Audeze’s Founder & CEO, Sankar Thiagasamudram, joins eCoustics Senior Headphone & Portables Editor William Jennings and Producer (and Audeze Artist) Mitch Anderson to discuss its 16 year journey as an innovator in the global Head-Fi revolution.
Founded in 2008 as a boutique audiophile brand, Audeze’s first concept was a loudspeaker which never came to market. However, early innovations with planar magnetic technology led to the release of their first headphone, the LCD-1 for $600 — making it one of the most expensive headphones available in 2008. All 25 models sold, which led to the release of the LCD-2 in 2009 and LCD-3 in 2011. Both models became award-winning benchmarks for headphone design and turned what was a cottage industry aimed exclusively at high-end headphone listeners into a billion dollar segment.
Audeze’s success also created opportunities for its competitors to expand into the planar magnetic category, forcing the brand to push the envelope with state-of-the-art professional monitoring headphones, electrostatic headphones for the medical industry, and innovative gaming headphones that attracted the attention of Sony Interactive Entertainment which purchased the company last year — exposing the brand to a much larger mainstream global audience and giving it a growing customer base for the future.
Nearly all of Audeze’s products are hand-made in Costa Mesa, CA, including all LCD and MM series headphones and the Playstation headset drivers.
Sankar takes us on a journey through Audeze’s history and reveals interesting insights about the company’s history, headphone manufacturing, and their path ahead.
Sponsor: This episode is brought to you in part by Audeze Artists, The Source of Light & Power. Hear the sounds from their recently completed one record a month for all of 2023 sonic adventure.
This episode was recorded on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
On the Panel:
- Sankar Thiagasamudram, Audeze Founder & CEO
- William Jennings, eCoustics Sr. Headphone & Portables Editor
- Mitch Anderson, eCoustics Podcast Producer
Where to listen:
- Apple Podcasts
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- Spotify
- iHeart Radio
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- Deezer
- Castbox
- Podcast Addict
- Pod-chaser
- TuneIn
Related links:
- Sony’s Acquisition of Audeze Makes Perfect Sense
- Audeze Headquarters Tour in Costa Mesa, CA in 2023
- Audeze LCD-5 Headphones Review: Long Live the King?
- Audeze MM-500 Open-Back Studio Headphones: Review
- Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headphones: Review
- Audeze Filter Speakerphone: Review
- Visit Audeze.com
Credits:
- Original intro music by The Arc of All.
- Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited.
- Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios.
