russ69 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 It's hard not to be pessimistic. My last years at The Skunk Works (Yeah, the real Skunk Works) I came to believe that the years before the Lockheed-Martin merger were the best years for the company. The last 4 years was a nightmare, as our culture was diluted with corporate BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I like Amy's attitude, and really................no one knows what may or may not happen....Agreed.... It will be interesting to see how things play out in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myhamish Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 My little world keeps changing. First, Moe sold the Country Kitchen in Cobden. New owners. 'Road pizza' now, not Moe's pizza. And now Klipsch? double Slainte. Hamish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Jeez.........talk about Doomsday Paranoia; I've never seen long time members flip out like this. If you feel you must, jump out of your basement window. No one knows any details.. Like lemmings running toward the cliff but the need to run towards the cliff is only imaginary. Darn it. No basement. [^o)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 As that kid said to Shoeless Joe...."Say it ain't so Joe! Say it ain't so!" Based on my personal experience with big corp America, I am unable to view this in a positve light. And if Audiovox is a multinational or a non US based company then it only deepens my concern. Surely they will find someone somewhere, who is willing to work for less and will make an inferior product. It will then be shipped to the US on foreign owned and crewed vessles (anybody remember the US Merchant Marine?? I didn't think so) and sold at a big box retailer or online. Who cares what it sounds like? Only a very small percentage of the population. One need only look at Boeing and the 787 to see what outsourcing will eventually do to a sophisticated and highly refined product. Have you ever seen anything with the name Audiovox on it that wasn't junk? I'm going to step up my drive to acquire higher end Klipsch gear while I still can, and spares for the stuff I already own. That's a bummer man! Ditto - In my Corp. America experience - I was 'aquired twice. -- It wasn't pretty for the people or the product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Donalson Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Please guys, stay positive with us. I believe with this new leadership it can help us continue to improve our products and how we operate. This can very well be the next step we need in order to further our penetration into the markets and build all of our brands. Remember..we are KLIPSCH! Audiovox knows and understands it's our passion and love for our products and what we do that lets us stand out among the others. I don't believe they have any interest in taking that away. I believe we are confident in our executive team to make the right decisions not only for the company, but those who build the company and allow it to grow and flourish. I remember Audiovox as a kid (I'm "only" 36). I know they have been around since 1965. They are doing something right to be able to last this long and to contiue to grow and prosper. Sure, change is scary. That's human nature. Sometimes change is a great thing and needed in order to take that next step forward. I think this is one of those changes not only for Klipsch, but for Audiovox, too. If/when this transaction goes through Audiovox will now be a proud owner of a high end speaker company who builds the best speakers on the market. They will also be the leadership of a team of people who not only come in to do their jobs everyday, but put their passion behind it, too. I don't think that's a bad thing. Don't worry guys, we are ok! We will continue to be ok and continue to improve! Hang in there with us, it's an exciting time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Don't worry guys, we are ok! We will continue to be ok and continue to improve! Hang in there with us, it's an exciting time! And you have a rabidly passionate, if somewhate dysfunctional / disturbed / paranoid fan base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Don't worry guys, we are ok! We will continue to be ok and continue to improve! Hang in there with us, it's an exciting time! And you have a rabidly passionate, if somewhate dysfunctional / disturbed / paranoid fan base. Uh loving fan base, that's what I meant. Loving fan base. (Coming from someone who huge corporate America companie(s) I work for work very hard to turn me into the cynic I've become) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Do you remember Sparkomatic?. They purchased pieces of Altec Lansing when it went under. Now everyone can afford an Altec system. I must be old. I remember both KRACO and Sparkomatic.... but are today's Altec system really Altec or just branded Altec? I was being cynical. The Altec products sold today have little to do with the Altec that you and I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (avoiding some smart arse remark about the young and naive as Doc is a very bright guy.... for someone so young who's not yet morphed into a cynical old fart) It could be Audiovox is trying to change it's image and Klipsch would become one of it's flagship subsidiariars or brands. I mean Klipsch is now know as a headphone company! How's that for reinventing a company but at the same time still maintaining their core design principles and actually grow business in the crappy economy of the last few years? Well apparently the young and naive is more informed about how Audiovox operates today. Take a look at their long list of branding. Everyone is looking at this as if Audiovox was gonna stick their label on future Klipsch products, which is totally not going to happen. Also, the Klipsch Group itself is really no different than a smaller Audiovox....they aren't even dedicated to audio brands, but own companies that sell garage doors and who knows what other stuff. Anyways, the Audiovox CEO's are looking at whether or not the Klipsch brand that they would be purchasing would allow them to acheive the future market penetration they would need in a saturated industry in order to achieve the growth that a public company needs to see.....the purchase isn't gonna happen if they don't see a strong brand with future potential. I definitely would expect to see an increase in mass market goods, but Klipsch needs to get structured that way to survive in our culture. This piddly little forum certainly does not have enough people to support the company, and we're the only place that the image of the Heritage and other unsellable product exists....and everyone here is obsessed with the used market or DIY. I would love to see a company like Audiovox come in and provide the backbone and logistics structure to actually do mass market correctly, and then maybe the highend speakers that carry the brand image can last a few more years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Looks like everyone has thier MBA and crystal balls out. All I know is that Fred will be getting a nice payday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 So when do we get to see the concept drawings of the new speaker badges and logos, "Klipsch by Audiovox?