Rumours that Bose was set to make an acquisition have been confirmed with the US audio brand acquiring high end audio Company the MacIntosh Group whose Sonus Faber and MacIntosh products are sold in Australia by Synergy Audio. Several weeks ago, speculation had it that Bose was in play either via a sell down of their ownership or were looking for an acquisition. At one stage we were told that the Company had taken a look at Masimo Consumer and the Bowers and Wilkins, Denon and Marantz brands.
During the heights of COVID the MacIntosh Group was acquired by Highlander Partners, a US private equity firm. According to the press release, this acquisition will allow Bose to infuse its industry-leading audio research and technology into the high-performance and luxury space. In addition, the combined forces of Bose and McIntosh Group also opens new opportunities in the automotive sector.
Bose already has 40-plus years of experience in automotive audio, while McIntosh has recently ventured into car audio with Jeep and Sonus faber has released premium audio systems with Maserati and Lamborghini. Highlander Partners claims that McIntosh Group has been a leader and innovator in the high-end audio category for decades and despite manufacturing what they claim are the world’s finest amplifiers, speakers, turntables and other audio products under several renowned brands, they have not said why they sold out of the business after just two years of ownership. Last month there was speculati.