Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Meet the new boss. Stuart McNeilis is CEO of SME Ltd, having come from the aerospace industry. 'It was considered that my knowledge and experience would complement the highly skilled workforce at SME', he says. An aircraft engineer by profession, he started at BAE Systems as an Aeronautical Engineering Apprentice, and rose to senior management positions in Engineering, Operations, Customer Relations and Sales.

'I don't consider myself an audiophile,' he confesses, 'but I am a music lover and vintage audio equipment enthusiast.' Stuart is leading the transformation of the company from its first era to its second, and the Synergy can be seen 'as a kind of bridge', he suggests.

'The design and engineering challenges were about retaining SME's values and engineering principles – its DNA. The Synergy had to be instantly recognisable as an SME product, incorporating the precision engineering for which we are world famous, with a compact design, sleek and modern look. The research, development and coordination with the three other high-end audio suppliers naturally generated some integration challenges, but the combined effect is greater than the sum of the parts.'

SME is approaching its 75th anniversary, he points out. 'This is a fabulous opportunity to present a milestone audio product. With the group acquisition of the famous Garrard audio brand, SME will play a vital role in its revival. There is a new Garrard turntable pending...'