Onkyo puts all US distribution under Klipsch management
Last week on August 12, Onkyo sent letters to its dealers, announcing the termination of agreements due to the closure of Onkyo USA Corporation. The company has existed in the United States for 45 years, and that market was the largest for Onkyo.
All remaining parts and devices are now owned by 11 Trading Company, LLC, a subsidiary of Premium Audio Company, LLC, formerly called Klipsch Holding, LLC. All warranties have also passed to 11 Trading Company, LLC – and Onkyo claims they will continue. For all questions, dealers now need to contact just 11 Trading Company, LLC. The date of termination of the agreements is August 31.
Onkyo also fired all representatives in the United States – but it is possible that some of them will go to Klipsch: they are currently conducting interviews. The letter from Onkyo was followed by a letter from Klipsch inviting distributors and dealers to send their contact information and Onkyo account number for further cooperation. … There are no other criteria for cooperation in the letter.
Onkyo and Pioneer are not doing very well: first the purchase deal with Sound United fell through, and then sales and, accordingly, profits worldwide fell. The American dealership’s warehouses were empty and dealers themselves were not happy to work with Onkyo. So a change in the distribution model and restructuring can have a positive effect on the situation with the brand in the case of an adequate approach to management.
I just hope that I can expect parts support for the Pioneer UDP-LX500 BD player to continue for at least the traditional seven years or so. A year ago in July I paid $1100. for that player and among other features it’s currently the only player that has full range zoom control.