Bose buys McIntosh and Sonus Faber | How do we really feel?

[@36karpatoruski]

All future McIntosh amps will feature 8 rear firing VU meters and one in the front. Attached Bose speakers will have drivers that you can spin left or right in their baffle holes to adjust volume and EQ, but the actual sound will come out of the amp VU meters, not the speakers. Sonus Faber will be renamed Rebaf Sunos and will manufacture clock radios.

[@TheThatoneguy12121]

LOL I just spat out my drink reading this. Hilarious comment!

[@craigcoughlin1834]

Bose has market penetration. They didn't buy for the tech. They bought for the brand recognition. They will whore out the Mac name across all sorts of consumer electronics - bluetooth speakers, earbuds, auto makers, you name it.

[@Mltemple8333]

Exactly the opposite as on a company like Bose would buy a premium company. They don’t need a competing product in their market space, they want a share of the premium market by leveraging their R&D, advertisement and finances to produce more of a premium product. Possibly getting those brands into high end cars (already in Ferrari) like Land Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes as an ultra high end option on flagship cars. Other than that they need to brand to be limited in scale to keep it as a premium brand.

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

Bose has the money. Macintosh doesn't. It's just that simple. And it will be "made in China".

[@asdf072xxp]

They already make audio systems for cars. I can't remember which manufacturer, but I don't remember it being a very prestiges one.

[@boostedmaniac]

I’m out if I start seeing them at Costco.

[@boostedmaniac]

@@asdf072xxpwas it Jeep? The Grand Cherokee or Wagoneer?

[@yippie6862]

There is about a 0.1% chance that Bose doesn't mess up McIntosh and Sonus Faber. I worked for Bose once and they are a terrible company. They only care about mass market sales. Quick sales, making things cheaply and selling them at high prices. Spending a huge percent of their budget on advertisement and making people believe Bose is great. High End brands have no place and do not fit into the Bose ethos.

[@David_vdk]

apple dos the same , my opinion

[@Michel-r6m]

The sold what does not work for high end...stereo everywhere in the room 😂

[@hochhaul]

But what good would it do to buy two high end brands if their plan is to destroy them?

[@yippie6862]

@@hochhaul Bose won't knowingly do that on purpose. Bose is its own worst enemy and doesn't know how or when to get out of its own way when needed. Bose works best in a Bose exclusive world. I don't believe they truly understand the High-End audio market.

[@18yearsoldnot]

In my opinion, if Bose can give the mainstream a little taste of Hifi, there will be more money for Hifi

[@blugato22]

14:03 -the reason that the top people at McIntosh and SF have not made a reassurance statement is probably that they really don't know what is going to happen yet. I saw a similar situation in a different industry and a couple years later the staff were still shrugging their shoulders when I asked if anything had changed internally and it was still pretty much business as usual. I hope that's the case here.

[@TransTracSystems]

Ever since I was a Regional Sales Trainer for Best Buy Co. in the late ‘80’s, I’ve said Bose has some of the best marketing techniques of any company! They took a main weakness of their “flagship” product, the 901, and turned it into a sales pitch! Any 3” speaker is inherently directional at high frequencies, so , to compensate, they pointed them all over, and made that their entire sales pitch! Brilliant! I, personally, would never buy their junk, but I do admire their sales skill. Maybe McIntosh will gain some marketing expertise, and Bose will gain some sonic integrity? One can only hope it turns into a symbiotic relationship!

[@rancosteel]

Remember when Harman International bought many audio companies like DBX, Digitech and JBL. The first thing they did was move most of JBL’s manufacturing to Mexico and started cheapening the products reputation. Then Harman was acquired by Samsung. The same thing will happen to McIntosh. Acquisitions never go well.

[@36karpatoruski]

Don’t forget Harmon also totally destroyed Infinity.

[@rogerdsmith]

45+ years ago there were people around that would tell you that Dr. Bose, when he went home every night, would look around to make sure that no one could hear him, and he would scream out, I fooled the world again!

[@VJA74]

On a positive note, hope to listen to Mac and Sonus demo units at Bose- stores now! :)

[@boostedmaniac]

😂 do they even have mall stores anymore? I haven’t seen any home audio products from Bose in a while.

[@ericwirtz6362]

I worked at a bar and we had Bose 901 powered by McIntosh. Drove them hard every night.

[@chebrubin]

Fantastic

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

Let me guess, no highs, no lows.... right?

