10Qs For Aure'lie Gonzalo, Export Sales Manager, Triangle Industries S.A.S.

With the KLIAV show gaining strategic importance as a regional AV showcase, I see more and more industry executives making their way to be part of the show. It means something for so many manufacturers sending their executives, despite Malaysia being a rather insignificant market by size.

However the effects are all good, so that I can talk to and get some first hand information out of the hifi manufacturers. A rose(and exotically French!) made her way here, in a hobby and industry dominated by thorns. I had a date with her, chaperoned by Maxx, Triangle's Malaysian distributor. So here we go, ladies first!

Ms Aure'lie Gonzalo is Triangle's Export Sales Manager.

Big E: How did you get in to the hifi industry?

AG: I was formerly working for Elipson, who also makes hifi, but targeted at less traditionalist buyers. Then in January this year, I joined Triangle, and here I am now.

Big E: How do you pronounce Triangle in French? And how should the non-French speaking say it?

AG: In French, it's pronounced as Trie-an'gle, whoever for everyone else in the world, Triangle(the English word) is fine and very valid.

Big E: Other than your home market France, where else is Triangle sold in big numbers?

AG: You may find it surprising, we are no.2 in our home market, after Focal, a competitor whom we highly respect. However our loudspeakers are also very popular in Germany as well. Our next big market is likely to be India, which is a huge and un-tapped market.

Big E: Are most of the French who buy hifi music lovers or audiophiles?

AG: I am not sure how to answer this, but most homes in France do have a hifi system, because music is culturally important to us. However, it would be hard to determine if most of our buyers are audiophile or music lovers. There's also a group of buyers who like to balance their priority of good sound reproduction with decor friendly finishing, which is why we made the Color range of speakers. We certainly see an expansion of this market segment in the near future, based on the successful market penetration of the Color range. How about in Malaysia?

Big E: The people in Malaysia who buys hifi are more likely audiophile first, then music lovers(Maxx nodding in approval). Do you agree with the general statement, that loudspeakers do reflects their country of origin, as in French speakers sound different, compared to English speakers and German speakers have their own sound?

AG: I absolutely agree! I think French speakers are musical sounding, with a softer tone, compared to the German speakers, which I can't stand. English loudspeakers have their own sound which is strong on vocals. However, these are just my personal observations only.

Big E: Anything new from Triangle you'd like to share with us here?

AG: Yes, we are about to revamp our Genese' range of speakers, which have been in the market for a long time. We feel we can make the Genese' range sound closer to the flagship Megellan, because it'll contain a lot of trickle down technology.

Big E: Tell us more in detail about the trickle down technology?

AG: First, the new Genese' range will benefit from a titanium tweeter very similar to those found on the Megellan, the only difference being it'll be stamped instead of being moulded in to shape. The tweeter flange(or horn) will be made from aluminium, just like in the Megellan. Next are the all new mid/woofer drivers and x-over design. Lastly, the cabinets will, once again, be made in France, because it will feature more complex bracing and resonant control techniques.

Big E: You mean at present, the cabinets are made elsewhere, and which country in particular?

AG: The cabinets for the present Genese' range is made somewhere in Asia, however we cannot be too specific about the country which makes them. Very sorry, but it is confidential trade information.

Big E: I noticed you mentioned titanium tweeter, which was very popular in the 1980's, the speaker world today talks about more exotic materials like beryllium, or diamond for example, for tweeters. Do these exotic materials truly offer technical advantages or just marketing speak perhaps?

AG: At Triangle, we have tested all the so called alternative or exotic materials for use in tweeter production, but in the end, each material has it's merits and disadvantages, depending on what one is looking for technically. We still think the titanium metal dome used in conjunction of our phase plug design, combined with machined aluminium flange is the most effective match to our choice of x-over application and overall speaker design philosophy.

Seen here with Maxx Loh(left) of Maxx Audio, whose showroom is in Seremban.

Big E: Coming back to the speaker cabinet manufacturing, is it practical and cost effective to move production back to France?

AG: There seems to be a trend where manufacturing the speaker cabinets outside Europe no longer yields any cost advantages, further more we can control quality more tightly if the components are made near the factory. Triangle is in the process of moving back all component and assembly production back to it's in house facilities where possible, and if not, hopefully the work is done not too far away. We feel that brings stricter quality control, and where possible, the pride of having our products made in house, to give them a unique identity, not available else where, in today's competitive market place.

At this point, Maxx Loh was saying that he'd have to offer the existing Genese' stocks in his showroom for clearance, to prepare for the arrival of the newer range soon. Any takers out there?