Andreas Eberhardt Sørensen,
>> How did you get started on that path?
I have always been fascinated with music, and I played guitar in my youth, but I wasn’t the most gifted musician, unfortunately. What I was good at, was taking my dad’s old radios apart. I would change the loudspeaker drivers and occasionally build my own to replace them with because I thought it was fun.
I had to work with music and sound in one way or the other. It has always been a big passion for me.
Naturally, I went on to study engineering where we were taught loads about the loudspeakers, which suited me perfectly – and it also reignited my passion for loudspeaker drivers and all that they entail.
>> So, the University became your admission ticket to the loudspeaker industry?
Yes, in some way it did. We had to do a six-month internship; I ended up at a Danish loudspeaker manufacturer, and when the internship ended, they offered me a permanent position.
Andreas Eberhardt Sørensen,
>> How did you transition into a job at Dynaudio?
Dynaudio has always been a bit of a dream, and I had my eyes on several of the do-it-yourself kits Dynaudio made in the past. Dynaudio was this fabled loudspeaker company from Denmark that produced some very special loudspeakers.
I have always wanted to work for Dynaudio, but there weren’t all that many vacant positions in the past as there is today. But, all of a sudden; there it was. I mean it was the job for me. I just thought: “that’s me!”. I applied for the position and was invited in for two interviews. I started working for Dynaudio two months later – in February 2012.
>> Has it lived up to your expectations?
Absolutely. As I talked about, it’s always been a passion of mine, and I am deeply involved in many exciting projects. None of which are the same. Every time we start a new project, we wipe the slate clean – only taking with us what we learned from previous projects and our experience.
Plus, Dynaudio is moving through an incredibly interesting phase right now, which means our opportunities are only getting bigger and bigger; especially when we open our new measurement chamber in December.
Developing new loudspeakers
>> What’s the latest project you have been part of at Dynaudio?
I am involved in many different projects at the moment, but I have just helped finish the new Contour loudspeaker, which was an exciting project. As with any project, we started by wiping the slate completely clean; moving from east to west during the conceptualization phase.
When we started our development phase, we used COMSOL to simulate the membrane geometry, the surround and spider geometry in combination with the coil size. After our measurements, we added our experience to the mix, and we ended up in an excellent place – with the Contour we presented at High End Munich.
>> But, isn’t it a challenge; I mean to wipe the slate completely clear?
It can be, but you have to realize it’s an intriguing process to be part of as an engineer.
We use our Product Board to help keep us on track when we develop new loudspeakers. Initially, we need to determine the goal and how to reach it. In the Contour project, we wanted to make the product even better than the previous Contour range – a goal we believe we have reached with the new range.
You can easily lose your way when you develop loudspeaker drivers from scratch, as the possibilities you have available are endless. So, you do have a point. But, that’s why we have the Product Board; to keep us on track and ensure we adhere to our Dynaudio heritage and values.
Andreas Eberhardt Sørensen,
>> And, I guess experience is an advantage in such as process?
Definitely. We learn something new from all of our projects, and we carry that experience with us, but our experience doesn’t dictate us, it guides us. For us, open-mindedness is important, as it helps us discover new and exciting opportunities such as materials and technologies. By being open-minded, we can identify new opportunities on the market and leverage them if it makes sense.
>> Final question. What do you do to stay updated with new technologies and materials?
I make sure to keep an eye on the market e.g. Loudspeaker parts fairs in Asia, Europe, and America. AES is a good way of keeping up with new technology. I try to get out as much as possible to see what opportunities there are, and what our customers are looking for when listening to loudspeakers.
Ask a question? Of course, you can!
Do you have a question about loudspeaker drivers, you’re itching to have answered? If you do, it’s time to find Dynaudio on Facebook and write down all of the questions you have. We will select as many questions as we can fit in an episode of Ask The Expert and release the video with Andreas’ answers the 20th of June on our website, YouTube, and Facebook. So, make sure to connect with us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
UPDATE 20/6-2016
You can watch the entire episode of Ask the Expert with Andreas Sørensen here.
Get to know more of our people...
Roland Hoffmann is our senior manager for the Dynaudio Academy. You might even have met him. Because Roland travels to hi-fi shows a lot. Click here to learn what Roland does.
Michael Munch is not only our product manager for the Custom Install series. He's also a stage manager at one of Scandinavia's biggest festivals.
