Bose buys McIntosh


End of an era?

telemarcer

Better to read a story about a buyout vs. another legacy company going defunct.

Amen to that. Times change and always nice when valued products continue to survive.

I get the concern. Last year John Strohbeen, the force behind Ohm speakers for 40 some years , passed. Company was up for sale but never sold apparently. Others who learned under JS’s wings are carrying the ball now. So far the only noticeable change is prices for both new and used Ohm gear have gone up a lot in recent years.

I would much rather have Bose acquire Ohm than have to say goodbye, even though the Ohms I have will most likely outlive me.

Ohm Walshes are totally unique .  Nothing else like them  (unlike Mac and SF).  mbl has similarities but those cost way more and are not practical in most folk's rooms at home.

I worked for a long time to get my mc6700, 252 and 2 pair of SF. Part of the fun was going to a real retailer and hearing the difference. Now it will be buy at Costco. It won’t change how I like what I have but changes my attitude. Call me a brand snob. I get it. And 6700 has magic blue meter but when I listen to Chet Baker they hardly move. It’s eye candy for sure

This really could go either way, but it doesn't have to be a disaster. It could actually be a very good thing. Just depends on how things are handled by the new management. But isn't that the case with any changes? If the brand wasn't sold at all but just switched out a key management figure, we might get just as much or more changes compared to this situation. So who knows.

I would just point out that Samsung purchased Harman back in 2016 and it seems to be fine. They have different lines for AKG and JBL etc but Revel has since launched some very fine speakers (the F series) which are not watered down at all compared to pre Samsung models. I'd like to see what they do next with the Salon series but that only refreshes every decade or two so it might be a while. 

Can't wait for all those McIntosh Bluetooth headphones and speakers at Best Buy for $29.95. Those will definitely be screaming "quality". Maybe they can put a green LED on them for branding purposes. Ugh.