Audio Research, Minneapolis
Audio Research is one of the oldest continually operating manufacturers in American audio. The company was founded in 1970 in Minneapolis with one goal in mind: to advance the state-of-the-art in music reproduction. Today, Audio Research remains a performance-oriented company by philosophy and design. New product introductions are driven only by genuine advances in technology and performance — the HIGH DEFINITION that is the hallmark of the company’s products. The company has grown steadily over the last 40 years, with a network of top audio specialist retailers across North America and distributors throughout Europe, Asia and South America. The company occupies a 48,000 square-foot, technically-advanced production plant and administrative headquarters in Plymouth, Minnesota, where approximately 50 technical, assembly and support staff guide the product line from concept to finished goods.
Audio Research: the short history
The original page was written around 2010, when Audio Research was still in Plymouth, Minnesota, and still independent. A lot has happened since. William Z. Johnson, who founded the company in Minneapolis in 1970, died in December 2011. Fine Sounds SpA, the owner of Sonus faber, had already bought the company in 2008; that group became McIntosh Group in 2016. TWS Enterprises took over Audio Research in August 2020, the company moved to Maple Grove, Minnesota, in August 2018, and AR Tube Audio Corporation acquired it in June 2023.
Wikipedia credits Audio Research with helping to bring the vacuum tube back as the main amplifying device in high-end audio during the 1970s.
| Founded | 1970, Minneapolis |
|---|---|
| Founder | William Z. Johnson (died 2011) |
| Owners since | Fine Sounds (2008), McIntosh Group (2016), TWS (2020), AR Tube Audio (2023) |
| Location | Maple Grove, Minnesota, since 2018 |
Questions collectors ask
Who founded Audio Research?
William Z. Johnson, in Minneapolis in 1970.
Who owns Audio Research now?
AR Tube Audio Corporation acquired the company in June 2023, according to Wikipedia.
Sources: Wikipedia: Audio Research.
