Navico Group and Elettromedia have formed a strategic partnership intended to integrate premium marine audio more closely with multifunction displays and other onboard systems. The agreement brings together Navico's marine electronics and digital-control portfolio with Elettromedia's Audison and Hertz audio brands.
The companies say the objective is to give boatbuilders a more coherent route to specifying audio as part of the vessel's electronic architecture rather than treating it as an isolated entertainment installation. For yacht owners, that could simplify operation and reduce some of the integration work normally required when displays, control systems and audio equipment come from separate ecosystems.
Audison and Hertz become preferred Navico audio brands
Under the agreement, Audison and Hertz will become Navico Group's preferred audio brands for marine applications. Elettromedia has decades of experience in amplifiers, loudspeakers and digital audio processing, while both brands already operate in marine as well as automotive and specialist audio markets.
The arrangement does not make the relationship exclusive. The companies say they will retain the flexibility to continue working with other participants in the marine technology ecosystem, which should allow builders to preserve alternative equipment choices when a project requires them.
Navico becomes Elettromedia's preferred MFD platform
In the other direction, Navico Group's brand portfolio will become Elettromedia's preferred multifunction-display platform for marine installations. That portfolio includes navigation and vessel-technology brands used across leisure boats and yachts, giving Elettromedia a defined display environment around which deeper audio integration can be developed.
For an owner or builder, the useful outcome would be control functions that appear naturally alongside navigation and vessel information rather than requiring separate interfaces. The value will depend on the final implementation, including how source selection, volume zones, presets and system status are presented and how reliably the equipment communicates over the vessel network.
OEM integration is the central target
Both companies are placing particular emphasis on original-equipment manufacturers. Designing the audio and display architecture together at the build stage can be more effective than combining independently selected components late in a project, especially where hidden cabling, amplifier locations, network gateways and user-interface design have to be coordinated.
That matters in the 12-to-24-metre yacht sector because increasingly sophisticated electronics are being packaged into boats that do not have the technical spaces or engineering staff of much larger yachts. Cleaner factory integration can therefore improve not only aesthetics but also service access and fault diagnosis over the ownership cycle.
The next test is what owners can actually control
The partnership announcement establishes the preferred-brand relationship but does not yet define a single finished integrated product or a universal feature set across all Navico displays. The next meaningful step will be seeing which functions become available on particular Simrad, B&G or other Navico platforms and which Audison or Hertz marine products support them.
Luxury Yacht Guide will track those implementations as they move from partnership strategy into production boats. The most useful measure will be whether the collaboration reduces setup complexity and gives owners genuinely simpler control without creating a closed system that is difficult to upgrade later.
