In a move set to shake up the high-fidelity audio landscape, Victrola — America’s longest-running record player brand — has announced the acquisition of KLH Audio, the legendary loudspeaker manufacturer founded in 1957 by Henry Kloss and fellow audio pioneers Malcolm S. Low and Josef Anton Hofmann.

The acquisition brings together two brands with deep roots in American audio culture. KLH’s storied reputation for speaker innovation is combined with Victrola’s growing portfolio of music playback systems designed for the modern listener. The result is a union that blends old-school credibility with forward-looking ambition. Victrola CEO Scott Hagen told StereoNET:

KLH has maintained a legacy of being one of the most influential names in audio. For nearly 100 years, both KLH and Victrola have delivered innovation through beautifully and thoughtfully designed products. Bringing these two brands and teams together merges uncompromising performance with rapid innovation and design.

The announcement arrives at a time of considerable flux within the audio industry. While some traditional hi-fi brands face ownership changes and uncertain futures, Victrola’s acquisition of KLH signals a confident investment in quality, stability, and consumer-focused innovation.

KLH, known for its commitment to acoustic excellence and boundary-pushing engineering, will retain its identity under the Victrola umbrella. David Kelley, previously CEO of KLH and a former Global Sales President at Klipsch, has been appointed Brand President of KLH, overseeing the brand’s next phase of growth and development. Emphasising the significance of the move, Kelley said: 

With the additional resources and support from Victrola, we are poised to elevate our research and development efforts, expand our global market presence, and continue creating groundbreaking audio solutions for our dealers and distributors around the world.

The acquisition positions Victrola to expand its reach beyond turntables and lifestyle audio into the premium loudspeaker category while KLH gains access to broader distribution and accelerated R&D capabilities. Both brands will maintain distinct product lines and identities while sharing resources to innovate across formats, categories, and markets. 

In this writer's humble opinion, perhaps this move is a reminder that great audio isn't just about the past—it's about the next wave of listeners and the gear that can grow with them. By uniting KLH's engineering pedigree with Victrola's broader market reach, this partnership has the potential to bring high-performance sound to a wider audience without losing sight of what made these brands iconic in the first place. More details are expected to emerge in the coming months, with both brands hinting at new product development and global growth initiatives already underway.

For more information visit Victrola