Founded in Auckland in 2004 by Mark and Sonia Jenkins, Antipodes Audio makes specialised digital audio source components for high-end music systems. The New Zealand company moved to Ōtaki on the Kapiti Coast in 2020 and remains solely owned and actively run by its original founders. Its eight-person team distributes digital audio sources through partners in 40 countries, while its newer Oladra brand extends the company’s work into the ultra-high-end market.
Lenard AudioFounded in Australia in 1966 by John Lenard Burnett, Lenard Audio designs and develops integrated four-way active sound systems, alongside audio standards, education and specialist consulting. The company’s work grew from high-powered instrument amplifiers and concert PA systems into reference systems for studios, venues, cinemas and domestic listening, with its Black Opal serving as the benchmark for the wider range. John’s daughter Phaenelagh Burnett has worked with the company for more than 30 years as co-founder and owner, making Lenard a distinctly multigenerational audio enterprise.
Bel Canto Design, LtdBel Canto Design, Ltd. is a Minneapolis-area maker of high-fidelity audio components, founded in 1991 by John Stronczer. Its products are designed and built in Minneapolis, where a small team assembles, tests, and boxes each unit. The company describes its engineering approach as combining analog and digital design to preserve the audio signal and reproduce recorded music.BRONX, NY
Meadowlark AudioBorn from Pat McGinty’s 1987–1993 garage speaker-building project, Meadowlark Audio now makes limited-production, digitally active high-end speakers and luxury custom architectural audio in Redwood, New York. Founded in 1993 and built into an international brand by 2004, the company moved from carefully tuned passive designs to multi-amplified speakers with onboard digital signal processing. Its current work includes the Raven, a twin-subwoofer three-way, and the unusually deep-reaching Pelican infrasonic system.REDWOOD, NY
MarantzFor nearly 70 years, Marantz has designed and made high-fidelity audio equipment, from amplifiers to home-theater components, with a distinctive blend of artisanal craftsmanship and modern networked sound. Founded around Saul Marantz’s pioneering work in Hi-Fi amplification, the brand has maintained a manufacturing home at Shirakawa Audio Works since 2002 and now operates under Harman International.CARLSBAD, CA