High-End | Car | Portable | Vintage | Japanese
Considering getting a new set of speakers? Then you are most likely wondering what the best speaker brands are. Whether it is for your car, home, or whatever other use you may have in mind, there is no doubt that there are tons of options to choose from. Speakers are everywhere, they are so ingrained in our lives we sometimes forget they are even around us. From your cell phone speakers to PA systems, you can agree that having quality sounds makes our lives a lot easier and entertaining.
Some people may think its as easy walking into any store and buying the first speakers they see. But, this is often not the case. There are so many speaker brands available today that there are bound to be more than a few sub-par brands. You’ll get sound from them, however, they won’t be as filtered or capture the bass, mid-range, or true treble of your audio. The speakers also probably won’t capture that high quality sound the way more notable and recognized speaker brands do.
You are probably now wondering exactly what brands you should choose if you want to purchase the best speakers. This in-depth guide on the best speakers can help you make that decision. You dont have to be an audiophile or soundbuff anymore to get the best speakers. We have wrapped up valuable information you need to make the best decision on the best speaker brands you can choose from.
Top high end speaker brands
#1. Bose
The Brand: Bose was founded by Amar Bose in 1964 with a vision to invent new technology that creates incredible sound. The brand is famed for its noise-cancelling headphones and home speakers. The inspiration for the brand came from Amar’s dissatisfaction with the speakers he bought. While studying at MIT, he developed a new type of speaker system. It used multiple speakers with the majority of them facing walls instead of the listener to promote the reflection of sound.
Need to know: The founder donated majority ownership of Bose to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
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#2. Bang & Olufsen
The Brand: Bang & Olufsen is a Danish audio, TV, and telephone manufacturing company. It was created in 1925 by partners Peter Bang & Sven Olufsen. They manufacture high-end electronics and promote an air of exclusivity for the brand. The brand collaborates with other tech companies like HP and LG as the official audio partner for their computers and mobile phones.
Need to know: Bang & Olufsen briefly manufactured electric razors to raise money for a new factory after theirs was burned down during World War 2.
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#3. Focal JMLab
The Brand: Focal JMLab is a French audio systems design and manufacturing Brand. The company was established by Jacques Mahul, an engineer, in 1979. Focal focuses on producing and selling high fidelity speakers for home, automobile, and commercial use. Its entire production and assembly process is completed in France.
Need to know: Focal and JMLab were initially separate brands owned by the same person. He merged the two brands with focal dedicated to design and JMlab dedicated to manufacturing.
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#4. KEF
The Brand: KEF is named after Kent Engineering & Foundry, the site it was originally headquartered at. It is a British speakers manufacturing brand founded by Raymond Cooke and Robert Pearch in 1961. The brand claims to have pioneered reducing bass rich home loudspeakers from 10 cubic feet to 2 cubic feet.
Need to know: KEF was acquired by GP Acoustics, a Hong Kong based company. Acoustic technology research, manufacturing, and product development are still done in England.
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#5. Bowers & Wilkins
The Brand: Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) is a British headphones and loudspeakers production company. It was founded by John Bowers and Roy Wilkins in 1966. The brand started as just an electronics shop. They became interested in how speakers they sold and supplied were created. Soon, they set up their own shop and began creating speakers.
Need to know: Bowers and Wilkins is now owned by Sound United. It was acquired in 2020.
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Top car speaker brands
#1. JL Audio
The Brand: JL Audio is an American audio products manufacturer. The brand is well known for its subwoofers but they also produce automobile audio products. It was founded by James Birch and Lucio Pronio in 1975. In 1977 the brand fell on hard times and turned to speakers repair and retail in their store called Speaker Warehouse. Now, the speaker warehouse sells JL Audio speakers, especially their car audio speakers.
Need to know: JL Audio is one of the brands to pioneer car audio speaker systems.
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#2. Kicker
The Brand: Kicker was founded by Steve Irby in 1973. The brand started out of a one-car garage. The founder had limited resources and would build his speakers by hand. They developed the first full frequency-range speaker box created for cars and trucks. The brand’s speakers are well known for their accurate sound and resonating bass.
Need to know: Kicker is still run by Steve Irby to this day.
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#3. Rockford Fosgate
The Brand: Rockford Fosgate was founded by Jim Fosgate in 1973. It is an American company headquartered in Arizona. The founder invented the Frequency energizer also known as the Punch EQ. This invention allowed them to boost the bass and treble levels in their speakers to significant levels for better sound.
