Sandy Gross, the Co-founder of Polk Audio and Definitive Technology, is venturing to create his third speaker line. Called GoldenEar Technology, the company and brand is co-founded by Don Givogue, who was also a founder and principal of Definitive.

No doubt, it's a challenging time to launch a speaker brand. With the latest and bigger flat panel displays, high-definition, 3D, and falling prices, video has taken precedence in the consumer's mind over audio. Not to mention that we're just getting out of a major recession. But Gross says that he and Givogue still see a "tremendous opportunity in the speaker marketplace, in both the U.S. and Canada.

"Speaker design and marketing are what we've done all our lives," he says. "We love it and are really good at it.

"It is difficult to launch a new specialty speaker brand in 2010," Gross admits, "but because of our backgrounds, we already have over 30 committed dealers before product has even been shown!

Gross notes that the founders of many existing speaker brands, who are often the "creative and entrepreneurial" people behind the brands, have left. In some cases, the companies are now owned by private equity firms or are parts of large conglomerates. "We wanted to bring back the combination of entrepreneurial spirit and passion for incredible sound," he declares, "which has always driven this business and helped to create great companies like Polk and Definitive."

Still, there's plenty of stiff competition in the speaker market, including the two aforementioned brands for which Gross was an integral part in developing.

"I have tremendous respect for Definitive and all the people there," Gross advises. "Certainly there is plenty of business to go around, and I look forward to being friendly competitors."

The partners will be focusing on placing GoldenEar products with specialty dealers and custom installers. The initial line will be targeted at "discerning buyers," so don't expect any entry-level pieces for budget-conscious applications. There will be limited SKUs.

While Gross offered a sneak-peek of the new line at CES this past January, the company, which is based in Owings Mills, MD, will officially launch the GoldenEar line at CEDIA Expo 2010, which takes place this September in Atlanta, GA.

For more information, Gross can be reached at (410) 998-9134; or via e-mail at loudspeaker7@aol.com.

Sandy Gross, Co-Founder, GoldenEar Technology

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