Sound United’s Kevin Duffy will continue to serve as CEO of the combined company moving forward. D+M Group CEO Jim Caudill will now serve as an adviser to the consolidated company. Though the brands are all now under one roof, they will continue to be sold as individual brands under their existing names.
“This transaction is a testament to D+M Group’s employees and exceptional brands and all that we’ve accomplished in the audio industry,” Caudill said in a statement. “By joining Sound United, we expect to deliver tremendous value to our customers through access to Sound United’s aspirational speaker brands including Polk Audio and Definitive Technology. We believe that this transaction will drive compelling opportunities for our employees, customers, and suppliers, and are looking forward to ensuring the success of the new organization.”
Many of the brands under the larger than ever Sound United umbrella overlap when it comes to product categories. Both Denon and Polk Audio sell wireless multiroom speakers, for example, while many of the brands sell AV receivers. D+M was already the largest supplier of AV receivers in North America, while prior to the acquisition, Sound United was the largest supplier of loudspeakers.
The sale was officially finalized on February 28, though the specific terms of the sale were disclosed. For the average buyer of any of the combined company’s products, this acquisition won’t make much of a difference, as all the brands will remain independent, but it could possibly make for lower manufacturing costs, depending on how the company handles logistics. For us, that could mean lower prices, but whether that will come to pass remains to be seen.
