The "roots" of Wyred 4 Sound
EJ Sarmento started as an assembler for Cullen Circuits in the mid 90's shortly after the manufacturing side had begun. His early
years with car electronics gave him a good taste for what he was getting into. Crimping transformer after transformer for the first several weeks quickly taught him that repetition, quality, and productivity was the key to success.
Working under the guidance of Barry Nelson (production manager at the time) offered variations in projects and allowed hands on training in every aspect of production. Barry found that he promptly became a "jack of all trades", and always "floated" him around to help in different departments as needed. Barry looked at him as a true team player. The one that works through the night into the morning and even through holidays to get "hot" projects out the door. Sub-contract customers also found that they could rely on him to get the job done even when there didn't seem to be enough time in the day.
Through building thousands of products, EJ quickly learned the "nuts and bolts" of each product. Working next to long time comrade Kevin Stewart, the two built the majority of production for the longest time. Over the years, notes were taken, skills were learned, lessons were given, and new faces appeared. Barry Nelson had to relocate for family reasons, which left EJ in the production management position.
With production numbers continually going up, the testing department couldn't seem to keep up with production. Along with James Ross (head technician at the time), EJ opted to help as much as he possibly could in the testing department. As time went on, James decided to move on to a technician position with another local company. This left EJ to also cover in the testing department. He swiftly picked up the routines, and accomplished goals day after day.
Enjoying every aspect of daily tasks, EJ couldn't learn enough as fast as he'd like. He then attended night classes to study electronics in college. Because of the hands on experience, everything seemed to go very well. He accelerated very quickly and learned a great deal in record time. In his spare hours, EJ grasped the ins and outs of Solid Works (3-D design software), and Protel (circuit board design program). He then decided to design a very small, low powered amplifier built around ICEpower modules. This is where Wyred 4 Sound was born. The 200S
was the first model to be branded with the W4S name. Over the weekend, he built and tested his amplifiers for the week to follow. After the web-site was put up and the first 20 or so amps were in customers hands, orders started pouring in.
As the OEM production side of things started to slow down, Rick and EJ had more of an opportunity to work together on modifications. They both learned that they shared the same goals in audio, and found great friendship along the way. After several production-based modifications were released, customers quickly found that the quality and value they were getting was extraordinary. Business began to grow exponentially.
As the product line grew to stereo and mono amplifiers, the demand was overwhelming. The stress was huge on EJ and something needed to give soon. There was barely enough time in the day for his role in Cullen Circuits, and even less for W4S in the evenings. He then decided that it would be best to move on with his company, but couldn't because of the amount of time invested, and dedication involved in both.
Together EJ and Rick decided that they could both make sacrifices to ensure the growth of both businesses. Several assemblers were promoted to technicians and provided the level of perfomance W4S was known for. Now production management and product design was his primary role which proved to be very effective. With the help of the past at Cullen Circuits, and close friends in the industry, EJ continues to develop the chassis, circuit, software, and web design for W4S. Together, this team will provide advanced high-end audio products for years to come at an affordable price and extreme value!
Does this all sound too good to be true? Well, life is what we make it, so do your best and be all that you can! Live today as if there wasn't a tomorrow.
We thank all who support us, and those who share the same love (addiction) for music.
The Wyred 4 Sound team!
