Bose acquires premium audio brand McIntosh

Both entities say they will continue as before.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/19/24300618/bose-mcintosh-group-audio-acquisition

From the article:

“It doesn’t look like Bose or McIntosh will make any changes to their existing products. Bose says it will continue to launch its headphones, speakers, soundbars, and in-car audio, while McIntosh and Sonus faber will keep developing premium audio products, including amplifiers, loudspeakers, and turntables.

The consumer audio industry has become more and more consolidated over the years, with Masimo picking up several well-known brands like Polk, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, and more when it bought Sound United in 2022. Meanwhile, Samsung acquired JBL and Harman Kardon's parent company, Harman, in 2016, and Sony bought the headphone maker Audeze last year. Voxx International also owns a bunch of audio brands, including Klispch, Pioneer, and Onkyo.”

 

Anyone got a handy family-tree style chart to keep track of who owns who?

 

Bose sound quality with a McIntosh price, kek.

 

That's just part of the mergers and acquisitions script!

What, no fake Vu meters on Bose headphones?

 

Reminds me:

 

I interviewed for a fairly senior position at Bose a couple of years ago. They didn’t seem to have a clear strategy, and a few months later they had some significant layoffs. Now they’re buying other companies?

I’m also wondering how much the appearance of McIntosh-branded audio systems in the automotive space played into this decision. Their consumer products might not merge, but you can bet their automotive engineering teams will.

 

Not a huge fan of either of those companies, but really do not like the conglomerations. Very seldom do these mergers bring forth positive results outside of shareholder concerns.

 

Same here.

 

It’s been about 6 months now and although true, I still can’t believe it!

 

Wonder if Bose will add their nose cancellation to a Mac amp?! I can't figure out anything else they could bring to the table...

 

The commentary I've seen suggest that it is for automotive audio. Bose is well established with multiple car manufacturers but they wanted a brand name like McIntosh to expand into the super premium market. The Bose name isn't exclusive enough for a Rolls Royce.

 

i test drove a Jeep with McIntosh audio system and thought it was pretty bad. reminded me of Burmester audio in Mercedes. lots of bass but can't make anything out. that said the Bose systems i heard in cars were worse ... a LOT worse. Bang and Olufsen in Audis is bad too. Harman systems in BMW and Volvo seem the only ones that are both accurate and enjoyable.

i can't believe Porsches come with Bose speakers AS AN UPGRADE ! ! !

honestly if you're thinking of getting a Porsche you should consider BMW instead just for the Harman audio.

which is a real shame because Porsche overall makes the best cars but paying six figures for a car with Bose audio doesn't compute ...

 

Lexus has a Mark Levinson upgrade option... dunno who actually supplies the drivers though. I don't believe ML does speakers.

 

It's all a marketing gimmick. The original audiophile Mark Levinson Audio Systems went bankrupt and was dissolved over 40 years ago. Today Harman International owns the rights to the brand name "Mark Levinson".

 

This is so sad. i hadn't seen this thread, but seeing that list of acquisitions is just so sad. This pattern is never a good thing for consumers, it just destroys competition, which lowers the bar everywhere, and it destroys unique visions and unique takes on things and averages everything into a bunch of marketing based products rather than visionary products. Generally the visionary engineers and designers don’t work for big conglomerates. AKG made visionary products until Harman bought them, now Harman has been bought by someone even bigger. Sony made visionary products until they got too big to care (or a new Exec took control and was only interested in numbers)...and decided to just try to compete with Beats etc or something along those lines.

The thing that may counteract this is the rise of so many small headphone companies and people making DIY headphones because manufacturing has gotten so accessible with 3D printing, etc. It introduces a bunch of new companies into the game to compete and keep competition and diversity of thought in the market. And gives those of us passsionate enough to know about these little companies alternatives. But it's a big jump from making headphones with drivers made by other companies to making your own drivers in house.

 

There has been a number of premium headphone brands making ANC close to or around the $1k price point, Focal/Bowers and Wilkins/Mark Levinson and then there is T+A making $1600 ANC headphones. Bose probably thinks it makes more sense if they were going to make an "expensive" ANC headphone to slap the McIntosh name on it and then put in their own ANC tech inside.

Harmon Kardon already dominated the car audio market when it came to auto makers offering premium audio options. McIntosh has their speakers in the totl Wagoneer series for Jeep but its not a car or brand flying off the lot lately. Bose can use the McIntosh name in car audio "premium audio" option that can become the extra expensive upgrade option.

There has been so much consolidation in the space, plenty of McIntosh gear is already not made in America. Denon/Marantz and more were just sold to Harman last week. The big audio brands of yesteryear that had big audiences with baby boomers have been struggling to stay relevant with younger audiences. Feels like the next few years we will hear more and more of all these legacy brands either going away or get swallowed up.

 

Bose is not going to kill the golden goose that is McIntosh. They might put their amps 'n autoformers in cars and their small line array PA systems (which Bose makes for the pro audio market) but they're not going to mess with the really valuable part which is the consumer hi-fi market - McIntosh gear practically sells itself, in volume. Same with Sonus Faber, though they're not as iconic or popular in the USA, they have an identity of really good looking (and sounding) speakers.

It would make sense to combine McIntosh amplification with Sonus Faber speakers, as active lifestyle speakers (super popular these days) and/or as a synergistic match. This gives them a really good opening back into the consumer hi-fi market. Just please, no active Bose 901 powered by McIntosh.

Remember, before Bose bought them McIntosh put out a lighted logo box that did nothing but cost (checks interwebs - holy shit!) $1,500... how much worse could Bose be, really?

 

Oooooooooph

 

I'm gonna repeat myself here, but does anyone have a chart of who owns who?

 

Dance hall style cards of who is dancing with whom?