Strategy in TECH...
In a tersely worded release, Sound United announced today that its deal to acquire the Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer, and Pioneer Elite brands is off. Originally announced in May, the deal was said to be conditional on the completion of due diligence, the signing of “definitive agreements” and other specific elements. Apparently, that process was not successful.
OSD Audio, a specialty supplier of a wide assortment of audio solutions, continues to expand their offerings with new subwoofers, amplifiers, and streaming devices shown at last month’s 2019 CEDIA Expo. The company also featured a dramatic 7.3.4 Dolby Atmos theater system which not only showcased their new Trevoce12 subwoofers (three of them, no less) but also their monster Theatro X11 amplifier with 11-channels of 380 wpc. To say it just about knocked my socks off would be an understatement.
At the the CEDIA Expo earlier this month, Lenbrook had a substantial launch of multiple new models from their collection of brands. Firmly positioned in the mid- to high-end technology market, the new products from Bluesound, Dali, NAD, and PSB continued to forge a path into the new digital audiophile market with high-quality streaming models and high-end in-wall and on-wall speaker and subwoofer solutions.
And in the case of one model, it was an award-winning presentation…
Don’t let those smiling faces fool you…these guys are deadly serious about taking more than their fair share of the audio market. And the vehicle they’re using to drive that growth is Beale Street Audio, a brand that Vanco acquired about two years ago. From what they told me – and showed me – at this year’s 2019 CEDIA Expo in Denver, they are well on their way.
A funny thing happened this year at the 2019 CEDIA Expo…everyone I ran into kept asking me the same thing – what is the big story from the show? What’s funny is that I asked them the same question. Even when I ran into other members of the media…we often queried each other. Most kind of shrugged and would mention an item or two, but nothing that represented a major theme of the event.
However, there is an answer I came up with, but I’m not sure its the best answer…
Onkyo USA announced this week that it will become a retailer of Sonos wireless music systems – selling the company’s wireless music systems on Onkyo USA’s website. The company also says it will distribute the brand nationally as well.
The 2019 CEDIA Expo is in full swing and one of the busiest booths on the floor is Savant’s. The company has a large roster of new products, but perhaps most impressive were a couple of user experience upgrades that look as though they will delight clients everywhere.
SnapAV announced today that it will begin distributing Sonos wireless music systems beginning next month in October. The company says it will offer the entire line – including the Sonos Port, Sonos Move, and Sonos One SL – as part of its extensive assortment of gear targeted to the professional custom integrator.
A new AV-over-IP solution popular in the pro channel is launching at CEDIA Expo – Dante by Audinate. According to the company’s announcement, Dante “dominates the world of professional audio.” The company also claims that it is rapidly being adopted by several manufacturers of residential gear as well. A fact which brings them to CEDIA.
The assimilation of the custom integration industry by the once-reviled, now embraced soundbar is almost complete. And on the advent of another CEDIA Expo, yet another round of announcements of new soundbar products came rolling out. While this fact is now an accepted reality, what is remarkable is that some of these new soundbars are from companies that no reasonable person would have predicted would enter the category just a few short years ago.
