Panasonic Completes Transfer of Its Semiconductor Business to Nuvoton

Panasonic Corporation, based in Osaka, Japan, recently confirmed that it has completed the previously announced transfer of its semiconductor business to Nuvoton Technology Corporation, a Taiwan-based semiconductor company under the umbrella of Winbond Electronics Corporation group, following the receipt of regulatory approvals.

For the past six years, Audio Research has been owned by the McIntosh Group. Now, TWS Enterprises, LLC, a privately held company owned wholly by Trent Suggs, has agreed to purchase Audio Research from the McIntosh Group, Inc. subject to completion of due diligence which is expected to be finalized by the end of August 2020. As Audio Research celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year, the Minneapolis company will embark on the next chapter of its journey in high performance music reproduction.

Synaptics Inc from San Jose, CA - the same company that in 2017 acquired Conexant, one of the industry's leading audio and voice technology specialists - expanded even more it's connectivity lead with the just concluded acquisition of DisplayLink Corp., a leading supplier of universal docking solutions and high-performance video compression technology. This strategic expansion of Synaptics business happens just a few days after the acquisition of assets and manufacturing rights associated with the wireless connectivity business of Broadcom.

Analog Devices (ADI) and Maxim Integrated Products announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which ADI will acquire Maxim in an all stock transaction that values the combined enterprise at over $68 billion. The combination of the two North-American semiconductor companies was announced to increase scale and diversification of the combined business, enhancing domain expertise and breadth of engineering capabilities to develop more complete solutions. The transaction is expected to close in the summer of 2021.

A familiar name in in-ear monitors for athletes, musicians, music producers or music enthusiasts, Westone Audio built a strong business with innovative products that have been praised for many years in its market segment. That division is a part of a larger enhance hearing health and communications business. For Texas-based Lucid Audio, the Westone acquisition perfectly complements its strategy in the pro and consumer in-ear monitor business, following the acquisition of Etymotic in 2018.

Cerwin-Vega Inc., a company with headquarters in Los Angeles, CA and the owner of Cerwin-Vega’s Mobile business announced that it has acquired the Cerwin-Vega! Pro & Home Audio brand from Gibson Corporation. The announcement paves the way for a reunification of the Cerwin-Vega brand, a return to its original home base, while helping the new Gibson management to focus its restructuring efforts.

DSP Group, Inc., a leading global provider of wireless chipset solutions for converged communications, has announced the acquisition of privately owned SoundChip SA, a leading supplier of active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, engineering services, design tools, and production-line test systems for headsets. The acquisition combines SoundChip’s proven capabilities in hybrid ANC with DSP Group’s SmartVoice advanced low-power voice processing platform, algorithms, and mixed-signal expertise to streamline the delivery of cutting-edge wireless and true wireless stereo (TWS) headsets, from concept through to manufacturing. DSP Group’s technologies have recently been adopted by Google, Panasonic, and Technics in their latest TWS headset models.

Listen Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of advanced wireless listening solutions for 22 years, has acquired ExXothermic, a company specializing in high-quality, low-latency Wi-Fi audio technology. ExXothermic has several patents for its Wi-Fi streaming technology and has delivered thousands of Wi-Fi audio channels for use in assistive listening, fitness centers, waiting areas, hospitality, and other applications and environments around the world.

CMA Audio acquired audio manufacturer Lake People Electronic. For 2020, CMA Audio plans to invest in the extension of research and development in the company's headquarters in Constance, in the South of Germany, to overhaul the entire product catalog, which includes Lake People, Violectric and Niimbus brands, and to establish a new cable manufacture operation in cooperation with Japanese manufacturer Mogami. Target markets continues to be professional audio, hi-fi and high end audio enthusiasts.

Emmis Communications Corporation announced the acquisition of the sound masking business of Lencore Acoustics Corporation, a leading manufacturer in high-quality sound masking solutions for offices and other commercial applications. Based in Long Island (Woodbury), New York, Lencore has 33 employees who will become Emmis employees, including the sound masking business' leadership team. The offices will remain in Long Island New York.