U.K. manufacturer Optimal Audio is pleased to announce the appointment of Audio Brands as its exclusive distributor in Australia.
Optimal Audio, part of the Focusrite Group, manufactures a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium sized commercial installations, with a focus on supporting multi-zoned venues. Its streamlined product offering works seamlessly to deliver simple-to-install, high-quality sound systems that can easily be operated by anyone, not just engineers.
Based in Sydney, Audio Brands is focused on the installation and production markets and specialises in commercial audio and AV solutions, supplying Australia through a wide network of dealers and integration partners. With exclusive distribution for a number of leading global brands, Audio Brands has developed a strong reputation for outstanding customer service.
Don McConnell, Director of Audio Brands Australia comments:
“We’re thrilled to be representing such an innovative range of products. The experienced team behind Optimal Audio truly understand the requirements of the commercial audio market, and it’s refreshing to see a focus on the user interface. The Optimal Audio range complements our existing brands perfectly and we’re looking forward to introducing the Optimal Audio solution to our integrator customers and consultants.”
David McKinney, Sales & Support, APAC, Optimal Audio adds:
“We are proud to be able to partner with a distributor of the calibre of Audio Brands in Australia. Their strong technical background and expertise in the commercial audio market is perfect for the solutions that Optimal Audio offers. The unique Zone processors and WebApp are catching a lot of early attention in Australia thanks to the initial work Audio Brands have done. Now we are shipping the full Optimal Audio range, we are ready to move in Australia.”
Dom Harter, Managing Director at Optimal Audio, is well acquainted with Don McConnell and Audio Brands:
“I’ve known Don for many years and worked with him before, so I’m especially delighted to have Audio Brands taking care of our distribution in Australia. The company sets very high standards and Optimal Audio couldn’t be in better hands.”
It’s clear that launching a new brand from scratch would present many challenges. Could you identify what you see as having been the greatest challenges in your area, and perhaps talk a little about if/how the pandemic further impacted those… With the benefit of hindsight would you have done anything differently or are you satisfied that you took all the right steps?
My role within OA is to provide insight from the viewpoint of a practitioner as products develop, and support our customers in the products’ use once brought to market.
From a product point of view, the largest challenges have been without doubt supply chain challenges, where even making samples and prototypes has involved much longer lead times than normal.
There is nothing specifically that I would have changed in the products or their development cycle, but bringing the products to market has inevitably been delayed because of these factors. There wasn’t an alternative, unfortunately, but I’m proud to have been a part of the team that has got us to this point.
You must have identified some targets and projected milestones that you wished to reach as the business developed. Have these been largely met/exceeded? Are you where you want/planned to be, one year on?
Broadly, I think we have achieved a great deal in difficult circumstances. The heart of the range, the “Zone” products, are a huge achievement and a product I had hoped for many years would materialise in my previous life as an installer. They are exactly as they should be, no more, no less. The next stages of the product road map are also exciting – it’s going to be a great few years as we roll out more uniquely focused products within the brand goals of quality and simplification.
Speaking to the individual team members at the beginning of this journey, it was clear that the chance to work on the creation of a brand new business from scratch was a very rare and exciting opportunity. Looking back at the last year, has the development of Optimal Audio fulfilled your personal expectations?
It has – and we’ve only just begun. The opportunity to use my experience in the marketplace and, with others, bring that knowledge to the team and see it integrated within the products, is very rewarding. It isn’t often that such opportunities come along, at the very start of a brand with a clean slate and clearly defined goals.
Can you tell us about the response you have received from the marketplace to the Optimal Audio offer? How well has the Optimal Audio message connected with potential customers in the comparatively short lifespan of the company? Could you talk a little about the success of the open days…
It has all been very positive, with great interaction with our worldwide distributors. They have given us considered feedback on our portfolio as well as ideas for the future which helped shape our roadmap. A great brand is never all about one person’s view of what makes for a strong portfolio and so we like to gain a cross section of insight to help cement our direction.
Open days have been great – it’s an opportunity for face to face contact that results in shared knowledge and experience, and to let people get hands on (or ears on!) with the product. Reaction to the sound quality of the products is particularly good to hear, especially as that was a key goal for the brand – not just ease of use, but quality too.
Where do you want/expect to be one year from now?
Sunning myself somewhere fabulous would be nice!
But really….
