From Henhouse To Penthouse: Jamo Sounds Off On 40 Years

Loudspeaker and electronics brand celebrates its 40th anniversary on December 10 [The following is a release from Jamo]

November 19, 2008

It’s December 1966. In the fishing village of Glyngøre, Denmark, carpenter Preben Jacobsen ignores the discomforts of the tiny henhouse on his property and outfits it for an entirely different purpose—the construction of meticulously designed loudspeakers. Blessed with excellent woodworking skills and a broad knowledge of acoustic technology, he begins to develop speakers that attract a fair amount of attention, if not a huge groundswell of buyers. In very little time, Preben realized that actually selling the products he’s been building is not his greatest strength and in 1968, Preben’s brother in law Julius Mortensen came aboard, bringing with him a wealth of sales experience gained from working in the fishing industry. The two then officially found Jamo, creating the company’s distinctive name from the first two letters of their surnames. Within two years, they moved into their first actual production facility, and by 1987, over one million speakers had rolled off the Glyngøre assembly line. Throughout the 1990s, Jamo’s stature as one of Europe’s largest and most respected loudspeaker manufacturers increased. By 1994, it was the largest manufacturer of speakers in Europe, and by 1998, they had sold over 11.5 million units. This success also made Jamo a highly desirable partner—which culminated in its acquisition by Klipsch Group, Inc. in 2005. The resulting venture has brought added resources to the company. Today, the business that once occupied a henhouse proudly occupies beautiful facilities in Viborg, Denmark, with offices worldwide. With their elegant shapes and finishes, Jamo’s products have a style that’s totally in keeping with Danish tradition—and with the precedent set by Preben Jacobsen. At the same time, Jamo and other Denmark-based audio companies have established a reputation as specialists in the kind of open, fully musical sound reproduction that accompanies the unique appearance of such speakers as the flagship Jamo R 909. According to Lasse Hald, general manager for Jamo, “Global design trends, I think, tend to favor Jamo and the Danish aesthetic. In general, you can say that the trend is toward smaller, more attractive loudspeakers—and discreet, built-in speakers have become especially popular, particularly in the United States. In this regard, the company has furthered its reputation as specialists in providing products that fit comfortably into living spaces virtually anywhere.” In the Americas, Jamo has focused primarily on custom installed products and in developing a strong relationship with their stateside distributors. This has led to increased development of innovative in-wall and in-ceiling products, the newest of which now use components originally designed for their high-end box speakers. Hald noted, “Today, consumers can choose to get a small, attractive loudspeaker that doesn’t dominate living space and place it in the room...or, they can take next step and build it into walls or ceilings and paint the grille. Then, you have great sound without having to see the speaker. With floor speakers or bookshelves, the quality of the sound is largely determined by where they’re placed. With installed speakers, you know that sound can be controlled and consistent.” In celebration of Jamo’s 40th year, an unprecedented number of new products will be released in the coming months, with advanced technologies and their usual cutting-edge look. To ensure that all of their speakers perform equally well in residences from Copenhagen to Beijing to Chicago, Jamo’s testing literally extends from their audio facilities to their homes. “In many ways, creating the perfect conditions for reproduction of sound in music and film is like a game for me,” noted Mikael Ankersen, Jamo sound engineer. “Working on the Jamo development team is the ultimate dream position. It’s relatively easy to create bass reproduction with punch and attack and an outstanding midrange under perfect working conditions in the sound lab. But every speaker development project that I’m involved in also has to pass the ‘reality’ test. That’s why I always bring new projects home to listen to them in my own living room.” The synergy of design and technology has been at the core of the Jamo brand since its inception. From the modern art look of the Graphic speaker to the performance of the latest generation of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, every product accurately reflects Danish sound and design.

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