[@rayRay-pw6gz]

I was surprised when the 901’s first came out , all those small speakers. Then I heard a drum section being played at high volume levels. The clarity was shocking . I have Klipsch forte floor speakers. Still going strong from 1989.

[@ericwirtz6362]

@@PhotographyInFlight4183 Drinks were strong, no one seemed to care.

[@j.6756]

​@@PhotographyInFlight4183 my 1989... 901' III's would make the room quake when playing Telarc's 1812.... you felt the rumble... and windows shook... when the cannons sounded... that was through a 35w A&R Cambridge amp's torodial transformer... Jazz at the Pawnshop... sounded like you where right there.... in the club... with all the clinks and clatter of glasses and cutlery... just like if you were sitting there... so don't knock the 901 speakers... you have to have the room... to really appreciate them... they can't work their charm in tiny rooms... I gave away my B&W speakers.. and after the cones went... I bought a second pair of 901's V ... used... which are better sounding than the III's... because I don't sit in one spot when listening to music... I have things to do... so... in our daytime living space... the 901's can throw sound out to 60 feet, in a full 120 degree arc... which allows those low... low.... frequencies to develope... so you can live your life... and still appreciate the music... whilst still moving around... anywhere within that space... It's just nonsense... that they don't have the highs and lows... For a "listening in a living enviroment"... and not chained to an... ahem... electric chair... in over 44 years.... I have yet to find a better set of speakers...

[@garfieldsmith332]

I just wonder if the "bean counters" will get involved and the build quality of McIntosh and Sonus Faber will drop.

[@slip6699]

The long term support will be the first to go. All of those parts sitting on shelves are not making them money. Nor is long term support. They want you to buy new not maintain existing.

[@garfieldsmith332]

@@slip6699 First step towards disposable products.

[@jasonwebb6484]

The quality will drop more than when a private equity firm owned it?

[@bernardchesneau3091]

Just look at how Stellantis ruined cars

[@jessevena4535]

Oh yeah.. Sonus Faber: Now Featuring Plywood speakers with veneer!" ... and those spring clip speaker terminals. So sad...

[@AJ-zl8bz]

It's clearly a wait and see.

[@cudfoo1cudfoo247]

Just found this. McIntosh hasn't been privately held in over 30 years... 1990: Clarion purchased McIntosh for $28.6 million. 2003: Clarion sold McIntosh to D&M Holdings, another Japanese company. 2012: Fine Sounds SpA of Milan, Italy, purchased McIntosh. 2014: The CEO of Fine Sounds Group and the President of McIntosh Labs led a management buyout of Fine Sounds Group. 2022: Highlander Partners, a private equity firm from Dallas, Texas, acquired McIntosh Group. 2024: Bose Corporation announced the acquisition of McIntosh Group

[@etmccaus]

Biiiiiiiingo. Amazing how this keeps getting ignored in favor of ZOMG BOSE takes.

[@jasonwebb6484]

Exactly. Headlines should read: “Bose buys McIntosh from Highlander Partners Private Equity Firm” Doesn’t seem like such a big deal then…

[@jean-michel2489]

@@jasonwebb6484… or may be they have reach the maximum of cash McIntosh could juice…

[@hi-fihaven2257]

Really enjoyed the video guys!😎

[@kevinperry368]

RIP Mac. They'll make them with cheaper parts and raise the prices. The Carlos Tavares business model.

[@berndkruger5030]

We can now perfectly speculate about what will happen next for McIntosh and Sonus Faber. But what else can be done but to wait. It doesn't necessarily have to be bad.

[@HeatDeap]

What Bose can bring is global marketing, outside of Audiophiles the general public have no clue about Mcintosh

[@StereoAnthony]

Bose bought McIntosh? How did I miss this? My instant thought was a memory of when I first saw a Gibson guitar in a Best Buy. Brutal.

[@TheBTG88]

I’ve spent the last 30 years building brands and portfolios of brands globally, including brand acquisitions. How this integration plays out is highly dependent upon how the team internally views the brand equities. Poor management would be analogous to the General Motors brand management, whereby all cars were the same underneath, with just styling differences, resulting in a blandness that consumers did not reward. Proper brand management would seek to understand what the Points of Difference and Points of Parity for the individual brands and how can the brand be further enhanced so that consumers see real value and desirability - necessary for a premium/luxury brand. Time will tell. BTW, McIntosh is already in car audio with the Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

[@reneelhadad603]

Exactly and they started to produce cheap products. They will keep the so called high end which in fact is not. McIntosh survived only by its past reputation and large black and green face plate. Any real audiophile will tell you that and will not buy the big black box

[@arunashamal]

How TF people keep saying "poor management" by Bose when Bose has been really successful company for a long time with cutting edge R&D and Engineering, when McIntosh has been bought and resold more than a cheap lady of the night? There is only one company that has poor management and that is not Bose.

