McIntosh Aquired Again

[80B]

Originally Posted by audioguy3107

Here's a link to their product portfolio.....pretty diverse:

https://highlander-partners.com/portfolio/

company description: Highlander Partners is a Dallas-based private investment firm, with over $2.0 billion in assets under management. The firm is uniquely positioned by using its own proprietary capital for investments. It invests on a global basis, including offices in Warsaw, Poland and Bucharest, Romania. Since its founding in 2004, the firm has completed over 80 majority control transactions in eight countries throughout North America and Europe for transaction values exceeding $4.0 billion, as well as direct minority investments throughout Asia.

Looking at all their holdings (and nothing else on which to base this opinion), you really have to wonder if Mc will win or lose as a horse in that stable. Kind of reminds me of the conglomerates like ITT back in the days when they wore skinny ties and an MC275 sold for three digits.

[cleeds]

What a surprise - I sure didn't see this coming. I suppose the good news is that Charlie Randall remains on board, and can only hope that the new owners truly understand the value and culture of the company. Mac has a great history, but I think it sometimes endured in spite of its owners at the time.

[Maks]

Maybe new ownership can convince them to accept that e-commerce is a thing and allow dealers to sell all Mc products online. If I order the MCD12000 without a demo, I'm not giving thousands away to a dealer that did nothing other than tell Mc to drop ship to me.

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by cleeds

I suppose the good news is that Charlie Randall remains on board.

Charlie is getting rather 'long in the tooth' and my guess is he will retire in another year or two.

Do hope the new owners don't change much. Perhaps add an "analog looking" dial on the new MR89, but not much else.

[W9TR]

Fine Sounds purchased McIntosh from D+M Holdings, a Bain company, in 2012.
In 2014 Charlie Randall and Mauro Grange purchased Fine Sounds with two private equity partners. They subsequently purchased Audio Research, Wadia, Sumiko, and some others I may have forgotten. Somewhere along the way they changed the company name to McIntosh Group and sold Audio Research back to an employee group.

Fast forward to 2022 and it’s likely the original private equity partners were looking for an exit. 8 years is a long hold time in the private equity world. So this in not unexpected, and portends nothing.

At least the current owners have a good pro sound company in their portfolio.

[John Jordan]

Hopefully this is a good thing. Would hate to see McIntosh go back to the Clarion days or become a bling focused luxury brand.

Also, not crazy of the e commerce thing; paying full list sight unseen and sound unheard IMO is crazy. One of the hallmarks of the McIntosh brand is customer service. Personally, at this level, a shop that cannot provide A to B comparisons of products is not worthy of my business.

YOMDEV (Your Opinion May be Different but Equally as Valid).

Enjoy the Sounds,

John

[Thebenz]

Their headquarters is about 10 minute from my house so if anyone ever wants to complain I will go and protest 😂.
There was statewide panic 2 years ago when a Chicago based company bought Whataburger. I just hope we don't see McIntosh available at Walmart.

[j3brow]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

Do hope the new owners don't change much. Perhaps add an "analog looking" dial on the new MR89, but not much else.

They wanted to keep the dial but couldn’t. The company that made the analog dial, stopped making them. This info is from a McIntosh employee, Kenneth Zelin. I think we all agree the dial is beautiful.

[W9TR]

McIntosh has been owned by private equity firms since 2003. They have done quite well I think. The bad old days were when they were owned by Clarion.

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by W9TR

Fine Sounds purchased McIntosh from D+M Holdings, a Bain company, in 2012.
In 2014 Charlie Randall and Mauro Grange purchased Fine Sounds with two private equity partners. They subsequently purchased Audio Research, Wadia, Sumiko, and some others I may have forgotten. Somewhere along the way they changed the company name to McIntosh Group and sold Audio Research back to an employee group.

Fast forward to 2022 and it’s likely the original private equity partners were looking for an exit. 8 years is a long hold time in the private equity world. So this in not unexpected, and portends nothing.

At least the current owners have a good pro sound company in their portfolio.

A bit of chronological clarity:

Quadrivio (https://www.quadriviogroup.com/en) purchased ARC in 2008. They already owned Sonus faber at the time. The Fine Sounds name came into play in 2010 when they also purchased Sumiko and Wadia. Mac was the last addition to the group in 2012.

ARC was sold to a former employee, not to an employee group, about 18 months ago.

Not that any of this changes the current situation.