Denon up for Sale - Best Buy and Kenwood Bidding

[admin]

This has been a month of topsy turvy business decisions. Earlier this week we heard that Blockbuster is considering the purchase of ailing Circuit City. Before that, Apple leapfrogged both Amazon.com and Wal-Mart to become the #1 music retailer. But now, a recent flurry of domestic and Japanese market activity has all that topped.

Denon is for sale for around $700 million.

Discuss "Denon up for Sale - Best Buy and Kenwood Bidding" here. Read the article.

 

[birdonthebeach]

all I can say is...wow!

 

[emorphien]

I don't like this... all of D&M... to Kenwood, Best Buy (worst idea ever). Not sure really who I'd be comfortable seeing those brands be purchased by.

 

[EJ1]

Weird things happening all over the place.

 

[Seth=L]

LMAO, Kenwood.

 

[satish536]

LMAO, Kenwood.

Same here lol

 

[dtaylor0319]

Was or is Denon facing going into receivership? Anyone know or heard rumour of why they are selling?

 

[TLS Guy]

This is an acceleration of the race to the bottom we all feared.

This has a number of root causes.

The cost of developing software driven microprocessor circuit boards and devices.

The huge production runs required for custom microprocessor chips for unique devices. In other words this modern technology is limiting of choice, because of the production runs required.

The high end loony lobby have a lot to answer for here. By pushing superstition over objective science they have driven up the costs of units made by fine specialist firms like McIntosh. This has not brought any benefit, but prevented attention to sound engineering principles that may have made a difference.

They have made phobic claims against digital technology and solid state devices.

The result has been the production of elitist equipment at great expense and frequently inferior to mass produced equipment.

Because of this we have witnessed the disappearance of well founded specialist firms who were a benchmark for audio standards.

Who is replacing firms such McIntosh and Quad electro acoustics?

The over whelming psychological drive on the part of management of modern corporations to create larger, less innovative and inefficient organizations continues apace.

The thought of McIntosh being owned by either Best Buy or Kenwood fills me with dread, to say nothing of Denon and Marantz.

 

[nick1000000]

700 million? I will buy two

 

[Jack Hammer]

Wasn't Kenwood considered a decent mid-fi company many years ago, or am I confusing them with someone else? Either way I'll be sorry to see a brands like Denon and Marantz turn into the next Insignia type brand. Hopefully that won't happen,

Jack

 

[gene]

Folks this is what I refer to as the Dumbing Down on Audio:

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/the-dumbing-down-of-audio

 

[Seth=L]

Wasn't Kenwood considered a decent mid-fi company many years ago, or am I confusing them with someone else? Either way I'll be sorry to see a brands like Denon and Marantz turn into the next Insignia type brand. Hopefully that won't happen,

Jack

Insignia has always been OEM to the cheapest company, so chances are if Best Buy gets ahold of these companies something to a similar affect could occur.

Kenwood is still alive in the home audio realm out of the states, mostly micro systems though. Their micro systems rival Teac, JVC, Onkyo, Denon, and Yamaha offerings.

 

[Nomo]

As a Yamaha fan I should probably be viewing this as a Packer victory over the Vikings.

That would be a short sighted reaction.

Admittedly, I've always viewed Denon as a slightly over priced alternative to the more reasonable brands such as Yamaha and Onkyo. I've never felt that Denon gave enough "bang for the buck".

OK, confession over.

I don't see anything good coming from this.

Not only does it potentially diminish the quality of one the cornerstone companies in the CE industry, but more to the point will leave the ones left standing, the aforementioned, faced with a choice akin to that of Sears when Walmart took over, cheapen yourselves or die.

I'm not liking this at all.

 

[surveyor]

How about Kennonwood!
Kenwood made some good stuff back in the seventies and eighties.
How about KenMacDennonWood!!

 

[Seth=L]

Kenwood makes some cool stuff dude.

 

[MapleSyrup]

¿Adios Denon?

Kenwood controling Denon, Marantz, Escient? That's just not right. now, if Best Buy's partnership with Magnolia holds out, that could prove beneficial. Quite frankly, Magnolia *needs* more Denon products to offer. They need to offer Denon's new separates, and flagship receivers and DVD players as well.

 

[MapleSyrup]

Wasn't Kenwood considered a decent mid-fi company many years ago, or am I confusing them with someone else? Either way I'll be sorry to see a brands like Denon and Marantz turn into the next Insignia type brand. Hopefully that won't happen,

Jack

When I bought my Yamaha receiver some 25 years ago, Kenwood was a big player in home hi-fi gear. I remember them though mostly for car audio.

 

[stratman]

The bottom line will be written by whoever ends up with Denon and what's their mindset. If BB acquires Denon it wouldn't be far from them to cheapen the product, mediocre insides with a pretty face on the outside to keep profit margin high and production costs on the floor, think of Insignia guts, Denon faceplate.

 

[GlocksRock]

Wow, this is surprising, hopefully the quality and name brand won't suffer too much. This is kinda like the Maxtor/Seagate thing.

 

[stratman]

How many brands can you guys remember were "high-end/high-quality" before being bought out by a giant conglomerate, say Harmon International?