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You are here: Home / Economic Trends / T-Day+1: Tariffs…And So It Begins…

T-Day+1: Tariffs…And So It Begins…

April 17, 2025 by Ted Leave a Comment

STORY UPDATED 4/30/25 – See a Selection of Tariff Increases from Around the Industry

The reality is beginning to set in. Most industry manufacturers have updated their pricing with tariff-driven price increases…some as high as 50+%. Two weeks ago, on a day I call T-Day (for tariff day), the Trump Administration announced a new “reciprocal” tariff program on America’s top 100 trading partners that is bigger and more impactful than anything he ever toyed with during his first term. Even though most of that plan has been put on a 90-day hold (except for China), anywhere from 10%…to 10%+20% is now implemented. The impact of that is starting to hit economies around the world.

And the reality and impact of that is also beginning to hit individual businesses and consumers.

See more on the inflection point of the tariff program now beginning…

So we are in uncharted territory, but the tariff program is in action. Recently a whole roster of industry brands announced new pricing and/or surcharge programs based on the implementation of these new tariffs. For retailers, that new pricing will likely hit pretty quickly, depending on how much existing inventory the dealer is sitting on. For custom integrators, there is likely a bit of a delayed reaction depending on the size and length of their new projects.

AudioControl Single Zone Amps

In either event, we are days and/or weeks from the reality impacting consumers. Will it matter?

In the meantime, I’ve had the opportunity to review some of the tariff-related price increase notifications that manufacturers have been sending out to dealers recently – (thank you to those sources who provided these for me). Below are some of the ones I’ve personally reviewed:

Summary Table of Tariff Programs

#COMPANY NAMELAST UPDATEDINFO SOURCEMORE INFOTARIFF PROGRAM
1Crestron Electronics4/18/25Dealer & Compmore hereSurcharge: +5% May 1
2Lenbrook4/18/25Dealermore herePrice Inc: +15% Mar 4; +10% Apr 21
3Steinway Lyngdorf4/18/25Dealermore hereSurcharge: +4% (Steinway & Sons); +4%/+5%/+53% (Lyngdorf Audio, by model)
4URC4/18/25Dealermore here+0%; Co. says no increase
5SurgeX / Ametek4/18/25Dealermore herePrice Inc: +10% Immediately
6IC Realtime4/18/25Dealermore hereComing soon!
7AVA4/18/25Dealermore here+0% increase until August
8Josh.ai4/18/25Dealermore here+0% increase for now…could change
9Future Ready Solutions4/18/25Dealermore herePrice Inc: +0%/+3%/+10% depending on brand & model
10WhyReboot4/21/25Dealermore hereSo far no surcharges or increases on either fortinet or RUCKUS products, but stay tuned, increases may be coming
11AudioQuest4/23/25Dealermore hereMay 1st: ‘Temporary’ surcharge of +5% on PowerQuest, Niagara, DragonFly & JitterBug; +10% on all other AudioQuest products… August 1st: Retail pricing will be revamped, margins restored, and surcharges dropped
12Merit LILIN4/23/25Dealermore herePrice increases coming on May 16th, no guidance provided as to how steep the increase will be at this time
13AVPro & AudioControl4/24/25Dlr & Compmore hereApril 7th: A 10% price increase on dealer cost of all AVPro Edge, AudioControl, Bullet Train, Then Audio, and Murideo products went into effect. MSRP was increased as well. Announced on March 7th so company could offer a 30-day legacy buy-in period before increases hit; April 24th: Company announces ‘Winning Together’ program & commits to no more increases in 2025 for all dealers buying direct and through distribution…
14DMF Lighting4/30/25Dealermore hereMay 5, 2025: A “temporary” 12.5% line-item surcharge takes effect. Company will proactively communicate any further changes
15McIntosh4/30/25Dealermore hereJune 1, 2025: McIntosh is implementing a price increase across its line to average “about 15%.” All orders until then are at current prices
16Cambridge Audio4/30/25Dealermore hereMay 1, 2025: Company is implementing new pricing by item. Announcement did not identify the average percentage increase, but dealers received a new price sheet
17The DaVinci Group4/30/25Compmore hereMay 1, 2025: A 10% surcharge takes effect on all new orders
18Tributaries4/30/25Dealermore hereMay 1, 2025: Company will effect a 10% surcharge on all invoices on and after this date
19KEF4/30/25Dealermore hereMay 5, 2025: KEF products will have prices increased a “modest” amount
20ADI Snap One4/30/25Dealermore hereMay 19, 2025: Effective this day the company is raising item prices for exclusive brand products and third-party distributed brand products

More Details on Tariff Adjusted Programs

Crestron

To their credit, on Thursday Crestron sent out a media alert, notifying those of us in the media of their tariff policy taking effect on May 1, 2025. This is the kind of transparency that more companies should embrace and it enhances Crestron’s reputation for professionalism.

Crestron is implementing a 5% tariff surcharge on all invoices starting May 1st. The surcharge will be based on the gross amount of hardware items on the invoice before any discounts, sales tax, or shipping charges. They will not add the surcharge to services or software subscriptions. The company reserves the right to update the program if any further changes are implemented by the Trump administration.

