Kid, nobody has been able to strap Kloss in yet, I wouldn't expect it to happen this time, either. :) They might be able to rent him for a couple of years, anyway...
Seriously, this is a major consideration as to how valuable this part of the business will be, particulary if they emphasize consumer/audiophile audio at all. If they've got Kloss locked-in for a few years, they have a very valuable property.
I suspect you can find out quite a bit about Henry Kloss by doing a search on any of the search engines. Try "Kloss speaker". Kloss is probably associated with more speaker designs than any other individual.
His designs have always been critically acclaimed, and the word "Kloss" should be in the dictionary, defining "the optimum combination of quality and value".
This acquistion could wind-up taking Creative far afield from PC peripherials, if that is where they want to go, and if it would be a profitable business. Of course, consumer audio has always been a cut-throat business, and maybe not one that Creative wants to delve into any more than they already are by acquiring Cambridge.
With that caveat about "cut throat business", just think of the possibilities if Cambridge entered the car audio business. Hey, with the right to use the "-Blaster" name, instant success! :)
Creative should get some free publicity out of this acquisition - I suspect that all of the audio magazines will be giving coverage to it. Favorible, I might add, as they are unlikely to pan a Kloss-related venture. This might help create some awareness among audiophiles that they really oughta have that computer hooked-in to their system, or at least upgrade their computer speakers, given that they can now walk into a computer store and buy "real" speakers for their PC. |
