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Harman International acquires Duran Audio

In September 2013 Harman acquired privately-held Duran Audio BV. The acquisition provides Harman with access to innovative electro-acoustic and software-based directivity control technologies including the successful AXYS Intellivox line of “steerable” columns. The AXYS products and core technologies became an integrated part of the Harman Professional audio product line. Following a successful ISE 2014 under the Harman Umbrella, Intellivox technology is showcased at InfoComm 2014, Las Vegas, Harman booth #C10122, and at the JBL Listening Demos in Room N101.
“The acquisition of Duran Audio BV bolsters Harman’s stated commitment to advance our technology leadership through both R&D and acquisitions,” said Dinesh C. Paliwal, Harman’s Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “Over the years, Duran Audio has established a distinct and loyal customer base built on innovative technology. By leveraging Duran’s unique product lines with Harman’s global footprint and product synergies, our business is optimally positioned to serve new customers around the world with expanded audio solutions.”
Echoing this viewpoint, Gerrit Duran, founder of Duran Audio noted, “Our focus has always been on innovation. Over the years we have developed a range of solutions for some of the most difficult problems facing sound system designers, architects and acoustic engineers. Today’s acquisition by Harman presents many wonderful opportunities to push the R&D boundaries even further and to deliver some truly unique technologies to a wider customer base.”
The addition of Duran Audio to Harman’s portfolio of commercial audio and lighting technology companies underscores Harman’s strategy to complement continued growth through targeted acquisitions in adjacent technology and product areas across all geographic and vertical markets.
Founded in Zaltbommel, The Netherlands by Gerrit Duran in 1981, Duran Audio has earned a strong reputation for its AXYS range of professional audio products including loudspeakers, amplifiers, signal processors and network devices. Duran Audio pioneered modern loudspeaker “beam steering” and “beam shaping” which are essential to addressing demanding acoustic environments. The company has also established a leading position in audio solutions for European EN-54 safety applications and software technologies for audio design.
JBL Intellivox
The biggest challenge facing a sound system designer is devising a system which will have a high direct to reverberant sound ratio, maximizing the sound that arrives directly to the listeners ear, while reducing the sound energy from walls, ceilings and other acoustically reflective surfaces. With the Intellivox DDC (Digital Directivity Control), DDS (Digital Directivity Synthesis) technologies, and WinControl software it's possible to control the vertical directivity pattern of Intellivox products and aim the sound where you want it: at the listener.
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