LEA Professional, a new US amplifier company launched last week at the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, will be headed by former Harman employee Blake Augsburger.
The first products from the company are professional grade two-channel and four-channel amplifiers for small to medium scale installations. The LEA Connect series feature DSP, wired or Wi-Fi connectivity, webpage configuration and control.
“LEA Professional is inspired by many conversations with members of the professional audio and integrator communities,” said Augsburger, founder and chief executive officer of LEA. “We listened closely and looked carefully at amplifier performance, networking, UX and built a range of products and a new company that respects the way things get done today but offers a bold new approach capitalising on new technologies from outside the AV domain.
“We have a start-up mentality in that we’re lean, agile and ambitious but we do not suffer from the challenges that afflict many start-ups because we’ve all worked together and with our dealers and distributors for a considerable time. We have a clear mission and we have strong unique technology,” Augsburger continued.
Joining Augsburger at the helm of the new venture are other former Harman staff Jeremy Bules, who will be vice president of engineering and operations, and Scott Robbins, who takes on the role of vice president of sales and marketing.
Bules explained: “We’re approaching connectivity and control with a fresh perspective and no legacy commitments. This enables LEA to cost-efficiently capitalise upon proven IoT innovations from global brands like Intel, Cisco and Microsoft while also bringing our unique amplifier technology to the equation.”
Robbins said: “Not only will our products be technically advanced, we will also focus heavily on the dealer experience. At LEA we are not confused about who the customer is; our customer is the dealer/integrator. Our products and support structure will be designed to make the dealer/integrator successful. Ease of doing business, timely and efficient pre and post-sales support, customer inspired product features, and advanced technology are the foundational elements upon which our company is built.”