Logitech Is Acquiring Blue Microphones For $117 Million In Cash (theverge.com)

Logitech announced late Monday night that it is acquiring Blue Microphones for $117 million. The company known for USB condenser microphones, such as the Snowball and Yeti, will join Logitech's existing portfolio of brands. The Verge reports: Founded in 1995, Blue sells microphones that range in price from $60 to over $4,000 (for studio-grade hardware), and they're used by podcasters, musicians, and any other consumers who need higher-fidelity audio than what they get from the built-in microphones on their devices. Now, after dropping a heap of cash on the company, Logitech will do its best to make sure Blue's devices become just as essential as its own wireless keyboards and mice. "For Logitech, this is a new space," the company wrote in a blog post. "But, at the same time, it's not at all. Gamers are already using our Logitech G webcams to stream. People are video calling with friends and family thanks to Logitech every day. And in business, our audio and video know-how is apparent every time a video meeting takes place at the office. Joining up with Blue and their microphone lines is a logical adjacent opportunity with great synergies."

Comments

Re:Probably a good buy

[rahvin112]

Might be a good buy for Logitech but it will be an awful buy for everyone else. Just like Harmony they will destroy a vibrant company serving a niche market.

Harmony was producing new models and innovative remote products, then Logitech bought them and all new development stopped. The Harmony division hasn't produced a product that wasn't developed premerger. Blue Yeti will experience the same, logitech will cheap out in design products, ramp them then stop all development.

Just like harmony who was producing new products every year they will halt all new development, fire all the designers and developers and milk the product while it stagnates and dies.

Re:Who cares

[v1]

They are crap mics. Blue is the Beats of the microphone world. The only reason they got where they are is because they got their product in front of a few youtube/podcast "influencers". Go into any REAL professional recording environment and Blue is not what you will find.

I've got a Yeti myself, and so does a friend of mine that runs his own business. He bought his after hearing how mine sounded, it can provide that rich "radio announcer" voice that people like to listen to. (in addition to the audio clarity, I also really appreciate its directivity and noise-cancelling selectable sampling patterns) He ended up re-dubbing all his existing instructional videos for his product line with the Yeit because of how much better it sounded.

I really don't know why you'd describe them (all?) as "crap mics", without anything to back up what you say, you don't sound very convincing. Cheap webcam mics are my idea of crap because that's what they sound like. And I'm speaking with over a dozen years of radio experience under my belt.

And no, you don't see them in hardly any big studios, because that's not what they are. They're high end consumer mics, not professional recording studio mics, at least not ones like what I got. The Yeti is one of their best values / most affordable small-studio-grade mics and is a great choice for smaller outfits like podcasters, streamers, and small businesses.

I get the impression you've never spent any time with a Blue mic and are just kicking the brand for some hidden agenda, or just snobbing it because "that's not what my friend the PRO uses".