The ceremony, hosted at dCS’s Swavesey offices, was also attended by Deputy Lieutenant Mr Jeremy Newsum. Over 50 people including the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, His Honour Neil McKittrick, dCS partners, distributors and the company’s 29-strong staff were on site to witness the award ceremony.
The company received the prestigious award in recognition of the technology developed for its flagship Vivaldi Digital Playback System – specifically the digital processing platform, the latest version of its ground-breaking Ring DACTM technology and its new network audio platform and control software.
Whilst visiting dCS’s offices, Mrs Julie Spence and Mr Jeremy Newsum enjoyed a tour of the company’s on-site factory and R&D unit, where all of its high-end audio products are developed and hand-assembled. They were both able to experience the dCS sound for themselves in the company’s state-of-the-art listening room.
dCS joins the ranks of the UK’s most innovative and pioneering companies as a recipient of the coveted award. The highest official UK award for British business recognises outstanding achievement and was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1965.
David Steven, dCS Managing Director, said: “For 30 years, dCS has been pushing the boundaries of digital audio and this award is down to the hard work and creativity of every one of our team past and present. To win the award takes more than a great idea, its needs drive and determination to improve every day and the ability to get it done no matter how challenging the situation. We are thrilled to win this award and look forward to many more years of innovation in audio and music playback.”
To win this coveted award, dCS also had to demonstrate how its business impacts positively on the local community and society, its environmental impact, how its employees are supported and its ethical trading practices. The company’s use of almost exclusively UK-sourced components, along with its investment in people and customer service, all contributed to the win.
Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, said: “This is the highest official UK award for British businesses. dCS has received the Queen’s Award for Innovation 2019 for the technology inside its flagship Vivaldi Digital Playback System. The superior sound quality of the system has led it to be adopted globally as the benchmark for the industry. All manufactured and designed in the UK, each dCS product sets the standard within its class and is unrivalled in its ability to bring people closer to music. Today is a celebration for the whole company and an achievement of which every single member of staff can feel proud.”
Image: David Steven, Managing Director of dCS, is presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise by Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire