Crutchfield and THIEL Audio Partner to Bring High-Performance Audio Products Online

Crutchfield, the nation’s first integrated marketer of consumer electronics products, and U.S. loudspeaker manufacturer THIEL Audio announced today that Crutchfield will now offer THIEL’s line of high-performance loudspeakers in its retail stores, catalog and from Crutchfield’s popular online consumer electronics site. This is the first time that THIEL products have been offered online and underscores both companies’ commitment to providing not only superior products but also the most dedicated customer support.

“THIEL has considered branching out with online sales in the past, but we were unwilling to compromise the level of service and support that we have become known for in the industry,” said THIEL President Kathy Gornik. “With Crutchfield,” added co-founder Jim Thiel, “we have the strongest level of confidence in their capacity to pair each customer with the right components because their staff really takes the time to experience and understand their complete product mix. This partnership allows THIEL to adapt to market changes without altering our core values and will surely prove to be a winning combination for the sound enthusiast.”

Over the past 30 years, THIEL has been recognized with an almost uncountable number of prestigious awards for product innovation and performance, as well as the overwhelming acclaim of the most respected audio critics around the world. Crutchfield will feature 10 primary models selected from THIEL’s current lineup, with prices ranging from $990 to $5,450. The product mix will include traditional floor-standing speakers, in-wall and on-wall architectural speakers, and THIEL’s award-winning line of subwoofer products.

“We are committed to providing the optimal home theater experience for every level of enjoyment, and THIEL allows us to bring the absolute highest degree of quality and sound perfection for our customers, who want only the best,” said Rick Souder, Crutchfield’s Executive Vice President of Merchandising. “With each sale, our customers can feel confident that they made an educated purchase from the most knowledgeable sales staff and will get the service for which Crutchfield and THIEL are known.”

About Crutchfield Corporation
Crutchfield Corporation, which celebrates its 33rd anniversary in 2007, is the nation’s first integrated marketer (catalog, call center, and Internet) of consumer electronics products. Since its introduction in 1974, the Crutchfield catalog has been a respected authority on car and home entertainment products, winning multiple awards for quality, design, and usefulness. Crutchfield’s Sales, Customer Service and Technical Advisors are noted for their high integrity, product expertise, and technical support. They are available by phone, e-mail, and live online chat. Crutchfield.com offers a convenient, full-service shopping destination to buyers of car and home audio/video products. Crutchfield was the first vendor-authorized audio/video retailer on the Internet and has been recognized for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center ProgramSM. It is also one of only two retailers to have won BizRate’s coveted “Circle of Excellence” award seven times.

About THIEL Audio
THIEL Audio Products Company, celebrating a 30th anniversary in 2007, is a privately-held engineering-driven organization that performs research, design, and manufacturing of loudspeakers for the highest quality home music and video sound reproduction. THIEL was the first manufacturer to offer a time and phase coherent loudspeaker, and each THIEL product incorporates a variety of technological advancements in driver and crossover design, as well as acoustical construction techniques. THIEL has been the recipient of countless prestigious awards, such as the International Consumer Electronics Show Innovations Design and Engineering Award, for which THIEL has been honored 22 times, and the Image Hi-Fi speaker of the millennium award in 2000. At THIEL, the collective mission is to design and manufacture loudspeakers that provide the most realistic sound reproduction possible. THIEL offers fifteen loudspeaker models sold in 34 countries worldwide; the surface-mount PowerPoint 1.2; in-wall PowerPlane1.2; in-ceiling HigherPlane1.2; flat-panel video display speaker ViewPoint; SS1, SS2, SS3, and SS4 subwoofers; bookshelf-sized SCS4 and MCS1; and the floor-standing CS1.6, CS2.4, CS3.7, CS6, and CS7.2, all ranging in price from $990 to $8,000 each.