Peter Comeau joins IAG

[petercom]

Hi

By now some of you may have read the press releases so it's time to post the latest news here.

As of May 2009 I have taken up my old post (pre World Designs) as Director of Acoustic Design for Mission.

Only this time it's not just Mission. Now it includes Wharfedale, QUAD, Audiolab and Castle, in fact every brand in the IAG collection.

For those who don't know, IAG (International Audio Group) are a Chinese manufacturing facility employing European know-how and engineers to re-establish many UK brands. As Director of Acoustic Design I'll be responsible for making sure the products for those brands live up to the quality and performance that have always been expected by their owners and fans.

In order to work closely with the product development and manufacturing plant at IAG I've moved out to China for the foreseeable future.

Of course no manufacturer gets it right all the time, and I'd be the first to acknowledge that even UK based Mission got it wrong sometimes, but at IAG the team is once again dedicated to sound quality and value and I'm very pleased to be here.

That doesn't mean I've forgotten about, or will be ignoring, WD. Chris, my chief engineer at WD, will be handling the management in his usual personable style and will still be consulting with me about products.

Obviously I can't continue with the Hi-Fi World articles in quite the same way as I have done in the past but will still be offering some contributions that I hope you'll find interesting.

So, although it's a new leaf for me, WD will be soldiering on (or should that be soldering on?) with existing and new designs which I'll oversee as much as I can from half way round the globe. In any case I'll be back in the UK every few months to catch up with everything that's going on.

For the moment, then, it's Greetings from China and thanks to those who have already sent 'congrats' and so on.

[KC Jones]

Congratulations Peter, thats excellent news, enjoy the job.
With your designs and ethics their products will soon be flying off the shelves! as will World Deigns too
Good luck.

[Gerry]

Congratulations Peter. Best of British and all that.
Now I really do have excuse to buy those Quad 2905!

P.S. Remember if you order snake at restaurant...it is usually alive, but they do skin it for you!

[Ianm2]

Well, Peter made some very sensible decisions about what to refine in the WD products.

The times they are a changin'

It raises some interesting speculation tho for the future...

and I do wonder about the medium term viability and demand for so many hifi companies in a shrinking demand driven market place that is further destabilised by rapidly developing digital technology, in an already current shifting business environment that's having to fast redefine and prune, where inefficiencies will render them extinct fast, given lack of liquidity from lending institutions

its struck me recently how obscene some hifi is becoming as a rich toy for city types as souless expensive architecture to flatter and impress, btw, commercial hifi is again at a stage of midlife crisis at its place in the world imo. its at an alltime low in terms of direction imo.

but best of luck


(start queing up for a kit hifi company...my prediction)

[Cobblers]

Peter,
Congratulations, I hope you find the position highly fulfilling, it certainly looks like you will have enough to do!

As a man of considerable influence with IAG group could you have a word with IAG UK about their truly awful, diabolical telephone system


I wish you well for the future.

It will be easier finding the IAG factory in China now, visitors will just have to follow the peculiar sounds of Western Prog Rock.

[Baggy Trousers]

"its struck me recently how obscene some hifi is becoming as a rich toy for city types as souless expensive architecture to flatter and impress . . ."

Is becoming? Bang and Olufsen have been at it for nearly fifty years!

[Cobblers]

Originally Posted by Baggy Trousers

"its struck me recently how obscene some hifi is becoming as a rich toy for city types as souless expensive architecture to flatter and impress . . ."

Is becoming? Bang and Olufsen have been at it for nearly fifty years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyZspqjtG2k

0.59 sec's.

Then again they created the seminal Beolab 5.

[tomtidswell]

Dear Peter,

I wish you well in your new job. Your WD designs have dramatically increased my enjoyment of music, and hope that you will continue to do so for a wider range of people in the future.

Best wishes

Tom

Ni hao Peter!

I have just read the news of your new job in China in HiFI World - Congratulations!! I'm sure we'll see the fruits of your input in future products from the IAG stable and I look forward to it! I know the Chinese are now focused on producing some truely first rate hifi products - my Shanling CD-T100C is clear proof of it! - and your knowledge and influence can only help further it.

Before I retired I had several business trips to Shanghai and found it be a most vibrant and stimulating (if at times a little hectic and crowded!!) - I even found time to track down some quality hifi shops and wondered why they are now so lacking in the UK!! However I never found the area for buying components (the equivalent of Tokyo's Akihabara district). I'm sure there must be one and perhaps you can let us know where it is?

It's sad that you will no longer be a part of WD and I will miss your regular articles in HiFi World. I'm glad to hear that the guys will be keeping WD going - especially as I am just thinking of ordering a pr of WD25T's!!

I wish you well and enjoy the adventure!!

BTW - try the hairy crabs - very tasty! Oh and does a IAG yatch come with the job?

Steve

[Guy Pettigrew]

Congratulations Peter, and all the best with the new post.

Many thanks for the upgrade you did on my KLS gold 'speakers with the Millenium tweeter. They sound superb!

It was always good talking to you, you'll be missed.

Remember, if you ever want an objective opinion on any of your company's designs, just send me the 'plane ticket and hotel reservation and I'll be happy to assist!

Guy