Strategy in TECH...
VOXX International Corporation [NASDAQ: VOXX] (VOXX Int’l) announced this morning before the stock market opened several executive changes, including the extension of the employment agreement of VOXX Chief Executive Officer Pat Lavelle. How did Wall Street react to this news? The value of VOXX stock showed a significant decline on a day when the NASDAQ exchange, where VOXX is traded, saw an overall increase of nearly +2/3rds of a percent.
Barely out of CEDIA Expo 2023, Snap One announced this week that it has launched six new warehouse locations they call local partner stores, further filling out its national distribution footprint. The company also said it will finish 2023 having hosted no fewer than 400 events – a prodigious effort at connecting with its customers, the local integrators.
Well, another CEDIA Expo is in the books and we return to our daily duties and launch into a new Fall season full of promise…and concerns. What were the big stories of this year’s edition of Emerald’s (a public, for-profit company that owns the show) CEDIA Expo? Well, I’ve scanned several summations from others in the media and it almost seems like we attended different Expos. Here’s what I think they are…
Lenbrook Corporation, a Canadian company that holds a portfolio of premium specialty brands, announced this morning it has acquired the assets of MQA, ltd., the U.K.-based company behind the Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) high-resolution audio encoding system in a transaction it hopes will breathe new life into the technology that had fallen into a form of receivership upon the loss of its major financial backer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed as part of this announcement.
Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group, part of the Nationwide Marketing Group family of dealer buying groups, announced ahead of CEDIA Expo 2023 that it has sealed a big deal with industry leader Sonance as a founding vendor partner for the new group. The news will surely provide a big boost to the young, rapidly growing, commercial integrator buying group.
AudioControl Pro (AudioControl) is launching some interesting new products at CEDIA Expo 2023, including new min-chassis audio/video receivers (AVRs) and adding Dante network connectivity to a popular multichannel amplifier. In both cases, these products open up new opportunities and capabilities for integrators – a role the company has enjoyed for several years now.
Historic Hi-Fi brand Marantz has been gracing the homes of appreciative audiophiles for many, many years. Actually, for seven decades after its founding by Saul Marantz in 1953…for those of you who are counting. To celebrate – the company is offering a unique opportunity for audio lovers everywhere to step up their audio gear game with a special, limited-time trade-in program for the latest Marantz gear.
The only way to truly know the performance of a screen is through a detailed and rigorous testing routine. For that, you need a sophisticated testing laboratory space with specialized testing gear – known as an imaging lab. Not all screen companies have one, but Draper’s TecVision does and the company graciously treated me – and via this story, you – for a visit to the impressive TecVision Imaging Lab.
High-end audio electronics and loudspeaker manufacturer Bryston announced this week the launch of an all-new preamplifier called the BP-19. Calling it an ultra-high-performance analog preamplifier, the company says it leverages years of R&D and design innovations from the development of its BR-20 preamplifier, a model that is said to have won multiple awards.
Earlier this week, I had a consequential visit with Crestron Electronics Corp. in which company executives talked about the overall business environment, supply chain issues, several new products, and their strategy going forward. It was quite revealing not only in content…but in tone.
It quickly became clear to me that after a period of playing defense, Crestron is going on offense…
