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End of an Era: Onkyo Shareholders Vote to Sell Off Home Entertainment Division

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Photo of Onkyo Atmos models at CE Week
Onkyo Atmos-ready AV models at a past CE Week [Click to enlarge]

BREAKING NEWS

In a rather terse announcement to investors posted today, Onkyo Home Entertainment Company, Ltd. announced that, by a majority vote of company shareholders, the sale of the company’s Home Entertainment Division to Voxx International has been approved. This vote of approval was widely anticipated and represents the last formality in the transfer of the company over to Voxx. This is the first time since 1945 that Onkyo’s parent company is no longer involved in the home entertainment business.

See more on this end of an Onkyo era

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ISE 2021 ‘Heralds’ Getting the Industry ‘Back to Business,’ But Did They?

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In a press release distributed Wednesday morning, Integrated Systems Events (part of Integrated Systems Europe) announced the conclusion of their annual ISE event, this year in Barcelona, Spain for the first time on June 1-2. It was a hybrid-style event, offering an online or virtual conference as well as an in-person event with exhibitors in the Fira de Barcelona exhibition center. The organizers heralded the event as helping “the industry getting back to business.”

But how successful was the ISE this year? See more…

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VOXX Finally Speaks: We Have an Agreement to Purchase Only Onkyo

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onkyo logo

Well after much coverage on the VOXX/Onkyo deal by Strata-gee, in which VOXX remained strangely silent, the company finally issued a press release today in which they acknowledged that they had signed an asset purchase agreement (APA) with Onkyo for $30.8 million. The deal remains subject to approval by Onkyo shareholders in a vote scheduled to take place on June 25, 2021.

This news was likely not a surprise to Strata-gee readers. But what was a surprise is that this purchase does NOT include the Pioneer and Pioneer Elite brands.

See more on the latest news out of VOXX about Onkyo

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Bryston Partners with Azione Unlimited

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Bryston's logo

Bryston Ltd., a well-regarded manufacturer of high-end audio and home theater gear, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Azione Unlimited, a nationwide buying group of integrators. The move looks to expand their potential network of dealers here in the U.S.

See more on this Bryston and Azione partnership

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SnapAV Says Latest Control4 OS 3.2.2 Update Offers Full Support of OvrC

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Control4 and OvrC

SnapAV announced today (Tuesday) that its latest rendition of its automation brand Control4’s OS 3 operating software – OS 3.2.2 – finally introduces full support of the company’s popular OvrC remote management platform. No doubt part of their ongoing integration strategy since they first acquired Control4, this news is sure to make life just a little easier for their Control4 dealers who support OvrC.

See more on Control4’s OS 3.2.2 & OvrC

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Sony Doubles-Down on Transformation from CE to Gaming, Media, & Services

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sony invests

Company Plans to Invest $18 Billion in ‘Strategic Investments’; See What Segments are Targeted

Sony Group announced yesterday that it will invest no less than ¥2 trillion ($18 billion) over the next three years to turbo-charge the company’s transition from a consumer electronics powerhouse to a global leader in gaming, media, and services. The only hardware they are looking to equally dominate is the sensor business – and a potential entry into the general chip-making business (more on this later).

More on the remarkable Sony global transformation

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Onkyo Releases Final Fiscal 2021 Numbers and I Am Stunned

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Onkyo Classic OCP-1
Is this the future of Onkyo?

I recently told you that the Onkyo & VOXX/Sharp deal has been delayed from a firm May 20th date to sign a definitive agreement, to a more hazy “sometime” in late May, according to an announcement released by Onkyo to investors in Japan. At the same time the company put that announcement out, they also released the final numbers for their fiscal 2021 results – the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. The only way I can characterize these numbers is to say that they are…in a word…stunning.

See the Onkyo results for fiscal 2021…

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Sonos Delivers Strong Fiscal 2021 Q2 Results Thanks in Part to a Lousy 2020

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Raises Guidance for FY2021; Issues Strongest Warning Yet of Supply Chain Issues

After the close of market on Wednesday, Sonos, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO) reported their fiscal 2021, second quarter results which were very strong. On Wall Street they like to call that an “earnings surprise” and they really, really like it when it is a positive surprise. Sonos did not disappoint them.

See the Sonos 2nd quarter results

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SnapAV Takes Preliminary Step Ahead of Registering for Public Offering

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SnapAV booth at CEDIA 2019

In a move that has been widely anticipated for some time now, Wirepath Home Systems LLC, the corporate name for SnapAV, has filed paperwork with the SEC to preliminarily begin the process of registering their stock for sale to the public. We learn little in the rather terse announcement from the company, but many in the industry had expected this day would come for years now.

See more on SnapAV taking steps to go public

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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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