Klipsch says goodbye to Aragon and Acurus amplifiers

Apparently, Klipsch has decided it's had enough of the notched design motif on Acurus and Aragon amplifiers and has decided to break off the two brands and sell them to Indy Audio Labs. We're hoping for a brighter future for the two lines under their new ownership; it certainly can't get a whole lot worse, as Klipsch ceased production of products wearing the Aragon badge 4 years after buying it from Mondial Designs in 2001. Both no-holds-barred Aragon and the more cost-conscious (but not cheap) Acurus names seem to be in capable hands -- Indy Audio Labs has two former Klipsch employees as its founders who plan to deliver products under the same brand names familiar to crusty audio nuts. Press release after the break.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 13, 2009) - Klipsch purchased selected assets of the privately held Mondial Designs Ltd. in 2001, acquiring the Aragon and Acurus brands of high-end amplifiers, preamplifiers and processors. Now, the leading global manufacturer of loudspeakers is selling the rights to these electronics brands to two former Klipsch employees.

According to Mike Klipsch, president of the Klipsch brand, Klipsch purchased the brands because, at the time, it was aggressively seeking new ways to enhance its sound experience and wanted to develop perfectly matched, electronic solutions under the Aragon name.

However, a few years in, the electronics market underwent significant changes and Klipsch decided to cease production of the Aragon line in 2005, while still honoring warranty terms and offering customer support. "From that point on, we decided our product development and engineering teams needed to be completely focused on what we do best and that's building high-performance loudspeakers," he noted.

Today, the discontinuation of Aragon has opened new doors for former Klipsch electronics engineers Rick Santiago and Ted Moore. These two industry veterans, with 36 years of experience combined, have co-founded a new independent startup company called Indy Audio Labs, LLC and plan on developing and marketing new products under the Aragon and Acurus names. Indy Audio Labs will also assume full responsibility for the ongoing service and support of existing Aragon and Acurus products.

According to Santiago, IAL CEO, we are living in a time when traditional home entertainment experiences are being significantly re-defined and enhanced. "In our opinion, few manufacturers have been successful at providing the A/V realism and operational simplicity that consumers want, especially in this new digital media world. Indy Audio Labs is excited about developing future-ready entertainment products that exemplify the high-performance, reliability and ease-of operation of the classic Aragon and Acurus models," he concluded.

Effective May 18, when people call the Aragon tech support line at [phone] or the Aragon service line at [phone], they will automatically be forwarded to Indy Audio Labs. Additional support information can be found at indyaudiolabs.com.

"Rick and Ted are extremely passionate individuals and have a very forward-looking vision for these two highly regarded electronics brands. I can't wait to see what's next for Aragon and Acurus," concluded Klipsch.

[(Unverified) Posted May 13th 2009 1:41PM]

I am not really surprised. As a big Klipsch fan, it seemed they did very little to promote the brand. Klipsch is a big company, and if they wanted, they could have really pushed their way into this market.

[(Unverified) Posted May 13th 2009 3:23PM]

Ken - Klipsch really isn't as big of a company as most people think! We would've liked to have done more with these brands, but it just wasn't feasible at the time. We wish the best of luck to Rick and Ted of Indy Audio Labs, and are glad the Aragon and Acurus names go on!
--Amy

[(Unverified) Posted May 13th 2009 2:12PM]

I was really disappointed what Klipsch did to the Aragon and Acurus lines. I had my eye one of their amps until Klipsch bought them, they remained stagnant and didn't get promoted at all.

Hopefully Indy Audio Labs came restore the two lines. Unfortunately for me, that ship has sailed and I have my sight set on Emotiva's XPA line.

[(Unverified) Posted May 13th 2009 5:50PM]

Those companies are just brand names now. When they are sold the
talent goes elsewhere. Most of the time the companies fail when they
are sold. Not surprising. I don't understand why anyone would then buy the company third-hand. Those are old brand names that were popular 20 years ago.