Company History

Sound Dynamics > About Us > Company History

1989

Where it all began

Val, the wife of Steve (SD Technical Director) took her YMCA course and became an aerobics teacher. Val needed a cassette tape player with the ability to change the speed of the music. As there was nothing available Steve made the first ever fitness sound system called the ‘Instructor System’… Sound Dynamics started its involvement within the health and fitness industry.
1990

The Instructor System

SD advertise in the ASSET magazine. The advert was for the ‘Instructor System’ which combined a loudspeaker with a headworn radio microphone. It was the first combination available in the UK and the Ad was very well received.
1992

Our First Fitness Convention

ASSET approach SD to supply the sound equipment for their annual convention at Loughborough University. This was a major step for us and a large logistical and financial problem due to the sheer scale of the event. 7 different venues on campus ranging from small studios to large sports halls, thousands of instructors over a 3 day weekend.
1993

Working with ASSET and FITPRO

Due to the event going so well we went on to supply ASSET for many years until FITPRO took over as the leading fitness company in the U.K. We also supplied and exhibited at FITPRO right up until 2018.
1995

Suppliers to Reebok

We became involved with Reebok supplying the sound to their Step promotional tours. Different venues all around the country over weekends. Reebok never paid us!
1997

Stuart Wilkinson joins Sound Dynamics

Stuart Wilkinson (current managing director) joined the company in the despatch department. Stuart quickly learned the business and before long was making sales and looking for new opportunities.
1999

Creating our own Headset

We were struggling to find a good headset mic which was up to the challenge of being used in a fitness environment and so we created the Nova Headset Microphone. We sold thousands of them in different colours. This helped Sound Dynamics progress to the next level in business.
2001

Sam Beckett joins the team

Sam Beckett joined Sound Dynamics. Sam came to play a big part in the SD team. His desire to build sound systems, skills of repairing products, general product knowledge, along with his wicked sense of humour made him an invaluable part of our small team.
2006

Zumba Make a Call

We receive a call from Zumba in Miami because they need a supplier for their brand in the UK, which would turn out to be a huge brand moving forward. We became Zumba UK official suppliers of sound systems and have helped many Zumba instructors find the right equipment for their classes.
2007

Change in Management

One of the original owners, Gerry left the business, which in turn, gave Stuart the opportunity to help take the business forward when he took on the new role of Director.
2010

Stuart becomes owner of the business

The original director of SD, Steve decided it was time to move on and sold his shares to Stuart. A mutual respect and friendship was created between these two men who still meet up on our famous Christmas break up days, for drinks and to share memories… and hugs!
2011

Sound Dynamics Move House!

We moved from our rented premises on Bridge Street in Belper, and purchased our own building on Sunny Bank Gardens. This was another step forward as the layout was much better suited to us, with numerous offices and warehousing.
2013

Best Sales Year

This was a best sales year to date, with a massive 42% increase in turnover. This same year, Clubbercise hit the fitness scene with glow sticks and disco lights. We became partners with the brand and have been their official supplier of AV equipment ever since.
2014

Winning the Xercise4less Contract

We won a contract with Xercise4less, meaning we were their official suppliers of audio visual equipment and would kit all of their new gyms and carry out any refurbishments needed. This was a very big deal for us and again, gave us our biggest sales year at the time.
2015

Designing our own products again

Working with Beyond Acoustic we started designing and manufacturing our own new range of speakers and head mics, which became our Black ‘n’ Orange brand. We specifically designed these products with fitness instructors in mind, making sure they were powerful, robust and up to the challenge! The range became our top selling products and proved really popular.
2017

Lighting for Fitness Classes

Working with Beyond Acoustic again, we created our own range of Moonglow disco lights and UV bar lights to suit the demand for light effects in fitness classes.
2019

Best Supplier Award 2019

Sound Dynamics won Best Supplier award at the Community Fitness Awards. It was brilliant to be recognised at a fitness event as a top supplier to the industry.
2020

The year of the Online Package

The year we got locked down! Everyone’s business altered massively overnight and we had to adapt our offering quickly to suit what customers needed. As no one could meet face to face for fitness classes, instructors took their classes online and we became the ‘go to’ company to help them get set up online. We sold around 3500 online packages to instructors and would go through the set up with them over the phone to make sure they felt confident using the kit. It’s fair to say our team went above and beyond this year to help our customers get online.
2021

SD Award Nominees Again

Sound Dynamics are nominated for the Best Supplier award and the Contribution to Industry award at the Community Fitness Awards 2021.