As the brand continues to grow, and more products come to fruition, my hope is that we make a significant sea change to how commercial audio is perceived – it should be as natural and as simple as picking a playlist in the car. If we can make life easier and less complicated for our customers and end-users whilst delivering great sound quality, we will be doing what we set out to achieve.
In this Q and A, Optimal Audio team members reflect on what was a challenging, hectic and ultimately very satisfying twelve months since the brand was launched…
James King – Marketing Director
It’s clear that launching a new brand from scratch would present many challenges. Could you identify what you see as having been the greatest challenges in your area, and perhaps talk a little about if/how the pandemic further impacted those… With the benefit of hindsight would you have done anything differently or are you satisfied that you took all the right steps?
From a marketing standpoint the biggest challenge was all around the preparation for launch. While we had spent a year tinkering with the brand ethos, positioning and core visual assets to provide a solid basis for the brand, in essence for all supporting materials to launch both the brand and twenty products together, we only had a little over three months to complete it, and a very finite budget.
So, that was all the product copy and photography, website development and company brochure, data sheets and product videos, the launch event… the list appeared endless and daunting. I would not have been able to do it without the team pulling together, and in particularly drafting in Gavin Eldridge to help project manage it all. We got it done and the reaction to the launch was fantastic.
Subsequent to that, the challenges of getting products into production with all the shortages in supply chain, especially around electronics, has meant that getting the portfolio shipping, and delivering brand momentum was significantly more of a headache than we foresaw. So, its been about managing our distributors, providing as clear information as we can, engaging with them on training needs or providing them additional tools in preparation for products shipping, while keeping interest in the brand from the wider community. Thanks again to a lot of hard work from the team and the immeasurable patience of our sales partners, we are now at a stage now where the portfolio is shipping, people are seeing the potential of the brand, and sales are very quickly ramping.
Had we had known, would we have delayed the launch? Of course, we would. That said, I am not a believer in hindsight. For me you have to make the best judgements on the available information and move forward. If things don’t go according to plan, you adjust, but ultimately you keep moving forward. And that’s what we’ve done.
You must have identified some targets and projected milestones that you wished to reach as the business developed. Have these been largely met/exceeded? Are you where you want/planned to be, one year on?
Challenges aside, I think we can be very pleased with where we sit a year on. We have distribution in over fifty territories, a portfolio of twenty-one products now shipping, sales are ramping quickly, brand excitement is tangible, feedback on performance of systems in the field is strong, and we have a very bright future ahead of us. Yes, of course we could have sold more, quicker, without some of the supply chain challenges we’ve encountered, but we feel very confident about the next twelve months.
Speaking to the individual team members at the beginning of this journey, it was clear that the chance to work on the creation of a brand new business from scratch was a very rare and exciting opportunity. Looking back at the last year, has the development of Optimal Audio fulfilled your personal expectations?
Without a doubt, the launch of Optimal Audio is a personal highlight of my career. It is extremely rare to get the opportunity to define and build a brand from scratch, and that journey has been fascinating and rewarding. I am extremely proud of the work that was created, especially in light of the budget that we had to work with, and I am excited to nurture and bear witness to this brand fulfilling its potential.
Can you tell us about the response you have received from the marketplace to the Optimal Audio offer? How well has the Optimal Audio message connected with potential customers in the comparatively short lifespan of the company? Could you talk a little about the success of the open days…
From the launch, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and rewarding. The launch itself was described by a financial analyst as Apple—esque, and as recently as the Open Days in March we got to be face to face with customers who remain extremely complimentary about the brand. Now that the portfolio is shipping and the true potential of the eco-system is coming to fruition, it’s exciting to see the sales ramp quickly alongside some notable installations into Starbucks and Versace retail stores.
Where do you want/expect to be one year from now?
A year from now will be a very exciting place for Optimal Audio because we have laid the foundations for growth: an exciting, differentiated brand with twenty-one shipping products in over fifty countries around the world. We are going to see sales quickly ramp and brand momentum with it. We’ve signed off on a three-year product roadmap with some notable additions to occur in the next year, and we will further strengthen our distribution network too. We are investing in advertising and other brand and product marketing vehicles to support and propel the growth, so yes, a year from now I expect Optimal Audio to be in a very healthy place.
In this Q and A, Optimal Audio team members reflect on what was a challenging, hectic and ultimately very satisfying twelve months since the brand was launched…
Dom Harter – Managing Director
It’s clear that launching a new brand from scratch would present many challenges. Could you identify what you see as having been the greatest challenges in your area, and perhaps talk a little about if/how the pandemic further impacted those… With the benefit of hindsight would you have done anything differently or are you satisfied that you took all the right steps?