[@TheBTG88]

@ I did not write anything about Bose management being poor. How they manage a portfolio of brands and their ‘reasons to be’ remains to be seen.

[@bassntruck]

@@arunashamal Bose Mangement has entered the chat. ROFL

[@smal3535]

@@arunashamal Sure, not poor managemet, but definitely poor products, duh.

[@lurcharoni]

I think Bose will help in the sense that it might allow McIntosh produce a more mid-fi range of products for further market penetration. People like me, with no so deep pockets, would love to own one of their products but while can perhaps afford it, might not be able to justify their price points currently. This might be like the Cayenne allowing Porsche to keep innovating the 911. More money in is never bad. Give me an "entry level" integrated amp for like $1500. Also I think a large part of it is on the Automotive end where Bose has a big presence currently.

[@boostedmaniac]

$1500 might a bit low. Their budget line is MA252 and the like. But yes still expensive.

[@dwaynehendricks7842]

Mac and Sonus Faber wanted marketing expertise.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

Mick N Tosh ..

[@majicogarcia8417]

😂

[@johnsmith-bh2qb]

I believe Bose sees this as enhancing their automotive audio business. McIntosh already is in some Jeep vehicles, and Sonus Faber is available in high-end vehicles like Maserati and Lamborghini.

[@MikeK6046]

As they say, "There goes the neighborhood". Time will tell what will happen, but often when another company buys another similar company, they can't help themselves in wanting to make changes, which often alters that company's pedigree or quality.

[@heerodevries944]

Harman group also bought Mark Levinson long ago and the brand still exist…

[@billarmstrong5568]

And Samsung bought Harman.

[@richardmesser1091]

Sort of

[@dan-qe1tb]

That's a shame. Mark Levinson is an incredibly arrogant person. He thinks he people will pay way too much for Daniel Hertz amps and speakers just because he is Mark Levinson.

[@daleromney6062]

This is a wait and see situation. I have worked at a company that was purchased by another company (both fortune 500) and changes did come with the aquisition. And some of them were designed to save money but turned out to be a bad choice. For instance I would not be surprised to see Mc loose some of its in house build ability. It is cheaper to farm out your circuit board production. You may or may not have a quality hit.

[@craigaust3306]

I’m really surprised the guys did not bring this up as a possibility

[@Penner-x6l]

Good video! I think it's a bit disappointing to have heard that they didn't notify their dealers first, which I find kind of tacky. I think everybody touched on key points. One thing to key on is what they say in their upcoming press releases. Will we be able to tell that this was a move aimed at "identifying waste, unnecessary spending, redundancies, streamlining operations, etc," which could be code for cutting key personnel, cheapening Mc/SF materials and manufacturing, etc. Also, keep an eye out for key MC/SF departures. My guess is we'll get a good temperature check sooner rather than later.

[@timothylindsay3244]

As you allude to, Canary in the mine shaft will be staff changes in McIntosh/SF C-Suite. The s… will roll down hill quickly after that and soon Mac as we knew it will cease to exist as they suck the soul and cash from two exceptional brands. Just watch the latest Mad Max movie to get the idea. I’ve personally been through this in my professional career…generally once the first sale to a PE firm…death rattles begin. PS: I have Mc gear vintage 1954 (MC 30 monoblicks) to vintage 2022 (MC152, C49, MCT 500)…love the brand and I truly hope I am dead wrong about my prognostications. I think it is a very bad omen that dealers, et al did not get a heads-up. Very disrespectful and an omen of things to come.

[@leeloopatsy]

It was the same fears when Volkswagen bought Bentley and Lamborghini. Although they didn’t destructed these two legendary brands, on the contrary they reborn them. Let’s hope Bose will do the same with McIntosh and Sonus Faber.

[@thomasperina2990]

Hello Fellow Audiophiles And Friends: These days nothing surprises me. All Bose is considered with is HUGE PROFITS. From the bottom of my heart thank you for this Important Information. Now I will never consider any Mac equipment. Bose will suck the life's blood out of Mac & the lay offs are comming. God Bless all & stay safe. TMP from N.J.

[@briannao6151]

Will it go the way of Marantz or Krell where they eliminated the heart and soul of the company or would they let them operate independent

[@marcofacen9564]

I get Nightmares in which Sonus Faber starts carving speaker cabinets out of bose-plastic... horrible.

