Harman gets bigger ...

Frugal-phile™/Moderator
Joined 2001
Paid Member
… ucking up Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Polk Audio, Marantz, Definitive Technology, Classé, and Boston Acoustics

https://stereonet.com/news/breaking-masimo-finds-buyer-for-consumer-audio-business
https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/harm...s-as-masimo-sells-its-consumer-audio-business


Samsung-owned Harman porfolio includes audio brands JBL, Harman/Kardon, AKG, Infinity, Mark Levinson, Arcam, Austere, Crown, DBC, Lexicon, Martin, Revel, and Soundcraft. If the new deal goes ahead, Harman will add Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Polk, Definitive Technology, Classe, HEOS, and Boston Acoustics, making it the largest audio company in the world

dave
 
Many, if not most, of these companies were started years ago by people who were audio experts and for them this was as much about creating quality audio as it was about making money. But over time I suspect that few of the founders are still there, and many of the companies are now in the hands of financial people instead of audio enthusiasts. So, their mindset has nothing to do with delivering quality audio. Now it's all about delivering maximum return to the stockholders instead.
 
Most of those brands were not doing well, Denon and Marantz come to mind.
TV sound bars and headphones / buds seem to be the future, also car audio.
Home audio, particularly high end stuff is declining at this time.

I do not see any IP gains there, none of the technology seems to be patent protected.
Bit difficult to understand, maybe a tax break or a tariff avoidance measure?
Here in India, the big brands have exited the low end TV market, only high resolution 43" and above are made by Samsung, LG, Sony etc.
So what is Samsung going to do in a declining and increasingly generic market?
What happens to the sales and service networks of all those different brands?

No ties, except my phone is a Samsung....which was paid for, not free.
 
I do not see as a negative. If Harman/Samsung does not buy them, they are probably go under as Masimo does not want to keep a bleeding asset anymore. Apart from tax reason, I see only B&W has somewhat value to Harman/Samsung since they have a worldwide "high end" name in audio circle, and can be used as a selling point for the car automotive. The rest is either not "well-known", prestige enough worldwide or operating in a decline market (Denon, Marantz)
 
Though I am, and have been for years, a Mac user I use an Android phone and tablet. I have had a Samsung tablet and was appalled at how infrequently they would do any kind of a system, or security, update. That lack was amplified by Google's frequent updates to my current Pixel tablet and phone. It seems support is not high on Samsung's agenda. They are a company I have no wish to support.