GoKawiilBose acquires Skullcandy, will keep it as separate Utah-based brand
Bose announced Wednesday it is acquiring Skullcandy, the bass-heavy headphone brand, which will operate as a separate entity within Bose's Premium Consumer Audio division while remaining headquartered in Park City, Utah. The two companies had already been collaborating through Bose's Sound by Bose licensing program, starting with the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC earbuds in 2025 and the Crusher 1080 ANC headphones in July.
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Bose CEO Lila Snyder frames the deal as a way to reach customer bases, particularly board-sports enthusiasts, that the core Bose brand has struggled to connect with, echoing its 2024 purchase of McIntosh and Sonus Faber. Keeping Skullcandy independent and in Utah suggests Bose wants to preserve the brand's cultural identity rather than fold it into existing operations, which could help it retain younger or more budget-conscious buyers.
- Bose is acquiring Skullcandy, which will stay a separate company within Bose's audio business.
- The firms already collaborated via the Sound by Bose program on earbuds and headphones released in 2025.
- Bose CEO Lila Snyder says the deal, like the 2024 McIntosh acquisition, targets customer segments Bose otherwise misses.
Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC Headphones — These are the first fruits of Skullcandy's collaboration with Bose, blending Skullcandy's signature bass-heavy sound with Bose's audio engineering expertise. If you're curious what this newly merged audio powerhouse can produce, this is the most current real-world example on shelves today.
See Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC Headphones on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: wired.com — Harry Rabinowitz, 2026-10-21
Published there as: “Bose Is Buying Skullcandy. It’s Not as Weird as It Sounds”
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