[@briancf3941]

LOL.....thats a nightmare ..

[@Kouros-t6d]

Bose 301 501 601 and 901 were better than SF

[@briancf3941]

@Kouros-t6d the price are, not the sound quality... Bose sound stage are very artificial..

[@marcofacen9564]

@Kouros-t6d opinions aren't to be messed with... I've never or heard seen a Bose speaker i would buy.

[@David_vdk]

i hope its recycled plastic 😁😁😁

[@lynnlittle8671]

Two places I would love to visit, McIntosh and Abbey Road studio…

[@randomsmarts3977]

Not every acquisition is a death sentence. It's up to Bose whether they want to let McIntosh be McIntosh and profit from that, or try to change it for short term profits and ruin McIntosh and losing Bose's investment. I with a large company who has done both things. Our latest acquisition we are leaving generally untouched, we are sharing engineers and manufacturing expertise. It's working really well fro both of us. The point that was brought up about Bose help McIntosh form an OEM car audio division is one great approach. It takes know how and connections to get anywhere in the auto industry.

[@rwoodford9812]

McIntosh has gone through several transfers of ownership over the past 40 years. I grew up down the road in Binghamton, NY, my mother worked there in the 1960s. I think McIntosh will be fine, maybe I hope they will be fine. This purchase will benefit Bose more than McIntosh, I’m hoping McIntosh will continue to be the amazing company they have been, for the past 75 years. BTW, Bose is privately owned.

[@Pksparty2112]

It’s about owning the name, licensing and patents. Bose will use it as a separate entity for car audio contracts and to add a higher level to the products Bose already makes.

[@carlbrown3634]

Cost of capital would be much greater to invest into a startup or starting your own division. Acquiring an existing brand such as Mac and Sonus Faber financially is smart.

[@Matt-w7o7d]

The optics are poor from the perspective of veteran audiophiles. I remember when the German TV brand LOEWE started to try sell theater systems made by bOse (the little "twist cube" speakers). The high-end store I worked at immediately dropped LOEWE, sad since their video product was so awesome. All 3 brands involved in the new venture will have to tread lightly/carefully.

[@mikeoo437]

Rest in peace McTsh…

[@clarencehoover6748]

Watch Bose fire engineers and other employees and “consolidate operations” and “offshore production.” Then morale plummets. Sickening possibility.

[@shanestephenson8423]

I guess only time will tell. I am surprised that management has not gotten ahead of this because fairly much all around the world it has been received negatively.

[@michaelhughes1504]

McIntosh is a highly recognizable audiophile brand ... to audiophiles. Outside of that, I doubt they have much name recognition. So McIntosh as a prestige brand has a lot to offer to the Bose image. Could mean much higher exposure for Macintosh than they otherwise would get. Let's just hope quality is maintained in the prestige lines.

[@KentTeffeteller]

My main concerns are support on their units, will McIntosh keep their build quality, and serviceability? And will Bose keep McIntosh on their present standards.

[@gilbs72]

"Better Sound Through Acquisition" 😁

[@gavinhadley7672]

..no, let’s do talk about the “sound of it”, the sonics if you will. I’m tired of the constant attacks from the audio “elites” who categorize McIntosh as mid-fi. I’ve A/B’d my MAC amps with several of the big boys and they always match or exceed regardless of price. I just hope that Bose has enough sense to not slap the McIntosh logo on all things Bose..

[@JKadison]

Bose corporation is not a private equity firm, which often results in them trying to get the most money from what they purchased and then dumping it I do not believe this is the case.

[@Andy-xb5qg]

Thanks God this PE firm didn't sell McIntosh and Sonus Faber to a Chinese company or so. Bose is an American company and is well established in the industry. They certainly understand the value of McIntosh / Sonus Faber and probably won't change anything. It's probably more a diversification as they are not in competition. I personally have an integrated McIntosh and a pair of Sonus Faber as a main sound system, but I have a Bose home theater system, Bose wireless speakers (mostly for background music) and a Bose headphone (mainly used at the gym).

[@lilah66]

As a 50 year audio tech I have to snicker every time I repair a McIntosh. If it weren't for their output transformers they would be just another amp. I own a Mc240 and a pair of Mc60 used on a pair of 1960's Khorns. They used cheap parts such as the tube sockets, capacitors and 10% resistors. I feel that McIntosh is Bose for dentists. The Khorns are used for optical soundtrack films. For music Apogee Divas or Infinity IRS Betas driven by early '90s Krell monoblocks. The exception with McIntosh for me are my MR78 and MR66. Those are about as good as it gets for tuners.

