ESCONDIDO, CA —Audio engineer / design engineer / Michael “Mike” Adams passed away peacefully on April 11, 2023.
Born on July 17, 1952 in Malone, NY, Adams was interested in music and sound equipment from an early age, but he was born to rock — and eventually he rocked the entire pro audio world. In 1973, Mike joined Silverfish Audio with founders Ross Ritto and Joel Silverman. Silverfish Audio was later re-named and became Sound Image.
An industry veteran of over 50 years, including nearly four decades as an in-demand FOH / monitor engineer with top acts such as Jimmy Buffett, Jackson Browne and Emmylou Harris, as well as being a skilled system designer for Sound Image, one of America’s top touring and installation sound companies.
During his long career, Adams designed products, and consulted for JBL, QSC, Yamaha, VUE Audiotechnik and others. As the head designer at Audio Composite Engineering (ACE), a division of Sound Image that he founded, Adams was awarded several patents pertaining to composite loudspeakers and horn technologies. For more than four decades he was the head loudspeaker designer at Sound Image and finished out his career in 2018, when he retired and relocated to Prescott, AZ.
Michael Adams was a visionary that helped to shape Sound Image as well as the entire industry throughout his career, and he will be sorely missed by his family, many friends and colleagues. Rest well, old friend. You will not be forgotten.
He is survived by his loving wife Roxana and daughter Kelsey and her husband Jay. No word on a memorial service had been announced at press time.