Before we launched the brand, we had already considered the forthcoming component crisis, and did some forward buying – for example, the Zone DSP chips. However, the overall realities of the current component crisis meant we probably announced the brand several months before we should have.
While we did start to deliver and invoice some of the portfolio within sixteen weeks of launch, it’s fair to say not enough products were in mass production. But it’s been a trying time for the entire industry, which is used to re-engineering products to mitigate for the odd component, but certainly not used to relentlessly re-designing major silicon components in and out of product. This inevitably caused some delays which thankfully for now, are in the past!
You must have identified some targets and projected milestones that you wished to reach as the business developed. Have these been largely met/exceeded? Are you where you want/planned to be, one year on?
We have signed sales partners all over the world in many more countries than our original business plan assumed. We are also on track in our planning. It took a little while to get going, but all of our products are being built and installed at the time of writing, and I am very proud of what the team have achieved.
We have built a solid following of early adopters, channel partners and installers through a powerful marketing campaign, and built a solid order book for the next six months.
Speaking to the individual team members at the beginning of this journey, it was clear that the chance to work on the creation of a brand new business from scratch was a very rare and exciting opportunity. Looking back at the last year, has the development of Optimal Audio fulfilled your personal expectations?
I am very proud of the team, the calibre of materials they have built, and the execution of the designs. There is a hell of a lot to be proud of, and we have a long term vision with an excellent team executing on the plan.
I think the best moment was our first open day where people got to see and hear our system approach, something which was universally accepted and hailed. I was particularly delighted with the reaction of people to the sonic qualities. We always told people we only make good sounding gear, but seeing peoples reaction to just how good in terms of the value proposition was really rewarding for the team.
Can you tell us about the response you have received from the marketplace to the Optimal Audio offer? How well has the Optimal Audio message connected with potential customers in the comparatively short lifespan of the company? Could you talk a little about the success of the open days…
The only negative is “where’s my stuff?” – but then the whole industry is dealing with unprecedented demand! All the other feedback we’ve received has been fantastic!
Where do you want/expect to be one year from now?
Launching more products! We have a couple of big sellers coming pre calendar year, and the roadmap to support significant future growth
SISME, the Optimal Audio distributor for Italy, has debuted the Optimal Audio range of products during the well-attended trade show in March.
The Zone4 processor and its WebApp were the centre of attention for Optimal Audio, and the feedback from the Italian customers was extremely positive. They saw the true potential of the product and were really impressed by the functionality and flexibility it has to offer. Smart Amps were also well received, – the power sharing functionality and settings in particular generated a huge amount of interest in the brand.
UP series and Cuboid series were the perfect addition to the eco-system set-up presented by SISME.
“It’s great to finally see the reaction of our customers to Optimal Audio. We have been convinced by the potential of the brand from day one, and it’s great to see this reaffirmed by our customers and potential customers at the show”
Raf Willems, Head of Sales EMEA for Optimal Audio added:
“Coming close to the shipping date of our entire range, it was extremely important to get our products in front of AV professionals. The effort and work put in by Claudio Bugari, CEO of SISME, and his team, was exactly our vision on how to present Optimal Audio, as an easy to install and easy to use eco-system. The SISME marketing department did a great job on this, and with the enthusiasm of the entire team, I’m convinced that the future for Optimal Audio in Italy is very bright!”
Optimal Audio will be presenting its solutions in many more tradeshows and launch events throughout the world in the coming months. Stay tuned for the updates on the Optimal Audio website! LINK
Al McKinna’s audio credentials are impressive. His career in product management at Avid, in both Live Sound and Audio Hardware, mark him out as a leading audio industry professional. An in-depth understanding of business strategy allied to product development saw him working at the forefront of Avid’s VENUE brand of digital live audio production systems, overseeing thirty major product releases and achieving two patents. Most recently, as Director of Audio Hardware at Avid, he led Product Management for Pro Tools systems, Control Surfaces and Live Sound. As Head of Product at Optimal Audio, he is responsible for creating a future product development strategy for the company, that aligns with, and remains true to, the brand’s original vision for removing the often unnecessarily complex nature of commercial audio.
Although on the face of it, the transition from professional to commercial audio might seem to be a straightforward step, Al is fully aware of the subtle but clear differences between the two sectors, so when he joined the Optimal Audio team, he was determined to set aside any preconceptions:
“I have a skillset in designing high-end professional audio products. Coming into Optimal Audio, I was able to bring expertise in product management and of leading a successful business in pro audio to design a product strategy that works for our customers in the commercial audio space.