[@NathanStorer]

Given that Bose has stopped making larger speakers (201/301/901 for example) giving preference to smaller Bluetooth speakers and soundbars, with the exception of PA speakers as pointed out, I'm thinking this has been in motion for quite some time. Also, this leads me to believe that the three companies will have their own "lanes" and specialties where they're not going to compete with each other. Take the car audio segment, I don't think most people buying a vehicle are going to know exactly how high-end McIntosh is, but almost everyone knows the Bose name and reputation (for better or for worse). I would think that Bose would discontinue McIntosh car audio and switch solely to Bose. On the other hand, Bose knows that they're not competing at the very high end, so they'll leave that to McIntosh and Sonus Faber.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

The entire home entertainment industry exploded during and right after COVID, as people stayed home and a lot of people got free government money. Home entertainment businesses invested and expending because of that. Just in last year we are started to see a contraction in that industry, with more price discounting and more consolidation of companies.

[@mikemurel1917]

This is neither here nor there, but my late father in law was at Delco Electronics and worked very closely with Dr. Bose. He had high praise for him. Your comment about the bulk sales of units and systems cannot be overlooked in business. As a person who owned McIntosh back in 1975 and desires now to own it again, this merger doesn't bode well for me buying new. I woul stll buy used, but that too is almost out of reach.

[@etmccaus]

"I cannot see what Bose will bring to McIntosh." You mean apart from $$$? I hate to say "wait and see," but maybe we wait and see? I feel like similar "sky is falling" edicts were issued when Clarion bought Mac waaaay back in the day - and I also don't recall the sky falling at that point in time.

[@richardmesser1091]

The Wave Radio with Blue Meters

[@glenncornwall4331]

I’m gonna try be a little positive here about Bose buying Macintosh and Sonus Faber.OK here goes. Bose is a multi billion dollar company and makes very good mid fi tier products,really good headphones and earbuds as well etc They have the resources to put money into Macintosh to build, high end products, that’s my hope. Will have to wait and see.😳

[@e.l.norton]

They do not have the resources you think they have. And, if you knew the granular data on their defective rates with headsets and earbuds, you'd probably be shocked.

[@arunashamal]

@@e.l.norton lol

[@SantanKGhey1234]

Think about Bose outside of the Audiophile POV. Bose is a marketing company first and foremost. In other industries Bose is a technical leader, Aviation communications, Aerospace technology which has tricked down to the success of their headset’s. Bose knows that there has always been a gap in the audio world between the typical audio consumer and the Audiophile. By acquiring Mcintosh/SF they have the opportunity to tap into the IP of this company and spread it amongst Bose. At the same time their marketing arm will push Mcintosh towards more mainstream brand recognition….. In turn, I sadly anticipate Mcintosh will decline in price, quality and value just for Bose to gain greater marketshare with the brand as it tries to make it more attainable for the regular consumer…. mark my words, wait to see Mcintosh/SF brick an mortar stores in your closest shopping malls….. Its a sad sad time, but face it, our breed as Audiophiles is dying as the next generations have zero interest in the Audiophile relm…. The shift has begun, the Mcintosh name will live on…. Only the name

[@Mark-rw3kw]

What did people think about McIntosh back when Clarion (car stereo manufacturer) bought them back in 1990 and sold them in 2003?

[@okiehick3701]

Dealers at that time thought the sky was falling, and they would be f***ed. turned out not to be the case but all that AV shit Mc did later was pretty lame!

[@newdevilman1167]

Bose is after the brand value that apply to their automotive audio market. They want to expand to more luxurious car brands which Bose cannot represent the values for those brands. That is where the big money is. So I think it could be a good fit for those brands.

[@CLKAMG]

Happy with my guarnieri evolution. Some of the last good Sonus made.

[@bandierrez]

Bose was already making the auto sound systems for Macintosh that appears in new Jeeps. Synergy

[@Totalplonker]

I think I'll be buying my next pair of Sonus Faber speakers sooner rather than later.

[@funkychicken2119]

IMO this is Bose trying to expand market share and get into the higher end market. If they only bought Mac, I would see it as a clout chase for brand recognition. But buying Sonus too I’m guessing they want to put their foot into the High End market. I expect price increases to recoup some money in the near future. In the past we can see Amazon buying whole food and tried to make sense of it. We’ve also seen LVMH buying Rimowa and other luxury brands and saw price increases all across the board. The one thing they all have in common is price increases.

