CHENNAI: "Our products are owned by kings, queens and celebrities of the world."

European superbrand Bang and Olufsen, manufacturers of high-end audio-video systems, have opened shop in Chennai. Its chief technological officer, Gerhard Paul Slaman, proclaims theirs is a product range not everyone can own, save the few who savour their luxury and have the money to back it up.

But what customers get, company representatives assure us, is simply the best possible audio and video devices. The futuristic designs of the products also mean they will be in vogue for long. The shop on Khader Nawaz Khan Road is the third direct outlet of the Danish company in the country and was opened to a media tour on Wednesday.

Bang and Olufson-India's CEO Prekash Ramsingh banked his hopes on the country's fast growing economy to carve out a market for niche products. "Ours is a highly personal approach to design, technology, craftsmanship and experience. India's fast growing economy promises a huge potential." The products range from loudspeakers to multiple-CD players to flat panel televisions to home theatre systems. The immaculate styling of the systems, accentuated by an ironidised aluminium finish that translates to a `never-fade' promise, is deftly matched by the quality of audio and video experience.

To demonstrate the prowess of the DVD home theatre system, the organisers played a clip from the movie `Matrix' that perhaps has the most detailed tones of black in recent movie history. Black correction, technicians know, is the toughest task for digital DVD players to decipher. But the Bang and Olufson system scored heavily on the detailing.

The complex high-end products also come with sublime user-friendly features, including a single remote control to manage the entire range of Bang and Olufsen products.

History

Two young Danish engineers Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen founded Bang and Olufsen in 1925 in Struer, Denmark.

Explaining the complexity involved in the process of product development in the company, Mr. Ramsingh said every product would take a minimum of six to eight years from the time the design is conceived to go into production. "Our target is always the top one per cent of the population and we know they deserve the best," he explained.

The most economical product one can pick off the shop would be the headphone for Rs.8,000. As for the costliest product, "there simply is no limit". The shop at 11, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam can be contacted at 43099103. For further details, log on to www.bang-olufsen.com.

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