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Harman Sells Audioaccess To ATI

ELKHART, IND. — The Harman Performance
AV group sold off its Audioaccess
brand to Amplifier Technologies
Inc. (ATI), HPAV said in a Feb. 8 letter
to Audioaccess reps.

The sale “will allow HPAV to focus on
our core brands of Mark Levinson, Revel,
JBL Synthesis and Lexicon,” HPAV’s
letter said.

For Montebello, Calif.-based ATI, the
sale adds another brand to its portfolio.
About two years ago, ATI purchased
high-end audio supplier Theta Digital,
and before that, it bought pro-audio amp
maker BGW.

The sale also brings a complementary
product portfolio to the ATI stable.
Audioaccess markets multi-room-audio
and multi-room-A/V systems, inwall
keypad and touchscreen controllers,
and in-wall, in-ceiling and outdoor
speakers. ATI markets A/V processors,
two- and multichannel amplifiers, and
multiroom-distribution amplifiers. It is
also an OEM supplier of home and proaudio
amps.

For its part, Theta offers a highend
audio selection compared to ATI.
Theta’s selection includes a $10,625
preamp processor, monoblock
amps up to $12,500, DAC/preamps,
and a Blu-ray/SACD/DVD-Audio
transport.

As with the Theta Digital acquisition,
Audioaccess will be run as a separate division,
said Mark Cohen, who is in charge
of Audioaccess operations for ATI. On
Feb. 12, he said Audioaccess shipments
would resume in about 10 days.

ATI purchased the Audioaccess
brand, intellectual property and inventory,
he noted.

Audioacces was founded in 1987 and
purchased in 1993 by HPAV parent Harman
International. In 2003, Audioaccess’s
product-design and management
functions were assumed by Harman’s
JBL brand.

The HPAV group was formed more
than a year ago to consolidate sales and
marketing of high-end audio brands
Lexicon, Revel and Mark Levinson.
HPAV also took over responsibility for
the high-end JBL Synthesis brand and
for JBL speakers priced at about more
than $3,000/pair.

HPAV then launched a new distribution
strategy to incentivize dealers of
one brand to carry all HPAV brands.

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