Revitalising an Italian icon

Since its foundation in 1962, Montarbo’s direction has meandered. Old and new users from varying cultural backgrounds all have their own opinions on who and what Montarbo is, but applications engineer Vincenzo Manuel Gismondi sums it up succinctly. “Essentially, we are a startup with over 60 years of experience,” he says.

The chapter currently being written in the company’s extensive chronicles dates to the final month of the last decade, when the RCF Group acquired its fellow Italian pro audio manufacturer. In addition to the enormous potential for raising the brand’s profile, the RCF Group CEO Arturo Vicari attached a great sentimental value to the transaction. “It’s a historic brand that has contributed to the evolution of the music and professional audio industry in Italy and around the world,” he said at the time. “For anyone who, like me, has followed the development of this market over the years, elite brands such as Montarbo have a special significance and therefore represent a wonderful opportunity for us to increase the value of our group.”

Having built amplification systems as Super MB, Elettronica Montarbo was founded by Sergio Montanari in 1962. In a short space of time, the then-revolutionary products helped to transform the electronic music scene in Italy and beyond. A flood of bold designs broke out of the company’s Bologna industrial unit during the 1960s and 1970s including a 6-channel powered mixer housing a 100W power amplifier within its portable metal case. Devoid of mechanical friction, the integrated magnetic memory echo unit required no cleaning or maintenance. With the lid doors doubling as supports when opened, Montarbo raised the standard for decades to come.

With the rise of electronic rock and roll, concerts and venues demanded increasingly powerful sound reinforcement systems to cater for increased audience sizes. Unveiling the world’s first active loudspeaker in 1965, Montarbo then added quadraphonic mixers and bass amplifiers with separate head units. During the 1980s, the company became one of the first developers of software-assisted effects processors. Keeping it in the family, Sergio increasingly handed responsibilities to the next generation of Montanaris including daughter Maria and son Maurizio. Having been based in Bologna for 50 years, the headquarters of Elettronica Montarbo relocated to Recanati in the Marche region

in 2013, with R&D and assembly remaining in Bologna. The surprising sale of the company to musical instrument distributor EKO Music Group proved to be nothing more than a six-year punctuation mark in Montarbo’s history. Now operated and managed by AEB Industriale, part of the RCF Group, Montarbo has assembled a small but highly capable team that is charting an upwardly mobile course.

“Acquiring Montarbo was never simply about preserving a historic name,” says AEB Industriale general manager, Giovanni Barbieri. “With a thorough understanding of the legacy and long-established brand values of Montarbo, several senior members of the current team pertain to the EKO Music Group and Electronica Montarbo eras. It was about creating the conditions for the brand to thrive again by combining its heritage with AEB’s engineering expertise, product development capabilities and long-term industrial vision. Every investment we have made, from people and technology to international expansion, reflects our commitment to making Montarbo a competitive player in today’s professional audio market.”

Born in Germany to Sicilian parents and a resident of the Marche region, global sales leader Salvatore Curcio has worked with Montarbo since the EKO Music acquisition. With over 20 years’ experience in international sales and marketing of consumer electronics, musical instruments and professional audio, Curcio is leading a highly organised team into battle.

“Having supported technicians and musicians for over 60 years, Montarbo remains a pioneering pro audio brand, which gives a value to what we are doing now,” states Curcio, who is charged with locating distributors and sales partners to help build the brand. “The solid foundation of Montarbo’s heritage is our engineering. Our product designs are determined by professional users deploying our technology for their everyday, real-world applications. We created a rich legacy based on reliable mixers and innovative active speakers long before our competitors emerged. Rather than promote this history, we are determined to make the brand relevant again with new solutions that provide our customers with real value. By levelling up with our customers, we will grow together.”

Having also joined Montarbo when the brand transitioned to the Marche under EKO Music, Vincenzo Manuel Gismondi’s determination to drive the brand is matched by long working hours and a steely resilience. After his Montarbo career was temporarily derailed during the pandemic, Curcio discovered him working as FOH engineer for an Italian rental company in 2024, and he rejoined Montarbo two months later, having finished the tour he was committed to.

“I’m determined that Montarbo returns to its rightful place in the market,” states Gismondi. “It is challenging and it pushes me to my limits but, during the past two years, our R&D engineers have created 20 new models.” Gismondi is proving to be the vital connection between Montarbo’s customers and the design engineering team. The catalyst in the next round of software and hardware product development is sparked by Montarbo’s users across a wide range of disciplines, who provide daily feedback.

Monthly meetings with the R&D team assess current product development and evaluate future opportunities. “Because all our development is retained in house, we have a licence to re-engineer new ideas,” Gismondi continues. “When they work, we deploy them in the real world, where they take on a new persona. Salvatore has done an incredible job at uniting the entire team as one tight unit which works 24/7 when required. During some weekends, for example, I will send a text to Salvatore with an idea, and he will text me back with his thoughts. This is the new mentality of Montarbo, and this is how we develop new products. These texts led to the birth of the Nettuno and MiniBO series.”

