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How You Can Thrive in the High-Performance Stereo Music System Segment

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a high-performance stereo music system

A Guest Post by Keith Dowd, Vivid Audio

Is it possible for a speaker company that doesn’t sell architectural speakers, or home cinema speakers, or soundbars, or outdoor landscape speakers – to grow and thrive in today’s market? I would argue that YES, it is very possible. And it is equally possible for dealers to thrive in the segment as well, if they are willing to take just a few simple steps. I make that argument based on my direct experience in the high-performance stereo music system segment in my role as U.S. Brand Director for Vivid Audio.

You might ask…how is this possible? Read on to find out…

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Draper Creates New Role of Director of Residential Markets; Appoints Childress

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Clint Childress is the man Draper Creates New Role for

Draper, Inc., an Indiana-based maker of commercial shades, announced this week that they have created a new role at the company targeted specifically at the residential custom integration channel. The new role is called Director of Residential Markets and the man filling this new role is Clint Childress.

Learn more as Draper creates new role in residential

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Crestron Supply Chain Town Hall Updates Frustrated Dealers; Did It Help?

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Key executives address the Crestron Supply Chain Town Hall
Brad Hintze, Dan Feldstein, Dan Brady

This week, Crestron Electronics held a special Supply Chain Town Hall meeting with their dealers to conduct a deep dive into the root causes of their delivery delays, suggest what actions dealers can take, and offer a preview of what to expect in the future. The action was taken, the company says, in the name of transparency – a noble goal. But some dealers are asking what took so long – we are now 2½ years into supply chain issues and things don’t seem to be getting any better at Crestron. Or are they?

See more on the Crestron Supply Chain Town Hall meeting

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Teardown Analysis Shows Amazon is Cheapening Its Base Echo Model

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Amazon Echo

In a new and interesting teardown analysis that included a cost of production comparison between the previous and the newest version of Amazon’s Echo, it appears that the company is making dramatic changes to lower the cost of their basic Echo model. Even though cost has been cut by more than half, the report says that the company still often sells it at a loss.

See more on the cheapening of the Amazon Echo

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Audiophile Hero Mobile Fidelity Hit With Multi-Million Dollar Class Action Lawsuit

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the cover of a recent Pretenders record reissue from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab

Has MoFi Been Pretending?

A lawsuit alleging a variety of deceptive practices by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Inc. (Mobile Fidelity or MoFi), a major player in the premium analog vinyl record community, has been filed by premium vinyl record fan Adam Stiles. Stiles is bringing this case on behalf of himself “…and all others similarly situated against Defendent Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, Inc.”

Those whom he seeks to represent are all customers who purchased MoFi products since 2011 on the basis of the company’s assurance of its products’ pure analog, direct from the master tape, heritage. It turns out that this crucial selling point for the company is…allegedly…in many cases, a lie.

See more on the alleged deception by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab

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Google Intensified Its Patent War With Sonos, Launched Battle on New Front

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After two years of tussling in courts, with both sides registering a mix of wins and losses on various matters, you’d think some kind of settlement would be in order. But last week, Google intensified its patent war with Sonos by opening up yet another front with two new lawsuits on voice control and other technologies, leading me to believe that any type of settlement is yet down the road.

Learn how Google has opened a new front with Sonos

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Masimo Quarterly Report Offers a First Look at Sound United Numbers & Future

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Joe Kiani, Masimo CEO

Masimo Corporation (NASDAQ: MASI), a global designer and producer of medical products and associated services that recently acquired Sound United, reported its second quarter fiscal 2022 results this week. With this filing, we get to see real data on the size and performance of Sound United, which the company acquired in April.

Learn more on the Masimo report, including the Sound United results

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Sonos Surprises Wall St.; Stock Value Drops >18% in After-Hours Trading

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Sonos Q2 2022

Consumer Biz Softens, Revises Forecasts Downward, CFO Departs

Wall Street hates surprises, especially when public companies fail to hit analysts’ estimates and when the company is forced to cut previously issued financial estimates based on a deteriorating macroeconomic environment. Sonos hit a surprisingly sour note in its report today on fiscal 2022 third-quarter results – soundly missing expectations, cutting forward guidance on future results, and announcing the CFO is leaving the company. The result of this terrible trifecta of bad news? Sonos stock dropped as much as 20% in after-hours trading.

See more on Sonos’ third quarter report

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Big Changes Hit Sound United as Terminated President Duffy Exits Today

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Kevin Duffy, head of Sound United terminated by Masimo
Kevin Duffy

Sound United VP James Krakowski Announces Departure As Well

On April 11, 2022, Masimo Corp. appointed Kevin Duffy – then CEO of Sound United – President of the Consumer Division of Masimo Corp. as part of its $1 billion acquisition of Viper Holdings Corp., Sound United’s parent company. Duffy was offered a fairly rich package, with salary and certain other benefits and perks that could be worth millions of dollars, in some cases after a vesting period.

Then, just ninety days later, the company filed paperwork with the SEC saying that it had terminated Duffy “without cause.”

See more on Duffy’s exit from Sound United and Masimo

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Russound Partners with Jetbuilt; Also Reveals New Products for CEDIA Expo 2022

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jetbuilt logo

Russound announced this week that it is partnering with Jetbuilt, a project management software tool that is popular with custom integrators. Separately, the company announced the new products it will be focusing on during the upcoming CEDIA Expo 2022 event.

Learn more on these Russound announcements

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