Cambridge SoundWorks
Encyclopedia
Cambridge SoundWorks is a North Andover
, Massachusetts
based consumer audio
manufacturer and retailer. The company is now a subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd.
.
, an audio engineer and businessman. The young company manufactured loudspeakers and marketed its products directly. Shortly after, Cambridge SoundWorks began offering its products such as the Ensemble I, II, and III satellite speaker systems by catalog and multi-page magazine advertisements. In 1991, the company opened its first retail location in Newton, Massachusetts
, and in 1994, it sold its first products on the Internet
using the Compuserve
network.
With its success, the company grew quickly. In 1996, Cambridge Soundworks joined Creative Technology
in a joint business venture. Cambridge Soundworks manufactured multimedia speakers to be marketed under the Creative name; likewise, Creative began to distribute Cambridge Soundworks products worldwide. In 1997, Creative Technology acquired Cambridge Soundworks. It subsequently went through two additional changes in ownership. It now offers far fewer products and will not longer service older products or offer parts for self repair.
area. The company continued to manufacture loudspeakers for home theater and multimedia applications, as well as distribute other brands such as Sony
and Marantz
. Cambridge SoundWorks marketing also included catalog and internet sales, in addition to worldwide product distribution by partnerships with IBM
, Gateway
, and the parent company Creative Technology Ltd. Creative ordered Cambridge to reduce the number of products sold under its trademark. It has subsequently gone through two newer owners.
On June 23, 2008 the Needham, MA showroom was closed. This was their last retail location. According to the website, the company has gone back to their roots as a direct internet/mail order supplier of electronic equipment.
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. North Andover is the home of Merrimack College, a private, Catholic four-year institution ....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
based consumer audio
Consumer electronics
Consumer electronics are electronic equipment intended for everyday use, most often in entertainment, communications and office productivity. Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver...
manufacturer and retailer. The company is now a subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd.
Creative Technology
Creative Technology Ltd. is a Singapore-based global company headquartered in Jurong East, Singapore. The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries consist of the design, manufacture and distribution of digitized sound and video boards, computers and related multimedia, and personal...
.
History
Cambridge SoundWorks was founded in 1988 by Henry KlossHenry Kloss
Henry Kloss was a prominent American audio engineer and businessman who helped advance high fidelity loudspeaker and radio receiver technology beginning in the 1950s. Kloss was an undergraduate student in physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology , but never received a degree...
, an audio engineer and businessman. The young company manufactured loudspeakers and marketed its products directly. Shortly after, Cambridge SoundWorks began offering its products such as the Ensemble I, II, and III satellite speaker systems by catalog and multi-page magazine advertisements. In 1991, the company opened its first retail location in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, and in 1994, it sold its first products on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
using the Compuserve
CompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
network.
With its success, the company grew quickly. In 1996, Cambridge Soundworks joined Creative Technology
Creative Technology
Creative Technology Ltd. is a Singapore-based global company headquartered in Jurong East, Singapore. The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries consist of the design, manufacture and distribution of digitized sound and video boards, computers and related multimedia, and personal...
in a joint business venture. Cambridge Soundworks manufactured multimedia speakers to be marketed under the Creative name; likewise, Creative began to distribute Cambridge Soundworks products worldwide. In 1997, Creative Technology acquired Cambridge Soundworks. It subsequently went through two additional changes in ownership. It now offers far fewer products and will not longer service older products or offer parts for self repair.
Cambridge SoundWorks today
As of 2007, Cambridge SoundWorks operated just one retail showroom, in the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area. The company continued to manufacture loudspeakers for home theater and multimedia applications, as well as distribute other brands such as Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and Marantz
Marantz
Marantz is a company that develops and sells upper-mid range to high-end audio products.The first Marantz audio product was designed and built by Saul B. Marantz in his home in Kew Gardens, New York...
. Cambridge SoundWorks marketing also included catalog and internet sales, in addition to worldwide product distribution by partnerships with IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Gateway
Gateway, Inc.
Gateway Computer Corporation, is a computer hardware company headquartered in Irvine, California, USA which develops, manufactures, supports, and markets a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories...
, and the parent company Creative Technology Ltd. Creative ordered Cambridge to reduce the number of products sold under its trademark. It has subsequently gone through two newer owners.
On June 23, 2008 the Needham, MA showroom was closed. This was their last retail location. According to the website, the company has gone back to their roots as a direct internet/mail order supplier of electronic equipment.