NuVo Technologies has music in its veins – with roots traced back to the Davitt & Hanser Music Company established in 1924. Over the decades, this family-led firm has grown into a respected music company called the Hanser Music Group. Still family-owned, it's one of the most trusted names in musical instruments and is the force behind brands including Kustom Amplifiers, B.C. Rich Guitars, Michael Kelly Guitars and Traben Bass.
Seeds of Innovation
In 1990, Jack Hanser and Rick Kukulies of Kustom Home Sound were inspired by the idea of using a car amplifier to provide one-source audio in the home. Their first prototype was an all-in-one system that would supply home audio from a variety of music options simply and simultaneously to multiple rooms in the home.
Birth of a Brand
In 2002, amid a successful launch of its early products, Kustom Home Sound was separated from the Hanser’s instrumentation divisions to form a new corporation under the name NuVo. Jack Hanser served as CEO while Rick Kukulies, Kustom’s esteemed engineer, assumed the role of chief technology officer with NuVo. The pair recruited David Rodarte as president/COO and within a year, NuVo introduced the Classic Simplese® – an affordable four-source, four-zone home audio system, the most simplistic and affordable system of its time.
Line Expansion
In 2004, NuVo incorporated Phillips’ Generation D Amplification. The technology was featured in its new Essentia® D system, which delivered less heat generation and power consumption than conventional amplifiers and was popular with consumers desiring energy efficiency. In 2005, NuVo rounded out its three-tier Good, Better, Best product line with the Concerto® whole home audio system – a six-source, eight-zone system touted for offering features of high-end sound systems but with a value-price tag. NuVo became known for its impeccable sound, unsurpassed quality, ease of installation, and most importantly, its affordability.
Going Global
At the same time, NuVo began its global expansion as custom integrators around the world became familiar with the simplicity and affordability of multi-room audio. By the end of 2004, NuVo was being represented in over 50 countries world-wide. To oversee its growing global distribution, NuVo established an international department in 2004.
New Headquarters
The following year, NuVo built a 120,000-square-foot headquarters in Hebron, Kentucky just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Recognizing the diverse needs of consumers throughout the world, it also implemented international standards in its Simplese and Essentia audio systems, each designed with region-specific keypad options.
In 2007, NuVo added 20 new outdoor cabinet and rock speakers to its AccentPLUS line, establishing the company as a speaker manufacturer. As the iPod evangelized the “music as part of life” experience, it also added a NuVoDock for iPod to its Concerto Suite – along with a wireless control pad that brought the same intuitive navigation of on-wall control pads to the palm of your hand.
Revolutionizing Home Audio
In 2010, NuVo introduced Renovia®, a revolutionary six-source, eight-zone whole home audio solution that can be retrofitted into current U.S. homes. Using existing wiring, Renovia made the luxury of distributed audio more accessible than ever. NuVo also launched a half-dozen new accessories that year, including extremely popular Music Ports that pull together a home's digital content into one complete library and formally made Internet Radio a music option on the NuVo systems.
Today, NuVo provides superior design, engineering, distribution, and support from its corporate offices outside Cincinnati and its manufacturing plant in mainland China. Building on an 80-year legacy of sound innovation, it continues to seek new ways to make multi-source, multi-zone sound more accessible to music lovers everywhere.
