Klipsch sells Aragon and Acurus brands to Indy Audio Labs

INDIANAPOLIS, USA: Klipsch purchased selected assets of the privately held Mondial Designs Ltd. in 2001, acquiring the Aragon and Acurus brands of high-end amplifiers, preamplifiers and processors. Now, the leading global manufacturer of loudspeakers is selling the rights to these electronics brands to two former Klipsch employees.

According to Mike Klipsch, president of the Klipsch brand, Klipsch purchased the brands because, at the time, it was aggressively seeking new ways to enhance its sound experience and wanted to develop perfectly matched, electronic solutions under the Aragon name.

However, a few years in, the electronics market underwent significant changes and Klipsch decided to cease production of the Aragon line in 2005, while still honoring warranty terms and offering customer support. “From that point on, we decided our product development and engineering teams needed to be completely focused on what we do best and that’s building high-performance loudspeakers,” he noted.

Today, the discontinuation of Aragon has opened new doors for former Klipsch electronics engineers Rick Santiago and Ted Moore. These two industry veterans, with 36 years of experience combined, have co-founded a new independent startup company called Indy Audio Labs, LLC and plan on developing and marketing new products under the Aragon and Acurus names. Indy Audio Labs will also assume full responsibility for the ongoing service and support of existing Aragon and Acurus products.

According to Santiago, IAL CEO, we are living in a time when traditional home entertainment experiences are being significantly re-defined and enhanced. “In our opinion, few manufacturers have been successful at providing the A/V realism and operational simplicity that consumers want, especially in this new digital media world. Indy Audio Labs is excited about developing future-ready entertainment products that exemplify the high-performance, reliability and ease-of operation of the classic Aragon and Acurus models,” he concluded.

Effective May 18, when people call the Aragon tech support line at (866) 781-7284 or the Aragon service line at (914) 693-8008, they will automatically be forwarded to Indy Audio Labs. Additional support information can be found at indyaudiolabs.com.

“Rick and Ted are extremely passionate individuals and have a very forward-looking vision for these two highly regarded electronics brands. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Aragon and Acurus,” concluded Klipsch.

THIEL Audio joins D-Tools manufacturer vantage point program

CONCORD, USA: D-Tools Inc., a leader in system integration software, announced that THIEL Loudspeakers, a leading manufacturer of premium loudspeakers for the home has joined the D-Tools Manufacturer Vantage Point (MVP) Program, making its detailed product specifications directly available to users of D-Tools System Integrator software for use in their client engagements.

"We’re pleased to join the D-Tools MVP program and we’re looking forward to working with their team to help custom integrators learn more about our high quality speakers, and in turn make them an attractive option for their clients," said Ken Dawkins, Vice President, North American Sales for THIEL. "By making our product specifications available to these integrators in the tools they use everyday, we can make it easier for them to recommend and include our products in their initial designs and proposals."

"We’re proud to announce THIEL as our newest MVP member," said Adam Stone, President of D-Tools. "The D-Tools user base is a savvy group of professionals who take pride in their ability to design and implement unique audio, video, and automation solutions to a diverse client base, and we are proud to add THIEL’s outstanding line of high performance speakers to our product database."

The D-Tools Manufacturer Vantage Point (MVP) program is designed to help provide system integrators with the most up-to-date product information to over 2,500 companies using D-Tools System Integrator software.

D-Tools MVP members are dedicated to helping companies streamline the design process and making it easier for system integrators and installers to provide accurate proposals to their clients.