Magnavox was an American electronics company. It was purchased by North American Philips in 1974, which was absorbed into Dutch electronics company Philips in 1991. The predecessor to Magnavox was founded in 1911 by Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, co-inventors of the moving-coil loudspeaker at their lab in Napa, California, under United States Patent number 1,105,924 for telephone receivers. Six decades later, Magnavox produced the Odyssey, the world's first home video game console.
A subwoofer is a loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-pitched audio frequencies, known as bass and sub-bass, that are lower in frequency than those which can be (optimally) generated by a woofer. The typical frequency range that is covered by a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below 80 Hz in THX-certified systems. Thus, one or more subwoofers are important for high-quality sound reproduction as they are responsible for the lowest two to three octaves of the ten octaves that are audible. This very low-frequency (VLF) range reproduces the natural fundamental tones of the bass drum, electric bass, double bass, grand piano, contrabassoon, tuba, in addition to thunder, gunshots, explosions, etc.
Aiwa is a Japanese consumer electronics brand of Aiwa Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Towada Audio holdings. The current company was established in 2017 and creates mainly audio products; the brand is also licensed to or owned by other companies in different regions of the world, producing various electronics.
Bose Corporation is an American manufacturing company that predominantly sells audio equipment. The company was established by Amar Bose in 1964 and is based in Framingham, Massachusetts. It is best known for its home audio systems and speakers, noise cancelling headphones, professional audio products and automobile sound systems. Bose has a reputation for being particularly protective of its patents, trademarks, and brands.
Electrolux AB is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool.
Kenwood is a Japanese brand of consumer electronics. It has been owned by JVCKenwood since October 2011, when Kenwood Corporation merged with JVC. Kenwood manufactures audio equipment such as AM/FM stereo receivers, cassette tape decks/recorders, amateur radio (ham) equipment, radios, cellular phones, speakers, and other consumer electronics.
Harman Kardon is a division of US-based Harman International Industries, an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Harman Kardon was originally founded in Westbury, New York, in 1953 by business partners Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon.
Infinity Systems is an American manufacturer of loudspeakers founded in Los Angeles in 1968 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Since 1983, Infinity has been part of Harman International Industries, which became a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics in 2017.
Westone is an American manufacturer of custom earpieces for the hearing healthcare market, hearing protection products, custom communications earpieces, clinical and audiological supplies, musicians hearing protection and in-ear monitors for professional musicians and audiophiles.
Monsoon is a brand of loudspeakers, originally automotive speaker systems and later computer speakers. Monsoon was originally associated with OEM-sourced automotive audio speaker systems, notably supplied on a number of General Motors products and then later expanded onto other manufacturers such as Volkswagen. The brand name was also licensed to Sonigistix, a Richmond, B.C., Canada company, and applied to their line of computer multimedia speakers.
The Faurecia Clarion Electronics Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of car audio, automotive navigation systems, AutoPCs, visual equipment, bus equipment, and communication equipment. It is since 2019 fully owned by Faurecia Clarion Electronics.
Soundcraftsmen was a manufacturer of high-end audio stereo components located in Santa Ana, California, United States.
Southern Audio Services is an American electronics manufacturer based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, chiefly recognized for its Bazooka Mobile Audio brand and product line. It focuses on mobile audio applications and accessories for cars and marine vehicles, and specializes in subwoofers mounted in a patented tube-styled design enclosure.
SpeakerCraft is an American manufacturer of custom-installed audio/video and home theater products based in Petaluma, California. Founded in 1976 by Edward Haase, Ken Humphreys, and Eugene Humphreys, the company evolved from a retail stereo store and original equipment manufacturer to a designer and installer of custom audio systems. Over the years, SpeakerCraft has developed proprietary technologies such as AIM, TIME, WavePlane, and MODE, and has produced more than 1000 products, including architectural speakers, subwoofers, and control systems. The company has experienced significant growth and multiple ownership changes, including its sale to Nortek, Inc. in 2004. SpeakerCraft is recognized for its innovative approach and quality products, despite some criticism regarding cost.
BGW Systems is a designer and manufacturer of audio power amplifiers based in Southern California in the United States. The company also manufactures other audio electronics designs as well as computer systems and sheet metal products.
JL Audio is an American manufacturer of consumer audio products. Known as one of the pioneers of the car audio industry, it manufactures marine, home, and mobile audio products, but are best known for their subwoofers.
Digital Designs, or DD Audio is an American manufacturer of high-end consumer audio products. They produce home and mobile audio products, serving the sound quality and sound pressure categories of the mobile audio market. Nearly all of their products are handmade in the United States. Digital Designs was established in 1986 in Southern California, but moved to Oklahoma City in 1991.
Velodyne Acoustics GmbH, commonly known as Velodyne, is a company that makes subwoofers and related products and was originally founded by David Hall in Silicon Valley, California, in 1983 and was then purchased in 2019 by Audio Reference of Hamburg, Germany, and its owner Mansour Mamaghani.
OPPO Digital is an overseas division of Chinese multinational company Oppo, sharing the brand name OPPO with the better known consumer electronics company Oppo. Established in 2004 in Menlo Park, California, US, it conducted all of its sales online. OPPO Digital offered audio and video equipment, including Blu-ray Disc players and personal audio products such as headphones.
A professional audio store is a retail business that sells, and in many cases rents, sound reinforcement system equipment and PA system components used in music concerts, live shows, dance parties and speaking events. This equipment typically includes microphones, power amplifiers, electronic effects units, speaker enclosures, monitor speakers, subwoofers and audio consoles (mixers). Some professional audio stores also sell sound recording equipment, DJ equipment, lighting equipment used in nightclubs and concerts and video equipment used in events, such as video projectors and screens. Some professional audio stores rent "backline" equipment used in rock and pop shows, such as stage pianos and bass amplifiers. While professional audio stores typically focus on selling new merchandise, some stores also sell used equipment, which is often the equipment that the company has previously rented out for shows and events.
