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Trying to Avert Disaster, Onkyo Signs Preliminary Deal to Sell to Voxx/Sharp

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Onkyo system on display in Japan
Onkyo system on display in Japan
[PHOTO: The Nikkei]

I can’t say this news from Onkyo Home Entertainment comes as much of a surprise. And based on conversations I’ve had with many of you over the last week or so, my reference a couple of weeks back to the growing romance between Onkyo and Voxx was clearly a wink-nod signal that I saw this coming. Onkyo has signed a preliminary agreement to sell their largest, but not their only, remaining division – the home audio/video division – to a partnership consisting of Sharp Corp. and Voxx Intl. The deal includes the Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer, and Pioneer Elite brands.

But after the abject failure of three previous attempts to sell the troubled company, will this deal actually close? See my thoughts…

Will deal between Onkyo and VOXX/Sharp close?

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Is Sound United Sound? Top Credit Rating Agency Says It’s ‘Speculative’

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Sound United logo

Moody’s Investors Service, one of the top credit rating agencies in the world, said this month that DEI Sales, Inc., dba Sound United, has been assigned a credit rating of B2 and a probability of default rating of B2-PD. In addition to this, they are assigning another B2 rating to Sound United’s proposed $380 million senior secured first lien term loan due in 2028. The forward looking “outlook” for Sound United and this rating is “stable.”

What does a B2 rating of Sound United mean?

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A Raw and Powerful Display of Real Leadership

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The leadership style of Jack Conte

I’ve been thinking about leadership a lot lately. A subject of endless interest for me, the pandemic in 2020 really brought the topic of leadership to the forefront, as we all faced unprecedented and upsetting times. Those dark days in early spring last year were truly scary times – people were getting sick and dying, local governments were forcing us all into lockdown, all businesses stopped functioning, the economy crashed like never before…and no one knew how this story was going to end.

Recently, I ran across content from a leader that I am familiar with, whom I have been following for a long time. This content was what looked to be a painful video for him to make. His discomfort was visible…palpable. And yet in so doing, the video he created was a raw and powerful demonstration of what I would suggest are the genuine traits of a true leader. I wanted to share this with you in case you missed it.

See more on the qualities of real leadership…

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Crestron Masters Keynote Has Us Roving Mars and the New World of Hybrid Work

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Crestron Masters 2021 title slide

In Touch of Irony Mother Nature, or Rather Mother Internet, Reminds Us Who’s in Charge

LWith great fanfare, Crestron kicked off their annual festival of all things Crestron – Crestron Masters 2021 – with a keynote address titled “Innovation Fuels Us.” And in a bit of irony, Mother Nature, or should I sway Mother Internet, reminded us all of who’s in charge by causing the program to suddenly stop at about five minutes in. About fifteen minutes or so later, the program started again and, save for a couple of stutters later, attendees were entertained with an impressively professional and compelling pre-recorded video presentation that celebrated Crestron’s history of innovation and set the tone for the week of education and conversation to come.

See more on the Crestron ‘Innovation Fuels Us‘ keynote

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Bowers & Wilkins Launches All-New True Wireless Earbuds; Yep, They Went There

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Bowers & Wilkins PI7 True Wireless earbuds

Bowers & Wilkins continues to forge new paths through the audio jungle, bringing along their trunks full of high-end ethic and high-performance sensibility to help civilize the undisciplined hoards of audio mediocrity. Now part of the Sound United family of brands, B&W hasn’t skipped a beat as they continue to address both new products and new product segments as first revealed to the press seven months ago.

Yesterday, the company launched a pair of true wireless earbuds that completely embody the company’s unique bespoke design style in both industrial design and technological innovation – meet the PI7 & PI5.

See Bowers & Wilkins new PI7 & PI5 earbuds…

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Next Week is Going to be Big; How Big? Crestron Masters Big!

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Crestron Innovations Fuel Us keynote graphic

Next week is the latest incarnation of the Crestron Masters Week, in this case Crestron Masters Week 2021. These events are incredibly popular with the company’s integration dealers and offer a wide variety of intensive training sessions that deal with real issues in the real world. Set to run April 27 – April 30, the buzz of anticipation is building…

But this year, something is different…and that something is pretty big!

See what is different this year from Crestron…

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March Housing Starts Surge Almost 20% to 15-Year High

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Housing Prices Photo

In new data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, residential construction – housing starts – appear to have taken off in March, rocketing to nearly 15-year highs. This is welcome news, as a serious shortage of available homes has been constraining housing sales recently. An increase in construction will help add inventory for sale. This shortage emerged after a protracted period of sales growth as urban dwellers left over-crowded cities during the time of COVID-19 for more spacious digs in the suburbs.

See more on the burst of housing starts in March

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Investors Dub Melrose the Biggest ‘Loser’ After Sale of Nortek Announced

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Photo of Nortek facility

If you read my report on the sale of Nortek Air Management on Monday, you know that Melrose sold off the division in a deal valued at approximately $3.6 billion. But in my discussion of the deal, I expressed some skepticism about the metrics the company was using to tell investors what a great deal it was. I don’t claim to be some kind[1] of a financial expert, but something smelled fishy to me.

Now we know what investors think of that deal…and it isn’t good for Melrose.

See what investors think of the Melrose sale of Nortek Air

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Melrose ‘Disposes’ of Nortek Air Mngmt in Deal Valued at $3.625B

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Melrose Industries PLC announced this morning that they have entered into an agreement to sell off the Nortek Air Management business – the most valuable part of the company – to Madison Industries of Chicago, Il. The cash deal is valued at approximately $3.625 billion. Melrose refers to this transaction as the “Disposal.”

See more on Melrose ‘Disposing’ of Nortek…

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A/V Maker ClearOne Files Application for Trademark on ‘MAGA’

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ClearOne wants to register this 4 letter acronym, MAGA, as their trademark
From ClearOne’s trademark registration application

Industry audio/visual manufacturer ClearOne [NASDAQ: CLRO] has filed an application to register a trademark on the characters “MAGA.” According to multiple comments on Twitter on the matter, ClearOne apparently intends for MAGA to represent Make Audio Great Again. This is very close to a political slogan that has became quite controversial in America. From the looks of the comment stream I saw on Twitter…this is going to be the topic of a lot of discussion.

See more on ClearOne and MAGA

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