The founder engineer - Martin Grinrod
With a father and a grandfather both working for and trained by Rolls Royce in the aero engine division and his early years spent as a designer in one of the worlds leading Avionics companies, it is not surprising that Martin’s standards are extremely high.
And just like Sir Henry Royce who bought an unsatisfactory car and decided to make better cars himself, it was the purchase of a highly praised amplifier and preamplifier from a prominent specialist manufacturer, and his disappointment with them, that led to Martin founding our company. He had designed one himself when he was twelve years old and it was still lurking in the attic. He got it down, plugged it in and compared them. He was horrified to discover that his was a great deal better.
The Boss - Ashley James
A few years before our founder's grandfather was apprenticed to Rolls Royce, Ashley’s great grandfather was buying his first R-R car. By 1906, R-R had achieved levels of reliability and longevity that would shame a few of today's manufacturers. His grandfather knew this and wanted the best his money could buy. He had three more before he died in the nineteen fifties. Ashley now has a very old Bentley which he has extensively rebuilt (he could only afford a dilapidated one) and which was invited to compete in one of the world's most prestigious concours events, the Louis Vuitton in Paris. He was not a winner but he did attend, and being selected is compliment enough.
Ashley worked for his first audio company while he was still at school in the late fifties and has maintained an interest throughout his life. He moved on to become an instrument engineer, a watch and clock maker and a restorer of old and complicated engines, eventually receiving formal training and becoming a manager before settling at AVI. Ashley too, is a man who recognises and appreciates true excellence.