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

Bose was once considered a high-end brand, especially in Europe. A system would cost a small fortune. Maybe not for the audiophile, but very technically advanced. Only the rich had Bose. People seem to forget about that.

[@Proacguy2-vi6cv]

I can just see the return of the Bose 901 with blue VU meters.

[@fonkenful]

Or a 50th anniversary edition 1801 power amp?

[@66skate]

There actually is a very limited 60th anniversary edition coming. None will sold to the public sadly. They will all be going to Bose friends and family and same for KLH family who are building them for Bose.

[@worldgonewrong2049]

End of an era.

[@claudedigiorgio5279]

So why did not you team up, mobilize banks and purchase the cy ?

[@CButti-x1s]

By this time next year Adrian you'll be extolling the new Sonus Faber Sonetto Acoustimass system🤪. Hopefully Bose is looking to leverage more than just the names. I would truly be surprised if they're intending to cheapen the brands by crossing them over with Bose products, at least in the home audio market. I assume it's to help leverage themselves more into the high end car audio market where they're facing more competition recently and can exploit the Mac/SF brand reputations.

[@mwalters3419]

No highs. No lows. It must be Sonus Faber.

[@chebrubin]

Bose is 300% better ownership than any of those private equity firms. This is all about premium car audio system McIntosh brand name offerings. I don't think Bose corporate will interfere with McIntosh and Sonus Farber audiophile product line.

[@johansallqvist6027]

I had a "McIntosh" system in my Subaru outback. Sounded ok but not amazing…

[@arunashamal]

yea all these boomers hyperventilating don't have any idea what they are talking about! Bose is the better engineering company. Only thing they are going to be is crank up treble so Boomers with money can hear it and impressed by it and buy more of mcintosh and sonus faber!

[@emptywig]

@@arunashamal All these boomers are the ones actually buying McIntosh products.

[@smal3535]

They better not, if they want to keep customers happy.

[@jwelch1876]

Just a FYI, it's not Bing Hampton, its Binghamton, Binghamton is not in the Hamptons. Even Siri and Alexa can yell you this. You will always be able to buy good used McIntosh gear and get it repaired. Maybe thats what terrifies dealers the most ?

[@ChrisJohnson-c3s]

I think the plan is going to be Bo's will open stores with Bose MacIntosh and sonus faber much in the same way as naim is doing with focal

[@jerrywarren9708]

I like the play for the auto space. I have Bose in my Infiniti and in no way did I buy the car because it has Bose. McIntosh has been available in a limited number of vehicles, but not luxury brands. I think Bose could use its relationships with auto makers to expand the McIntosh gear into cars. Would love to see it in Lexus, Acura, Lucid.

[@AMGOSUK]

It has been said that McIntosh have been stuck in a retro design philosophy for a long time -- YES many of us like this; but there are many who may well not be. Perhaps one thing that Bose could do is help M consider products that while not losing the quality of audio performance are more attractive for a more modern buyer.

[@toddt5562]

Coming soon to Cadillac - the new Macintosh gauge package upgrade... Tacky blue gauges for tach and speedometer that look like VU meters. 😂

[@imfrcd]

Will Sonus Faber speakers be branded Bose?

[@Jacknjellify531.]

Bonus faber

[@kineahora8736]

@@Jacknjellify531.🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@remiandrepedersen868]

The advantage of being big like BOSE is that they have more resources, so they can if they want to.

[@johnpenturn3523]

The first comment by the bearded one nailed it. That no natural synergy suggests itself whatsoever. Going either way. And that Mc doesn't need significant additional investment. At best, the deal seems pointless & in the best of all possible worlds, Mc will continue doing its own thing unmolested. Even at vastly different price points, the first thought that occurs to me is that in terms of sound quality, it's the bland leading the bland. Nothing wrong with Mc but it doesn't aspire to be anything SOA adjacent but what it is, is certainly good enough even at its premium price point by most standards. It has a particular aesthetic on many levels & heritage that's deservedly appealing to some of discernment who like it. I'm neither knocking it or going out of my way to recommend it. A ho hum corporate takeover that with luck will stay that way - until it's sold again to whomever.

[@johnkidd7670]

1/3 of Bose’s revenue comes from car audio. This gives Bose more access to higher end makes.

