh and very much hand built and sturdy. It looked(and still does) pretty good too.

Anyway, I have to go to a play in town(longest day and all that). Apparently some upstart Arab immigrant has written a play. Some fella called Shake Zubair or something. Sounds like a made up name to me! Anyway. Laters. The story will continue.