One of the leaders of high-end headphones has a new owner, as Sony’s PlayStation arm takes hold of a headphone maker.
It’s not unusual to see sound specialists get swallowed up from time to time, particularly when that company can do great things for other brands.
Take when Samsung bought Harman, which then saw AKG used in Samsung phones and tablets, to name a few. Since that acquisition, Samsung’s understanding of sound has become a lot better overall.
Denon also recently acquired Australia’s Nura, with Denon releasing a Denon-branded version of the NuraTrue Pro, as well.
Denon’s acquisition isn’t the only sound company to join up with another this year, though. Audiophile-brand Audeze has also seen itself join forces with Sony, it seems.
Specifically, Audeze will join Sony Interactive Entertainment, what is ostensibly known as the PlayStation side of Sony, with the maker of the PS5 likely to use Audeze’s expertise in planar magnetic headphones to build some high-end PlayStation-themed headphone gear.
As it is, Sony has been dabbling with more headphone options for the PlayStation, playing in the competitive world of gaming headphones, and they aren’t alone.
In the past few years, Audeze has taken its high-grade headphones from audiophile HiFi to the world of gaming, offering in-ear and larger headphone equivalents for people who like to game, and this is expected to continue for Sony.
“Audeze is a premier brand for headphones, and this acquisition highlights Sony Interactive’s focus on innovation and providing the best audio experience to PlayStation players,” said Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President for Platform Experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
“We’re excited to bring Audeze’s expertise into the PlayStation ecosystem, building on the great strides we’ve made with PlayStation 5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech and the Pulse 3D wireless headset.”
As for what headphones will come out of this acquisition, that remains to be seen, but we’re hoping it also means Audeze will keep building audiophile gear, especially given just how high-end some of its planar magnetic headphones really are.
