AV Quick Takes: Sony Acquires Headphone Maker Audeze

In
what will likely prove to be a brilliant business move, Sony Interactive
Entertainment has entered into an agreement to acquire Audeze, the
California-based manufacturer of some of the world’s best headphones. (Sony
Interactive Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group
Corporation — essentially the company’s PlayStation division). Terms of the
transaction, including the acquisition cost, have been withheld “due to
contractual commitments.” The acquisition
will surely bolster Sony’s efforts to offer innovative and immersive audio
experiences for PlayStation customers. It should also afford Audeze the
opportunity to take advantage of Sony’s vast resources when developing new
headphone products, both for audiophile customers and for the PlayStation
ecosystem. Audeze currently designs and manufactures high-end headphones for
purist audiophiles and audio professionals, but also makes more
consumer-oriented products for gamers. Interestingly, sound engineers at many
game development studios use Audeze headphones.

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. 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.

—
Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Experience at Sony Interactive
Entertainment

Sony
Interactive provides Audeze with a unique opportunity to scale our business, as
we continue with our mission to deliver best-in-class headphones to recording
professionals, audiophiles, and gamers. We’re
also looking forward to contributing to Sony Interactive’s efforts to take
PlayStation audio experiences to the next level.

—
Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO of Audeze

The
announcement of the acquisition came almost immediately after Gamescom 2023 in
Cologne, Germany, where
Sony spilled the beans on its new PlayStation Pulse Explore wireless earbuds
($199.99) and Pulse Elite gaming headset ($149.99), both of which use a new
“PlayStation Link” wireless tech that promises lossless audio and low-latency
performance. (The Pulse Elite headset will replace the Pulse 3D headset mentioned in the quote
above.) Both of the new models also use planar magnetic drivers. While Audeze didn’t
invent planar magnetic headphones, the company is without a doubt one of the
world’s top authorities on the technology.

The LCD-5 planar magnetic headphones
($4,500) are considered among of the best audiophile headphones available, and
the $299 Audeze Maxwell gaming headset for PlayStation is perhaps the best
gaming headset on the market today. (The Audeze Maxwell for Xbox costs $329 and
is similarly admired by gamers.) Given that Audeze specializes in planar
magnetic driver technology, there is now widespread speculation that Audeze had
a hand in designing Sony’s new Pulse Explore earbuds and Pulse Elite headset.

(The
Pulse Explore and Pulse Elite)
are the first PlayStation audio devices to use custom-designed planar
magnetic drivers for an audiophile-level listening experience normally found in
premium headphones for professional sound engineers. We’re pleased to be one of the first
companies to provide wireless earbuds to the mass consumer market using planar
magnetic driver technology.

—
Hideaki Nishino

The
lossless PlayStation Link wireless technology used by the Pulse Explore and
Pulse Elite communicates with the PS5 via an included USB dongle, but no dongle
is needed when connecting to Sony’s new PlayStation Portal, a $200 remote play
device for the PS5 — it’s basically a DualSense wireless controller with its
own 8-inch 1080p LCD screen. Presumably, later versions of the PS5 will have
PlayStation Link built in, but one interesting wrinkle is that the USB adapter
needed for the current PS5 will also be sold separately as a standalone item,
allowing the Pulse Explore and Pulse Elite to be used with a PC or Mac. Both models will offer a wide
array of gaming features, including Sony’s Tempest 3D Audio system. Shipping
dates have not been specified, but I’d expect to see all of these new Sony
products in time for the holidays.