One of the leading audio design companies in Asia, Markaudio develops for a number of commercial and high end customers in Asia, Europe and North America. Its new range of audio drivers is designed with a central focus on high quality mechanics for reliable performance.
Mark Fenlon (B. Eng.) started his working life in pneumatics, the movement and control of air and gases. As a mechanical engineer he spent time in the Middle East and Europe working on large scale energy distribution systems. The properties of sound and resonance were a significant part of Mark's early work. With his extensive engineering know-how, Mark moved into materials technology, specialising in industrial plastics and synthetics.
The last several years have been spent on the development of wide range audio drivers, applying 33 years of near unique knowledge to audio research and development and in 2000, Mark joined with Chris Davies to form Markimage Limited. Based in Hong Kong and taking advantage of the emerging production facilities in China, Markaudio is the audio division of Markimage. Mark has made several working driver prototypes using a range of materials and applying new industrial techniques. Up to the end of 2002, Mark was also leading the way in applying HDA polymers for use in cabinet construction.
Chris Davies (B.A., A.C.A.) graduated after studying computing, electronics and mathematics. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG before working in a Europe-wide regional audit role for global tyre company Goodyear and then taking up an offer to join Carillion as Regional Finance Director for Asian Operations in Hong Kong.
Chris became the main driving force for the creation of Markimage, a small company with a more flexible approach to the world of work, a big change from his time in the corporate business world. Chris's interest in audio and his knowledge of business is a major contribution to the progress Markaudio has made in research for component design with cost analysis and management.
The Markaudio Team
Ball Chan joined Markimage in 2005 as a graphic designer. His fresh approach to communication and style has been significant. Ball has played a leading role in the presentation of Markaudio products and will take the lead on styling for new drivers being launched in 2007.
In 2003 E.J. Jordan and Markaudio started a collaboration on the development of a new 2" driver. The new driver was known as the JXr 6HD. Markaudio was responsible for the research, design and manufacture of all the components excluding from the cone and cap. Markaudio also carried out the assembly of the first two batches of HD production. The cone and cap came from a previous driver known as the Jordan JX53. These cones were developed and manufactured for E.J. Jordan by Roy Rodriguez, a well respected UK based cone maker.
In late July 2007, the intellectual property of E.J. Jordan was passed to Esoteric Audio Devices in Sweden.
Markaudio is continuing with its own development of drivers with interesting characteristics and suppling its technical and production expertise to other audio companies. The 6T is the first example of the work. Mark was interested in producing a small driver which favoured the higher frequency range while keeping distortion under control and maintaining a wide range. Development work started in the autumn of 2006, with the first production units being available in May 2007. Initially to be marketed under the Jordan brand, Markaudio currently sells the 6T under its own name.
Mark's driver philosophy is simple..
The perfect driver does not exist and will never be born. So it's best to be practical. Take an idea and work through the design. Test it and keep on improving it and test more. You can have all the theory in the world, but making something actually work is a totally different matter".
Markaudio will continue with research, design and the making of audio drivers. Look out for new products in the near future.