Need to know: Jim Fosgate has an Emmy Award for his achievements in developing surround sound technology.
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#4. Polk Audio
The Brand: Polk Audio was founded by a group of friends, Sandy Gross, Matthew Polk, and George Klopfer in 1972. These friends who were engineers and music lovers wanted to create speakers that produced amazing sound while remaining affordable. Polk Audios was bought in 2006 by its now parent company DEI holdings.
Need to know: Polk Audio has recently created smart speakers for Alexa and Google Assistant.
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#5. Boss
The Brand: Boss Audio Systems was founded in 1987 by Sam Rabbani. It is headquartered in California, USA. Their founder is a car enthusiast and the brand specializes in audio and video systems for power sports, automobiles, and marine use. The brand has it’s in-house mechanical, design, acoustic, and electronic engineers dedicated to creating state-of-the-art sound equipment. Its first product was launched in 1989.
Need to know: Boss was the first audio company to integrate different color schemes in their speaker offerings.
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Top portable Bluetooth speaker brands
#1. JBL
The Brand: JBL was founded by John Bullough Lansing in 1946. He was a sound equipment engineer and designer with a previous manufacturing company that created speakers for cinemas. He founded JBL after his previous company was acquired and continued to build on his passion for quality sound. The brand produces audio equipment for both consumer and professional use.
Need to know: JBL was acquired by Harman International Industries in 1969.
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#2. Onyx
The Brand: Onyx, also known as Harmon Kardon Onyx is an American audio company. It was founded by Sidney Harmon and Bernard Kardon in 1953. Both men had previously worked for a public address system company. After leaving the company, they decided to form their own audio equipment company. They were among the first audio equipment companies to create high-fidelity audio products.
Need to know: Bernard Kardon sold his stake in the company to Sidney Harmon in 1956. Harmon changed the company name to Harmon International but their products continue to bear the Harmon Kardon name.
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#3. Sonos
The Brand: Sonos was founded in 2002 by a group of friends and business partners. It is an American audio product manufacturer well known for their multi-room speakers. Sonos speakers in different rooms can be synced to play the same sounds at the same time. Sonos smart speakers are compatible with the 3 major voice assistants, Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. They also partner with several music platforms like Spotify and iHeartRadio.
Need to know: Sonos speakers have an app that allows you to customize speaker settings and access its services from wherever you are.
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#4. Ultimate Ears
The Brand: Ultimate Ears was founded by Jerry Harvey in 1995. It initially created In Ear Monitors for professional use. The brand’s IEMs are popular and used by a host of artists to date. The brand is now also used and loved by consumers as they also produce portable speakers that can be used at home or on the go. They created the first speaker with 360 sound. Logitech acquired Ultimate Ears in 2008.
Need to know: Ultimate Ears created a market for custom IEM.
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#5. Dali
The Brand: Dali is a Danish audio products company. It was founded by Peter Lyngdorf in 1983. The brand produces high-end portable speakers and was created to help fill the ever-growing demand for great audio products. Dali stands for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries. The brand has a larger market share in Scandinavian countries but it is quickly gaining ground in other countries around the world.
Need to know: Dali also has a line of in-ceiling speakers.
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Top vintage speaker brands
#1. Tannoy
The Brand: Tannoy was founded by Guy R. Fountain in 1926. Their early inventions included public address systems and automobile audio products. The Brand supplied PA systems for state and sporting events through the years. Tannoy speakers were also used widely in recording studios. Tannoy was acquired by Harmon International Industries in 1974.
Need to know: Tannoy was so synonymous with PA systems that it was added to the dictionary.
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#2. Klipsch
The Brand: Klipsch was founded by Paul Wilbur Klipsch in 1946. He is a respected member of the engineering hall of fame. The brand had humble beginnings, starting in a very small tin shed. His legendary creations are able to reproduce the sound of a live concert while being plugged indoors.
Need to know: The brand’s famous ‘Klipschorn’ is still handmade to date.
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#3. QUAD
The Brand: Quad Electroacoustics is a British Hi-Fi audio products manufacturer. It was founded by Peter J Walker in 1936. The brand initially only produced public address systems but after World War 2, the demand for household speakers grew. Quad began to focus on speakers suitable for the home. QUAD stands for Quality Unit Amplifier Domestic
Need to know: Quad has changed business ownership several times since its inception. It was acquired by Verity group in 1995, and the production location was changed to China. In 1997 it was sold off again to International Audio Group.
