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Colin Wonfor
25-11-2015, 09:10
Most of you will have knowledge of me by now, my name is Colin Wonfor.
I am the founder and designer of many Audio and Hi-fi products and power supply designs.
I have been designing audio and radio equipment since my Granddad and Dad taught me from an early age, I went on to study chemistry and then to electrical engineering and much later in life computer science.

My first flurry into Hi-fi was with the M.I.H. amplifiers that went on to do be ProAc Magnum then with a meeting with Tony Relph became A.C. Magnum and the Magnum range of audio equipment. All the products produced under that banner where based on my re-designs of the Hitachi based MOSFET circuits and a natural evolution to produce a better sound. After a few years Tony did not want the company to grow past the size it was based on around his home in Thundersley Essex, so I sold him my shares and we parted not very amicable, and Magnum never grew or designed any new products after this.

At this time Elsdon Wonfor was formed, Alan and I made the massive Dreadnought range of amplifiers which are very rare, this was the same time Maggie killed all productions industries in the UK with her policies of service industries UK . Many small and good companies died in this period and it was a disaster for the UK as a whole. (IMO)

The same time that Magnum and I parted I started Inca Tech with Gold Plated Mains plugs and sockets, for the whole world. Then along came other products some you may have never seen, like the "Prelude" power amp and the IT1X Pre-amp.
We were then asked to design and integrated amp for a US based company who had other products named after weapons, so we came up with the now familiar Claymore, the first one was bright orange and had no MC input the PCB as a matter of interest were laid out by John Dudley who became the top designer for Maplin, a real gent and a lovely man.
I also met at this time a life long friend Brian O'Rouke of Ruark Acoustics. Brian gave me sound and wise advice, I just wished I had listened to all of it now, then maybe TQ would not have came into being and causing me great distress and pain now.

Inca Tech grew rapidly and many product left the factory here is a few:-

Prelude, IT1X, Claymore, Claymore S, Claymore 2, Sabre mk1, Sabre mk2, IT50,IT100,IT200,MSB, FMT, Dirk, then the A Class range marketed under Inca Design ID25,ID50,ID75, ID1P. and many minor and smaller products. Then life for me changed again, due to poor markets and rising costs I closed Inca Tech down and like many other I was now looking for employment, not easy when you done your own thing for many years, but it was interesting and I learnt more.

Now on to contract work I traveled the world designing SMPSU for commercial and the military industries, this took me to Somerset there I designed power packs for lasers and new type of low noise SSR.
Whilst in Somerset I designed the Oberon and the TOCA range of products.
I was offered a job designing very large PSU's in Scotland for a XRay company, then I when on to Hughes Microelectronic and the to design things for NASA.
Back in the UK and down to Somerset again and on contract designing low noise PSU's and other interesting products.
Whilst experimenting on a cable design for a large UK company I came across a design concept I had delveloped which they said they could not use and this became the stepping stone for Tellurium Q on which all other designs within the company are based on. The rest you all have read about and it is still a f--king painful time for me.

NOW WHAT IS NEXT

I am not in good 100% health but I do not intend to sit back and wait for Old Harry.

As you can see and with luck there will be more I have started a hobby for all others to try YOU can do it many now have, build your own SECA and Pre-Amp, learn a new skill and save pounds.

AOS and TAS and Audiochew and Pinkfish and to a lesser Wigwam have got nice DIYer doing just that, follow them here on AOS.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?38912-SECA-KITS-Diy

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?41665-MM-and-MC-Phono-Preamp-with-SECA-Headphone-Amp

But have fun and keep trying never let the buggers grind you down.

Oh new cable coming soon and it is much better value for money than TQ sorry.:)

Stig
29-11-2015, 11:43
Nice one Colin.

You could use this spot to gather all of the SECA info in one place which would make sifting through the various threads and forums unnecessary.

Just a thought.:eyebrows:

realysm42
12-07-2016, 08:17
Colin, any news on your new cable range? I'm very interested to see/hear what's on the table from you.