Sound United to Oversee Polk, Definitive Technologies and BOOM

Polk Audio and Definitive Technologies ('Def Tech' to its fans) are brands that most audiophiles and audioholics alike are familiar with. So when parent company DEI Holdings formed a new division, that united the brands under a more visible roof, we thought, "That's some pretty significant news." And it is. Sound United is the new division and it will oversee Polk Audio, Definitive Technology and also BOOM. While the three brands will stay separate and maintain their own identities and development teams, Sound United allows the diversity of the brands to be brought together so that each can serve the same consumer in different ways. It's not that DEI wasn't already doing this, but now they have a name by which to supply solutions for all of the various areas. DEI’s vehicle security and remote start systems business will stay away as a stand-alone division and not get wrapped underneath the Sound United umbrella. That's not surprising since that division isn't really about audio.

Editor's Note: For those who weren't aware, DEI Holdings, Inc. bought Definitive back in 2004 and then purchased Polk in 2006.

Sound United is going to be run by DEI's Jim Minarik (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) and Kevin Duffy (President). Ben Newhall, who was Polk Audio’s Senior VP of Sales, has been promoted to Chief Sales Officer for the entire Sound United division. Joseph Tristani, who is Polk Audio’s Senior VP, has been tapped to be the COO of Sound United as well.

Sound United maintains that each brand will retain its own unique culture, product philosophy, and market focus. Now, however, the brands get to take advantage of the so-called "Global Design Center" (a unified R&D structure) to drive innovation and fuel growth. Rather than an actual facility, the GDC is a philosophy and business structure that favors design and collaboration between divisions. For Sound United, that will fall under the management and direction of Michael DiTullo, chief design officer for DEI.

We're excited to see how this new Sound United division takes off. The website looks promising and the concept is certainly sound. If centralizing resources can help all three brands to develop better products and better utilize resources then why not?