News

In an official press statement, Musical Surroundings has just announced that Chris Thompson has joined the company as their Service and Product Manager.

Chris was the Quality Control and Special Projects Manager at Parasound in San Francisco for 11 years. One of Chris’ many responsibilities was developing and supporting the Parasound line of phono stages designed by John Curl.

Moving across the bay to Oakland, Chris now works with Mike Yee, designer of the Musical Surroundings’ Phonomena phono stages. Future phono stage projects include a flagship MC phono stage and an optical phono stage for DS Audio cartridges.

Chris supports the company’s dealer network and end-users for all brands, including Clearaudio, DS Audio, Hana, and the AFI Flat.Duo record flattener and relaxer. He works directly with their vendors in both Germany and Japan. Chris will participate in major audio shows, including AXPONA 2025 in Chicago and the Munich High-End show, leading Clearaudio factory tours.

Chris’ duties include assisting company President Garth Leerer and Ken Bowers with dealer training at the company’s Oakland headquarters and their under-development Sonoma wine country corporate retreat. He oversees their demonstration room in the Oakland warehouse (pictured below) as well as technical areas, and their new demonstration facility in Sonoma County.

Combining his past education in audio recording plus experience in mechanical and electronic repair with his passion for music as both a multi-instrumentalist and critical listener, the company officially welcomes Chris to the Musical Surroundings team.

For more information contact: info@musicalsurroundings.com.