Sound Devices Acquires JH Audio

Reedsburg, WI (May 30, 2025)—Sound Devices has acquired Orlando, FL-based in-ear monitor manufacturer JH Audio, and while details of the purchase were not announced, the move comes as Sound Devices continues its new expansion into the live sound marketplace.

While best-known for its multi-track audio recorders and field production mixers used in film and TV production, Sound Devices has been broadening its focus in recent times, moving into the live sound market with the A20-HH wireless handheld microphone and Astral Wireless Guitar System. Both products adapted the RF technologies that Sound Devices first created for capturing location sound, and with that in mind, it appears inevitable that JH Audio’s IEMs will soon be outfitted with Sound Devices’ wireless tech as well.

Matt Anderson, CEO of Sound Devices CEO, essentially confirmed as much in a press statement: “Both teams’ R&D aspirations and the close link between RF and IEMs align perfectly, and with a focus on innovation to deliver future synergies across our Astral family and other products is one that has me and the whole team here salivating, and one that should delight all our customers in the coming months.”

While details of the acquisition are scant for now, the statement appeared to indicate JH Audio founder Jerry Harvey would be staying in his role with the company and that JH Audio would remain based in Orlando. Having also founded Ultimate Ears in the mid-1990s, this marks the second time Harvey has created and eventually sold an in-ear manufacturer. Discussing the acquisition, he offered, “We now have an incredible opportunity to not just evolve our next gen of IEM technologies but to gain access to like-minded partners and customers globally.”

Many of those like-minded partners are likely to be under the umbrella of Sound Devices’ own parent company, UK-based pro-audio conglomerate Audiotonix. The JH Audio acquisition comes less than four years after Sound Devices itself was acquired by Audiotonix, which also owns Allen & Heath, Calrec, DiGiCo, DiGiGrid, Fourier Audio, Harrison, KLANG:technologies, Slate Digital, Solid State Logic, sonible and Sound Devices. Since IEMs are one of the few live sound technologies not produced by those companies, JH Audio comes aboard with a clear role among Audiotonix’s brands, and industry watchers are already positing that a collaboration with KLANG:technologies regarding that company’s 3D personal monitor mixing technologies, can’t be far behind.

James Gordon, Audiotonix CEO, noted, “Being able to put the resource behind the JH Audio team to take IEMs to their next level alongside Sound Devices and some of our other live-focused Audiotonix brands, should deliver something very special for our users and their clients.”