Savant

For Crestron dealers, this is welcome news. Almost exactly a month ago in March, Crestron had notified dealers that a tariff surcharge was coming on May 1st and would be set at 12%. It is beneficial to everyone that the company was able to moderate that surcharge to just 5%.

Lenbrook

Lenbrook already passed along a tariff-inspired 15% price increase on its line on March 1st. Now the company is forced to raise prices again, this time with an additional 10% increase. This means that Lenbrook products will be 25% more expensive than they were in February.

The company notes that, “For strategic reasons…” it has passed along more moderate increases on certain key SKUs. These key SKUs include five NAD models and six Bluesound models. The company adds that more increase notices are coming next week for other Lenbrook brands, such as PSB, DALI, and others.

Steinway Lyngdorf

Lyngdorf has provided dealers with a corrected list of tariff-related increases, based on a 145% tariff to China. Previously, they had used a 125% tariff rate and needed to correct that. The company has provided dealers with varying tariff rates based on a matrix of specific model numbers.

Most of the Steinway Lyngdorf models are being hit with a 4% tariff-connected increase on 20 models. Another 3 models will have a 5% rate of increase. Then there is a class of 6 models that will have a 53% rate applied. This is the highest rate I’ve seen (but note, I haven’t seen all manufacturers’ notifications). There is another random class of products – mostly parts – for which dealers will need to request a price quote.

Steinway Lyngdorf is the only manufacturer I’ve seen that bases its tariff surcharge on the MSRP price, rather than dealer price.

Universal Remote Control (URC)

URC founder and CEO Chang K. Park told dealers that all of its products are made in Korea which was hit with a 26% tariff rate. Then, he noted, that tariff was suspended for 90 days. However, Park assured dealers that “Regardless of the outcome of tariff negotiations,” URC will not increase its prices…it will absorb the increased tariff internally.

Will URC be able to maintain a 0% price increase? “I remain committed to providing durable and reliable products to our dealers at the current prices regardless of the outcome from the tariffs,” Park boldly proclaimed.

SurgeX / Ametek

SurgeX is implementing a 10% tariff-related price increase on its products. The company says it has no choice but to implement this increase “immediately.” This is not an invoice line-item tariff surcharge, but rather prices on all products will be adjusted by 10%.

The company reminded dealers that in March it had announced a 13% tariff increase for its items produced in Mexico, but then was able to avoid that tariff. It is not able to avoid this 10% increase, however.

IC Realtime

IC Realtime has warned its dealers that a surcharge on all orders is “coming” but offered no specifics. The company went on to describe all the steps it is taking to minimize the increase to the best of its ability.

AVA

In February, AVA announced that it would have no price increases due to tariffs for the next six months. Recently, the company reiterated this commitment to a 0% increase for six months. By my count that takes us to August.

I would imagine, an increase is likely then, but for now…no worries!

Josh.ai

Like URC, Josh.ai products are manufactured in South Korea. For the moment, the tariffs for South Korea have been paused for 90 days, so right now there is a 0% increase on Josh.ai products. Also, like some other manufacturers, Josh.ai has a lot of non-tariffed inventory, so any increases will come in the future.

The company promises dealers that it will be transparent and give them as much notice as possible if and when it becomes necessary to increase prices.

Future Ready Solutions

Around the end of March, Future Ready Solutions, a distributor of connectivity solutions, announced a tariff-connected price increase ranging from 3% to 10% largely dependant on brand and product series. These increases took place on April 10th. In two instances – LightSpeed (extenders and switches) and Speaker Snap (all products) – there was a 0% increase.

In another four instances, there was a 3% increase for Altelix, Kordz (bulk CAT6/CAT6A & speaker wire), PPC (F connectors & enclosures), and Extreme Power. Finally, in nine instances there is a 10% increase for AVPro Edge, Belden, Bullet Train, Cleerline, Kordz (HDMI cables & patch cables), LightSpeed (fiber optic products), Murideo, Planet Waves, and ROBOfiber.

At the end of the 90-day pause in tariffs, more of these price increase notifications will likely be necessary.

WhyReboot

WhyReboot emailed a notification to dealers saying that – for the moment – they are not raising any prices. However, the situation is fluid and could change at any time. According to the company, Fortinet “is exempt” [from tariffs] but, adds the company, “…we will have to wait and see on that.”

The other major line from the company is RUCKUS, which it says “…has moved all manufacturing to Taiwan and Vietnam.” Those countries, WhyReboot says, seem likely to agree to zero tariffs and if the U.S. accepts that, then there’ll be no increases.

The company did say that 8200 switches will be going up in MSRP, but this is unrelated to tariffs. Bottom line: like so many other companies, WhyReboot promises transparency and communication if things change.

AudioQuest

In an email to dealers, AudioQuest announced it would implement what it calls a surcharge that it calls “temporary” on May 1st. This surcharge will be based on existing dealer cost. The surcharge is as follows: a 5% surcharge on PowerQuest, Niagara, DragonFly,l and JitterBug products. And a surcharge of 10% on invoices for all other AudioQuest products.

