A former DIY brand of car and home audio products sold direct to consumers in the 90’s and mid 2000’s is making a return to the market.
Adire Audio, maker of XBL woofers, has been acquired by two 30-year old enthusiasts, who are reviving the car audio lines and bringing them to the retail aftermarket as well as the DIY channel.
Adire was known for its subwoofers with XBL motor technology that resulted in low distortion and high excursion, said Brandon Reder, who along with business partner Andrew Gutierrez, purchased Adire Audio from former owner Dan Wiggins. The latter ran Adire until the company ceased sales in about 2006.
Reder has a background in manufacturing soft goods, importing and sales, he said.
Wiggins now continues to design and engineer products for the brand, which relaunched its first subwoofers late last year.
“Andrew and I wanted to revive the brand. We felt there was a void in the car audio market, at least on the DIY side. We felt there was a need for sound quality subwoofers that have good output. A lot of the product out there is just about output, not sound quality,” said Reder.
Back in the day, Adire had a few direct retail accounts but now it is pursuing a broad retail presence. It’s in the process of setting up a manufacturer’s rep network and opening up direct dealer accounts, Reder said. “Given how car audio is trending today, having a dealer network is extremely important.”
He added, “Expanding our dealer network is really important from a couple perspectives. However, the main and most important is end user education about our products and proper installation.”
“We’re trying to step in where Dan left off. The products are identical to what they were when Dan created them. They sound great, they are budget driven and assembled in the US. We’re bringing back the most popular models. The Brahma is XBL-driven with nearly 28mm of Xmax and incredibly low distortion,” said Reder.
The Brahma 12-inch subwoofer has a suggested retail price of $450. Adire will add a 10- and 15-inch model in early March. Two other subwoofer lines are the Shiva, with a 12 inch subwoofer at $250, and the Tempest with a 15 inch sub at $325. Adire is planning a new top-end line, bigger than the Brahma with 33 or 34mm Xmax one way, it said.
The company is also reviving the home audio segment of the business.
Just what we need, MORE product choices. And why would any retailer choose to support a brand that made their intentions to the DIY market so clear?
Pretty certain Adire already released the bigger brother of the Brahma with 34mm of Xmax in 2005. Called the Tumult.