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B&W Offers New Products & Old Friends as Sign of Strategy Change

June 24, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

B&W 702 Signature Series speakers — *702 Signature [Click to enlarge]*

Intros 700 Series Signature Models & Rehires Past PR Agency

Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), a leading high-end specialty loudspeaker brand for 54 years, that recently zigged and zagged when it was acquired by EVA Automation and launched a whole new line of wireless multi-room audio systems, has taken steps to demonstrate its re-focus on their high-end, high-performance roots. These moves include re-hiring the company’s long time PR company and now launching new products that are true to its heritage as an undisputed leading premium brand.

Learn more about B&W’s latest moves…

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In Global Supercomputer War – Land of the Rising Sun Rises to Eclipse American Technology

June 23, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

Supercomputer - Japan's new Fugaku supercomputer is the fastest in the world

On Monday morning, during my usual morning health walk, I listened to a podcast where the host proclaimed – quite proudly – that nobody is better at technology than the U.S. Just a couple of hours later, the Nikkei reported that Japan had bested both the U.S. and China with an all new and mightily powerful supercomputer. Step aside America!

Japan’s new supercomputer is 3 times faster than America’s IBM powerhouse…

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Bryston Launches Innovative ‘Trade-Up’ Program on Famous 4B Amplifier

June 22, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

Here’s a dilemma…imagine you make a product that is so good that it may be your peak achievement. It’s built solidly with great technology, sounds great, and works today…and for many years of tomorrows-to-come. Your engineers forgot to build in “planned obsolescence” where the product will “automatically” require upgrading a few years down the road. In fact, it’s built so well, you put an industry-leading 20-year warranty on it!

How do you get owners – who are, for the most part, blissfully enjoying this product for years and years – to upgrade to the latest version with even newer and better technology? It is a conundrum that Bryston faced…and has now solved…by offering an easy upgrade program for owners of their famous 4B amplifiers.

Learn all about Bryston’s 4B trade-in upgrade program…

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KKR Exits Sonos Investment, Divests Its Last 14M Shares for $180M

June 22, 2020 by Ted 2 Comments

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, KKR Stream Holdings LLC reported that it sold nearly 14 million shares of Sonos, Inc. stock (SONO:NASDAQ). The sale took place on Wednesday (June 17, 2020) and, according to their disclosure filed with the SEC, this sale takes them completely out of Sonos ownership, with zero shares remaining in its portfolio.

Learn more about KKR selling their Sonos stock…

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Housing Starts Struggle to Regain Their Footing in May

June 18, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

new home under construction, a housing start

Last month, Strata-gee reported on a shocking 30+% drop in residential housing construction, with starts dropping an eye-popping 30.2% in April. That was ultimately revised to a decline of “only” 26.4%…still a massive one month decline. Now in May, we see starts attempting to rebound from those unprecedented drops.

See more on May’s housing starts data…

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Facing COVID-19 Fears: Eight Out of Ten Americans Fear a Second Wave

June 18, 2020 by Ted 2 Comments

A new survey from Ipsos/Axios had lots of interesting details about how Americans are feeling at this unique juncture in time, as states begin to reopen their economy, with a commensurate rise in cases of coronavirus. As many readers may know, this is an area…consumer sentiment…that I try to keep tabs on, as 70% of the U.S. economy is based on consumer sentiment.

And one piece of this research jumped off the page and grabbed me by my throat – 8 out of every 10 Americans worry about a second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

See how consumers feel about COVID-19 now

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In Unusual Saturday Statement, B&W Says, In Effect, We’ll Speak for Ourselves, Thank You

June 13, 2020 by Ted 6 Comments

Just ‘Early Stage Talks’ to ‘Explore Opportunities;’ No Mention of Agreement

Late in the day yesterday (Friday), Strata-gee told you about an announcement from top multi-brand audio provider Sound United, saying they had reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), a leading high-performance, high end audio loudspeaker brand. It was big news that represented another step in a long saga of B&W looking for a new home, after a previous deal with EVA Automation and its CEO Gideon Yu fell completely apart.

Now as I write this today, B&W has released a rare Saturday morning press statement that gives the same news – but from the B&W side of the deal…a statement that seems shaded differently than the Sound United characterization.

Bowers & Wilkins in Preliminary Agreement to Be Acquired By Sound United

June 12, 2020 by Ted 4 Comments

In yet another twist in the long and winding saga of Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), it was announced late Friday that the company has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Sound United, the parent company of several audio brands such as Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, HEOS, Classé, and Boston Acoustics.

See more on Sound United acquiring Bowers & Wilkins…

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PS Audio, Direct Marketer of Electronics, Launches a Record Company

June 11, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

Boulder, CO-based PS Audio, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketer of higher end audio electronics products, announced this week that they are launching a record company called Octave Records. The company says Octave “is dedicated to preseving the art of high-fidelity recordings and compensating musicians fairly.”

Learn more about PS Audio & Octave Records…

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Industry Brands Take a Public Stance on Systemic Racism & Injustice

June 4, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

YouTube social media post on social injustice and racism

It seemed as if 2020 was destined to represent a year of hardship, illness, and death in the wake of a still simmering COVID-19 pandemic – not to mention its impact on the economy. Then, a white police officer in Minnesota was filmed with his knee on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died. That officer, along with three others present, was charged with murder. And a fuse was lit that erupted into street protests which were largely peaceful with some acts of violence in cities around the country.

This scenario – white police officer killing an unarmed black man – is an all-too familiar one here in the United States…but this time, people took to the streets both here and around the world. And a growing list of powerful brands, including a few in our industry, are stepping forward to take a stance on the issue.

See which brands are taking on racism…

[Read more…]

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B&W Offers New Products & Old Friends as Sign of Strategy Change