Fine Sounds SpA of Milan, Italy, owner of Sonus Faber, Audio Research Corporation, Wadia Digital and Sumiko, has acquired 100 percent of McIntosh Laboratory, America's most respected and formidable producer of hi-fi system solutions and a global leader in prestige home entertainment and ultimate-quality audio for over 60 years. Fine Sounds is owned by Quadrivio, an Investment Management Company also based in Milan, Italy. The acquisition of McIntosh, a Binghamton, NY based company which had been previously owned by D+M Group, represents a marquee investment for the group, whose strategic direction is to offer products that are the best in the world in their category.
McIntosh rose to power in the '50s, '60s and '70s as the rock & roll movement emerged as the defining musical genre in America and throughout the world. Beginning with the Beatles' Shea Stadium performance in 1965, countless rock & roll acts became so popular that only huge stadiums could handle the crowds. It was McIntosh that ultimately pioneered systems capable of delivering clean, high-quality sound that could stand up to these vast arenas of screaming fans.
The first was the system assembled for Woodstock in 1969, where the rock festival's organizers were forced to develop a system capable of reaching to hundreds of thousands of fans. Five years later, the Grateful Dead – who would become the premier American touring band for a generation – unveiled its "Wall of Sound" on March 24, 1974, and set new standards for live performances with arguably the greatest PA system of all times. McIntosh amps drove both of those legendary systems.
In addition to exceptional quality sound, McIntosh is highly recognizable by its black glass front panels, "McIntosh Blue" amplifier power meters and iconic logo, which give the product its very distinctive, timeless identity. Fine Sounds and McIntosh believe the acquisition will deliver important benefits to McIntosh's customers, sales partners and employees by providing opportunities for building on Fine Sounds Group's product development capabilities, distribution synergies and financial resources. With Fine Sounds' support, McIntosh is now poised to elevate its brand to even higher acclaim, expand its distribution as well as its reach into new international markets.
"We are thrilled to welcome McIntosh, one of the industry's most illustrious brands, into our portfolio," says Mauro Grange, CEO of Fine Sounds Group. "McIntosh is dedicated to the highest caliber of high-end audio and is a perfect fit with our own culture and vision. We will treasure and protect the legacy of McIntosh as well as its people and reputation." "This acquisition represents a strategic direction for our company to be a leader in the international luxury audio arena, and to have products that are the best in the world in their category. With the distribution synergies we will have with our other outstanding brands, McIntosh will be positioned for substantially accelerated global growth."
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