This week, after more than a year of speculation about a potential purchase, it was revealed that Masimo has entered a definitive agreement to sell its consumer audio brands to Harman International by the end of the year.
And while the business press may be picking apart the specifics around the money set to change hands, hi-fi consumers and music fans such as ourselves are more concerned about what it means for the specific audio brands involved.
One of the biggest is Bowers & Wilkins, one of the industry's most renowned audio brands, which looks set to have its third owner in only five years by the end of 2025.
And while some may feel the sky is falling when such acquisition news arises, I, as a journalist and music fan who has used, enjoyed and written about B&W products for decades, am cautiously optimistic for three key reasons.
1. Harman International is an AV company
Though it is owned by Samsung Electronics, Harman International is a massive global company in its own right.
So yes, there are concerns about how much attention all the brands set to join – including Denon, Marantz, Classé, Polk Audio and others – will get, if the deal goes through. Harman operates based on fiscal concerns and, as a global business, is susceptible to the demands of the consumer market in key territories.
But ultimately, it is an audio company with a proven history of delivering a variety of hi-fi and headphone products across various categories across the budget spectrum.
Though it was bought by Samsung Electronics in 2016, it still operates as a distinct entity focused specifically on established AV brands, which currently include Arcam, JBL, Mark Levinson and Revel, amongst many others.
As a result, unlike Masimo, which is primarily a medical technology company, Harman has the resources, knowledge and consumer focus for the audio brands it wants to acquire. Dave Rogers, president of Harman's Lifestyle Division, said as much during the deal’s announcement.
“This acquisition represents a strategic step forward in the expansion of Harman’s core audio business and footprint across key product categories such as Home Audio, Headphones, Hi-fi components, and Car Audio," he said.
Does that mean there won’t be some bad news for certain brands? No. Harman is a business, after all, and cutthroat decisions have been made before during previous acquisitions.
When Samsung acquired Harman, AKG, a former headphone powerhouse, stopped producing its own headphones for a long time as its team became dedicated to powering and developing Samsung's own line of Galaxy wireless earbuds.
Many of the team also left to set up rival Austrian Audio headphones. AKG only returned to action last year with the launch of the AKG N9 and AKG N5 wireless headphones.
Other brands have also fallen of the radar since it took ownership. Lexicon Audio hasn't had much for us to cover in recent years, for example.
Could that happen to B&W? It's too early to tell... but I hope not. Considering it is a renowned brand with a rich, nearly 60-year-old history, I can’t imagine Harman wanting to rock the boat or make immediate changes to its identity, especially given how much love the hi-fi and general audio community have for it.
As someone who regularly checks our forum, on-site and social media comments, I know many of you have strong connections to B&W's products – and I can’t see Harman squandering that kind of legacy.
This is especially true right now with Harman's growing interest in car audio systems, where B&W already has an established presence.
2. It has a good record leaning into its brands’ distinct identities
AKG aside, Harman has also done a solid job maintaining the unique character and 'soul' of many of the larger audio brands it owns and for whatever reason, cares about.
Take Arcam as an example. Owned by Harman since 2017, the brand has maintained its focus on delivering no-frills hi-fi separates and AVRs, prioritising its delivery of exceptional sound quality for real-world money.
Recently, the brand has had a dedicated rebranding and focus for its new line of hi-fi electronics, not to mention a dedicated engineering and sound design team. This has resulted in some great products from Arcam, including the five-star and Award-winning Arcam A5 and Arcam A15 amplifiers.
You could say the same of Mark Levinson, to a degree. Though it doesn't make as many products as it used to, it has maintained its focus on delivering high-end top-of-the-line “precision and fidelity” when it does – a fact showcased by the five-star No. 5909 headphones and No.5805 stereo amplifier it has launched while under Harman ownership.
3. B&W is already doing pretty great
On top of all that, it’s worth remembering B&W has been doing very well, at least from our consumer-focused viewpoint.
Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen palpable performance improvements on many of its new generation speakers and headphones when we’ve gotten them in for review.
Take the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 as an example. These are the latest wireless headphones and the newest product from B&W we’ve tested.
During our review, our team found them to not only be a massive step forward on the older Px7 2Se, but also one of the best wireless headphones around at the moment – impressive considering the high competition in this category.
Hence why if you jump over to our buying guide right now, you will see them marked as the best option for audiophiles available right now.
The same is true of its speakers, which, while not uniformly five-star recommendations across all of its ranges, remain impressive and competitive in this space.
The Award-winning B&W 607 S3, for example, are the mid-range standmounts we recommend in our main best speakers guide. And its high-end Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 speakers remain an outstanding option for those with higher budgets.
For home cinema fans, our AV team remain huge fans of the associated B&W 606 and 607 S3 speaker package, which sits at the top of our best surround sound systems guide.
All of this adds up to make a great case for Harman letting B&W keep doing what it is doing (with added resources, of course), rather than interfere and make massive changes to its core offering.
And that’s why I’m cautiously optimistic that Harman International’s ownership could end up being a very good thing for B&W and its future.
MORE:
These are the most iconic Bowers & Wilkins products of all time
Our picks of the best bookshelf speakers
We rate the best headphones money can buy
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