4 ms·

This isn’t big news, the actual “Onkyo” that consumers know will carry on, the Bankruptcy is the remains of the company that had already sold off the hardware d

This isn’t big news, the actual “Onkyo” that consumers know will carry on, the Bankruptcy is the remains of the company that had already sold off the hardware divisions. “The company sold its core home audiovisual business to Sharp and U.S.-based Voxx International and its earphones and headphones business to an investment fund, both in September. A joint venture between Sharp and Voxx is expected to continue using the Onkyo brand”

boulos 4y ago
Right, the big news was that it was already sold off months ago. But just because Sharp / Voxx is going to reuse the brand name (and likely some base IP) that doesn't mean people won't notice. (It's not likely anyone has noticed yet, since it takes until the next production or two to actually make cost / design changes).
spookthesunset 4y ago
I was window shopping for an atmos receiver and noticed the manuals and even product design between a certain Onkyo and Pioneer receiver were basically identical. The design of the manuals, including the fonts and screenshots were almost identical. The back and front of the units were almost identical. I bet even the guts were identical! Here is the pioneer unit: https://intl.pioneer-audiovisual.com/manuals/docs/SN29403616A_VSX-834_En_190228_web.pdf https://intl.pioneer-audiovisual.com/manuals/docs/SN29403616... Here is the Onkyo unit: https://www.onkyousa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/TX-SR494_En.pdf https://www.onkyousa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/TX-SR494...
- tzs 4y ago
  Pioneer sold their home A/V business to Onkyo in 2015.
  - spookthesunset 4y ago
    That would explain it!
- codefreeordie 4y ago
  The brand may live on as a mark, but the brand is already gone as a product. But actually I think that had already happened, and that we are just observing now the formal recognition of that fact.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
FunnyBadger 4y ago
Bankruptcy in Japan doesn't work the way it does in the West - it's pretty much a death sentence commercially in Japan. The brand will never be used again and the assets will be liquidated. The loss of face and reputation makes it very different.
- wyldfire 4y ago
  But doesn't the brand itself have value outside of Japan? When liquidating the company, why not license it to another manufacturer?
  - 7speter 4y ago
    Whats the good of licensing a brand if the company was known for high quality products? Its kind of like how toshiba made laptops 25 years ago that still work today but now they just license their name out to be stamped on cheap crappy laptops that barely make it through their warranty period.
    - wyldfire 4y ago
      Did you just answer your own question? It is precisely for that purpose - to give the impression that this lesser-known manufacturer produces goods with the original quality level of the licensed brand. Eventually, consumers catch on: > but now they just license their name out to be stamped on cheap crappy laptops
      - 7speter 4y ago
        The whole comment is me presenting my case for why these brands should just die instead of having their logo pasted on chinese crap to deceive consumers
    - elzbardico 4y ago
      This worked for years for whatever entities bought the brand Samsui, same for modern-day Marantz brand.
layer8 4y ago
> the actual “Onkyo” that consumers know will carry on I’m not so sure. The mainstream market (by that I mean excluding expensive “high-end” brands like NAD) can’t support a lot of independently designed products. In the AVR mainstream market there’s currently Denon/Marantz, Onkyo/Pioneer, Sony, and Yamaha (did I miss any?). There’s bound to occur more consolidation if the market keeps shrinking. The brands may continue to exist, but sharing the internals with other brands.
- m463 4y ago
  I like schiit, but they brought my attention to an interesting problem: the RCA plug is a really open standard with a low barrier to entry. But multi-channel sound is sewn up - to enter that market you have to ask permission from companies like dolby. Same with video.
- rodgerd 4y ago
  Depends what you consider mainstream - the licensing gouged for everything from HDMI to Atmos, DTS:X, and so on means that there aren't as many price differences as there used to be, so anything above (e.g.) bare-bones Denon will be in the same price bracket as NAD and Anthem (for example). Then you get into the exotica such as Trinnov, Storm, etc.
mwexler 4y ago
This. The final ignoble nail in the coffin of folks saying "Hey, I remember Onkyo: I'll buy this storied brand's products" in the futur and feeling miserable after getting a cheap junky product. There is a special place in hell for brand destroyers: it's bad enough when the original company does it, but to have a licensee skate on nostalgic happiness only to slam you with their blade... Consumers deserve better.

