Bose buys McIntosh

What are the chances that any of the suits involved actually listen to anything other than their own voices? Would love to hear from an engineer about the changes down the road. 

Wow!  This forum sounds like someone threw a firecracker in a chicken coup.

I've seen corporate acquisitions/takeovers as a dealer who put his heart and soul, reputation, and more than a few shillings into brands we were passionate about.  This included taking the brand (or even a product category) from a virtual unknown, to market dominance. These takeovers were sometimes neutral, sometimes beneficial, and sometimes an emotional and financial disaster for us.  Watching an esteemed  brand you took years, space, dollars, and human interaction to build, converter to an over-distributed, dumbed-down commodity can be down right brutal (on many levels).

It is dependent on the corporate strategy starting from the top, working its way to regional managers, to the boots on the ground guys/gals that come face to face with the dealer network -- and, the end user -- the customer.  I'm hoping that Bose maintains the Mac staffers who understand the brand and what makes it work. 

I doubt if we're going to see McIntosh hybrid SS/tube amps bulked stacked at Costco any time soon.

And, on yeah, Volkswagen owns Porsche and Lamborghini. 

Why Porsche is the most overrated and overpriced brand in the world. “Look at me!! I bought a $200k 911 that cost $20k to manufacture. Is there anything more representative of a status symbol other than Rolex?

@williesaid glad I am not the only one who finds the Mac design an eyesore. The combination of ostentatious and ugly is a punch 1-2. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives.

We might see some mid-tier McIntosh & Sonus Faber models enter the Bose distribution channel, but prestige branding for the luxury auto market is the big score-- and Bose has lots to gain here. Who is winning?

Bose: Honda, Mazda, Porsche

McIntosh: Jeep

Harman Kordan: BMW, VW, Volvo, KIA

Burmester: Porsche, Mercedes, Ferrari

Mark Levenson: Lexus

JBL: Toyota

Meridian: Jaguar, Range Rover

B&W: McLaren, Aston Martin

Naim: Bentley

Bespoke Audio: Rolls Royce

B&O: Audi

Muskmobile*: Unbranded(?) Harman, JBL, Levinson, AKG

*Note: Musk reportedly uses Sonus Faber speakers in his home gaming system.