It looks as if Naim and Focal will have a new owner soon…
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Interesting. Transfer valued at 135 mil.
“
Barco, headquartered in Kortrijk (Belgium), is a global technology company leading in visualization, networking, and collaboration solutions. Its innovative technologies drive advancements in the healthcare, enterprise, and entertainment markets. At the heart of Barco’s success are over 3,000 dedicated ‘visioneers’, each passionately contributing to driving change through technology.”
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Interesting, indeed. I remember them (Barco) producing rather good ruggedised LCD displays.
This is the press release.
Hopefully Naim will get the investment required to get much needed new products out of the door.
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Nope
I seem to remember Barco projectors both from my working days as office tools, and outside work for large AV installations, that could be an interesting match to the CI range.
Otherwise it seems an odd fit.
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I think it is a good fit for the direction that Naim have moved in over the last number of years. Old school naim hifi isn’t where the market has moved to. High end integration with streaming and video is the way forward. I don’t like it but it is what is happening.
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It’s the end of Naim as most here know it.
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Actually, quite the opposite. The feeling I got from those within Naim when it first mooted was that it could be very good news for the company and I got the impression that Barco seem to appreciate what makes Naim special.
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I hope you’re right
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Well, that makes two of us, so let’s see..
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Correct, they made high quality projectors and CRT broadcast monitors back in the day, obviously they’ve moved on from those products now but they were, and presumably still are, well respected in the industry
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After cursing the French, forum members will now have an opportunity to curse the Belgians… actually, Barco’s a highly respected company in Belgium, but it might take Naim into an altogether different direction.
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It could be good for Naim. At question however is the direction the new owners wish to take Naim in.
Barco’s history is in video/visual reproduction, with a stated intent to integrate high end video/audio and streaming.
This is clearly a departure from traditional 2-channel audio, the historical heart of Naim.
Maybe 2-channel stereo streaming (both local and subscription) will remain a focus, we will have to see.
If 2-channel audio is no longer the future, it will be good to have a forward-thinking company, like Barco, at the helm.
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Many more than two!
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Looks like the Focal/Naim focused endeavour ran out of time to carry on on their own in current market conditions. Let’s see if the deal is completed to conclusion.
However gloomy your assessment I think you are right. I would hope this was not the case. Anyway let’s see what the future holds.
Suddenly I feel like a dinosaur struggling to fit in. 
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So will Naim & Focal remain joined at the hip after this acquisition?
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I think there’s still plenty of room for 2 channel and this deal may well allow some cool kit that has been in development to see the light of day.
The main thing I think here is that this looks to be a long term investment by a very serious high tech company, and that has to be good news in my book…
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Absolutely Richard, the romantic vision of a cottage industry hi-fi firm delivering state of the art digital products doesn’t really fit in 2026. But I do hope Salisbury survives or at least a manufacturing facility in the same vicinity.
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