Thiel

Thiel Audio was founded in 1976 by Jim Thiel, Tom Thiel, and Kathy Gornik in Lexington, Kentucky, and officially launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1977. The company specialized in high-end, time- and phase-coherent loudspeakers, becoming a leading manufacturer of premium audio speakers with distribution to over 30 countries. After founder Jim Thiel's death in 2009, the company was sold to a Nashville-based private equity firm in 2012 and relocated from Kentucky to Tennessee. Following years of management instability with five CEO changes, Thiel Audio ceased operations on January 31, 2018, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2018, permanently closing after over 40 years in the audio industry.