Sound United, which owns such brands as Polk Audio, Definitive, Boston Acoustics, Denon, Marantz and Classe Audio, said it has filed a preliminary letter of intent to acquire B&W company for its growing stable of premium home audio brands.

“Over the course of five decades Bowers & Wilkins built one of the most prestigious brands in the global speaker market with industry-leading acoustical engineering, iconic design and marketing, B&W is a transformative brand and we look forward to the opportunity to finalize the transaction. This reflects Sound United’s unwavering focus to achieve its mission of bringing joy to the world through sound,” stated Kevin Duffy, Sound United CEO, said in a statement.

Bowers & Wilkins and Sound United were said to be exploring the consolidation of their premium brands “into a new group offering even better consumer opportunities. If our discussions are successful, combining Bowers & Wilkins’ engineering and manufacturing expertise in the premium category

We'll see how it develops, B&W can be one of the last brands that will be killed by marketing departments replacing any original engineering.