There are additional terms and conditions surrounding order details for extraordinary cases (such as backorders and special orders).

On August 1st, the company will announce new retail pricing that will restore “full dealer margin…for all categories.” Surcharges will be dropped at that time. The company promises that decisions regarding the new pricing will be strategic and carefully considered, taking into account “the individual product’s role.”

Merit LILIN

Earlier this week, LILIN notified its dealers via email that – after taking a series of proactive steps to minimize the impact of tariffs – it will now need to increase its prices. The price increase will take effect on May 16, 2025. “These changes are driven by increased import costs resulting from the updated tariff policies.” The company gave no indication of what level of price increase will be necessary – so stay tuned for more information.

The company is encouraging dealers to forecast their needs…”This allows us to lock in current pricing before new tariffs take effect.”

AVPro & AudioControl

On March 7th, AVPro Global announced it would implement a 10% price increase on all AVPro Edge, AudioControl, Bullet Train, Then Audio, and Murideo products…to take effect on April 7th. The company also increased MSRP pricing on these products to protect dealer margins. The timing of the announcement was designed to give dealers the opportunity to continue to buy at legacy prices for one month, such that they could better adjust to the new pricing.

Then, on Thursday, April 24th, the company announced its “Winning Together” program. This program is designed to give dealers confidence by committing to keep all prices and programs at current levels for the remainder of 2025. And though the company is making many adjustments to ensure its ability to deliver on this promise, it further commits to continue the flow of all the key products that dealers want to buy.

I will write more about “Winning Together” later, but for now, it appears to be a strong program demonstrating extraordinary commitment to AVPro & AudioControl dealers.

DMF Lighting

DMF Lighting told dealers in an email that it is “actively exploring all options to mitigate further increased costs” but the “landscape of announced and implemented tariffs and reciprocal tariffs continues to be variable in nature.” The company announced what it called a “temporary” 12.5% line-item surcharge to be added to all orders placed on or after May 5, 2025. I suspect the temporary designation is in anticipation of potential future price adjustments.

McIntosh

McIntosh reminded dealers via email that it hasn’t had a price increase in the previous three years, despite “rising costs.” New pricing will take effect on June 1, 2025 averaging “about 15%.” A new price sheet will be sent to dealers in May. In the meantime, all May orders remain at current prices. The company says it was “pleased” to be able to keep the increase “as minimal as possible.”

Cambridge Audio

Cambridge Audio told dealers in an emailed letter that thanks to the fact that Cambridge is a global company, it is able to average out the total tariff cost across its entire global network for a lower overall average cost impact. This fact, they told dealers, “…helped us keep pricing changes more reasonable”…in fact, it says, “..we think you’ll agree that the adjustments are modest and measured.”

New pricing takes effect on May 1, 2025. Unfortunately, the email does not share the average percentage increase. So if any of you Cambridge Audio dealers out there can let me know the average cost increase, I’d really appreciate it. The company says not every item was increased…and some items were impacted more than others…

The DaVinci Group

Earlier in April, The DaVinci Group (TDG) sent an email to dealers explaining the steps the company was taking to minimize costs in light of the evolving tariff situation. They even gave examples of how tariffs work and how it is affecting the company’s cost of doing business.

TDG is launching a 10% tariff surcharge on May 1, 2025.

Tributaries

In an email to dealers, the company revealed the tariffs it is now subject to (10% on all imports plus another 125% on imports from China). Since 2017, the company says it has been absorbing additional tariffs, but these rates are too great for them to absorb. So the company will add a 10% tariff surcharge to all invoices on and after May 1, 2025.

Tributaries will also be issuing an interim price sheet with new MSRPs that are 15% higher to protect dealer margins.

KEF

KEF told dealers in a recent email that, “Rather than compromise on performance or longevity,” it will be implementing a “modest price adjustment on retail and dealer pricing,” beginning on May 5, 2025. The announcement did not provide an average percentage increase would be on the line. KEF dealers can access the new pricing in the company’s portal known as the KEF HUB.

ADI Snap One

ADI Snap One has notified its dealers that it is implementing a broad range of price increases on both its “manufactured exclusive brands” and its “third-party distributed brand product.” The price increases are effective on May 19, 2025.

The company says the amount of increase varies “across various brands and product categories due to the varying impact of the tariffs.” The email does not identify an average percentage of increase and dealers have to access the portal to find the latest pricing. Finally, the company notes that further price increases may be necessary and it will keep dealers informed if and when necessary.


UPDATE LOG


UPDATE #1 – April 21, 2025

A new summary table has been added for ease of reference.

New tariff-related announcement from WhyReboot

UPDATE #2 – April 23, 2025

New tariff announcements from AudioQuest and Merit LILIN.

UPDATE #3 – April 24, 2025

New AVPro & AudioControl tariff-related announcements added

UPDATE #4 – April 30, 2025

New tariff announcements from: DMF Lighting, McIntosh, Cambridge Audio, The DaVinci Group, Tributaries, KEF, and ADI Snap One.

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