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Looks like everyone has thier MBA and crystal balls out. All I know is that Fred will be getting a nice payday. One hopes. Not all acquisitions result in big chunks to owners. It depends on the company's performance and asset value. As far as Audiovox, who cares what they will or will not do with Klipsch? I think Doc's comments are right. The Heritage and big speaker lines are dying out. I suppose the big speakers migth be hanging in there as regards TV surround sound. As I recall hearing, PWK made the comment, "What the world needs is a great 5-watt amp" (or something like that). These are new times. I think the statement which is most appropriate now is, "What the world needs is a great speaker system about the size of an electric can-opener." If all the Heritage and big speaker stuff goes away, just think of the possibilities for a number of small entrants into the manufacturing market. Better start downloading the design plans before it's too late! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Also, the Klipsch Group itself is really no different than a smaller Audiovox....they aren't even dedicated to audio brands, but own companies that sell garage doors and who knows what other stuff. I would so dig a garage door with a PWK logo on it. It's all about the logo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 When you hear the name Audiovox, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For me it's battery operated headphones, cheap plastic components. Disposable audio. This is how they make their money. Has anyone ever longed for an Audiovox product? Had to save up for their dream Audiovox component? I personally hope for the best, and expect the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Does anyone remember what happened to Harley Davidson once AMF got ahold of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 When you hear the name Audiovox, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For me it's battery operated headphones, cheap plastic components. Disposable audio. This is how they make their money. Has anyone ever longed for an Audiovox product? Had to save up for their dream Audiovox component? I personally hope for the best, and expect the worst. I would consider most Klipsch products as disposable. Not my Heritage line, but all those computer speakers, headphones and such. This is the way of progress. The computer goes out; get a new one. The TV goes on the blink; get a new one. Speakers aren't that much different, except the ones where it costs more to make the boxes than the rest of the components held in the box. Speakers as furniture are a different animal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 7, 2011 Moderators Share Posted January 7, 2011 Audiovox is not Klipsch, (yet), I wonder if this is how Jamo, Mirage, and Energy felt when Klipsch bought them out ? Klipsch group is a step up in real audio for Audiovox, They would be smart to keep and further that appearance, we hope they do. I hope there are only good changes for Klipsch employees, the people I have had a chance to know really care about the products and reputation, good luck. Poop happens [O] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If a company were going to buy Klipsch I wish it was Tannoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Well apparently the young and naive is more informed about how Audiovox operates today. Take a look at their long list of branding. I never claimed any real knowledge about Audiovox but also never included a disclaimer. Being in the CES industry you're probably much more aware. . What I've read here suggests they have some brands that aren't really the brands anymore but in all fairness some of those mentioned such as Jensen and AR may have really become just a brand long before Audiovox acquired them. Larger company does mean easier penetration into more markets which yes is required to survive in the audio business. So this could allow Klipsch to enter car audio say as they've entered the HTIB (very well, the Synergy, HD lines offer incredible bang for the buck) we may get affordable Klipsch car audio which could lead to high end Klipsch car audio. If the more mass market products do well it can fund the highend so the Klipschorn may never die if all goes well. To be truthful I don't know much about Audiovox other than the Audiovox branded products I've seen aimed squarely at the mass market and nothing great but maybe ok. I'm assuming Audiovox is owned by the Japanese? If so that can actually be a good thing as the Japanese revere the classic US Audio equipment (electronics at least so probably speakers too) and may be better stewards of the Klipsch brand than greedy American businessmen (not that Japanese businessmen aren't as greedy and cutthroat...). Fred and his family I don't think fall into that overly greedy type of businessmen, his name is Klispch after all, and this may be a great opportunity for him and his family to cash in a bit but probably still remain active and most importantly remove the stress of keeping the Klipsch enterprise afloat and may ensure it lives on for several more decades. The difficult part will be keeping the current culture from being overly corporatized. If allowed to operate pretty much like today then all should be good and maybe much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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