European Return for Onkyo, Integra and Pioneer

Today Premium Audio Company (PAC) has officially announced that its Onkyo, Integra, and Pioneer audio video solutions will be available for order through its existing network of distribution and retail partners in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

In September 2021, PAC acquired the Onkyo and Integra brands through its joint venture with Sharp, and, through VOXX, it established a licensing and distribution agreement with Pioneer Corporation. The joint venture includes all intellectual property and responsibility for product development, engineering, sales, marketing, and distribution of Onkyo's home entertainment business. As part of the joint venture, Sharp assumed all manufacturing of these products, which includes a variety of A/V and stereo receivers, amplifiers and hi-fi components under the Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer, and Pioneer Elite brands.

Let's get the "Onkyo is dead" news out of the way first. The story, which appeared in Nikkei, was quoted by some members of the audio press. This was based on the 76-year-old Japanese hi-fi brand Onkyo filing for bankruptcy with the Osaka District Court. However, Onkyo home entertainment AV solutions lives on in new hands since September 2021 through joint ownership between Premium Audio Company and Sharp.

Premium Audio Company comprises three subsidiaries and includes brands such as Klipsch, Jamo, Mirage, ProMedia, Magnat, Heco, Mac Audio, Teac, and Esoteric.

Paul Jacobs, President and Chief Executive Officer of Premium Audio Company, told StereoNET:

Demand for Onkyo, Integra and Pioneer products has been very high, and we expect this to intensify in the coming years. We have been working very closely with Sharp to ramp up production and have grown our business significantly since the acquisition was completed. We have big plans for Onkyo and the other brands, and as we build production and expand distribution, we believe sales will more than double in the near term.

We are told that "inventory" from Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer and Pioneer Elite will be available this autumn.