# Dr. Sean Olive Leaves Harman **URL:** \ **Category:** The HEADPHONE Community\ **Created:** [June 1, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857 "2025-06-01T18:18:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ADU](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/adu/32/57501_2.png) [@ADU](https://forum.headphones.com/u/ADU)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/1 "2025-06-01T18:18:00Z")
As noted in the [most recent Noise Floor podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDHE2p99Znk), Sean Olive recently announced his retirement from Harman on both [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/seanolive.bsky.social/post/3lpctivcids23) and [X](https://x.com/seanolive/status/1928115761291100400). Fellow Harman researcher Todd Welti is also apparently leaving (or has left), according to some of Sean’s posts (I don’t have independent confirmation on this though). Here is the official Harman announcement… > **[Celebrating a Legacy of Sound: Dr. Sean Olive Retires After 32 Years at HARMAN](https://news.harman.com/blog/celebrating-a-legacy-of-sound-dr-sean-olive-retires-after-32-years-at-harman)** > > After more than three decades of pioneering research, innovation, and leadership in the field of audio science, Dr. Sean Olive, Senior Fellow at HARMAN, has announced his retirement. His 32-year journey with HARMAN has not only helped shape the... This comes at the same time as the release of their new book with Dr. Floyd Toole, the 4th Edition of _Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones_. > **[Sound Reproduction | The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers](https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003477495/sound-reproduction-floyd-toole-sean-olive-todd-welti)** > > This fourth edition of Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones, explains the physical and perceptual Harman is also supposed to be getting the rights to several other noteworthy audio brands to add to its existing portfolio (which currently includes JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG, Revel, Infinity, and Mark Levinson, among others) via its [acquisition of Sound United from Masimo Corp](https://news.harman.com/releases/masimo-to-sell-consumer-audio-business-to-harman-international). As part of the new deal, Harman should pick up the Denon, B&W, Marantz, and possibly some other labels. ---
**Author:** ![Argha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/argha/32/62283_2.png) [@Argha](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Argha)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/2 "2025-06-01T21:54:22Z")
![Screenshot 2025-06-02 031747](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/headphones/original/3X/4/6/46422f50203e01435944ee9672364254f5728137.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ADU](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/adu/32/57501_2.png) [@ADU](https://forum.headphones.com/u/ADU)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 12:39am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/4 "2025-06-03T00:39:39Z")
Yep. Samsung bought them in 2017. Audio Unleashed discusses the Harman acquisition of Sound United. [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/headphones/original/3X/5/8/58fb7524b8a0aaeed394ce27272fee35bdc8752b.jpeg "Ep. 54: “Steve Irwin and Charles Darwin Owned the Same Tortoise”") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znoks3l2jsY&t=858s) ---
**Author:** ![InvisibleInk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/invisibleink/32/57040_2.png) [@InvisibleInk](https://forum.headphones.com/u/InvisibleInk)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/5 "2025-06-03T15:33:44Z")
Hope he enjoys retirement. Fishing is calling. ---
**Author:** ![taronlissimore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/taronlissimore/32/59_2.png) [@taronlissimore](https://forum.headphones.com/u/taronlissimore)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/6 "2025-06-03T16:23:55Z")
Yup. And then Harman recently acquired Sound United (Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, among others) along with Roon. ---
**Author:** ![Fc-Construct](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/fc-construct/32/65033_2.png) [@Fc-Construct](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Fc-Construct)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/7 "2025-06-03T22:23:01Z")
End of an era. There’s still so many questions to be answered. Do we know if anyone’s continuing his work? Glad I was able to meet him at CanJam NYC this year at the very least. ---
**Author:** ![ADU](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/adu/32/57501_2.png) [@ADU](https://forum.headphones.com/u/ADU)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/8 "2025-06-04T02:30:37Z")
> [@Fc-Construct](#): > > End of an era. Certainly for Harman. It’s hard to overestimate the impact that Olive, Welti, and Toole have had on the field of audio. They conducted some of the most important recent work in the industry. And the surprising part is they were also willing to share most of it through their articles, seminars, interviews, books, and white papers. The impact they’ve had is really inestimable, and will be resonating with us for a long time to come, I suspect. (Sorry couldn’t resist a little audio science humor there.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Argha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/argha/32/62283_2.png) [@Argha](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Argha)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/9 "2025-06-05T19:19:55Z")
> [@Fc-Construct](#): > > Do we know if anyone’s continuing his work? He will be attending the next AES HP Event though, as a speaker. ---
**Author:** ![ADU](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/adu/32/57501_2.png) [@ADU](https://forum.headphones.com/u/ADU)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:38am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/10 "2025-06-11T04:38:24Z")
Some new videos with Dr. Olive. The first is from a recent Harman podcast, and it covers many of the highlights of Dr. Olive’s career and work at Harman. [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/headphones/original/3X/3/6/36bce115c68d30b4ee3bf5a19f6eb2f8b0c16361.jpeg "A Legacy of Sound - Audio Talks") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnf7jQIxv6E) This next one was for a society of Spanish acousticians, so it starts out in Spanish. Most of the video is in English though. This is on the Harman headphone research. (There is also a Spanish language version of the video [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaFLIW7X9ck) btw.) [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/headphones/original/3X/8/b/8bd4fc2c8b7f7d8c992dfab0fbadc4f9fe85f00b.jpeg "The Perception and Measurement of Headphone Sound Quality Sean Olive") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2ro07sxs1s) More recent videos with the Doc from Soundstage Solo. [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/headphones/original/3X/e/a/ead9a42acd0155e68a804030b6243c6d48785ffb.jpeg "Sound Researcher Dr. Sean Olive - Tonmeister | NRC, Harman, and Floyd Toole | Target Curves (S3:E9)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKeOiK-7Qms) [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/headphones/original/3X/2/0/20ee08f9b77f9fbb630c484e5ce748d462b55c05.jpeg "Dr. Sean Olive on the Harman Target and Its Myriad Alternatives (S3:E25)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5HcO0AhvnQ) ---
**Author:** ![E3EndedMyGame](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/e3endedmygame/32/54403_2.png) [@E3EndedMyGame](https://forum.headphones.com/u/E3EndedMyGame)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 1:35am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/11 "2025-06-19T01:35:45Z")
Sad to see him go, but I’m happy for him too ---
**Author:** ![headdy094920](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e7dd6/32.png) [@headdy094920](https://forum.headphones.com/u/headdy094920)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/12 "2026-09-14T02:03:06Z")
Has he got a new gig somewhere? Or fully retired from all work? @Sean_Olive ? ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Olive](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/sean_olive/32/62220_2.png) [@Sean\_Olive](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Sean_Olive)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/13 "2026-09-15T03:05:35Z")
I am doing consulting and currently a founder and chief scientist for a startup company called Hear3D > **[Sean Olive Joins Hear3D Spatial-Audio Startup](https://audiophilesonabudget.com/sean-olive-hear3d-spatial-audio-startup/)** > > Sean Olive and Todd Welti join Hear3D, a Hong Kong spatial-audio startup for OEMs. We examine its technology claims, Harman pedigree and OSSIC history. ---
**Author:** ![headdy094920](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e7dd6/32.png) [@headdy094920](https://forum.headphones.com/u/headdy094920)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/dr-sean-olive-leaves-harman/25857/14 "2026-09-16T11:53:17Z")
Nice. Is Harman’s audio research still being lead by someone that believes in carrying on your work? Can I expect upcoming JBL headphones and earbuds to have excellent tuning ?