It began with  a modest but carefully set up turntable at a local retailer, I was genuinely taken aback. I’d expected a bit of nostalgia, what I heard instead was depth, texture and a sense of life and something my CD player didn't.

It also left me asking a question that has stayed with me ever since: what is it that makes sound feel engaging and natural?

Over time, I’ve come to realise it has very little to do with price or prestige. Sure it’s in the equipments engineering, but also the small things, how equipment is supported, how energy in the listening environment travels through a structure, and whether each part of a system supports the music or interferes with it.

Coming from a design background, I began to explore those relationships more seriously.

That meant experimenting with a wide range of materials, woods, composites and different isolation/coupling approaches, learning through trial and error and building up a knowledge of how structure shapes sound. Literally thousands of hours were spent listening. Most ideas didn’t work. Occasionally some experiments, revealed a sense of clarity and balance that simply felt right.

That process eventually became Shida, an approach to audio design grounded in honesty, precision and craftsmanship. Each piece is made with the music as the priority. Every detail has a reason for being there, and every material has to earn its place.