“What I didn’t want to do was come in with a lot of preconceived ideas. This is a fresh space for me, and so I set out to learn as much as I could and not make assumptions. The worst thing I could have done was enter this new space assuming I would make all the right choices based on my experience. Optimal Audio is an exciting fresh new brand, introducing a new perspective on commercial audio. Inspired by this, I took fresh approach to my role.”
With the Optimal Audio ecosystem well and truly launched into the market, Al looks at the next step:
“I was employed to provide a product strategy for the future of the company that delivers the visions and business goals set out by Dom Harter. The launch of Optimal Audio was very successful – the team had a compelling vision for the ecosystem and were poised to get the first series of controllers, amplifiers and loudspeakers out into the world. I was honoured to be given a position with this highly talented group of people set to establish positive change in the installation, use and audience-experience of commercial audio.
“My job role in that team is to take a dispassionate look at the market, identify the opportunity for innovation and growth, determine our path forward and work with engineering manager Matt Rowe and team to deliver on an inspiring roadmap.”
Al McKinna’s place in the Optimal Audio team reflects the brand’s determination to look outside the immediate surroundings of the commercial audio sector to find the talent that can help propel its mission to deliver high quality solutions that are simple to install and operate. Bringing fresh perspectives to the sector lies at the heart of the Optimal Audio plan, and the exchange of ideas between expert team members from a diverse set of backgrounds has seen swift progress. As Al focuses on overseeing future strategy, he sums things up:
“I’m motivated to ensure that Optimal Audio products are perfectly positioned for our customers in commercial audio. Drawing on my background of developing successful products in the pro-audio sphere, and combining that experience with a ‘first principles’ approach to commercial settings, is the essence of my role in helping Optimal Audio to become an established market-leader .”
With our full ecosystem of products shipping early this year, 2022 is the year for Optimal Audio – and am honoured to be a part of it!
We’re excited to welcome amplifier and electronics specialists Linea Research to the Focusrite Group of audio brands, following the latest acquisition by our parent company, Focusrite plc.
Linea Research is headquartered in Letchworth Garden City, UK was formed in 2003 by a team of experienced professional audio specialists, and they design, develop, manufacture and market innovative professional audio equipment globally. Their products include a range of ground-breaking amplifiers, including the world-renowned M Series, together with Digital Signal Processors, audio networking and software products. Two of the original founders, Davey Smalley, Commercial Director, and Ben Ver, Engineering Director, will continue to lead the business post-acquisition.
By extending the Group’s business into new products and markets, which complement its existing offerings, the acquisition is strategically aligned with the Group’s previously communicated aims of growing the core customer base, expanding into new markets, and increasing lifetime value for customers.
Optimal Audio, manufacturer of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium-sized commercial installations, particularly multi-zone venues, has announced an addition to its range in the shape of the Up 6O, a 6” two-way passive, full range open back ceiling speaker.
Delivering a consistent conical 110° coverage pattern, Up 6O features a 6” low frequency driver paired with a 0.7” metal dome tweeter, and is supplied without a back can for ceilings with a minimum cavity depth. An integral fixing system achieves a simple and clean installation. Up 6O is suitable for both high quality speech and music reproduction in a wide range of cost-conscious commercial environments, from hotels and concourses to retail outlets, bars and restaurants.
Each Up 6O can be run on a series of 70 or 100 Volt taps or at low impedance, and with a 16 ohm setting allows up to four units to be connected to each amplifier channel at low impedance for an efficient install.
Up 6O joins Optimal Audio’s range of ceiling speakers with the entire Up series now shipping in APAC, followed by EMEA from March, and North America to follow later in the year.
Product manager, Al McKinna, said:
“With the entire Up ceiling series, including this latest addition, now shipping, they join Cuboid and Sub to complete our loudspeaker offering. With our amplifiers also shipping and our controllers soon to follow, the Optimal Audio ecosystem of control, amplification and loudspeakers working seamlessly together is now becoming a reality. 2022 will be the year we see Optimal Audio really take off.”
When the opportunity to join Optimal Audio arose, Raf Willems didn’t hesitate. A twenty year career in the Audio industry which began with residential sales moved swiftly into the commercial audio sector with Apart Audio. When Apart was acquired by Biamp, Raf took on the position of Head of Business Development for Europe, as well as the additional responsibility of managing Biamp’s Retail and Hospitality team. An impressive career indeed, and one for which Optimal Audio it seems, was tailor made as the next challenge.
