Van Nuys Firm Cranks Up Volume on Wireless Business

On the heels of its latest product launch, Portable Sound Laboratories Inc. is gearing up for a busy 2012, when it will be releasing new wireless products and kicking off a rebranding effort geared to better connect with its customers. The Van Nuys-based portable speaker company, often known more by its brand iMainGo, last month launched its iMainGo XP speakers, an iPad speaker system that doubles as a protective case. The firm plans to display several new speaker products at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas in January as it expands its product line to include wireless speakers. “The vision of the company going forward is to take our sound and put it into as many different forms as we can,” said president John Macnamara. The new speakers displayed at next year’s CES show will have the ability to connect to devices such as the iPad, MP3 players or smartphones through Bluetooth, allowing music enthusiast to jam out while still using their phones or iPad, Macnamara said. Another product, also with Bluetooth, will be a docking station with removable speakers, the company said. “Every product going forth will have Bluetooth,” Macnamara said, adding the firm will still offer its older products without Bluetooth. The expansion into Bluetooth will put the company in more direct competition with companies, such as San Francisco’s Jawbone, that already offer Bluetooth connectivity. But Portable Sound, founded in 2006, could have a tough time grabbing additional market share. Although speakers designed specifically for MP3 players are still “a hot item,” revenue and unit sales are expected to decline this year because many consumers have already purchased the products and don’t need another, said Chris Ely, an analyst with the Consumer Electronics Association. Sales for portable and stationary MP3 speakers are expected to be $736 million wholesale in 2011, a 14 percent decline from the previous year, he said. In order to boost sales and give potential customers a true trial run, Portable Sound has increased its in-store offerings this year. The company shipped its products to Fry’s Electronics stores several weeks ago and also added REI and Sport Chalet to its list of stores this year. In-store sales may even eclipse online sales in 2011, Macnamara said. “Online you are limited to the reviews, which carry plenty up weight, but it is someone else’s ear telling you this sounds great,” he said. To guide the firm’s expansion, Macnamara — a Chicago native, who along with his family bought a majority stake in Portable Sound in May — said he has taken advantage of the community surrounding the firm’s Van Nuys warehouse. In late September, two electrical engineering students at California State University, Northridge began interning at the firm and a Hollywood sound engineer was contracted to help with product development. “We are in the sound business and sound engineers are a dime a dozen in Los Angeles,” Macnamara said with a chuckle. “Every soccer practice I go to, I meet a new sound engineer.” And the two CSUN students bring an added plus: both are Chinese nationals fluent in Mandarin. “That has really allowed up to speed up the development process between L.A. and China,” where all manufacturing is done, Macnamara said. The student interns, as well as additional capital invested by Macnamara, has helped fuel the expansion, he said. But the changes aren’t all in the hardware. To limit confusion and to capture the new products outside the iMainGo protective speaker brand, the firm will officially unveil its new Portable Sound Labs logo and business name at CES. The name has already been revealed on Twitter and Facebook. “When you hear the name iMainGo, does that tell you anything?” Macnamara asked “Moving forward we are Portable Sound Labs, (which) … really tells the consumer the story: We make portable speaker systems.” And given all the products in the pipeline the six-person team at Portable Sound has been working overtime. “After having one (product) for a few years, it’s very busy,” said vice president of sales Leonie Darcel.