[@TachiTekmo]

I just can't wait for the new Sonus 901s! 🤣 (They did this purely as a market-licensing deal.) 🙄 Oh ... Accuphase for life. 🤘

[@olegariomartinez6807]

I'm not too concerned and in fact I believe that Bose will invest more money into the two companies. Also Bose has a larger reach which I also believe will only benefit Mac and SF.

[@wearethree]

I’m ready to get my hands on the Bose BcIntosh BA12000 for $1299.95 and a set of Bosenus Faber Bolympica Nova VIII’s for $1499.95.

[@CopperleafCLC]

For Bose not coming out and saying anything has really tarnished the brands. If they come out first and had said something like “we have acquired these two luxury brand companies, but have no intention of lowering the standards on the manufacturing or the quality. In fact, we are going to improve upon the quality To increase these two brands reputation” And then actually follow through on that. It would have settled everyone down. Now there’s just all the speculation and fear especially for us Mac owners.

[@66skate]

Some of that has been said over the past few weeks. You just need to do a bit more reading.

[@glenncurry3041]

Names don't mean what they used to ... back in the day. Marantz and Denon are the same company. Along with B&W, Polk, .... and it might be up for sale.

[@gg.6967]

Saul’s Marantz was different and more like old McIntosh & Dynaco mod’s by Audio Research.

[@glenncurry3041]

@@gg.6967 Saul had nothing to do with any Marantz products other than his original amp. preamp and tuner. He sold the name to Superscope 1964. He later joined forces with Jon Daulquist to bring the DQ10 to market.

[@fonkenful]

@@gg.6967Not that it’s particularly relevant to the discussion, but Saul left Marantz in 1968. The company saw probably as many changes in ownership in the intervening 56 years as did McIntosh, and produced some excellent products and very successful sales growth during the Superscope/Standard Radio of Japan era. And speaking of Audio Research, they’ve also gone through some changes in ownership as well; after an ABC resurrection, ARC is currently owned by Valerio Cora (Scarborough ON)

[@garyszewc3339]

I used to think Bose was a great audio system. I've had cars with Bose, and a Bose home system. Then I actually heard what a great audio system is.

[@jessevena4535]

Ugh... so sad. Now when you open any newly made SF, you will see stamped frame speaker drivers from a 1982 Chevy car door. ..With monster cable inside.

[@samuelcain5426]

Not to change the subject but is Krell going to reopen or is the brand gone for good anyone has any recent info.

[@youclement8124]

I decide to resell my MA9500 before it loses value. Hi Gryphon 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@bobbysmith-gx4ep]

bose - i said it for years - knows how to market - we should all learn from them - it doesnt so much matter if you use the best materials - or have the best sounding stuff - clearly they dont - but if you think you can fulfill a need that people want - thats all that matters - they have the best marketing people in the business - they bring in 3.2 billion a year with over 7000 employees - many hi fi companies can learn from them - if only they can stop bashing them at every turn

[@smal3535]

They bash them because their products are garbage. Simple as that.

[@Tom-xg1kj]

It's always about the $.

[@boostedmaniac]

At the end of the days everyone has to be profitable.

[@enniol8043]

I agree that we would have liked to have heard comments, but the comments we would have liked to have heard would have been "As Bose we will not ruin McIntosh" which would be a corporate embarrassment

[@borlach321]

Look at what happened to Audio research.

[@ELcinegatto87]

Shame what's happened to them. Their product line has gotten hollowed out, no more hybrid/solid state HD product offerings. Outdated/low quality displays with that awful 1990s green lcd they use now. No more disc transports. Audio Research hit its peak in the early-mid 2010s. Anything made after that, I wouldn't touch with a 10ft pole.

[@cunawarit]

There’s one good comment, and I’ll make it. This shouldn’t be too controversial: Bose brings substantial engineering expertise, valuable intellectual property, and massive R&D budgets to the table. Their resources, both financial and technical, far exceed what a smaller company like McIntosh can command. There’s clear synergy between the two. McIntosh products, like the RS250, share similarities with products Bose has developed in the past, whether in terms of pricing or target audience. Additionally, both companies are active in the in-car entertainment space, which provides further overlap and potential for collaboration. I see this as a win win.

[@mrsmokalotapotamus6530]

Bose bought them to make money. If they cared about being top tier they could just put enough money in to do just that. I can only see this as a bad thing for McIntosh and SF.

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

It's simple. Macintosh, made in China

[@digitalaudiodirections1443]

Re: Why Bose would buy Mcintosh- Two Words- Car Audio- think about it.

