A Family Affair

20 years of passion, power, detail and emotion at Klipsch

Since 1946, the name Klipsch has been synonymous with premium speakers. This month, devoted leaders Fred and Judy Klipsch celebrate 20 years of owning this industry icon.

It was the mid-1980s when Fred Klipsch saw a loudspeaker advertisement in a magazine that bore a familiar name—his. He tore out the then Klipsch & Associates ad and carried it around with him for three years before calling the company’s founder and audio pioneer Paul W. Klipsch. Fred and Paul discovered they were second cousins and, without an heir, Paul started thinking about keeping his privately held company in the family.

Two days after the call, Fred and Judy traveled to Hope, Ark.—where the Klipsch legacy humbly began in a tin shed—and bought the company two years later. Fred, a successful Indiana businessman, moved Klipsch headquarters to his hometown of Indianapolis and continued manufacturing and distribution in Hope.  

Staying true to Paul W. Klipsch’s vision of producing no-compromise, premium-quality audio products via proprietary horn-loaded technology, Fred and Judy have spent the past two decades transforming one of the first U.S. loudspeaker companies into a highly regarded global brand and technology powerhouse.

Today, Klipsch sells over 150 products. The brand’s diverse portfolio encompasses home theater, professional cinema, installed whole-house contracting, commercial, computer speakers, iPod solutions and most recently headphones.   
   
The brand’s success over the years is the result of hard work, dedication and developing innovative products that consumers still want and ask for by name 63 years later.

Since taking ownership, Fred and Judy have led the company through major changes in the audio market, as records and cassette tapes have given way to CDs and MP3 files and television channels are now broadcasting in 5.1 surround sound. Over the past 20 years, this dynamic duet has successfully set the vision for Klipsch’s product direction to provide high-performing audio solutions that match evolving consumer lifestyles.

Known for their commitment to high performance, Fred and Judy have skillfully steered the company far away from the “good enough,” low-cost commodity product category trap. 

Their passion for quality has helped the company completely redefine categories, including computer audio. In the earlier part of this decade, Klipsch recognized an opportunity to make his company’s premium speakers the first choice for computer users and gamers. While other speakers were selling for $69 and $79, Klipsch developed computer systems at $299 and $399, added a subwoofer and doubled, tripled and quadrupled its retailers’ average selling price, and thus increased profits significantly for its sales channel partners.