I'm a little surprised these four companies combined sold for only $350M.
Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
111–120 of 344 posts
Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really good call out, that the TV now often is the center of the AV experience, where-as the "receiver" (and amplifier) used to be driving the show. I really really wish there were digital audio decoder/processors available. It sucks so bad that you either buy a semi affordable consumer amplifier with 7.2.2 Dolby Atmos out and ok amplification, or if you want to step up you need a $4000+ processor whose only real job…
MiniDSP? https://www.minidsp.com/ I used their stuff for a four-speaker audio setup but they do affordable home theater devices as well.
MiniDSP doesn't do any bitstream decoding.
Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
Any article posted here about smart TVs draws a large number of comments about limitations and annoyances of smart TV platforms. 90+% of the things people complain about would no longer be a problem if they got a traditional A/V receiver, plugged all their sources such as streaming boxes and game consoles into the receiver, and just used the smart TV as a monitor (and as a tuner if they watch OTA television). Until t…
I don’t understand what an A/V receiver is for. Our setup: - An old LCD TV with 4(?) HDMI inputs and a few legacy ports. - linux box with hdmi out - apple tv with hdmi out - console with hdmi out - line out cable from TV to 1970’s receiver’s line in. - line out from sonos to another line in on the receiver. - roof antenna, with a Y to the TV and receiver - turntable - two extremely nice speakers (Before someone asks,…
It's for surround sound, really good surround sound you can't get from a soundboard. Once you go there you can't go back. It totally changes the experience. It has to be good, 7 channel surround with good speakers all around and audessy etc.
Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which one of those replaces a Denon AV receiver to accept a bunch of inputs in various formats (HDMI, phono, optical, etc) including Dolby Atmos and ARC support to drive a multi-room 15.4 speaker system?
Just pick better brands for your receiver. I have an Anthem pre and an LG TV, both of which are blocked from accessing the internet, and I have none of these issues.
I think the point is with Samsung acquiring these other brands there are now fewer options. Denon AVRs have been solid options for home theaters, particularly if you have many different inputs. People buy them because they want a Denon/Marantz. If they wanted to buy Samsung that option is already available. The concern is Samsung will mar the brands, removing semi-affordable, quality options and forcing people that don't want Samsung bloat into potentially even more expensive alternatives. You'd run into the same issue if Samsung acquired your audio equipment manufacturer of choice.
Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#115I'm a little surprised these four companies combined sold for only $350M.
Same. Quite surprised.
Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is why I love vintage audio. I’m sitting here listening to classical on FM radio on my Marantz 2215B made in the 1970s and it is what you are describing and sublime.
Same. Back in the mid 80s I spent way more than was sensible and bought myself seperate NAD pre/power amps, Boston Acoustic Speakers, and a Rega turntable for my birthday. I not only still have and use all that gear, but have since bought more of the same brands 2nd hand mostly from the same era, so I now have 5.1 surround in my lounge room, and stereo amp/speaker sets in my kitchen, office, bedroom, and guest bedroo…
I’d think there would be a market opportunity here. I have an old 70’s amp, and the switches/knobs are a bit noisy.
Sure, I spray it down with contact cleaner, and it fixes it for a few years each time, but the dial light bulbs are starting to burn out.
Most of its internals are hand soldered and switches /relays/etc that would be cheaper, better and more reliable with modern technology.
Even though it was hand wired, it didn’t cost much new (inflation adjusted), so why can’t anyone manufacture something with a similar amplifier but an automated assembly line and better control circuitry (and maybe a rpi header for electronic control) for, say, $1000 in 2025?
Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#117Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#118Now there are more avenues for Samsung to shove bloatware down our throats. I have a modestly high-end home theater and it is utterly maddening waiting for devices to “boot” and “handshake”. And after the wait, I’m presented with another “User Agreement” to sign that insists on shoveling ads down my throat and harvesting data. How much do you have to pay for a quick boot, no ads, and a private movie or music experien…
This is why I love vintage audio. I’m sitting here listening to classical on FM radio on my Marantz 2215B made in the 1970s and it is what you are describing and sublime.
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Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really good call out, that the TV now often is the center of the AV experience, where-as the "receiver" (and amplifier) used to be driving the show. I really really wish there were digital audio decoder/processors available. It sucks so bad that you either buy a semi affordable consumer amplifier with 7.2.2 Dolby Atmos out and ok amplification, or if you want to step up you need a $4000+ processor whose only real job…
Licensing is definitely strangling the market for Atmos decoders. If you have particular requirements you can always do it with ~$2k in Dolby software licenses and also ~$2k in converters. You cannot, unfortunately, DIY hardware for Atmos without an HDCP license. If you have one of those you can actually DIY something around a DSP like the ones Analog Devices sells preloaded with the IP. Then again if you have those…
Gee, look what fell out of the back of a truck:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/HDMI-1-4-Splitter-1-i...
$25 minimum order (for ten) + shipping and tariffs. No idea if these work, but they’re the top internet hit. The metadata says they do.
Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really good call out, that the TV now often is the center of the AV experience, where-as the "receiver" (and amplifier) used to be driving the show. I really really wish there were digital audio decoder/processors available. It sucks so bad that you either buy a semi affordable consumer amplifier with 7.2.2 Dolby Atmos out and ok amplification, or if you want to step up you need a $4000+ processor whose only real job…
MiniDSP? https://www.minidsp.com/ I used their stuff for a four-speaker audio setup but they do affordable home theater devices as well.
They don't do any of the Dolby decoding and multi-channel mixing. Their closest product is the miniDSP Flex HT which is really about applying EQ to a bunch of channels (only 8, aka 7.1 or 5.2.1) after they've been decoded by an upstream receiver. It's pretty niche.