[@tallpaull9367]

I think it's all part of Bose's strategy to move manufacturing to USA since they know the Trump tariffs are coming. They would likely get too hit too hard if they paid tariffs from overseas manufacturing and then all the oem factory car audio business as well. Now Bose can do everything from entry level to high end, in all sectors of the audio industry. They get the USA McIntosh facility and anechoic chamber too.

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

McIntosh is already into car audio.

[@tallpaull9367]

@@PhotographyInFlight4183 USA manufacturing to avoid tariff issues

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

@@tallpaull9367 You may be right, but despite the tariffs that may be coming, it'll probably be cheaper still, manufacturing in China.

[@digitalaudiodirections1443]

@@PhotographyInFlight4183 Yes, but not to the extend that Bose was or is and that is decades and across many more models. Imagine the "allure" of Bose speakers along with the HUGE McIntosh power meters bounding in the dash.

[@barrondeville1866]

Absolute scralidge, I own both Mcintosh and Sonus Faber products and see no benefit of these companies now being owned by Bose.

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

MONEY

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

You are nowhere near a businessman, I suppose. Money talks.

[@barrondeville1866]

@@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536 You don't need to be a Businessman to see there is no benefit to the consumer of high end audio. I am talking about the quality, improvement and innovation of Mcintosh and Sonus Faber products all that will change under Bose's ownership. The only benefit will be to Bose's bottom line.

[@BillDouglass-m9d]

Correct me if I'm wrong but McIntosh hasn't been self-owned since 1990? Another parent company why would anything change.😊

[@ridirefain6606]

I see this as totally about BOSE. Like what we see in the IT industry, I think the purchase was done to acquire some of the speaker and amplification technology from Sonus and Mac. So, they can get past the perceived mediocrity of their past systems. With a new generation of product that use Sonus Faber drivers and McIntosh amp modules. Think of the marketing coup for their newly developed products.... now with Italian design and American Muscle. Other than a possible influx of cash, and some marketing prowse, I do not see McIntosh or Sonus Faber getting much out of the acquisition.

[@tonypotestio5587]

My concern is Bose taking Mcintosh brand and outputting second rate products with the brand. I see the McIntosh brand being brought down from high end to becoming more mainstream think Mcintosh light in every consumer electronic shop.

[@ELcinegatto87]

Mac isn't high end anyway now a days. It's more of a luxury HiFi brand and for the "vibes" mainstream adjacent brand for wealth clients. That said, they do still make some outstanding analog/power amp pieces today though. The digital products are mostly cheap chinese parts, in a nice Mac case - you are just paying for the brand name. Your scenario though is exactly what Bose will do to the Mac brand. They will whore it out, cheapen it, then simply the product line, cut corners on parts and jackup the prices. If I had any recent Mac piece I'd trade it up for an Accuphase before the resale value of Mac gear falls off a cliff. McIntosh will always have a cult following especially among the diehards and the newage hipster vintage-fi crowd, but this Bose takeover is about the worst thing that could happen to McIntosh short of them going under.

[@AMGOSUK]

It was 3 years. Bose is owned by MIT so little is known about the deal. The statement Bose has to take money out of McIntosh is wrong for a private acquisition and counter to the press release, which highlights how M will help Bose get into high end auto, where they have lost ground to Naim, B&O and Meridian. I have little doubt a bunch of positive synergies will be found. Since Bose is not a public company and its management does not need to meet Wall Steet analyst’s expectations driving out costs will low down on the priorities.

[@Mike-jm5wt]

Here's a thought, the executives at Bose use McIntosh gear at home not crappy Bose, so they bought it just to keep a brand they like alive and well long into the future.

[@4catsnow]

Back when we were young..We wanted to A/B the Bose 901's with the equalizer against the EPI 202's...with the Acoustic Research demonstration record..

[@AudiS4orce1]

It's for the NAME, AND to get into HIGHER END AUTO AUDIO! So, you will have Bose Audio as basic car stereo, then McIntosh would be the higher end option!

[@boostedmaniac]

I hope they won’t end up like Sansui and/or showing up in a Costco.

[@kennethlui2268]

Bose's top priority is profit. Sound quality is secondary in my opinion. I think Bose will continue to sell both McIntosh and Sonus Faber but with cheaper parts and target the wealthy customers.

[@MuzzieWorks]

Better to be bought by bose than a private equity firm.

[@glenncurry3041]

In what way does a McIntosh amp benefit from it's name being on a car's dashboard? There may be marketing advantages to Bose to sell that name. But how does that help the McIntosh Audiophile product?