“The chance to help develop a new brand from its inception was irresistible – you don’t often get that chance in our industry” comments Raf. “The fact that Optimal Audio was part of the Focusrite group was naturally attractive, but it was the concept behind the product ecosystem that grabbed me first off. The chance to be involved from the outset with a really diverse team of audiophiles, and share direct responsibility for developing and growing the business from scratch was unmissable.”
Whilst it could be argued that commercial audio doesn’t possess the same allure as its professional counterpart, there’s no doubting the significance of its market. Raf is quick to point out that on the face of it, the sector might not have the thrill of the rock and roll arena, but as a one billion dollar business, it unquestionably offers huge opportunities. Introducing and communicating Optimal Audio’s potential in this significant and profitable audio market across the EMEA regions is Raf Willems’ task:
“First of all we need to be clear to potential customers about where Optimal Audio fits, where we slot in and why we were created. Effectively we are offering an entry level digital audio package to the commercial audio world. The competition is either remaining in the analogue domain or dealing in high-end complex digital packages. Optimal Audio is offering a pathway out of analogue into digital – with the advantages that brings – whilst keeping things clear and simple in installation and operational terms, and maintaining a very competitive price. It’s always natural for people to stick with what they know, so a principal element of my role is to communicate why it would be good for business to adopt a new brand over their traditional choices.”
Central to the Optimal Audio approach is that it is very firmly a distributed brand. The company believes that distribution is still the right way to promote brands to markets and develop coherent strategies, and over recent months Raf has been heavily involved in developing Optimal Audio’s distributor network. As he sees it, his role involves working closely with distributors in a supportive capacity, building strong relationships based on achieving results through brand activity, brand promotion, sharing technical know-how and creating confidence. He continues:
“The hard-sell approach isn’t what we’re about. After establishing the fact that Optimal Audio represents good business for distributors and their customers, it’s about being available to the distributor’s team to support the brand with insights into the product ecosystem, and help develop an in-depth understanding of the role Optimal Audio can play for their customers.”
With this in mind, the next few months sees Raf engaged in blazing a trail of customer visits through the region, focusing on brand promotion, education, and getting close to customers, as he explains:
“You might say it’s a bit old school, really; very much the way we used to run our businesses many years ago, very much hands-on – personal visits, launch events, open days – all these things which I still believe to be extremely valuable. Not only does this inform our distributors and their customers, but it helps us gain a better understanding of the markets they are operating in. As much as it is our role to be proactive in detailing the potential of Optimal Audio, the process also works the other way round by increasing our awareness of how their particular markets work and what specific areas of support they need from us. We have to be responsive and not prescriptive.”
With the full Optimal Audio range due to ship by March, Raf is anticipating a busy schedule. If early reaction to the brand’s message is anything to go by, the pace won’t be relenting anytime soon, which is just how this experienced and dynamic operator likes it.
UK manufacturer Optimal Audio is pleased to announce the appointment of Sisme as its exclusive distributor in Italy.
Optimal Audio, part of the Focusrite Group, manufactures a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium sized commercial installations, with a focus on supporting multi-zoned venues. Its streamlined product-offering works seamlessly to deliver simple-to-install, high quality sound systems that can be easily operated by anyone, not just engineers.
Sisme has operated in the Italian market as an importer and distributor of leading audio and video brands since 1967. Thanks to its comprehensive brand portfolio, Sisme can address a wide range of sales channels, including system integrators in the pro and commercial audio sectors, touring and rental companies, broadcast and production studios, as well as MI, hifi and electronics stores. The company’s ethos is centred on offering its customers quality products and strong support in an easy business format.
Raf Willems, Head of Sales and Channel Marketing EMEA at Optimal Audio comments:
“From day one, Sisme has been an excellent fit for Optimal Audio. They are a very reputable distributor, and only work with a select number of brands that fit their criteria. Their experience and professionalism combined with a thorough knowledge of the Italian market convinced us that Optimal Audio will be a great success in Italy.”
Claudio Bugari CEO of Sisme adds:
“We strongly believe that the range of easy to install, well-integrated and user friendly products designed by Optimal Audio exactly meets the requirements of our system integration partners operating in the commercial audio sector. We are confident that the synergy between Optimal Audio and Sisme can create rapid commercial development over the coming months.”
