Vivid Audio's Laurence Dickie, Designer of the B&W Nautilus - SoundStage! Icons (June 2020)

Laurence Dickie cofounded Vivid Audio in 2004, a high-end loudspeaker brand that has its main manufacturing facility in South Africa, and has its key R&D facility in the United Kingdom. In this interview, Dickie, who is also Vivid's chief designer, explains how his interest in loudspeakers began as a child, how he created advanced technologies and designed the groundbreaking Nautilus loudspeaker while working at Bowers & Wilkins in the 1980s and 1990s, and, finally, how he came to cofound Vivid Audio, a place that allows him the freedom to chase almost any speaker-design dream he chooses.

[@adrianrorvik7488]

As Believe HiFi said, Laurence's energy is infectious. I met him once. He was visiting a friend, who used to work at Vivid Audio in Durban, South Africa. Just so likeable! Met Philip several times too and been to the Vivid factory and his home a couple of times to listen to (and write about) Vivid Audio products. A humble, extremely hardworking man. A late friend had the G1, then the G1 Spirits. The Spirits are superb! Those two gents deserve all good things that come their way.

[@jamesirwin267]

I couldn’t agree more. He’s an elemental spirit and the Man

[@emmanytube]

Perhaps the best Loudspeaker designer at this day and age, unlike many other snake oil salesmen around . Dickie's Vivid speakers are probably the best sounding & engineered loudspeakers around . The G1 Spirit is the pinnacle .

[@JakePurches-Base2music]

I am in complete agreement with you. We use Vivid Audio for our monitoring on our recordings.

[@soundstagenetwork]

We're happy to read this. We have a lot of respect for Laurence Dickie's work, which is why we have him among our first interviewees.

[@luisdimarco5102]

What great moment and self satisfaction to hear a man with that passion.

[@soundstagenetwork]

Indeed!

[@jamesirwin267]

Amazing to see your youthful face ruling on screen and with sound. Blimey it’s you!…. And so many sound professionals love Vivid. Well done

[@perfectsoundpursuit007]

Great interview ! I am B&W fan , i use B&W 800D2 in my audio system . For me ( i am electronics engineer ) B&W Nautillus is the best technical design from out of resonace inside and outside ( very important is outside resonance of cabinet ! ) . Maibe in future i buy a pair of Nautillus ( or Vivid Audio ) . Thank you Laurence for your work !

[@BelieveHiFi]

Fascinating interview, Laurence has an infectious energy

[@brentcollins9727]

That was AWESOME. So inspiring

[@DougMen1]

His exuberance and childlike enthusiasm is so charming and extremely infectious. A real audio icon, IMO. My first high end (?) speaker was the 602S3, which I downsized to the 601S3, because the 602 was too bassy and loud for my small room. I eventually got rid of the 601s also, because they liked to be played really loud, and had to be turned up louder than my room and ears could handle to fill in that dip in the midrange that most B&W two ways have (the 602s didn't have that dip). I've tried at least a dozen speakers since then, and finally settled on my current Wharfedale Diamonds and classic KEF C40s, both of which are very balanced and dynamic at the low voume levels I listen at. But, I've never found a tweeter as crisp and airy and three dimensional as that B&W aluminum tapered tube tweeter. I feel that the more recent B&W speakers are voiced with the tweeter much too hot, making them very shrill, and accentuating that dip in the mids. It's a shame, because I think they've lost their way after the original Nautilus influenced designs. The 805S is still one of the best two way stand mount speakers I've ever heard, and, IMO, are far superior to the more recent 805D models.

[@markstewart1807]

Great inspirational lovely guy and fantastic products.

[@LeonMare49]

Oh man, that B&W Nautilus is one of the most beautiful designs for a speaker ever! But I never heard one myself here in South Africa. Even Eugene of HFX Systems could not even show me a pair! Anyway I have a pair of CDM9NTs (with Nautilus tech!) which I'm very happy with. Bought them 'used' from Eugene many years ago... I still have to hear a Vivid Speaker too and I read that they are excellent.

[@tlz8884]

enjoying this interview via the vivid B1 speakers

[@harrisedgar]

Wonderful interview...!! Thank you...

[@soundstagenetwork]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anthonymartino9917]

Cool interview!

[@johnwright8814]

I have just bought some Genelec 8030C monitor speakers, Some Vivid designs share some similarities in appearance, so I was interested in finding out more. Their engineering solutions differ in many ways, yet are similar in others. I like to see departures from the "square wooden box", and it's unfortunate that many such designs fail commercially.

[@glennjones6574]

I did all that stuff too. Collecting speakers out of broken junk. "Installing them in homemade boxes of cardboard.... Lol

[@tubukonxumalo8041]

Dope!

[@jamesirwin267]

Clothing

[@rarelycomments]

Real engineering and science produce real results. Unbelievable that there are manufacturers selling loudspeakers for a lot more money than Vivid and they haven't even designed the drivers!!

[@soundstagenetwork]

While it's possible for companies to build great speakers with off-the-shelf drivers, we find it disappointing that many charge very high prices for them when, in fact, they should be charging much less since less R&D went into the designs.

[@endrizo]

great but do the talking walking by the shop..show the models. dont just sit there