TRU Technology, a boutique US amp maker has partnered with Atrend as its new distributor, as TRU Technology seeks to broaden its very selective base in the US.
The company is developing new products to be announced at KnowledgeFest in Dallas this week. The new products are geared to a broader group of dealers than TRU’s current distribution through about 2 dozen dealers.
TRU Technology’s current amplifier line ranges in street price from $999 to $7,000. Pricing on the new line may be divulged at KnowledgeFest, said TRU Technology General Manager John Yi.
All amplifiers are hand-built in the US with custom options. Parts are also sourced from the US, said Yi.
Ironically, most of TRU’s current business is in Asia. So as a rare US amplifier maker, TRU Technology says 70 percent of its sales are in Asia. More cars are sold in China than in the US and there are many wealthy audio enthusiasts in China, said Yi.
Also ironically, China places a 34 percent tariff on the amplifiers coming in from the US, so TRU Technology’s amplifiers can sell as high as $15,000 in China, said Yi.
But after six years of focusing on the Asian market, TRU is returning its focus to the US and looking to expand.
“Atrend will be able to bring us a broader audience. And as an in-house factory, we’re going to be able to help them at a factory level,” said Yi. Any tech support calls can be answered directly from the people who built the amplifiers. “With other companies, when the dealers have a problem they are calling the distributor. ..With us, when they have questions, they can call us,” said Yi.
TRU Technology has been operating since 2002 with a no-holds-barred approach to building audiophile amplifiers. It offers customization from changing the tonality of the amp to the changing the LED color or the aluminum finish, said Yi.
As for its new distibutor, Atrend, it has a relationship with over 2,000 retailers, and Atrend is a preferred vendor to the Mobile Electronics Specialists of America (MESA) buying/marketing group.
Atrend also distributes OZ Audio, Surge wires and Banda &Stage Clix brands, which will be on display at Knowledgefest in Dallas August 17-19 at booth #2. It will offer two training sessions including one specific to TRU Technology products to be held Friday, August 17 at 1:45 pm in Meeting Room 143. A training session on all Atrend products including TRU, Banda and Oz will be held Sunday, August 19 at 4:45 pm in Meeting Room 141.
Banda is an SPL amplifier line from Brazil, for which Atrend became the US distributor less than a year ago.
Atrend will also exhibit its OZ Audio lineup of subwoofers, coaxials and components along with Bbox and Surge wiring products. For information email
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