Sony acquires award-winning gaming audio tech company Audeze

It seems that the PlayStation Pulse Elite and Explore were just the tip of the iceberg.

Image: Sony PlayStation Portal and Pulse

Yesterday, Sony dropped some news about their teased Project Q, now known as PlayStation Portal. Additionally, they showed off more information about the Pulse line of headsets and earbuds that were also teased during the Project Q reveal. Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the acquisition of Audeze.

The PlayStation Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore were shown off back in May during Sony’s PlayStation Showcase 2023, but were not given names or any info. But, now we know a ton more about them.

Not only are they lossless audio, noise rejection, low latency, and work with Sony’s new PlayStation Link technology. But, they also had planar magnetic drivers in them.

Yesterday, the planar magnetic drivers confused a lot of people as only a few companies utilize it. But, knowing that Sony is buying Audeze, it all makes way more sense.

“Audeze is a premier brand for headphones, and this acquisition highlights Sony Interactive’s focus on innovation and providing the best audio experience to PlayStation players,” said Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “We’re excited to bring Audeze’s expertise into the PlayStation ecosystem, building on the great strides we’ve made with PlayStation 5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech and the Pulse 3D wireless headset.”

Honestly, this is a match made in heaven. Sony has been a leader in audio for decades. Their Sony Walkman even became the generic term for portable tape or CD player back in the 80s and 90s. Seeing them acquire a major audio technology company like Audeze just feels right.

“Sony Interactive provides Audeze with a unique opportunity to scale our business, as we continue with our mission to deliver best-in-class headphones to recording professionals, audiophiles, and gamers,” said Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO at Audeze. “We’re also looking forward to contributing to Sony Interactive’s efforts to take PlayStation audio experiences to the next level.”

No word on how much they paid for Audeze, but it likely was a hefty sum. Additionally, while Audeze currently makes beautiful headsets for Xbox, it’s unlikely that’ll happen for much longer.