boulos 4y ago

Right, the big news was that it was already sold off months ago. But just because Sharp / Voxx is going to reuse the brand name (and likely some base IP) that doesn't mean people won't notice. (It's not likely anyone has noticed yet, since it takes until the next production or two to actually make cost / design changes).

spookthesunset 4y ago

I was window shopping for an atmos receiver and noticed the manuals and even product design between a certain Onkyo and Pioneer receiver were basically identical. The design of the manuals, including the fonts and screenshots were almost identical. The back and front of the units were almost identical. I bet even the guts were identical! Here is the pioneer unit: https://intl.pioneer-audiovisual.com/manuals/docs/SN29403616A_VSX-834_En_190228_web.pdf https://intl.pioneer-audiovisual.com/manuals/docs/SN29403616... Here is the Onkyo unit: https://www.onkyousa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/TX-SR494_En.pdf https://www.onkyousa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/TX-SR494...

tzs 4y ago
Pioneer sold their home A/V business to Onkyo in 2015.
- spookthesunset 4y ago
  That would explain it!
codefreeordie 4y ago
The brand may live on as a mark, but the brand is already gone as a product. But actually I think that had already happened, and that we are just observing now the formal recognition of that fact.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

FunnyBadger 4y ago

Bankruptcy in Japan doesn't work the way it does in the West - it's pretty much a death sentence commercially in Japan. The brand will never be used again and the assets will be liquidated. The loss of face and reputation makes it very different.

wyldfire 4y ago
But doesn't the brand itself have value outside of Japan? When liquidating the company, why not license it to another manufacturer?
- 7speter 4y ago
  Whats the good of licensing a brand if the company was known for high quality products? Its kind of like how toshiba made laptops 25 years ago that still work today but now they just license their name out to be stamped on cheap crappy laptops that barely make it through their warranty period.
  - wyldfire 4y ago
    Did you just answer your own question? It is precisely for that purpose - to give the impression that this lesser-known manufacturer produces goods with the original quality level of the licensed brand. Eventually, consumers catch on: > but now they just license their name out to be stamped on cheap crappy laptops
    - 7speter 4y ago
      The whole comment is me presenting my case for why these brands should just die instead of having their logo pasted on chinese crap to deceive consumers
  - elzbardico 4y ago
    This worked for years for whatever entities bought the brand Samsui, same for modern-day Marantz brand.

layer8 4y ago

> the actual “Onkyo” that consumers know will carry on I’m not so sure. The mainstream market (by that I mean excluding expensive “high-end” brands like NAD) can’t support a lot of independently designed products. In the AVR mainstream market there’s currently Denon/Marantz, Onkyo/Pioneer, Sony, and Yamaha (did I miss any?). There’s bound to occur more consolidation if the market keeps shrinking. The brands may continue to exist, but sharing the internals with other brands.

m463 4y ago
I like schiit, but they brought my attention to an interesting problem: the RCA plug is a really open standard with a low barrier to entry. But multi-channel sound is sewn up - to enter that market you have to ask permission from companies like dolby. Same with video.
rodgerd 4y ago
Depends what you consider mainstream - the licensing gouged for everything from HDMI to Atmos, DTS:X, and so on means that there aren't as many price differences as there used to be, so anything above (e.g.) bare-bones Denon will be in the same price bracket as NAD and Anthem (for example). Then you get into the exotica such as Trinnov, Storm, etc.

mwexler 4y ago

This. The final ignoble nail in the coffin of folks saying "Hey, I remember Onkyo: I'll buy this storied brand's products" in the futur and feeling miserable after getting a cheap junky product. There is a special place in hell for brand destroyers: it's bad enough when the original company does it, but to have a licensee skate on nostalgic happiness only to slam you with their blade... Consumers deserve better.