MAYHT

MAYHT, a Dutch audio technology company, was established in 2016 by brothers Mattias Scheek (CEO) and Timothy Scheek (CTO), along with Max van den Berg (CCO). The founders' journey began in their childhood, building loudspeakers and nurturing a passion for sound. This passion evolved into formal education, with Mattias studying Industrial Design at TU Delft and Timothy pursuing Acoustics product sound design at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht. Their complementary skills, combining industrial design with audio and acoustics knowledge, formed the foundation of the company.

The company's core lies in its proprietary Heartmotion technology, a significant redesign of audio transducers, the component in speakers that creates sound. This technology utilizes a dual-membrane, self-balancing driver design with multiple motors distributed symmetrically. This structure allows the two membranes to move in opposing directions, doubling the air displacement and enabling a much smaller and lighter form factor without sacrificing audio quality or bass performance. In fact, a 3.5-inch Heartmotion driver can produce the same output as a traditional 8-inch driver and is five times lighter. The self-balancing nature of the drivers also eliminates the cabinet vibrations common in conventional speakers. This allows for the creation of speakers up to ten times more compact and also reduces energy consumption.

MAYHT operated on a licensing business model, intending to provide its patented technology to existing consumer electronics manufacturers rather than producing its own speakers. The company targeted high-volume markets such as smart speakers, soundbars, portable speakers, and automotive audio systems. Over the years, MAYHT secured significant funding from investors including TU Delft's Delft Enterprises, FORWARD.one Venture Capital, UNIIQ, Swedish deep tech company Exeger, and notable DJ Martin Garrix, raising nearly $10 million by late 2021. A pivotal moment in the company's history occurred in April 2022, when it was acquired by the American audio company Sonos for approximately $100 million. This acquisition provided Sonos with MAYHT's technology and intellectual property, aiming to integrate it into future Sonos products to enhance their performance and design.

Keywords: audio technology, speaker components, transducer technology, Heartmotion, Mattias Scheek, Timothy Scheek, Sonos acquisition, dual-membrane driver, compact speakers, sound quality, bass performance, audio hardware, consumer electronics, automotive audio, licensing model, deep tech, audio engineering, self-balancing speakers, lightweight speakers, energy-efficient audio