Signifying the onset of Montarbo’s new professional era, the Nettuno series has laid down a significant marker in modularity. Capable of building an entire product structure, the current Nettuno 10, 20 and 50 loudspeakers are complete PA systems composed of multiple cabinets. “Whether it’s a setup for one, two or theoretically an infinite number of speakers, our customers have multiple options with Nettuno,” explains Gismondi.

The system has further evolved with the creation of a double 18-inch subwoofer. “Nettuno tailors for those rental companies wishing to make full use of one cabinet, regardless of scale or whether their customers want a line array, point source speaker or wedge monitor,” he adds. “We want to offer rental companies 100% Montarbo-branded loudspeaker systems for various staging requirements.”

The MiniBO-5M is a hybrid loudspeaker with Bluetooth and wireless stereo playback capabilities that can be used for conferences or in fixed installations courtesy of its multiple mounting options. Gismondi is excited by this smaller-format polypropylene enclosure weighing just 4.4kg. “It is only the beginning for this point source family but, by introducing active speakers into the fixed installation market, the 5.25-inch 2-way model will change mindsets. Our customer feedback ensures that this is the start of its journey.”

As Montarbo’s first-ever active line array system, the Nettuno L28 is Gismondi’s proudest development to date. “With my background in rental, a lot of my knowledge and experience has been poured into what will be the new flagship in Montarbo’s portfolio,” he claims. “We stood outside on freezing winter days listening to prototypes of these speakers before tuning them to our taste. During the spring and summer, we have been actively demonstrating the L28 at concerts throughout Italy including DJ events and jazz festivals.”

From MI to live professional audio and fixed installations, Montarbo is creating a complete portfolio. With a nod to its established MI heritage, the company has developed the B and R Series, while the Creator Series of studio, reference and multimedia monitors has been specifically developed for content creators and DJs who rely on audio interfaces.

“Striking a balance between in-house engineering, myself and external user feedback really starts as a question,” reveals Gismondi. “We always ask how we can engineer a speaker to become a sellable product. By starting with a dialogue, we remain challenged and motivated. From a question from an inspired customer or one of our own R&D team, products are then developed. That question is often a catalyst, after which we channel time and resources.”

Following a distinguished career at General Music, industry veteran and area sales manager Leonardo D’Andrea was part of the Montarbo team from 2005–2010. “The brand was highly regarded by the market, and I learnt so much from working under Maurizio at the time,” he recalls. An approach by Curcio in 2025 witnessed D’Andrea returning to the Montarbo fold at ISE 2026. “The opportunity was too good to ignore and it’s like being reunited with an old friend,” he says. “AEB has made great investments in research, product development, new technology and recruitment, so my focus is to introduce the brand in the correct manner to the global market.”

With the brand renowned in some parts of the world for its iconic mixing consoles, D’Andrea reveals that some customers still request a Montarbo rather than a mixer. “Montarbo is synonymous with sound quality, reliability and best-in-class product design, but the times are changing and technology is moving,” he asserts. “Approaching the pro audio market with the Montarbo brand name requires our business partners to possess a similar passion as ourselves. Ultimately, if you’re not convinced by what you are doing, you cannot convince others.”

Currently enjoying healthy team collaborations, D’Andrea is actively travelling to transform the brand’s export fortunes. “Italian musicians and orchestras playing concerts in the Middle East back in the 1960s and 1970s often toured with Montarbo, and the region became one of our biggest markets,” he explains. “When AEB Industriale acquired the brand, up to 40% of Montarbo’s exports were shipped there, but this is changing and we are increasing our market share in Asia and Europe. With a powerful blend of youthful energy and experience in the company, we are well-poised to expand.”

Montarbo’s current catalogue has been completely updated under the stewardship of AEB Industriale. “A rich history ultimately counts for little because if you don’t have the right products, you cannot go forwards,” says Curcio. “That is why our R&D expertise is a very valuable commodity. Likewise, the Made in Italy logo is an important legacy, but I don’t think it necessarily adds value like it did in the past. The value comes from the design and how that product is perceived by a customer. Rather than focus on the aesthetics or the technology, we carefully assess how it will assist professionals in their daily work. Ultimately, whether you’re a rental company, a TV broadcast studio or a venue, everyone is running a business, and we are obliged to deliver for their businesses.”

Renowned for innovation and quality, the Montarbo brand will always have the support and dedication of an older generation of nostalgic customers. Following a recent L28 demonstration in Rimini, however, Gismondi is firmly looking towards the future. “My heart lifted as I overheard comments from different generations remarking how good the system sounded,” he says.

As the link between the market and the in-house designers, Gismondi and his colleagues have made that vital connection between Montarbo past, present and future.