Berkshire-based high-end audio distributor Sound Fowndations has announced they will be delivering USA brands Musical Surroundings and Fosgate to the UK market.

California-based Musical Surroundings is widely known is its home country as a hi-fi distributor (with inbound brands including Germany’s AMG and Clearaudio) as well as a manufacturer of a small range of phonostages and DACs.

Musical Surroundings’ products are designed by audio engineer Michael Yee, who has put a great deal of thought into the concept of why we listen. “Many conversations about high-end audio focus on the nuances of accurately reproduced sound,” says Yee, “but our design philosophy goes beyond being accurate. Body, texture, and the overall beauty of the sounds are important considerations.”

To that end, Yee applies the concepts of tonal imaging and harmonic integrity, which are at the heart of Musical Surroundings’ technology. Tonal imaging is a set of techniques allowing for objective evaluation of the different components of sound, while harmonic integrity relates to the accurate placement and balance of sound within a listening field.

At the same time, the brand is equally committed to delivering high fidelity at a reasonable cost and so Musical Surroundings’ Phenomena II, Nova II and Supernova II phonostages, as well as the MYDAC II, are all fully adjustable audiophile-grade components with a surprisingly mid-range price tag.

World-class audio engineer Jim Fosgate is the vision and expertise behind the Fosgate brand. His award-winning Fozgometer has developed something of a cult status in the USA. Hailed as a breakthrough for azimuth adjustment, the Fozgometer is a small portable battery powered unit that is used in conjunction with a test record. It measures channel separation over a wide range of signal levels, channel balance and signal direction quickly and accurately. Readings are taken without needing to touch the unit, leaving your hands free to work with the tonearm.

Chris Green, Sound Fowndations’ Managing Director, said, “I suspect that the Fozgometer’s popularity in the USA could soon be mirrored here in the UK. Our first order went in, and then the products went straight out again. And deservedly so, this is a brilliant piece of kit.”

Meanwhile, the Fosgate Signature Tube Headphone Amplifier has also been making waves. It uses unique and patented circuit topologies that aim to elevate the headphone listening experience and which were reviewed by CNET’s Steve Guttenberg as “one of the very best-sounding amps I’ve ever used”.