Sony Purchases Audeze

This is big. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (“SIE”) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Audeze, a leading audio technology brand and pioneer of high-end gaming headphones. The acquisition will strengthen SIE’s efforts to continue innovating when it comes to the audio experience of PlayStation games.

[Jin_Sakai]

Great get. Audeze makes probably the best gaming headset on the market which use planar magnetic drivers.

[Garethvk]

Very true.

[LordoftheCritics]

Big buy.

They make top tier headsets.

[purple101]

The new Sony headsets all use those. Coincidence?

[jznrpg]

Nope

[darthv72]

i have a feeling this was always the plan but Sony had to wait to announce this merger until after their new headsets were revealed.

[Aussiesummer]

And the worst usb dongles in existence, at least sony can fix that.

[Vits]

Well, the good news is that their new headsets are probably going to be much better given how well Audeze is regarded. But it is a weird purchase, given that Sony is already a leader in the audio industry. So they could very well just apply their own knowledge and tech to improve their lousy gaming headsets instead of buying a competitor.

[purple101]

correct and it seems the best will only get better

[mandf]

Their headsets aren't lousy

[GameBoyColor]

Their gaming headsets are, all of them have been mediocre compared to Sonys actual line of headphones and even other gaming headsets. This is a big buy for Sony if it brings the quality of playstation headsets up.

[Neonridr]

if you think there's something special about the current lineup of gaming headsets available from Sony then you clearly don't have knowledge of other headsets out there. They aren't bad in the same regard that Beats headphones aren't "bad".

Not being bad doesn't make them good.

[ChronoJoe]

Not with planars though, which are becoming more and more popular. Audeze own a lot of proprietary technology related to their planar magnetic drivers. So I imagine that would be the primary motivation for the acquisition.

[Bobertt]

I have bought the top model of the Playstation headsets for the PS3 and PS4 and while they all sounded great they were not durable and the cheap plastic always broke. Hopefully this acquisition leads to more durable headsets made of metal. I saw the new Pulse Elite they announced and i can already tell that bend they added will be the weak point where it will break.

[jznrpg]

I have the same headsets and they all look nearly new. It’s all about how you take care of your stuff really.

[Bobertt]

@jznrpg i took care of all my headsets only the Sony ones broke maybe you don't use them as much. I switched to Astro A50s because they were made of metal and they never broke.

[OG_TK_Cole]

Having Good Audio is different than being Audiophile Greatness. Audeze is Audiophile Greatness, Which is something all companies in the Headphone business strive to be. SONY has always has Good Audio, but they were never what you call Scientifically Great. Being a Audiophile is a Science.

[Goosejuice]

That's not entirely true. Sony makes some pretty good studio headphones that quite a few artists use. The problem is pricing as they aren't for normal consumers. Sony has stuff in almost every category when it comes to audio. But they don't have planar tech like audeze does.

[crazyCoconuts]

Wonder why this is SIE vs. like whatever division of Sony that makes headphones... I probably just don't understand how they have their divisions organized. Or there's something gaming specific here?

[Vengeance1138]

It's SIE because Audeze makes specifically "Gaming" Headphones.

[Resistance_lord]

They are known for making high-end headsets not just "Gaming" headphones.

[Goosejuice]

Audeze makes some of the best studio headphones around. Gaming is actually pretty new to them still. All they have is Penrose and now the maxwell.

[Vengeance1138]

Interesting to note that Audeze stated they will not go exclusive to Sony, but will continue to be multiplatform.

[neutralgamer1992]

Makes sense why limit your market. This way Sony gets even more revenue

[Eonjay]

This. And while a good audio experience is important to gaming, simply having the best headphones isn't really going to drive console sales higher.
You can dominate an industry without reducing access..

[raWfodog]

Definitely the smarter move. Don't shrink your market.

[Wikkid666]

Sony isn't just Playstation

[ChronoJoe]

Most likely the case, but I would expect that on PlayStation platforms they end up with deeper software level integration akin to their Pulse headsets.

[ChasterMies]

This follows Sony’s current strategy for selling gaming peripherals. They already have platform agnostic headsets and monitors.

[TheColbertinator]

How is it pronounced? AU DEEZ?

[Lionsguard]

Au Deez nutz

[Name Last Name]

walked right into that one 😂

[attilayavuzer]

Like odyssey

[Goosejuice]

I actually just pre ordered Audeze MM-100 a couple weeks ago.

[FortWaba]

Audeze nuts.

[porkChop]

Hmm. Audeze is a good brand but Sony already have a great audio/headphone business. Seems a bit odd to buy another one and place them specifically under PlayStation. Audeze isn't a gaming-focused brand either.

[Goosejuice]

It says audeze will remain independent so they will run like usual. I think Sony wants them due to thier tech in planars and using it in the ps headsets

[porkChop]

I get that, but I'm saying that putting them under a gaming brand doesn't make sense because Audeze isn't a gaming brand. It would have made more sense to just put them under Sony itself. PlayStation could still use their tech/hardware.

[Goosejuice]

That's true but I think it's because within last few years sony has been shuffling money around to give playstation division more money to spend for acquisition.

[S2Killinit]

I didnt know about these headsets

[Jin_Sakai]

They’re amazing. Planar Magnetic Drivers are in a league of their own. Rtings.com noted the Audeze Maxwell as the best gaming headset on the market.

[Neonridr]

It's also $400

[Jin_Sakai]

“It's also $400”

Yes it’s expensive but I’m pretty sure it warrants the price being the best gaming headset on the market.

[Inverno]

Came for the audeze, stayed for the nuts.
I hope they don't limit them to game headphones. I'd love for them to improve on the open backs link buds they made.

[Aussiesummer]

I have the inzone h7 and a pair of audeze and the sony h7 sound and feel better, the one thing the penrose do better is crazy bass but the usb dongle is terrible and they glitch out alot.

[Profchaos]

Weird buy considering Sony's Bluetooth headsets are extremely high quality and some of the best why not leverage that tech in the gaming space

[SegaSaturn669]

What on earth is sony gonna do with asthma medication?

[Babadook7]

Wow. So do the pulse elite and new earbuds feature that companies tech?

[Grilla]

They are both apparently using planar magnetic drives.

[Babadook7]

My interest in either of these products (Pulse Elite, Pulse Explore), just went up.

[ken2813]

Sony, Sony, Sony! We said purchase studios not audios… smh

[GrmpyolGamer]

I demand that the FTC and the CMA block the deal and if they don't I will personally be contacting POTUS

[DivineHand125]

This is a massic win for Sony

[boing1]

Patents.

[NextGenCeo]

This is big news. I think Playstation 6 will use this purchases with sound tech and headset's.

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

Whoa didn't see that coming. Audeze makes some of the most high quality, high end, audiophile grade headsets in the market. Interested to see where this goes with Sony.

[OG_TK_Cole]

Like I said on Twitter,This was a smart move by SONY because Audeze is audiophile greatness. Also Audeze owns a lot of patents and currently develops some of the best headphones on the market.

[cloganart]

Audeze Nutz

[1nsomniac]

So good that Ive never heard of them.

They sound like a cheap Amazon brand. Or a set you’d find at a WHSmith shop in an airport.

[AKS]

I wasn't expecting this. After Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic, Audeze would be one of the brands I'd be looking at for a new headset. They make some high end gear, far above the typical "gamer" brand headsets. I was looking at the Penrose until I realized it uses a USB dongle, too risky in terms of hostile cat attack, so I went with a 3.5mm jack Drop/ Sennheiser PC38x instead.