Audio Video News

The audio wing of the consumer electronics industry has seen a spate of realignments over the past few years. D&M Holdings is the latest player to change ownership. The public company will likely go private, following a tender offer by Bain Capital.

D&M is a Japanese holding company that boasts many prestigious brand names including Denon and Marantz, which are the D and M in D&M, along with Boston Acoustics, Escient, McIntosh, ReplayTV, and Snell. The product lines of these companies encompass everything from budget surround receivers to high-end tube amps to convergence. The company was born in 2002 out of the merger of Denon and Marantz.

"After an exhaustive review of strategic options, we have determined that this offer from Bain Capital represents the best overall value for our shareholders. The next few years should be an exciting time for D&M as we enter another phase in our development," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Eric C. Evans.

According to the press release, "the company intends to continue its active pursuit of acquisitions and growth in the consumer, commercial and automotive audio video businesses." Translation: We're already big. And we're going to get bigger.

Bain's tender offer is 37.1 percent more than the D&M stock's average closing price over the past six months. Having been accepted by the D&M board, the bid will now go to D&M shareholders for approval.