Skullcandy

Consumer Audio · Headphones

Acquisition

Bose acquires Skullcandy from Mill Road Capital, terms undisclosed

The deal formalizes a year-old licensing partnership that already let Skullcandy sell Bose-grade noise canceling at a fraction of the price.

• Bose has acquired Skullcandy from private equity owner Mill Road Capital; financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
• Skullcandy is a 23-year-old lifestyle audio brand founded in Park City, Utah in 2003, known for bass-heavy, affordably priced headphones tied to skate and snowboard culture.
• Skullcandy will stay a separate brand within Bose's Premium Consumer Audio business and remain headquartered in Park City rather than relocating.
• The companies had already been collaborating under the 'Sound by Bose' licensing program, starting with the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC earbuds in 2025 and the Crusher 1080 ANC headphones in July 2026.
• Skullcandy's CEO has acknowledged the company's weakness is engineering, not branding, while Bose supplied the underlying tech for recent collaborative products.
• This is Bose's second major audio acquisition in under two years, following its 2024 purchase of McIntosh Group, owner of McIntosh Laboratory and Sonus Faber.
• By owning rather than licensing to Skullcandy, Bose can now capture the full margin on budget-tier products while using the brand to reach younger, price-sensitive buyers it has struggled to attract directly.