Harman Kardon

Harman Kardon is a division of Harman Internaitonal Industries, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. It manufactures home and car audio equipment.

Founded in 1953 by Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon, Harman Kardon initially produced the compact Hi-Fi integrated receiver, the Festival D1000. Kardon retired in 1956 and sold his shares to Harman, who changed the company's name to Harman International, though the products still bore the Harman Kardon brand.

In 1958, Harman Kardon introduced one of the first stereo receivers, the Festival TA320. In 1969, Harman bought the speaker manufacturer JBL. The next year, Harman marketed the first stereo cassette recording deck with Dolby B noise reduction, the CAD5.

The company is intricately linked to Harman International. More historic details can be found there.