Meridian Audio Acquires Sooloos

According to a company press release, the British firm Meridian Audio Ltd., manufacturer of high-end digital audio and video systems, acquired New York, NY-based Sooloos LLC, manufacturer of innovative media servers, on December 4, 2008. The acquisition unites two firms that, in their respective ways, have both become famous for probing (and stretching) the limits of what’s possible in the world of digital entertainment and advanced industrial design.

Meridian, founded in the 1980s by Bob Stuart and Allen Boothroyd, is widely recognized as a pioneer in high-end digital audio (and now video) with a reputation for creating advanced, ultra high-performance A/V components as well as the core technologies behind them. But apart from its advanced technologies, Meridian is equally famous for visually striking yet thoroughly user-friendly product designs.

Sooloos, in turn, has earned a reputation as a pathfinder and pioneer in the world of media-server products—a reputation based partly on technical innovation and product performance, but also on highly intuitive user interface designs (interfaces some reviewers consider the standard of comparison for the industry).
Not surprisingly, the firms perceive one another as a good match. The release quotes Meridian CEO Tim Ireland as saying “Combining Meridian and Sooloos takes both over many hurdles; the two companies share striking similarities in culture, product philosophy, pursuit of excellence and market approach.” Correspondingly, Sooloos founder and CEO Enno Vandermeer is quoted as saying “Sooloos was founded to give people an experience, to put the fun back into listening to music,” adding that, “by joining the Meridian and Sooloos teams, that experience grows exponentially.”

The release goes on to say that Sooloos founders Vandermeer and Danny Dulai, along with “other key executives” including Sooloos COO Peter Wellikoff will remain with the company. Collaborative efforts between the companies R&D teams are already underway.

The release emphasizes that the Sooloos brand and identity will be retained under the new corporate structure, but with US distribution of Sooloos products coordinated through Meridian America Inc. offices in Atlanta, GA, and export market distribution handled by Meridian Audio from the UK.

For more information visit: www.meridian-audio.com and www.sooloos.com