Bose buys McIntosh, Sonus faber as it eyes expansion of in-car audio

Bose has acquired McIntosh Group, the company that owns McIntosh, Sonus faber, Sumiko Phono Cartridges, and several other brands in the audio space. Bose describes the acquisition as a strategic move that will “infuse its industry-leading audio research and technology into the high-performance and luxury space,” according to a press release. The details of the transaction were not included.

The joining of these two U.S.-based corporations appears to be aimed at expanding their reach into the automotive world, at least initially. Bose says it intends to leverage its 40-plus years of experience in automotive audio along with McIntosh’s performance and design to engineer “authentic in-car experiences that redefine automotive sound.”

Recently, much of the innovation in the automotive audio space has been centered around immersive formats like Dolby Atmos. Both Mercedes and Lucid have announced Atmos-capable systems, and in August 2024, Rivian revealed that it will offer Dolby Atmos Music via Apple Music, despite refusing to integrate Apple’s CarPlay technology.

Bose is no stranger to in-car audio: Its systems are a familiar sight to those who own cars made by Nissan, Mazda, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Porsche. At the same time, the company has been making big investments in spatial audio. Its most recent wireless headphones and wireless earbuds offer Bose’s Immersive Audio, a mode that can spatialize any stereo source for greater depth.

It has also been looking into ways it can create new immersive experience by merging its soundbars and earbuds. Its Personal Surround Sound feature lets owners of its Bose Ultra Open Earbuds use those buds to recreate surround speakers when connected to the company’s latest soundbars.

McIntosh recently began its own in-car efforts with Jeep. That partnership saw a premium McIntosh system offered as an optional upgrade for Jeep Grand Wagoneer buyers.

For its part, Sonus faber — the Italian audio brand that McIntosh Group has owned since 2007 — is also no stranger to in-car audio. Its systems can be found in cars from legendary Italian marques Lamborghini, Maserati, and Pagani.

“Over the last six decades we’ve delivered the best premium audio experiences possible,” said Bose CEO Lila Snyder. “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.”

McIntosh Group CEO Daniel Pidgeon echoed those sentiments: “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.”

McIntosh’s loyal fans will likely want to know if the brand will continue to create its iconic speakers, amps, and turntables now that they’re owned by a company best known for making active noise-canceling headphones. According to Bose, that’s the plan.

It says it will continue to work in its traditional areas of headphones, speakers, soundbars, car audio, noise cancellation, hearing augmentation, and immersive audio, while McIntosh and Sonus faber will maintain their focus on amplifiers, loudspeakers, turntables, and other high-end products.