Bose Corp has acquired audiophile brand McIntosh Group, with the group’s two renowned high-performance and luxury audio brands McIntosh and Sonus faber now falling under the Bose umbrella. The acquisition, which was conducted by McIntosh’s parent company Highlander Partners, was finalized on November 15 2024.

The deal creates a company with a combined 175 years of audio expertise.

“Over the last six decades we’ve delivered the best premium audio experiences possible; now, with McIntosh Group in our portfolio, we can unlock even more ways to bring music to life in the home, on-the-go and in the car,” said Lila Snyder, CEO of Bose Corporation, in a statement.

“We look forward to honoring [sic] the heritage of these brands, investing in their future and pushing the boundaries of audio innovation to bring customers experiences they’ve never heard before.”

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For Bose, the move is notable as a reversal of when the company sold its Bose Pro division in April 2023, selling off its integrator-focused business to focus on its more well-known consumer technology product lines. The Bose Pro line included architectural loudspeakers, amplifiers, signal processors and conferencing equipment. The unit was acquired by Transom Capital Group, a private equity firm.

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Under the McIntosh acquisition, Bose gains a broader exposure to the high-performance and luxury audio space through the portfolios of McIntosh and Sonus faber — with recent additions to the portfolios being the PS1K powered subwoofer and the Concertino G4 speaker, respectively.

McIntosh and Sonus faber, meanwhile, gain access to Bose’s 40-plus years of experience in the automotive sector, with both brands stated their interest in “exploring new opportunities in the automotive industry.”

Dan Pidgeon, McIntosh Group’s CEO states, “Gaining access to [Bose’s] expertise as a pioneer in automotive audio will also help us accelerate our presence and enable us to deliver solutions that are commensurate with our reputation and performance standards.”

Prior to the McIntosh acquisition, Bose had worked on sound systems that have been used in Chevrolet, Honda and even Porsche car brands, with the CEO of Bose Lila Snyder quoted as saying automotive makes up a third of Bose’s overall business.

McIntosh and Sonus faber, meanwhile, have had their own partnerships in the automotive sector, with Sonus faber providing the audio for Lamborghini and Maserati, while McIntosh makes the systems in Jeep’s Wagoneers and Grand Cherokees.

McIntosh Acquisition Unlikely to Change Core Product Focus

Bose has stated that following the acquisition it will continue to develop products and experiences in it usual categories such as headphones, earbuds, speakers, soundbars, and car audio while advancing critical technologies such as noise cancellation, hearing augmentation, and immersive audio through its research divisions.

Likewise, McIntosh and Sonus faber are expected to maintain their focus on amplifiers, loudspeakers, turntables, and other high-end products following the acquisition.

Both companies are on record as saying that there are plans, however, to release new products and bespoke offerings aimed at delivering “unparalleled listening experiences” by leveraging the expertise between the three separate brands.

Stay with CE Pro for more as this story develops.

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