SOUND UNITED ACQUIRES CLASSE AUDIO
Sound United, the parent company of Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, HEOS, and Boston Acoustics has announced today they have acquired Canada's Classé Audio.
Founded in 1980 and based outside Montreal, the brand previously owned by Bowers & Wilkins announced the closure of the company in July 2017 shortly following the acquisition of B&W Group by Silicon Valley's EVA Automation.
Sound United who has already proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with, completed the acquisition after reportedly outbidding other interested parties.
Kevin Duffy, CEO of Sound United said:
Acquiring Classé Audio demonstrates Sound United’s continued focus on catering to our customers, who crave performance and innovation,
This acquisition opens opportunities to capitalize on new markets and niches within the high-end audio community, continuing Sound United’s evolution as a premium player. We look forward to partnering with the talented management team of Classé Audio to grow the combined business and bring our expanded capabilities to our employees and customers.
It is also reported that Classé Audio’s president, Dave Nauber, will continue to lead the Classé Audio brand at Sound United.
Nauber added:
We’re overwhelmingly pleased Classé Audio is joining Sound United’s respected family of brands. With a strong resurgence of the audiophile community, and Sound United’s existing synergy with the recently purchased D+M Group, we’re confident our overall market positioning as a premium option will only strengthen. Ultimately, this is an excellent opportunity for Classé employees, customers and strategic partners to bring our energy and ideas to the forefront.
Good news for Classé Audio fans.
It is not yet understood which Australian distributor will represent the brand in Australia. Currently, Denon, Marantz, HEOS are distributed by QualiFi, while Polk Audio is distributed between importers Directed Electronics (Car products) and Interdyn (Home products). Advance Audio continues to distribute Definitive Technology.
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
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