THIEL Audio Aquired By Private Equity Firm

It seems that audio companies are being acquired at a rapid pace. Anthem, Paradigm, and Martin Logan are owned by Shoreview Industries. Definitive Technology and Polk Audio are owned by Directed Electronics. NAD and PSB are owned by the Lenbrook Group. Audiovox owns the Klipsch Group (Klipsch, Jamo, Mirage, Energy, and Athena). And now THIEL is being acquired by a private equity firm based in Nashville, TN. Lookout Emotiva, you may be next!

In all honesty, sometimes an acquisition works out and both organizations benefit. Other times, the acquirer comes in and destroys what made the acquired company what made is successful. Just look at what Audiovox has done to most of the Klipsch brands. THIEL and this anonymous equity firm obviously understand the stigma surrounding acquisitions in the A/V industry, hence the subheading on the press release reads, "Legendary brand to receive major boost in engineering resources as new products ship to dealers worldwide". We are glad to see them putting an emphasis on engineering, we just hope the engineers aren't told to cut quality in order to increase margins. 

The R&D department will continue to operate at full capacity and THIEL’s entire factory staff will remain in place. The firm will, however, push to expand THIEL’s number and breadth of products. Specifically, they will expand the THIEL’s distributed audio and architectural solutions. They are also seeking to improve the product development process and marketing strategies.

We hope that this is a positive venture for both THIEL and its employees. Although THIEL is a well known high-end manufacturer and has been around for 30 years, they are note a huge faceless organization. Like most A/V companies, the core team of engineers, designers, sales, and administrative staff is pretty small. Hopefully the private firm can act more like a sugar daddy than an overbearing parent. We will be watching closely to see how this acquisition affects THIEL. So far, it seems promising.

For more information, visit Thiel Audio