South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. is making a strategic push into the home and personal audio market, leveraging its subsidiary Harman International Industries Inc.’s latest acquisition of the audio division of U.S.-based Masimo Corp.

Harman, which already holds a significant share of the global in-vehicle audio market, will use this acquisition to expand its brand portfolio into the home and personal audio segments. The company announced on Tuesday local time that it signed a $350 million deal to acquire the audio division of Masimo, a California-based medical device company.

Masimo entered the audio market in 2022 by acquiring U.S.-based audio specialist Sound United. Its initial goal was to enhance user experience for smart healthcare devices and leverage Sound United’s distribution channels, but the anticipated synergies failed to materialize, prompting the sale.

Harman already owns well-known audio brands such as JBL, Mark Levinson, AKG, and Bang & Olufsen for automotive use. With this deal, it adds premium brands including Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, and Definitive Technology to its portfolio.

Samsung Electronics and Harman plan to use this acquisition to establish leadership in the home and personal audio market; strengthen competitiveness in the automotive electronics sector; expand synergies across Samsung’s mobile, TV, and home appliance products; and enhance user experiences through integration via its SmartThings smart home platform.

“As a global audio leader, Harman has maintained a top-tier position,” Dave Rogers, president of Harman’s Lifestyle Division, said. “This acquisition will further solidify our standing as a true audio powerhouse.”

The audio market is generally divided into four categories: automotive audio, home audio (including soundbars, home theaters, and smart speakers), personal audio (earphones and headphones), and professional audio for studios and production.

While Samsung controls 40 to 50 percent of the automotive audio market thanks to Harman, the home and personal segments remain highly fragmented and competitive. The company aims to solidify its position as a global audio powerhouse with this acquisition, given that the global home and personal audio market was worth more than 81 trillion won ($57.93 billion) as of 2024.

Samsung additionally plans to evolve Harman into an “audio technology hub” and develop an “artificial intelligence (AI)-powered connected sound platform” that links various audio devices using AI.

The acquisition will also bolster Samsung’s competitiveness in automotive electronics, enabling the company to deliver tailored audio solutions to global automakers by combining Harman’s existing portfolio with its newly acquired premium brands.

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