 | |
 Kitahama Central Building in Osaka, headquarters of Onkyo | |
Native name | オンキヨー株式会社 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Onkyō Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Company type | Joint venture |
| Industry | Electronics |
| Founded | Osaka,Japan September 17, 1946; 79 years ago (1946-09-17) asOsaka Denki Onkyo K.K |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Munenori Ohtsuki(Chairman, Representative Director,President) Hiroshi Nakano(Vice President, Representative Director) |
| Products | Hi-fi andhome theater Audio-Visual equipment, ICs,speaker units and related items |
| Revenue | US$492 million[when?] |
| Owner | Premium Audio CompanyVoxx International (75%) Sharp Corporation (25%) |
Number of employees | 1,814 (2016) |
| Divisions | Integra Home Theater |
| Website | onkyo |
Onkyo Corporation (オンキヨー株式会社,Onkyō Kabushiki-gaisha) is aJapaneseconsumer electronics company,[1] specializing in premiumhome cinema andaudio equipment, includingAV receivers, surround sound speakers and portable devices.
The company started under the name of Osaka Denki Onkyo K.K. in 1946 (a company not related to Nippon Denki Onkyo, which becameDenon). The company's umbrella includedIntegra and Integra Research divisions as well as the main Onkyo brand.
It becameOnkyo Home Entertainment Corporation after purchasingPioneer Home Electronics. The company became bankrupt in 2022; the Onkyo brand now does business under joint ownership bySharp Corporation andVoxx International.[2]
The wordOnkyo translates as "sound resonance".On (音) is fromChinese pronunciation, withtraditional Japanese pronunciation asOto, meaning "sound".Kyo (響) is also from Chinese pronunciation, pronounced asHibiki (noun) orHibiku (verb) in traditional Japanese, meaning "resound, sound, or echo".
Moreover, the Japanese termOnkyo (音響) is not limited to the sense of “sound resonance.” It is also widely used to describe acoustics, as in the quality of sound in a room, while in industrial and practical usage it commonly refers to audio equipment or devices.
Onkyo was founded by Takeshi Goda in 1946 while he worked in sound atMatsushita Electric.[3] It was renamed Osaka Onkyo in 1947. The company name changed from Osaka Onkyo K.K. to Onkyo Corporation in 1971.[4]
The Integra amplifier series was introduced in 1969.[4] In 1993, Onkyo acquiredLucasfilm'sTHX certification and then launched the first ever THX-certified AV consumer receiver.[4]
In March 2015, Onkyo purchasedPioneer Corporation's Home Electronics Corporation, which produces home cinema amplifiers, Blu-ray players and other AV products. In return, Pioneer took a 14.95% stake in Onkyo. The Ohtsuki family remained the largest shareholders of the company with an approximately 26% stake,[5] just aboveGibson Brands, with a 16.5% stake.[6]
With the bankruptcy of Gibson in 2018, Onkyo's shares held by Gibson were sold.[7]
In May 2021,Voxx International andSharp Corporation began negotiations with Onkyo to purchase its home audiovisual division.[8] Voxx's subsidiary Premium Audio Company (PAC) entered a joint venture with Sharp to acquire the business, which includes the Onkyo andIntegra brands, for $30.8 million and the assumption of certain debt plus payment of commissions to Onkyo in future.
PAC would own 75% of the joint venture and Sharp 25%, and manage all product development, engineering, sales, marketing, and distribution, while Sharp would be responsible for manufacturing and supply chain management of Onkyo products. The acquisition was completed in September 2021.[9][10]
Onkyo was delisted from theTokyo Stock Exchange in August 2021 due to the market's rules on negative net worth.[8][11]
On May 13, 2022, Onkyo announced that it was filing for bankruptcy.[12] Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer and Pioneer Elite branded products continue to be distributed by PAC via its 11 Trading Company subsidiary.[13] A professor noted inThe Asahi Shimbun that Onkyo prioritized its manufacturing quality to the detriment of its adaptability to market conditions, with the advent of the smartphone killing off the middle segment of the hi-fi market.[14] PAC and Sharp subsequently bought the remaining assets of Onkyo two months later.[15]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
