Bogen (-Presto), David Co., Inc.

David Bogen Company, Inc. was founded in 1932. It started as a manufacturer of intercoms, audio equipment, amplifiers, record player/recording devices, speakers, and later Hi-Fi stereo AM/FM receivers and tuners.  The company’s recent USA product line includes amplifiers, speakers, background music equipment, and sound processing equipment.

They were located at the following locations:

East 23^rd St., New York, NY (1932)
633 Broadway, New York 12, NY (1937ca)
29 Ninth Ave., New York, NY (1953)
Box 500, Paramus, NJ (1956)
50 Spring St., Ramsey, NJ (1987)
1200 McArthur Blvd #304, Mahwah, NJ (2015 Headquarters)
4570 Shelby Air Dr. #11, Memphis, TN (2015 Manufacturing)
3862 Quadrangle Blvd, Suite 150, Orlando, FL (2015 Engineering)

Affiliated companies were:

Challenger Amplifier Company, Lenco, Presto Recording Corporation, and Bogen-Presto Company.

David Bogen (1889-1974) immigrated from Russia in 1909 and eventually settled in New York City. While working full time and attending evening classes, he put himself through college and earned an Electrical Engineering degree from Cooper Union after seven years of study.

He started a profitable electrical and electronic parts distribution company. He received a large order for audio amplifiers and could not find a supplier that would agree to sell him the amplifiers. So, he saw an opportunity and started David Bogen Company in 1932 as a manufacturer of audio products. Even though the Great Depression was in full swing, Bogen’s business was well received and the company grew. He expanded the product line to include intercoms, preamplifiers, amplifiers, public address (PA) systems, recording systems, speakers, Hi-Fi stereos, AM/FM receivers, and other electronics and audio and video systems. They are still in business today.

David Bogen retired and sold his companies to Olympic Radio & TV (1955/1956). Unitronics acquired Olympic and David Bogen Co. division was moved to Paramus, NJ (1956). Subsequent companies purchased Unitronics with the Bogen division including; Siegler (1957); Lear merged with Siegler to become Lear-Siegler, Inc. (LSI) and Bogen became Bogen Communications, Division of LSI (1962); Bogen was acquired by Memory Protection Devices (MPD) and relocated to Ramsey, NJ (1987); Bogen Communications acquired New England Audio Resources, Inc. (NEAR) (1987); Bogen was spun off from MPD (1990); Bogen acquired loudspeaker company Apogee Sound International (1999).

Affiliated companies were:

Challenger Amplifier Company, either a subsidiary of David Bogen Co. or a very close affiliate; located at some of the same addresses.

Lenco, Burgdorf, CH; (1947 to 1980) was a Swiss supplier of variable-speed turntables to David Bogen Co.; first imported model was B50-4 and B50-4X (1954).

Presto Recording Corporation, NY; (1933/1934 to 1962) was first acquired by Olympic Radio & TV (six months after Olympic acquired David Bogen Co. as a subsidiary) to become a separate subsidiary of Olympic (1956). Later merged with Bogen to become Bogen-Presto division (1958ca).  Later acquisitions occurred and the Presto name was dropped from advertising (1962).

Bogen-Presto Company, Paramus, NJ; (1958ca to 1962) was formed after Siegler acquired Unitronics and combined two divisions: David Bogen Co. and Presto Recording Corp.

Sources:

Sound & Communications, March 2010, Industry Pioneers #20: David Bogen, Founder of Bogen Communications by R. David Read

www.bogen.com/

Feb. 19, 2015, Press Releases, Bogen Communications, Inc. Relocates Headquarters, Distribution Center & R&D by Michael Williams

www.prestohistory.com/Presto.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenco_Turntables

Company announcements/ads in contemporary publications.