Prize-winning positivity & continuous changes

It has been an eventful year for the Swedish company Audio Pro that since July has new owners. The company has launched more products than any previous year, increased focus on strengthening global presence and changed the name of the professional segment of the business. Furthermore Audio Pro products were recently named “Product of the year” within the categories wireless speakers and multiroom systems.

More than 40 years ago Audio Pro began building loudspeakers with a single goal; to create the best possible sound at the best possible price. Today Audio Pro is available in more than 45 countries on four continents. The same ambition drives the company still today. Small loudspeakers with great sound. Nowadays everything is also wireless and multiroom.

It is hard to translate sound experiences into words. There are 26 letters in the alphabet that we can use to describe the sound. But there are about 20 000 hair cells in every ear that can be used to listen and evaluate.

This spring Audio Pro launched three multiroom speakers - C3, C5A and Drumfire - and this autumn Audio Pro launched another two multiroom speakers - A10 and A40 - where the latter is an anniversary model (produced in a limited edition of 1 000 individually numbered speakers) developed to celebrate the company’s 40^th anniversary.

The five new speakers launched during the year have in common that they can be a part of a multiroom system via a WiFi-networkand they are also equipped with Bluetooth in order to be able to be used in environments where there is no wireless network available. There is also the option to connect with a cable to the AUX-input. And they can be controlled with a smartphone or tablet (iOS/Android) via Audio Pro’s app, where one can even control the speakers with the voice via Amazon Alexa. Furthermore they all have preset buttons that are easily configured to play a radio channel or a playlist on Spotify, for example, without having to pick up one’s phone.

Products of the year
The new products have been very well received on the market and they have got overwhelmingly good reviews. As an example three out of the four products on What Hi-Fi’s list of Best wireless speakers 2018 are from Audio Pro* and on their list of Best multi-room systems 2018 one out of two is from Audio Pro**.

November 7^th What Hi-Fi announced their 25 ”Product of the year” Awards 2018. Audio Pro Addon C10 was named “Best wireless speaker” and the title “Best multi-room system” also went to Audio Pro (for a system consisting of Addon C10, Addon C5 and Link 1).

• It goes without saying that it is fun to end up on top of lists like these, and that it is a reflection of reality is for us a given – we are on our way towards another record year, says Jens Henriksen, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Audio Pro.

Continuous changes
The first impression of a product these days, in many stores, often comes from the box rather than from the product itself. Thus the cardboard box is important, and Audio Pro is in the process of redesigning their boxes in order to highlight the fact that they are a Swedish company – for example with pictures of Swedish nature and fauna on the boxes.

Audio Pro continues to focus on developing smart multiroom speakers, in cooperation with Google among others, and further product launches are to be expected in the first quarter of next year.

Fantastic development
In recent years Audio Pro has had a fantastic development. 2013 the turnover almost doubled to 6 million Euro, 2014 the turnover increased almost fourfold to 23 million Euro, and 2015 Audio Pro (with eight employees) had a turnover of more than 30 million Euro. Thus the company had a tenfold increase in turnover in three years.

September 1^st 2016 Audio Pro grew to ten employees, as the current owners Jens Henriksen and Nils Ankarcrona joined the ranks. And the positive development continued – 2016 was a new record year with a turnover of 33 million Euro, and 2017 the turnover increased to 34 million Euro.

• Audio Pro has increased the turnover five consecutive years, and grown from a turnover of around 3 million Euro to more than 30 million Euro, at the same time the profit margin consistently has been around ten percent. And the outcome 2018 will be the best in the company’s history, says Nils Ankarcrona, Chief Executive Audio Pro.

The professional segment
Audio Pro has for many years also developed and produced products under the brand name Sonab – wireless speaker systems for retail shops, restaurants, showrooms et cetera. During the year this part of the business changed name from Sonab to Audio Pro Business – and this sector is expected to grow substantially in the next few years.

* https://www.whathifi.com/awards/best-wireless-speakers-2018

** https://www.whathifi.com/awards/best-multi-room-systems-2018

For more information, contact:

- Jens Henriksen, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, +46 705-43 83 00, jens.henriksen@audiopro.se

- Lennart Thulin, press contact Norsholmen AB, +46 705-106 106, lennart.thulin@norsholmen.se

About Audio Pro
Swedish Audio Pro has developed and produced speakers since 1978.The last few years the company has taken the step from subwoofers and analogue stereo speakers to wireless and multi-room speakers. Today Audio Pro is one of the bigger players in their branch of industry and they have won multiple awards for their products, from media in the whole world. Audio Pro is now available in 45 markets globally.