Sound United announced yesterday it had completed the acquisition of shuttered high-end brand Classé Audio from former owner Bowers & Wilkins. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The announcement confirms the deal of which Strata-gee reported last month when Sound United quietly entered negotiations to buy the brand.
Manufacturers
Surprise! Sound United Makes Bid to Acquire Classé
BREAKING NEWS
Will High-End Classé Represent Sound United’s Crown Jewel?
Just when you thought it was all over, Strata-gee has learned that a new suitor – Vista, CA-based Sound United – has emerged to make a bid to acquire Classé Audio from current owner B&W Group. Classé was shut down by B&W on October 6th, as we reported at the time. However, because the company was still sitting on a relatively significant level of inventory – and was considering producing an additional small run of certain models to balance out their inventory to facilitate liquidation – B&W executives often maintained it was still in business.
When deals with three previously interested parties failed to come to fruition, B&W made the decision to close Classé’s Montreal headquarters, dismiss all Classé staff, and turned over service and support functions to B&W facilities.
See more on this surprising development for Classé… [Read more…] about Surprise! Sound United Makes Bid to Acquire Classé
Portal Adds Origin Acoustics; Gains Exclusive on Valet Amp
Portal announced today that it has secured a deal with Origin Acoustics which will allow dealers to select and purchase Origin products through its unique, brand-agnostic, proposal and purchasing web portal for integrators. The deal includes not only Origin products, but iRoom brand models as well. And Portal says it will be offering “exclusive access to the award winning Valet Amplifier system.”
See more on this new line being offered through Portal… [Read more…] about Portal Adds Origin Acoustics; Gains Exclusive on Valet Amp
Samsung’s Graphene Ball Battery Breakthrough
Fully Recharge Batteries in Just 12 Minutes
Korean media is touting a major breakthrough in battery technology from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) called graphene ball. Said to dramatically improve both charging capacity and charging speed, the breakthrough could have a real impact on consumers who have come to rely on their battery driven mobile devices. And there are implications as well for electric automobiles and other applications.
See more on the Samsung graphene ball… [Read more…] about Samsung’s Graphene Ball Battery Breakthrough
Gibson Stuns the Music World, Shuts Down Cakewalk
Acquired in 2013, Cakewalk was Killed for Philips, Gibson Says
In what many in the industry are suggesting is yet another indicator of struggles at Gibson Brands, the company announced a little over a week ago that it would wind down operations at Cakewalk Inc., a popular music creation software company it owns. Music industry-centric websites around the internet exploded with largely critical coverage of the move, and comments on Cakewalk’s website are decidedly negative – both sad and angry – as customers seek to process the shocking news.
See more on yet another move by struggling Gibson…
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Toshiba: Beginning to Slip From View
Company Pulls Monster LED Display from Times Square
Struggling Toshiba Corp. has made what is undoubtedly a difficult decision and a big blow to their corporate ego – they will abandon their giant LED display overseeing Times Square. The huge lighted billboard was a prominent showing of the Toshiba logo all year-round, but especially during the dropping of the ball on New Years Eve, when it served as the countdown shown on network TVs as cameras broadcast the ball drop around the world. The Toshiba logo has literally lit up Times Square for ten years, having been first erected there in December 2007.
See more on Toshiba’s decision to vacate Times Square… [Read more…] about Toshiba: Beginning to Slip From View
Klipsch Gets It On…On-Wall, That Is
Klipsch announced today it has launched an entirely new line of on-wall speakers, designed to augment on-wall flat panel TV installations with richer, more dynamic audio. This new series of products, called the Reference Premiere Designer On-Wall speakers take up minimal space, while delivering maximum sound.
See more on Klipsch Reference Premiere Designer On-Wall speakers… [Read more…] about Klipsch Gets It On…On-Wall, That Is
Quirky Shinola Launches New Headphone Line, Made in Detroit
Quirky Shinola, the scrappy Detroit, MI-based manufacturer of an eclectic collection of disconnected product lines, including watches, bicycles, leather goods, jewelry and, now, audio, has introduced a line of headphones, including over-ear, on-ear, and in-ear models. The company, which is owned by Bedrock Manufacturing Company, LLC, is as much an experiment in bringing manufacturing back to bankrupt Detroit, as it is a power brand.
See more on this new headphone line from Shinola… [Read more…] about Quirky Shinola Launches New Headphone Line, Made in Detroit
Gibson Brands: Putting Its Assets On the Line
Sells Warehouse & Property for $6 Million
Gibson Brands, Inc. has reached an agreement to sell its property on a half-acre in the North Gulch area of Nashville, TN to a private equity group for $6.38 million, according to a report by the Tennessean. The property includes an unused Gibson warehouse. The purchase was by Somera Road Inc., who worked in partnership with Tricera Capital, a Miami, FL private equity company.
See more on this Gibson Brands deal, which may not be done yet…
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Elan Reveals Opening of First Training Center in Dallas
Elan revealed Wednesday that it has opened a training facility in Dallas, TX as of January of this year. The company says the facility is operating at 95% capacity and has already trained more than 200 dealers from around the United States.
