Samsung’s Harman ups ante in home audio market with Roon

Harman International has taken over Roon Labs, the multi-device and multi-room audio technology company popular among audiophiles for its streaming platform and hi-fi sound, in a bid to accelerate its foray into the burgeoning home audio market.

Samsung Electronics Co.'s wholly owned audio electronics giant on Monday announced its acquisition of the US-based high-end music streaming platform company without disclosing the financial terms.

Roon offers a music player platform with a rich interface for browsing and discovering music. Supported by various operating systems, it is compatible with any audio device, and its playback engine boasts a sound that meets audiophile standards.

Founded in 2015 by a team behind the modular music server Sooloos, Roon’s platform and system are well-known among high-end music enthusiasts.

With its multi-device, multi-room hi-fi music streaming system, Harman is expected to raise the stakes in the global home audio market, which is forecast to grow at an 11.1% compound annual growth rate from 2023 to reach $84.1 billion in 2031, according to global market research firm Transparency Market Research Inc.

Roon’s platform can also be connected to Harman’s connected car systems.  

“The team at Roon shares our passion in bringing exceptional sound and connectivity to music lovers as they browse, discover, and listen at home and on the go,” Dave Rogers, president of the Lifestyle Division at Harman, said in a statement.

SOFTWARE POWER

The latest acquisition comes less than a month after Harman’s purchase of French audio software firm FLUX::, underlining its ambition to bolster audio software capabilities.

“We look forward to continuing to bring our advanced data management, SaaS expertise, and consumer engagement capabilities to our broad ecosystem of partners, as we join forces with Harman to deliver even greater audio experiences to our customers,” said Roon’s Chief Executive Officer Enno Vandermeer.

Roon also makes a line of hardware server appliances called Nucleus.

It will operate as a standalone company with its existing team under Harman’s umbrella.

Harman owns 16 audio brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, and its audio and connected car systems are fitted in more than 50 million vehicles across the world, according to Harman.

It officially joined the Samsung Electronics family in March 2017.

It posted record-high operating profit for a single quarter in the July-September period, helping its South Korean parent offset the weak chip business in the quarter.

Harman commands the world's biggest 35% share of the global premium audio market.

Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at hjs@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.