The North American distributor of German Maestro has product in stock, and is also launching a new subwoofer line under the name Audio Props.
Audio Props is also the name of a high end luxury custom car audio shop, owned by Ken Strzepka, in West Palm Beach, FL. Two years ago, Strzepka branched out to form the company Rep-Corps, that became the North American master distributor of German Maestro.
It will soon be launching Audio Props-branded 6.5- and 8-inch high powered subwoofers that complement the German Maestro line, as that line does not offer high power handling subwoofers, said Strzepka. Additionally, the Audio Props brand will produce accessories and knock-down flat-pack subwoofer enclosures.
“Audio Props is slowly transitioning into a speaker brand with subwoofer products that basically bolster the German Maestro products,” he said. German Maestro had once offered subwoofers, for a short while, but determined they did not live up to its performance bar and they were expensive to ship from Germany.
“We’re not going for the flat subs or big 10s and 15s. We are designing SQ 6s and 8s with aluminum cones and rubber surrounds that will be marine certified,” said Strzepka.
At this time of COVID-19 and product shortages, Strzepka said German Maestro is fully stocked.
The German Maestro brand is known for its tight production tolerances, as virtually their entire production process is done in house in Germany. In German Maestro speakers, that high tolerance allows them to use a smaller motor structure while maintaining good sensitivity by using a tighter air gap, said Strzepka, adding, “and that’s how they get a lot of output without gigantic magnets.”
How did a boutique car audio retailer end up as the master distributor of German Maestro? “The seminal reason why Audio Props got involved with German Maestro was to protect it from big distributors and those in it for the buck. There were others at the time that were more powerful than us and promising big sales. We approached German Maestro and Oliver Schmidt sheepishly saying we wanted to protect it for retailers…” and German Maestro chose protecting the brand over sales, Strzepka said.
German Maestro now has about 20 US dealers and Strzepka hopes to expand that number to 100 dealers by December.
Strzepka worked at Speaker Warehouse in FL starting in 1988, which was owned by Jim Birch and Lou Proni, the noted founders of JL Audio. “I was lucky to be a 20 year-old green horn. I learned from the best in the business. I learned you don’t have to do a gigantic 15-inch sub to make the car sound good,” he said. Another brand sold at Speaker Warehouse was MB Quart, a brand that changed owners several times, now owned by Maxxsonics. The factory that produced MB Quart is now producing German Maestro speakers. “It’s made on some of the same machines at the same factory and some of the same employees are still there,” Strzepka said.
Rep-Corps can be reached at [email protected]
German Maestro Dealer Inquiries can be sent in at https://germanmaestrousa.com/dealer-inquiry/
