Type GmbH Number of employees 150+ (2011) Founder Peter Tschimmel Headquarters Berlin, Germany | Industry Electronics Parent Teufel Founded 1979 | |
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Products PC, THX, audio streaming, home theater and related speaker products CEO Edgar van Velzen (1 Oct 2012–) Profiles | ||
Teufel Audio (full name Teufel Audio GmbH) is a (private equity) owned company based in Berlin, Germany, which specialises in loudspeakers and accessories.
Contents
History
Background
Lautsprecher Teufel develops and manufacturers audio devices (including PC, Home cinema, THX, iPod, stereo, audio streaming, and headphone products). Teufel is the leader in Internet-based speaker sales companies in Europe, and is the largest company for THX speakers worldwide. The company was started in 1979 by Peter Tschimmel, a self-confessed audiophile, in his home town. Teufel’s headquarters, including the customer service, development and marketing departments, is located in Berlin, while their warehouse and shipping section is based in Hamburg.
Home audio lines
THX– Teufel was the first producer of THX-certified speakers in Germany, beginning their line in 1996. Today Teufel has the widest selection of THX certified speaker systems in the world. Teufel creates speakers that are THX, THX Select 2 and Ultra 2 certified.
An example of an Ultra 2 certified system is the System 8 THX Ultra 2, renowned for its small size yet able to maintain a THX Ultra 2 certification. This system decreased the size of its subwoofer casing by two thirds from the previous model. The System 8 THX Ultra 2 is the only system world-wide that is THX Ultra 2 certified and uses one bass driver only. This product is revered by critics as “It mixes top-grade performance with quality looks, and while its direct sale nature might not be everyone`s cup of tea, its direct sale price certainly sweetens the deal.”Home Cinema Choice 6, 2010.
Raumfeld by Teufel (Audio Streaming)
Raumfeld creates audio streaming products that, together with Teufel speakers, allow one to connect their HiFi sound system to the Internet; giving access to over 50,000 international and local radio stations, Napster and one’s own personal music collection. This system wirelessly connects a sound system that can be located in one or multiple rooms. After this acquisition, Teufel began selling Raumfeld products throughout Europe from their Internet platform.
Teufel Raumfeld has been met with much popularity, being given 5 out of 5 from What HiFi (May, 2010). PC Pro states “The speakers are the key differentiator in a Raumfeld system. Rather than building the wireless technology into a discrete amplifier or streaming module as Sonos does, Raumfeld builds it all directly into one of the speakers, along with a 30W per channel amplifier.” (August, 2010). In June 2011, Raumfeld came out with an app that can be used with iPhones, iPads and iPods as an additional remote control. This was followed by the release of an App for Android devices in January 2012.
Home cinema
Teufel Audio’s collection of home cinema products includes over 45 micro, compact, column and floor systems. Though Teufel already had a strong footing in the home cinema market, their popularity skyrocketed in spring 2004 with the launch of the Concept S. This system was the first affordable, high-quality aluminium column speaker set to hit the market. At that time, Teufel sold the Concept S for 650 Euros, while other, similar products were sold from 900 to 1500 Euros.
Though the Concept S is no longer on the market, its successor, the Columa 300, is. The Columa 300 is very similar to the Concept S in its form (aluminium columns), high functionality and its price/performance ratio.
PC speakers
Teufel made its appearance in the world of multimedia sound in 2006 with the creation of the Concept C multimedia speaker set. The line of Concept C speaker systems offers a wide variety of systems, with some connectable via USB cable or wirelessly.
A similar product to the Concept C is Teufel’s Concept E PC speaker line. These systems are 5.1 multimedia sets that generally include one centre speaker, four satellite speakers and one subwoofer. The Concept E also comes in a digital form which connects to most media players, such as one’s computer, DVD player, game console, DVB-T and Satellite receiver, TV, video recorder, MP3 player, Discman, Walkman, CD, DJ mixer, etc...
Stereo
Teufel offers a variety of speakers and systems in this field, such as: subwoofer/satellite systems, classic stand speakers, part-active hybrid systems and virtual surround sound systems.
Recent awards
2011
Video Home-Vision Speaker: Surround sets First Place: Teufel LT5
Video Home-Vision Active Subwoofer First Place: Teufel S 8000 SW
Video Home-Vision Speaker: Surround-Sub-Sat sets First Place: Teufel System 9 THX Ultra 2
Stereoplay Subwoofer First Place: Teufel M 9500 THX Ultra 2
2010
Auerbach-Verlag Speaker Sets up to 2500 Euros First Place: System 5 THX Select 2
Audio Surround sound sets First Place: Teufel Theater 10 THX Ultra 2
Stereoplay Surround Sound Sets First Place: Teufel LT 6 THX Select
Video Home-Vision 5.1 Speaker Sets First Place: Teufel System 9 THX Ultra 2
Video Home-Vision Complete Blu-ray/DVD-Systems First Place: Teufel Impaq 500