SR/Live Sun, November 23, 2008

Live Sound International magazine pays tribute to iconic sound company Clair Brothers as it celebrates its 40 anniversary.

We asked several industry leaders - many of whom have had a working relationship with Clair for decades - for their thoughts and insights about the company.

Mark Gander
JBL Professional
The Clair Brothers dynasty has dominated the world touring industry since regional sound suppliers in the United States expanded to national, then international prominence.

That a family-run business from Lancaster County Amish-country in Pennsylvania could grow to this level of success is a testament to both the vision and management principles which Roy and Gene Clair implemented and which now transition through their sons Troy and Barry.

They built and maintain an organization with the operations and engineering depth to provide a consistency and quality of service to their clients, night after night all around the world, and have sustained that performance for 40 years; a remarkable achievement.

Not to mention merging in the operations of leading competitors, creating offices in major regions of the world, and expanding successfully into corporate and special events as well as contracting installations.

JBL is proud to have been able to contribute to that success virtually from the beginning.

The partnership of being able to provide transducer components and design interaction has been both financially rewarding as well as a source of personal and professional pride for all of us at JBL throughout our relationship.

To the Clair family – management, engineering, operations, and crews – we at JBL congratulate you on your 40th Anniversary, and look forward to 40 more.

With the warmest of personal and professional regards, on behalf of JBL and all of the Harman companies.

Thomas Hansen
Bosch Communications Systems
It has been a real honor and a lot of fun working with Clair Brothers over the years.

Clair Brothers is a global leader in our business and the rest of the industry looks up to them; their investment in Midas consoles over the years helped to cement the industry-standard reputation of the brand on the world stage.

Clair Brothers was a key partner in the success of the analog Midas XL4 and Heritage 3000 desks, and was involved in the development of our digital flagship XL8.

Their recent investment in two XL8 systems saw the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in our working relationship.

Likewise, Electro-Voice components have been essential ingredients in many of Clair Brothers’ proprietary loudspeaker enclosures and stage wedges – back in the late ’80s we helped them halve the weight of their wedges with the introduction of the 12AM.

We share a commitment to innovation and excellence, always looking to raise the bar, but we never forget that this business is supposed to be fun.

We wish them many more years of success and look forward to continuing our partnership long into the future.