Optimal results

Set up to address what many saw as an unnecessarily complex commercial audio landscape, Optimal Audio became the seventh brand in the Focusrite Group at its 2021 launch. Its focus has been on delivering an ecosystem of products for hospitality, retail, leisure and corporate environments that are easy to specify, simple to install and intuitive for non-technical staff to operate. In just a few years, the brand has expanded its portfolio significantly, built global distribution and established a reputation among integrators and installers for combining ease-of-use with high-quality sound.

The concept for Optimal Audio began in 2019 when Martin Audio managing director Dom Harter identified an opportunity to build a dedicated commercial audio brand. Although the idea emerged during a period of significant change – including the acquisition of Martin Audio by the Focusrite Group in late 2019 – the concept of a separate marque dedicated to commercial audio quickly proved logical. The plan was supported within the group, laying the groundwork for the new company.

“It started inside Martin Audio as a project to investigate how to win market share of the commercial audio sector,” explains marketing director, James King. “We quickly realised that the products required to win were not a suitable subset of the Martin Audio brand and so we invested in a separate R&D team to develop the products under the banner of Optimal Audio. When Martin Audio was purchased by Focusrite plc, the Optimal Audio brand concept – at that stage around 15 months into development – took on additional life with investment by Focusrite as well as support from the wider group to help bring us to this moment.”

An early key appointment was engineering manager Matt Rowe, who was tasked with developing the technological backbone that would underpin the new product ecosystem.

Rowe brought extensive industry experience to the project. After graduating in electronics from Kingston University, he began his career as a technician at BSS Audio, where he later worked on the development of Soundweb London. Following a decade at BSS, Rowe moved to Soundcraft, where he played a key role in delivering the company’s Si series of digital consoles. Later work at Harman International further developed his expertise in cost-efficient engineering, particularly in the development of compact mixers such as Soundcraft’s Signature and Notepad series.

When Harter outlined his vision for the new commercial audio brand, Rowe saw an opportunity to apply his broad experience. The prospect of building an end-to-end system from the ground up, including DSP controllers, amplifiers and loudspeakers, proved compelling. Drawing on his experience of working across multiple disciplines, Rowe helped establish the technical foundations of Optimal Audio’s first generation of products.

While the engineering development progressed, the task of shaping the brand itself fell largely to King. Working alongside Harter, King began developing the brand strategy in early 2019. The guiding principle was simplicity. This would apply not only to the products themselves but to the entire customer experience, from product selection through to installation and day-to-day use. Rather than reducing capability, the goal was to remove unnecessary complexity. Product development focused on creating a range where components worked together seamlessly, eliminating the need for extensive system configuration.

Together, the technical and marketing teams set about defining Optimal’s target markets and detailing how the ecosystem would benefit everyone in the sales chain, including distributors, integrators and end users. A clean, minimalist logo was developed early in the process and has since developed into a distinctive double-icon graphic system used to represent product categories, applications and key messages.

However, as with many well-intentioned plans laid in 2019, an unexpected obstacle presented itself in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic, severely impacting the global audio industry. Throughout 2020, the Optimal Audio team continued behind the scenes, refining the brand architecture, product messaging and marketing approach.

In March 2021, the Focusrite Group launched a teaser campaign announcing that a new brand was on the way, with the official online launch of Optimal Audio on 20 April that year. More than 20 products were unveiled, offering a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium-sized commercial installations, with a focus on supporting multi-zone venues. This included 4- and 8-zone powered and non-powered DSP zone controllers with 3-band EQ, bandpass filtering on every output, limiters and delay and an app for system setup, allowing installers to configure EQs and presets and structure time-of-day routines. Other products were ZonePad controllers and three SmartAmp amplifiers with DSP, multichannel direct drive constant voltage and optimised presets, available in half- and full-rack options. The Up range consisting of five ceiling speakers, four Cuboid on-wall wooden speakers and two compact Sub subwoofers completed the launch offering.

At the same time, a strategic distribution partnership with Audio-Technica Europe for key markets was announced. Distribution partners were soon appointed in multiple regions as the company began building its global network. Heading the charge for Asia was Generation AV, which was quickly appointed to manage the territory, appointing early distributors including Guangzhou Guidance (China), ProPlugin (Thailand), Alvo Technology (Singapore) and Duc Proaudio Technology (Vietnam), followed by Audio Brands for Australia. Meanwhile, representation for the MEA region kicked off with Audiosure for South Africa and Kwarizmi for Jordan.

However, there were more obstacles ahead, namely the global component shortage that affected electronics manufacturers across a range of industries. Anticipating potential supply issues, the team had taken the precaution of securing critical components in advance, including the DSP chips used in the Zone processors. Despite these preparations, the broader supply chain challenges inevitably affected production schedules. Like many manufacturers, the engineering team had to redesign products to accommodate changing component availability. However, products began shipping within months of the launch, allowing the brand to start building up a presence in the market. According to Harter, the response from early adopters and channel partners helped to build a strong order book. The company’s first open day in September 2021 gave visitors the chance to experience the Optimal Audio technology and ecosystems in person.

Product management director David Morbey joined the company after the brand’s launch, bringing with him extensive experience from the commercial AV sector. Having previously worked with Harter and King during their time at Martin Audio, Morbey was already familiar with the concept behind Optimal Audio. “I very much admired the Optimal Audio launch in 2021,” he says. “The disruptive marketing and clear messaging around the ecosystem isn’t let down by the product, which proved to be as simple and intuitive as it promised, so when the opportunity arose to get involved, I didn’t hesitate.”

One of Morbey’s priorities has been to develop a route for improved customer feedback to inform future product development, as well as working with R&D and management to develop a strategy and identify priorities for the medium and long term.

Since its launch, Optimal Audio’s product range has roughly doubled in size while remaining true to its original philosophy. The portfolio now includes loudspeakers, amplifiers, DSP controllers, pagers and control interfaces designed to work together seamlessly, with standout products such as the Talk 8 paging station helping to define the brand’s offering.

Optimal Audio is now distributed in more than 80 countries, supported by an ever-expanding network of sales partners and systems integrators, with worldwide installations spanning applications from hospitality and retail through to sports arenas.

“The ability to have crystal-clear sound available at the touch of a button helps us provide a better environment for our members as well as enabling us to communicate clearly at domestic competitions and special events,” comments Mark Wrobel, CEO of Northside Wizards, whose basketball arena in Australia was installed with a Cuboid system by Brisbane Sound Group, supplied by Audio Brands Australia – the first sports arena install for the brand. “The sound quality and clarity of speech provided by the Optimal Audio speakers is second to none and has made our venue a far more friendly space.”

Optimal Audio has also received significant industry recognition, winning multiple awards both for individual products and for the brand itself. These include honours for technologies such as the Zone DSP platform, the WebApp control interface and the Talk 8 pager.

Although it’s still relatively early days, Optimal Audio has already demonstrated strong momentum. “We’ve signed sales partners all over the world in many more countries than our original business plan assumed,” says Harter. “We have built a solid following of early adopters, channel partners and installers through a powerful marketing campaign. I am very proud of the team, the calibre of materials they have built and the execution of the designs. There is a lot to be proud of, and we have a long-term vision with an excellent team executing the plan. In the next few months there will be a raft of further products and solutions hitting the market. Exciting times!”

With a growing product portfolio, expanding distribution network and the backing of the Focusrite Group, the company is well-positioned for continued growth on its path to provide commercial audio systems that are powerful yet approachable, delivering quality audio while remaining easy for venues to manage.