Westone Audio and Etymotic—both well known in the professional audio world and among serious in-ear enthusiasts—have been acquired by Fidelity Collective.
Acquisitions within the audio and AV industry continue to follow one another at a rapid pace. Specialized companies increasingly struggle to survive independently in today’s market. Part of the reason is that less expensive products—often costing only a fraction of true high-end gear—sound perfectly fine to the vast majority of consumers. After all, why spend €5,000 when you can buy something quite decent for €500? The often extremely high pricing within the high-end segment may also play a role.
Developments like these—and undoubtedly many others—are leading to declining revenues for smaller and niche-oriented companies. That alone makes them relatively easy targets for investors, sometimes even from completely unrelated industries.
Fortunately, that does not appear to be the case with Fidelity Collective. In fact, it strongly seems as though the holding company was specifically created to house Westone Audio and Etymotic. Fidelity Collective’s CEO is Sam Roney, known from companies such as Dekoni Audio and Grell Audio.
The deal was finalized in mid-May, after which the news gradually became public worldwide. Here’s hoping both brands enjoy a healthy and prosperous future under their new owner.