A little bit of our history, from CEO Christopher Thornton
A little bit of our history, from CEO Christopher Thornton
My father, a retired physician, first introduced me to classical music at a young age through his lifelong dedication to playing the trumpet, then later as a child, I began studying music in elementary school, beginning with a focus on wood string instruments, namely the violin, then as a teenager the piano. When I reached my late teens, I found myself immersed in contemporary music and began my hifi journey with a Pioneer stereo system I saved up for using my earnings from odd summer jobs and a weekly allowance.
By the time I was in my mid twenties, after a formal education studying Microsoft systems network engineering, I found myself naturally drawn back to my music collection and hifi listening once again became the focal point of my spare time. It was at this point that I decided to begin my professional foray into the industry beginning at a Chicagoland high end audio dealer, working under the tutelage of Greg Keller, senior sales manager.
After a number of years working closely with home automation network systems and home theatre design, I decided to take an extended leave of absence from the industry to refocus my energy into a more creative, designer frame of mind. During this transition time, I often yearned to return to my passion of listening to recorded music and made the decision to delve back into my roots by embracing the analog medium, LP records, with a strong desire to better understand their playback instruments through the study and restoration of vintage based record player systems, most notably belt drive, idler drive and direct drive derived designs from Lenco and Thorens of Switzerland, Garrard company of England and Matsushita era Technics of Japan.
During subsequent years leading into what is now decades, my closely knit group of manufacturing partners, consultants and co-engineer colleagues expanded to include a group of talented industry leaders, including Soren Wittrup of CS Electronics, certified electronics technician and open reel to reel tape machine expert, endorsed by the well renowned recording engineer and producer, John Klett.
Artisan Fidelity is a specialty high end audio retailer, Tidal Audio of Germany brand partner and bespoke manufacturer that recreates analog music through tailored design integrity, and passion. Our manufacturing efforts represent combined talents of skilled master woodworkers, artists, professional painters, certified electronics technicians, skilled mechanical and tribology engineers. Artisan Fidelity was founded in 2008 by Christopher Thornton, an entrepreneur who has spent the past 27 years pursuing higher fidelity sound, eventually taking his own love of music and implementing it into bespoke analog based products of his designs. Analog music enthusiasts worldwide and industry professionals, including Warner Brothers Archival Mastering Studio, continue to cherish their fundamental musicality, accuracy and craftsmanship.
Fundamentally, our product line represents the culmination of a keen understanding of the listener’s need for superior playback fidelity, build quality, finish and a meticulous attention to engineering detail. Artisan Fidelity creates sophisticated, reimagined time tested classic analog designs that employ precision machine engineering, advanced composite material application coupled with traditional old-world assembly and hand finishing techniques.
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