Photo Credit: David Clouston (via Wikimedia Commons)

In more than 40 years of championing the vinyl boom, Acoustic Sounds has earned a reputation for excellence with audiophiles and the prestigious title of the world’s largest ​​vertically integrated vinyl production facility. Today, the organization continues to push forward as it announces the return of Chad Stelly, one of the world’s foremost turntable setup specialists and audio gurus.

Stelly has signed on as Acoustic Sounds’ resident analog expert. By his expertise with audio components and configuration, the returning pro will further elevate the high standard for personalized, customer-first equipment sales upheld by in-house brands Analogue Productions and Quality Record Pressings.

Stelly spent a decade and a half with Acoustic Sounds starting in 2005, leading HiFi equipment sales and offering his adept understanding of the medium to the ambitious company’s broader initiatives. Since 2019, he’s honed his chops with product development, repair and quality assessment with leading phono distributors and manufacturers (like Musical Surroundings and SME), all the while maintaining a close relationship with Acoustic Sounds by tuning equipment and evaluating test pressings.

“In the last 20 years, you really created a reputation as being one of the top turntable setup guys in the world,” Acoustic Sounds founder Chad Kassem observed in conversation with Stelly. “You’ve deserved that, you’ve worked for it and that’s all you’ve been doing for 20 years. And now I’ve just realized that, ‘Man, we need to focus in on the turntable setup and really provide this to people,’ because I think a lot of people buy these turntables, and they don’t even think about [it]. Like, you need to get the most out of what you bought.”

Stelly’s return to Acoustic Sounds underscores the vital role of thoughtful equipment calibration in the pursuit of high-quality sound. The passionate advocate for turntable setup is available as a resource to all Acoustic Sounds customers and can be reached at 800-716-3553 or stelly@acousticsounds.com.

Watch Stelly and Kassem discuss the former’s history in the high-end audio industry below. For more information on Acoustic Sounds–the Salina, Kan.-based high-end audio company that houses a prestigious reissue label, mastering studio, record pressing plant, print shop and more–visit acousticsounds.com.

Read about Analogue Productions’ historic release of Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue here.