"I GUESS A PRODUCT BECOMES TRULY SPECIAL WHEN IT'S THE FIRST THING YOU SWITCH ON WHEN YOU'RE HOME"

The man behind Sony's sound picks the product he is most proud of

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This brought back a lot of memories for me,” says Eric Kingdon as he answers our question: what product are you most proud to have developed in your career?

The industry legend, the “ears of Sony” as he is often described, has a brimming memory bank that few others could boast, having been involved in developing, designing and tuning many of Sony's Award-winning hi-fi and home cinema products over the past 40 years... and counting.

“I'm working on some products right now and it made me realise how long I've been involved in hi-fi,” says Kingdon, whose love for music and movies was passed down at an early age by his film-fanatic mum. The interest in music was further encouraged when he began playing the piano at nine years old.

Not long after, Eric got the hi-fi bug, having heard his first stereo system at his dad's friend's house - a Garrard SP25 turntable, Armstrong 521 amplifier and Wharfedale Denton speakers.

Fast forward through his teenage years, where he worked in a music and hi-fi shop, nourishing his hobby and even trying his hand at building his own kit. Then he landed a job at Sony. It was the mid-'80s, and a new age of product and technology was dawning.

A prolific era