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#4. KLH
The Brand: KLH was founded in 1957 by Henry Kloss, Malcolm Low, and Josef A Hofman. The brand was largely successful and specialized in manufacturing loudspeakers. It was acquired by Japanese brand Kyocera and they moved production to their country. The brand was then purchased by David P Kelly in 2017 and production was brought back to the United States.
Need to know: KLH was once the largest loudspeaker brand in the world.
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#5. Acoustic research
The Brand: Acoustic Research was an American company specializing in producing high-end speakers. The brand was founded in 1954 by Edgar Villchur. He was assisted by Henry Kloss in his work to create high-quality cheaper alternatives to high-end speakers. The brand is now owned by VOXX and acoustic research speakers can still be purchased.
Need to know: Acoustic Research turntable models are still in demand. They can be modified into Vinyl Record players.
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Top Japanese speaker brands
#1. Sharp
The Brand: Sharp was founded over 100 years ago in 1912. It is an electronics brand established by Tokuji Hayakawa. He was originally a metal worker and got the inspiration for the name of his company from the first sharp mechanical pencil he created. The brand went on to develop radios, TV sets, microwave ovens, and other electronics. In 2012, Foxconn acquired 10% of the company after its worst financial year. In 2016, Foxconn acquired 66% of controlling shares in Sharp.
Need to know: Sharp created the world’s first camera phone
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#2. Kenwood
The Brand: Kenwood was originally founded in 1946 as Kasuga Radio company ltd. It is a Japanese company that designs a range of high fidelity speakers for home, stage, commercial and automobile use. Its headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan and it became a member of the JVC Kenwood family in 2011.
Need to know: The name was changed to Kenwood after polls showed that ‘Ken’ was a common and acceptable name in both Japan and America.
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#3. Yamaha
The Brand: Yamaha Corporation is a large Japanese company that specializes in the development of a variety of products. In addition to its famed musical instruments, they also produce speakers. The brand was founded in 1887 by Torakusu Yamaha.
Need to know: Yamaha is the world’s largest piano manufacturing company.
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#4. Sony
The Brand: Sony is one of the largest producers of electronics. They also publish music and video games. Sony is the largest and wealthiest technology company in Japan. Sony was founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibika and Akio Morita.
Need to know: Sony created the first portable music player and headphones, the walkman.
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#5. ONKYO
The Brand: Onkyo specializes in audio equipment including home cinema, surround sound systems, and portable speakers. Onkyo was founded by Takeshi Godai in 1946, they acquired the Pioneer corporation in 2015 and enjoyed success for a few years. However, the brand was acquired in 2021 by VOXX due to financial and logistics troubles.
Need to know: Onkyo has a range of remote apps for android and iOS smartphones.
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Sources
- https://www.whathifi.com/features/11-worlds-most-expensive-loudspeakers
- https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/hi-fi/best-hi-fi-speakers
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bose_Corporation
- https://www.bose.com/en_us/about_bose.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_%26_Olufsen
- https://corporate.bang-olufsen.com/en/?ga=2.108060866.1187546975.1638274390-536988593.1638274386 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal-JMLab
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KEF https://www.worldwidestereo.com/blogs/wws-underground/entries/best-car-speakers https://mynewmicrophone.com/top-best-car-audio-speaker-brands-in-the-world/ https://www.kicker.com/history
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JL_Audio https://bossaudio.com/about-us/
- https://rockfordfosgate.com/about/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polk_Audio
- https://mynewmicrophone.com/top-best-loudspeaker-brands-overall-on-the-market-today/ https://www.techradar.com/news/audio/portable-audio/10-best-portable-speakers-1069079 https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/best-bluetooth-speakers-portable-speakers-for-every-budget https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JBL
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harman_Kardon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonos
- https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/features/about-ultimate-ears.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Ears
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Audiophile_Loudspeaker_Industries#EISA_Awards
- https://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/most-influential-speakers
- https://www.tannoy.com/our-story.html https://www.klipsch.com/founder
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_Electroacoustics
- https://thevinylfactory.com/features/best-vintage-speakers-turntable-set-up/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLH(company)
- https://klhaudio.com/history/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_Research
- https://jw-webmagazine.com/5-best-japanese-audio-brands/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Corporation
- http://global.sharp/corporate/info/history/h_company/pdf_en/chapter01.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenwood_Corporation