History

The Company That Changed TV Sound.

ZVOX Audio was founded in 2003 by industry veterans Tom Hannaher (Best Buy, Advent, Apple Computer, Cambridge SoundWorks) and George Samuels (Ohm, EPI, Genesis, Cambridge SoundWorks). The ZVOX VP of Product Development is Jarl Salmela (ADS, MB Quart, Cambridge SoundWorks), one of the best amplified speaker designers (if not the best) on the planet. Our goal is to make high-quality, high-performance sound systems that are easy to use. To achieve that goal, we have "reinvented" the TV sound system several times.

In 2004 we introduced the ZVOX 315, a system CNET called the first commercially successful sound bar. In 2008 we came out with the ZVOX 550 -- the world's first SoundBase style home theater system. In 2012, responding to a growing crisis of incomprehensible TV dialogue, we introduced our AccuVoice feature -- which uses hearing aid technology to make voices clear, even at low volumes.

Being an innovator has allowed ZVOX to survive and grow in a highly, highly competitive field. Virtually every other company making products like ours is a huge, billion dollar enterprise. And virtually every one of those companies copies our ideas (or at least tries to copy our ideas) on a regular basis. We are the little company that "inspires" the big companies.

We enjoy our David vs. Goliath position in the marketplace. It lets us have fun and try new things without the approval of some Wall Street investment group. We may not drive Bentleys, but we have a lot of fun.

 

• August 2003 - Company is founded.

• January 2004 - ZVOX 315 all-in-one cabinet home theater system introduced at Consumer Electronics Show. Shortly after introduction the 315 is featured on NBC's The Today Show.
• March 2004 - Model 315 starts shipping, becoming what CNET calls the first commercially successful sound bar.

• 2005 - ZVOX introduces the ZVOX Mini, the world's smallest home theater system.
• April 2006 - ZVOX begins delivering products to hotels for use as guest room audio systems.

        

• January 2007 - ZVOX introduces Model 425 high performance sound bar with dual built-in subwoofers at Consumer Electronics Show.

• July 2008 - ZVOX introduces the world's first SoundBase, the Model 550. Home theater is now simpler than ever.
• August 2009 - ZVOX introduces SoundBase 575 with dual 6.5" subwoofers, establishing new level of performance for an "all in one" home theater system.
• December 2010 - CNET names ZVOX 575SoundBase "Home Audio Product of the Year."
• June 2011 - ZVOX introduces the SoundBase 555, the first product with Dialog Emphasis system - innovative technology directly addressing dialogue clarity.
• June 2014 - ZVOX introduces first products using AccuVoice feature which uses advanced algorithms to mimic the function of a hearing aid, resulting in startling voice clarity.

• January 2016 - ZVOX introduces a family of slim aluminum sound bars with built-in subwoofers, redefining performance expectations for the product category.
• September 2016 - ZVOX introduces the AccuVoice AV200 TV Speaker, our first product focused entirely on dialogue enhancement.

• February 2017 - the AccuVoice AV200 becomes Amazon's #2 best selling sound bar speaker with over 550 consumer reviews averaging 4.4 stars.
• April 2017 - ZVOX introduces the AccuVoice AV205 TV Speakr that can be fined-tuned by an audiologist to match the audiogram of a hearing impaired patient.

 

Why is the company called "ZVOX"?

Tom Hannaher, the founder of ZVOX, grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, where his father worked as a disc jockey at KVOX, a local radio station (“The Voice of the Red River Valley”). When Tom was a boy he often went into work with his dad – and even joined in on a few broadcasts. His fascination with audio equipment began in those studios. When he started ZVOX in 2003, Tom wanted a four-letter brand, so he started with KVOX (which he couldn't use), and changed the K to a Z. That's our story, and we're stickin' to it. (Note:it's pronounced Zee-Vox).