In late 1978, he was asked to manage the original store in Wantirna and became owner in February 1980. “Audio Trends was a great choice for a store name as it has allowed us to really keep up with the rapid changes in the home entertainment scene” says Stephen. Yes, the idea of being his own boss appealed to him, but the ability to present the best products to his customers has been the real benefit. Stephen does not believe that either he or his staff should use high pressure or deceptive tactics in selling—and they don’t! Honesty in all aspects of business is considered to be essential.

Both Stephen and his wife Deborah, who has been an encouragement and given real support in every area since the business opened, had a hands-on role during the construction and design phases of the Ringwood showroom which opened in 2004. The end-result has been a most satisfying accomplishment and it has given their customers absolute confidence that Audio Trends can really “Deliver the Wow! Factor”.

Stephen has also ensured that all his staff are trained in all aspects of home entertainment including an excellent knowledge of the products they sell and although wages are the biggest expense, Stephen holds firmly to the adage that good staff are one’s best asset and has therefore nurtured a team of enthusiastic people who share his passion for great audio visual. So now let’s share some insight into their backgrounds.

Mark’s early involvement with Audio Trends was with traditional Hi-Fi components, but the last decade has seen incredible changes in the way we both watch and listen to our favourite material, and Mark just loves all the changes in technology. He is a natural with it and even the most complicated configurations do not faze him.

Mark has had a number of roles within the company and now with home cinema developing to a whole new level where we have stepped into the manufacturing and building side of custom home cinema and multi-room domestic and corporate systems, it was only logical that he take on the role of Custom Manager. This allows him to specifically channel his attention and skills to this challenging and exciting aspect of Audio Trends.

Marks other interests, no he doesn’t play much Golf, include keeping up-to-date with what’s hot and what’s not in Movies! We are convinced he must have a contact, because anytime anyone raises the subject of a current movie, even if it was just released yesterday he says without fail… “I’ve seen it!” With a devoted wife, four children and a busy work schedule, Mark doesn’t have much time for much else. He loves going to the beach or the pool in the summer. Great guy, very likable and will bend over backwards to get the job done right and on time.

Darren Springthorpe Customer Service Darren has been involved with Audio Trends since 1990, and he has an intense passion for 2 channel stereo systems. His record vinyl collection now reaches around 5000 albums, so you could say he loves his turntables; he only owns eight of them. So how did he get started?

One Monday afternoon home sick from primary school Darren had his first memorable experience of music and what it can do to a soul. By 14 the career path in the music industry had begun. Work experience for the once household name Douglas HiFi. He Left school after completing year 11 to pursue his interest, starting where he left off at Douglas HiFi, from there he moved to Dandy Sound  now owned by Clive Peeters, By the early nineteen nineties Audio Trends Wantirna was Darren’s preferred working environment. Allowing for his experience with audio reproduction equipment to come to maturity. By the mid nineties he was working within the professional arena front of house mixing for many established and up and coming bands, solo artists, the most memorable being Russell Morris. Engineering mixes for many Venues from outback country pubs in the Northern Territory to Beachside Venues in Cairns and Townsville to iconic Victorian venues, the likes of the Gershwin Room at the Esplanade hotel in St Kilda. To recording and down mixing master takes. After an injury distracted his career for a few years he returned to the retail of consumer electronics, working for JB HiFi in 2000, within 12 months had moved up the ladder returning to specialist retailers. Continuing his love of quality music reproduction, Darren’s focus is to provide solutions giving maximum performance for money regardless of amount spent. “The ability to have the hair on the back of my neck stand up during a listening session is what drives me; I strive for that elusive balance of performance accuracy and emotional involvement from the listener”. Establishing a Consultancy business, was the most effective way of providing unbiased advice to consumers, wanting the best performance for their multi channel home theatre or two channel stereo needs. Darren’s services are available from Audio Trends, “Where else in Australia can a consumer go and not only see how, but also, Hear different equipment setup in completely different sounding rooms. Get the balance right, and all your recordings will have a new lease on life. Besides the buying experience should be a joyous experience, not one fraught with buyer beware”. Darren Says he is proud to be associated with Audio Trends, the Staff and the Products are world class a complimentary blend of consumer audio reproduction electronics and professional audio know how a rather impressive mix.

The timing could not have been better, because there was a real need for more staff. The Home Cinema concept was taking off and more assistance was desperately needed. The first twelve months were soon gone as were the second!

Computerisation was now possible, with Simon having both an education that included computer skills and a youthful enthusiasm for this new and exciting tool. Instead of just playing games, he was now able to help everyone at Audio Trends come up to speed with at least the basics. A TAFE course in accounting saw Simon eventually take over the administration of the accounts department. Although he still has a key role, his wife Desiree now handles the everyday matters. Simon is now very involved in the custom side of our business and is extremely knowledgeable with everything to do with advanced custom home cinema, multi-room audio visual systems and home automation. Simon, Mark and Garry really know their stuff when it comes to these areas.

Although his friends would still say he is a car enthusiast, marriage and his first home have seen him spend his spare cash on improvements, especially on his own personal home cinema. The experience he gained in ‘sound-proofing’ and even decorating has proved invaluable for both him and his customers.

His first twelve months saw him gain a lot of experience behind-the-scenes, including assisting with deliveries and custom installations where his ‘extra’ height had a number of advantages. Garry continually receives compliments from our customers on his ability and enthusiasm to help, no matter how small the query. He has taken to Home Cinema and particularly multi-room a/v technology like the proverbial duck to water.

Now this is a pretty good asset for both us and our customers. Multi-room audio-visual is continually expanding in capabilities and knowing how to get the best out of this still emerging technology can be a challenge for the novice. Garry to the rescue. Combine his passion, knowledge and hands-on experience and you'll have the best multi-room audio visual system - and it'll all work superbly.

Desiree has taken charge of this all important area and works hard at keeping us on the straight and narrow! Of course, she has had a very enthusiastic teacher in Simon and likes all the things he likes. Funny about that...they were married in 2003.

We have known Charlotte since she was a baby! Her life long goal was to enter the ministry and this she has done with her husband Glenn. They are the handsome couple who appear on some of our introductory pages! However, she needs to support herself with part-time work and thus her role here at Audio Trends where we were delighted to be able to assist in her chosen and very commendable career.

Charlotte works at the reception and front office, answering the phones and carrying out many of the mundane, but necessary chores. She does a marvellous job of keeping the place spic and span and is always happy to do anything asked including the occasional delivery in the company Van! It is people like Charlotte that help with your basic queries and make sure you get to speak to the right person.