Harman Kardon Celebrates 50 Years

13-Aug-03

Harman Kardon is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The company's official celebration will begin at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) trade show in Berlin in August, with commemorative activities and demonstrations to honor the company's legacy of providing consumers with advanced-technology products that add to their enjoyment of music and entertainment.As Harman Kardon reflects on its first 50 years, the company is also focused on building a future in which its spirit and expertise will help create entirely new product categories in consumer electronics and home entertainment. The company's new products range from audio/video home entertainment solutions, to automotive navigation and infotainment systems that merge mobile communications, entertainment, and mobile computing.Marrying An Appreciation For Music And The Arts With Innovative TechnologiesDr. Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon founded Harman Kardon in 1953, based on a shared passion for music and the arts, and helped to create a new industry: high-fidelity audio. The company has since become one of the most respected names in the home entertainment industry, with a legacy of developing premium-quality products known for their sonic performance, ease of use, and industrial design.In 1954, Harman Kardon introduced what was said to be the world's first true hi-fi receiver, the Festival D1000, incorporating a tuner, control unit, and power amplifier in a single chassis. Four years later, Harman Kardon presented the world's first stereo receiver.Harman Kardon's ongoing commitment to music and the arts and its spirit of innovation was summed up recently by Dr. Harman, who noted: ""My intent has always been to marry the old and the new, and to build a company that is driven by values, by genuine concern for quality, and by the real purpose of the equipment--which is to reveal the music in its manifest beauty.""Past And Future On Display At 50th Anniversary Kickoff At IFA ShowHarman Kardon chose to officially begin its 50-year anniversary celebration in Berlin at the upcoming IFA trade show, the world's largest consumer electronics exhibition. Reflecting the company's past as well as its future, a collection of vintage Harman Kardon products will be on display at the Harman International Industries booth alongside the latest product introductions. The company will showcase its leading-edge 21st century innovations, including total home entertainment solutions, and the multifunctional Harman Infotainment systems for the automotive industry.Tom McLoughlin, President of Harman Kardon, noted: ""Harman Kardon's mission today remains unchanged: to harness the power of technology so that people can better explore and enjoy their passion for music and entertainment. Our current lineup of high-performance products is designed to help consumers do just that--provide all the benefits of today's most advanced digital technologies to experience the exhilaration of music and enjoy thrilling home cinema and home entertainment.""Building On A History Of LeadershipIn addition to the Festival D1000, the company's noted audio industry ""firsts"" include the TA230 stereo receiver (1958); the first ultra-wide-bandwidth amplifier, the Citation II (1959); the first cassette deck with DolbyÆ B noise reduction, the CAD5 (1970); the first high-current-capable amplifier, the Citation XX (1980); and many other groundbreaking products.Harman Kardon continues to build on its heritage of audio products, including its DPR 1001 Digital Path Receiver, the first component-quality receiver to employ a fully digital signal path from input to speaker outputs. Harman Kardon and its parent company, Harman International Industries, Incorporated have also developed a number of proprietary technologies, which are incorporated into Harman Kardon products, including LOGIC 7Æ and VMAxÆ Virtual Theater multichannel audio processing, and EzSet automatic speaker-level calibration.In addition to its home entertainment products, Harman Kardon is applying its technological expertise to the infotainment/telematics category of the automotive industry as part of Harman Infotainment. Some of the company's in-vehicle innovations include hands-free audio/video and navigation system operation, the advanced multimedia displays, easy-to-use navigational systems, uninterrupted radio reception, 7.1-channel Harman Kardon LOGIC 7 audio systems, and more.As a part of Harman International, Harman Kardon is also encouraging young people to explore music through a unique and inspiring music education program called ""harman: how to listen."" Founded in 1996, the program was developed by Dr. Harman and renowned trumpet player Wynton Marsalis. The curriculum, which brings musicians into classrooms nationwide, is based upon a shared belief that ""listening is important in music and important in life.""The Harman Consumer Systems Group (HCSG) is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a wide range of high-fidelity loudspeakers, audio and video components, and multimedia systems for use in homes and automobiles, and with computers. The group's brands include JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, Revel, Audioaccess, and Lexicon.HCSG is a division of Harman International Industries, Incorporated. Harman International (www.harman.com) is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, high-fidelity audio products and electronic systems for the consumer and professional markets. The company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ""HAR.""For more information about Harman Kardon, visit www.harmankardon.com.

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