As a fast expanding manufacturer of architectural speakers, Origin Acoustics has showed how they have evolved since the company's inception in 2014. While the brand’s heritage dates back to the first architectural speaker manufacturer, the Origin brand has only been around for 8 years and is now one of the top brands used by today’s custom installers.
The custom integration industry has seen many companies get acquired by larger brands, meanwhile Origin has increased its product and solutions portfolio by putting together a curated approach, which includes building strategic partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands and category leaders. Announced back in 2017, the first brand partnership was with Bang & Olufsen, the Danish manufacturer, recognized globally in high design high performance audio for nearly 100 years, with worldwide sales approaching $1 billion dollars.
The partnership started with the development of a co-branded line of architectural speakers designed and built by Origin Acoustics, which was then sold by both Origin and Bang & Olufsen worldwide through each company’s respective sales channels. Just announced prior to CEDIA, Origin Acoustics announced how their relationship with Bang & Olufsen has evolved by becoming the North American Brand Manager and Master Distributor. Origin is now responsible for expanding the Bang & Olufsen Custom Technology Installers (CTI) program, by bringing on new resellers to grow the Bang & Olufsen presence in the US.
During CEDIA Expo 2022, Origin had the honor of doing the first public showing of the new Beosound Theatre soundbar, originally unveiled at IFA 2022 in Berlin. The new B&O soundbar comes with 12 speaker drivers, including two custom-made long stroke 6.5" woofers and 800 watts of amplification power, providing up to 112dB sound pressure level. Speech clarity is managed by the custom-made centre channel, where the tweeter is mounted directly in front of the midrange.
Origin also announced a strategic partnership with Austere, representing its full line of technology products and accessories. Austere products include home entertainment audio and video cables, conditioned power, and Clean & Protect products.
Over the past 8 years, Origin has continued their curation approach by partnering with companies such as Audio Control, Artnovion, Amina Sound, Crestron, and most recently Austere and Flush Mount. In addition, they acquired Ambisonic, a high-performance line of outdoor and commercial speakers, from Jeffrey James Coombs, best known as the founder of James Audio. Each partnership has its own special value, but what they all have in common is a focus on performance, design, and being some of the industry’s finest brands.
This curation approach of partnering with companies is different compared to the traditional acquisition model we see today. When companies are acquired, often the people who built those brands leave, and the soul of the company goes with them. With Origin's strategic partnerships, the businesses continue to operate as they have, but now with a network of partners that bring added value to each other.
But that’s only part of the evolution. With Origin Acoustics rapid growth, their product line has evolved immensely, with an increased focus on design. Recognizing that the interior designer, architect, and builder are all playing a major role in influencing today’s home buyer, Origin Acoustics developed what they call design centric technology solutions. The latest product releases showcase the company's Minimal Opening System line of products and design philosophy, which provides incredible sound from a 4" opening that blends in with today’s high design lighting fixtures.
Other products with the same design philosophy includes the Bollard outdoor speakers and a new line of soundbars, using a patented InstaWidth design to match most TV’s on the market. The new Big Bollard from Ambisonic targets both residential or commercial outdoor applications and is available with round or square aluminum sleeves in silver, black, and bronze, each speaker contains a 10" subwoofer, 6.5" polypropylene mid-range and a round planar magnetic ribbon tweeter. The round ribbon tweeter design allows 360° dispersion and is treated with a Kapton coating utilizing a special application process, which allows the product to stand up to the outdoor elements without impacting the sound.
The new line of Origin Acoustics soundbars includes several unique features designed to address the cosmetic needs of consumers, along with the installation flexibility needed for today’s design centric homes. The line consists of 8 multi-channel models with aluminum cabinets, which align with most TV widths using the patent-pending InstaWidth design that allows adjusting each end cap up to .75" inches, allowing for 1.5" inches of total adjustment. A VesaMatch mounting design makes installation even easier and provides flexible mounting options. There are also 2 LCR models available for on-wall home theater applications. All products utilize a mix of 3.5" fiberglass drivers along with 1" DPSD Silk dome tweeters
The full-line of Origin Acoustics products and their partners is also on display all year at Origin Acoustics' Las Vegas Design Center, which also includes an Experience and Training Center for Bang & Olufsen, and later in 2022, a Crestron Experience Center as well.
Since Origin Acoustics' inception, the company has shown that it understands the needs and challenges and both home owners and integrators. This level of personal concern, collaboration, and business acumen has been recognized by other manufacturers. While Origin may evolve into a larger and more design centric organization, at CEDIA Expo 2022, the company reaffirmed its commitment to stay true to its authenticity, focus on customer experience, and building relationships that transcend just a transaction.
www.originacoustics.com
