The sale of Voxx International has seen the dumping of the Pioneer range of products by the Premium Audio Company in a move that raises questions over the future of the Onkyo range of AV receivers.

The announcement in a brief email to dealers appears to also end the relationship with Sharp Corporation, who were key partner with Premium Audio Company and Vox International in the manufacture of Pioneer, Integra and Onkyo receivers.

Premium Audio Company (PAC) and Pioneer Corporation announced their mutual decision to not renew their home audio and home theatre partnership agreement, bringing an end to a multi-year collaboration in licensing and marketing between the two agreements.

Vox International, the parent company of Premium Audio Company (including brands like Klipsch, Onkyo, and Integra), was acquired by Gentex Corporation for US$196M. The acquisition, which includes EyeLock (iris biometric technology), is intended to help Gentex expand into the smart home market the Company claims.

The deal was finalized after Gentex acquired the remaining 68.1% stake in debt laden Vox International it did not already own.

In the statement, Pioneer emphasized that the decision only applies to Pioneer brand products that were produced and sold by PAC, and does not include Pioneer brand automotive, television, headphone, wireless audio, professional sound, or other produced and sold by Pioneer Corporation or other Pioneer licensing partners.

In Australia Powermove is listed as the distributor of Pioneer AV products.

Back in 2021, Voxx International Corporation announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Premium Audio Company, and Sharp Corporation had successfully entered a joint venture to acquire certain assets of the audio/video business of Onkyo Home Entertainment Corporation.

This follows the Asset Purchase Agreement signed by the parties as announced on May 3, 2021. Premium Audio will own Onkyo and Integra products, IP and brands, and will market and sell the Pioneer and Pioneer Elite brands worldwide.

The US Company now claims that future development of Pioneer and Pioneer Elite home audio and home theatre products will continue under the direction of Pioneer Corporation a Japanese Company.

What’s not known is who will manufacture the Pioneer products ain the future, and whether any money has been paid to the Sharp Corporation following the decision to drop the Pioneer branded products.

PAC said that it remains committed to providing support and service to customers for all the Pioneer and Pioneer Elite products it helped produce during the partnership.

To that end, the Pioneer Home website will remain active to support all Pioneer purchases made through PAC-authorized dealers and distributors with model-specific service and support information.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Pioneer and appreciate the collaboration we’ve had,” Vincent Bonacorsi, COO of Premium Audio Company, said in the statement.

“After thoughtful discussions, we have mutually agreed to part ways and are now focused on the exciting next chapter of growing our core brands. Our commitment to delivering exceptional audio solutions and supporting our customers remains unwavering.”