These smaller companies made one thing but did it really well and drove a wedge into the market share of the giants who didn't have the talent or the budget to keep up in all of these product categories.
This is a classic story repeated in cycles. Companies grow to slow moving giants until their forward direction is changed by smaller, faster moving challengers nipping at their heels. Harmon, Bose, Sonos are perfect examples of small companies grown to leviathans.
Innovation rarely comes from giants. Smaller more nimble companies lead the way until they become sustenance for the colossus. Apple has gorged itself on 68 smaller innovative companies since 1988 to stay ahead of the curve and there are many other examples.
Our own group of small, fast moving technology companies, collectively known as the High End, is often viewed by outsiders as a ragtag collection catering to the doddering few. But I would offer a different view. We are scarce advocates of better sound, whose cultured expectations push the envelope of the possible.
The great unwashed seem satisfied with what they listen to, but happier when something better comes along. Without Audiophiles driving wedges that overturn apple carts, there would be no movement towards high resolution audio, the current 'discovery' big companies are pushing as new. It is our customer's insatiable desire for better sound that sets the direction of giants.
