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NHT Audio sings its swan song... for now

by Steven Kim posted Feb 25th 2009 at 11:43PM

NHT 3.3 speakers
It's a sad day for fans of Now Hear This (NHT) Audio, best known for its speaker offerings -- the company is "going quiet." A letter from company co-founder Chris Byrne makes it clear that while the NHT didn't go bankrupt, there's been a sea-change in the audio market that needs a different approach. Them's strong words from a company that has a pretty solid reputation for doing things a bit differently. We remember, for example, when the NHT 3.3s came out -- that gangly narrow cabinet afforded good imaging from the front-firing drivers and the radical (at the time) woofer location on the side wall enhanced the bass response -- NHT definitely was quirky in a good way. March 31st will mark the end of NHT as we know it; here's to hoping we see it rise again in a new form with creative ideas to throw into audiodom. Not that we're counting on it, but it might just happen.

Tweeter chirps its swan song

by Steven Kim posted Dec 17th 2008 at 2:47PM


The trials and tribulations of corporate bankruptcy have come to an end for Tweeter. The firm was granted Chapter 7 status, presumably allowing the stores to be reopened, but a recent filing makes it clear that this plan has gone up in smoke due to the associated expenses and logistical difficulties. So now it's for the trustee, one George Miller, to vacate as many retail locations as possible, clear out unsold inventory, empty the corporate offices and even pick up the keys to company vehicles; all by December 31, in time for the warehouse sale. Given the developments on the company's website, this end is probably for the best -- except for employees who reportedly have not been given their bonuses or vacation time pay. Tweeter, we hardly knew ye.

[Image courtesy highfihoney]

Sony calls it quits on US TV production

by Steven Kim posted Dec 15th 2008 at 5:28PM

Sony Westmoreland, PA plant
Honestly, it's surprising to us that Sony still had any TV manufacturing was still in the U.S., but sadly, the company will be turning the lights out on its last U.S.-based plant early next year. The Westmoreland, PA plant is set to cease TV production in February 2009 and finally close in March 2010 when TV and Blu-ray disc repair are relocated as well. Reliability be damned, the plant just couldn't avoid the axe this time around -- it had already shifted from RPTVs to LCD TVs since opening in 1990 -- but this last round of "5 or 6" worldwide plant closings for Sony will spell curtains for the Pittsburgh Technology Center. Our hearts go out to the 560 folks who will lose their jobs.

[Image courtesy Westmoreland County, PA]

Tweeter site egregiously hacked as company bows out

by Darren Murph posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 9:56AM Breaking News


Not that we haven't seen websites hacked in good fun before, but this is downright disturbing. Just hours after getting word that the many faces of Tweeter were all fading away into the sunset (to put it nicely), an apparently disgruntled employee has showcased his / her 1337 hax0r skills by totally transforming Tweeter.com's main page. Let's just say it's less than becoming (and the block censor is ours), but the full screen grab is down below if you care to indulge. Hey, if you're going to burn a bridge, you might as well leave it in ruins, right?

[Thanks, Jason]

Update: Fun while it lasted! Now surfing over to Tweeter.com takes you to... nowhere. Check a cached page in the gallery below for a long lasting memory.

Gallery: Tweeter site hacked as company bows out

The many faces of Tweeter call it quits

by Steven Kim posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 1:29AM

Tweeter stores closing
The long-suffering Tweeter chain has thrown in the towel and closed its remaining stores, including those under the Sound Advice, Showcase and HiFi Buys banners. We heard about the Sound Advice news almost a month ago, so there's a definite note of inevitability to this news. CEPro is reporting that the future of the unsold inventory which was cleared out of the Tweeter distribution centers when liquidators stepped in and now sitting on showroom floors remains in question. It's definitely been a rocky year or so for the Tweeter chain, which has already come back from bankruptcy once before, but somehow we think the current economic climate will make for a long hibernation this time around.

Sound Advice closing up shop, liquidating stores

by Darren Murph posted Nov 6th 2008 at 12:01PM

Another one bites the proverbial dust. Hot on the heels of Tweeter zipping up its distribution centers comes word that the Florida-based Sound Advice will be throwing in the towel as well. Interestingly enough, we just heard hours ago that ripples from the Circuit City / Tweeter closings could affect upscale dealers, and here we are watching 22 boutique shops liquidate their current inventory and call it a done deal. About 50 employees stand to lose their jobs, but of course, those with an outlet around can take advantage of some killer deals right about now. Granted, this probably has quite a bit to do with the fact that Tweeter actually acquired Sound Advice in 2001 for $61 million, and generally speaking, children don't fare too well when their parents hit the skids.

Tweeter gets a rock, closes distribution centers

by Steven Kim posted Oct 31st 2008 at 7:52PM

Charlie Brown Halloween Tweeter
It's Halloween, and things are looking scary for Tweeter, which has already risen once from the grave. The company was purchased by a liquidator last night and the entire stock of goodies at the distribution centers has been forwarded to the retail stores. Sure, that's one way to shave $12 million off the operating costs, but asking manufacturers to ship to individual retail outlets probably isn't the most efficient way to run things. As if that's not bad enough, calls to the corporate office by TWICE have been greeted by a recording that states the corporate offices have been closed and then go unanswered. Optimists see this change in operations as a way for Tweeter to forge ahead, but this looks like a clear-out if you ask us. What's your take?

[Via CEPro]

Tweeter hits a sour note

by Steven Kim posted Oct 17th 2008 at 11:11AM

Tweeter logoYou don't have to have a Nobel Prize in economics to know that the current state of the economy is bad news for sales of HT gear, but it would be doubly bad for a company that, say, was just trying to get business moving again after emerging from bankruptcy. Enter Tweeter, which only this past summer was retooling stores into "electronic playgrounds." The company's CEO has been replaced by a restructuring firm exec (aka axeman) who quickly got down to business by putting Tweeter operations into a "temporary transition period," and we've got a bad feeling that means the electronic playground just got a lot rougher.




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