Designing & Building Meaningful Audio Experiences
Fern & Roby is a high-end audio manufacturer, authorized dealer and trusted system consultant based in Richmond, Va. We design and build turntables, speakers, amplifiers and audio accessories — and help listeners create custom systems that elevate the spaces they inhabit, the type of music they enjoy, and the way they live.
Just steps away from our factory and design studio, our listening room is open by appointment for those who want to experience thoughtfully curated systems in a calm, welcoming environment.
Experimenting with Le Cleac’h horns informed our eventual development of the Fern & Roby Raven II and III speakers. Also pictured: our Montrose Turntable (with original F&R tonearm).
Who we are
Fern & Roby was founded out of a desire to create heirloom-quality audio components that balance understated design, precision engineering, and long-term sonic and aesthetic enjoyment and satisfaction.
The name Fern & Roby honors founder Christopher Hildebrand’s two grandmothers, whose appreciation for things that last — and who created thoughtful, well-designed personal spaces—helped shape his values around quality and longevity. Christopher’s lifelong love of music and hi-fi was shaped by a childhood home filled with instruments, his parents’ LPs, and his dad’s Technics turntable and KLH speakers.
We are part of Tektonics Design Group, an industrial design and manufacturing firm with decades of experience building complex products. This relationship allows us to design, prototype, machine, finish, assemble, and test our work in-house — maintaining close control over quality and long-term performance.
Our team of designers, engineers, and machinists works collaboratively, sharing responsibility for everything that leaves our shop.
Pictured: Christopher Hildebrand, founder of Tektonics Design Group and Fern & Roby
What we make
We design and manufacture our own select audio components in our 20,000-sq-ft Richmond workshop, while also serving as an authorized dealer for a carefully curated group of hi-fi brands whose work we enjoy, trust, and own and use ourselves.
Fern & Roby products include:
Reference-grade turntables
Full-range loudspeakers
Integrated amplifiers
Precision audio furniture & accessories
We choose materials for their acoustic properties, aesthetic appeal and long-term stability. We prioritize sustainability whenever possible—our products are made of metal, wood and composite materials made from recycled paper and wood. We source local and domestic materials and vendors whenever possible to reduce our carbon footprint, and bring our expertise in metalwork, precision machining and system design into every product.
Pictured: Fern & Roby Raven III speakers in solid American walnut
Listening room & system consulting with brands we trust
Our listening room sits adjacent to our factory floor and design offices. It’s where our roles as manufacturer, authorized dealer, and system consultant come together.
This is not a traditional showroom or retail experience. Available by appointment, it’s a place to sit, listen and understand how components interact as part of a complete system, without pressure. We designed what we wanted for ourselves—an opportunity to arrive at one’s own conclusions, without expectations.
In addition to our own line of products, Fern & Roby is a trusted dealer for a number of highly-regarded audio brands. We pair select curated products with our own designs to create systems that perform cohesively—because every room and every listener is different, and sound quality matters more than labels.
Fern & Roby represents Black Cat Cable, DeVore Fidelity, Grimm Audio, Komuro Amplifier Company, Linear Tube Audio, ModWright, Network Acoustics, Technics and Weiss Engineering. We are proud to feature Schröder CB tonearms on our Montrose Turntables. We deeply value our personal relationships with many of the founders behind each of these unique companies.
Pictured: Our listening room. The brands we represent include Komuro Amplifier Co., Linear Tube Audio, Weiss Engineering, Network Acoustics and DeVore Fidelity.
Our philosophy
We approach audio as a system, not a collection of parts. Our work is guided by a few core beliefs:
Listening comes first. Specs matter, but decisions require real engagement.
Design + manufacturing belong together. In-house production leads to stronger outcomes through innovative iterations.
Systems matter more than individual parts. Audio is always in context.
Longevity means something. We design for decades, not trends.
People matter. Care for our team shows up in the work.
We help our clients navigate what can often be complex terrain — we support exploring multiple options to arrive at systems that feel coherent, personal, and ready to live with.
Pictured: A client’s mixed-component system featuring a F&R Montrose Turntable (with original F&R arm), Hana SL Cartridge, Black Cat Cables, and a Linear Tube Audio Z10 Integrated Amplifier.
You’re welcome to listen—wherever you are
Whether you've been into audio for a long time or are just starting your journey, we invite serious listeners to schedule a personalized listening session in our Richmond listening room—or start a conversation remotely. We’d love to learn how you’re currently listening (and to what), understand what your system goals are, and explore how we can help you make sense of the landscape.
Pictured: The Fern & Roby listening room in Richmond, Va.