Our History with the USA
Founded on November 1st, 1977, SONOSAX made its international debut in 1982 during the presentation of our mixing consoles at the AES Convention in Anaheim, California. The immediate success of our SONOSAX SX-S console in the United States quickly made this market our main export destination: by 1983, over 90% of our production was crossing the Atlantic, where the SX-S became a standard among the most prestigious companies and sound recordists.
This American success enabled us to develop our global presence. After nearly five decades, we remain grateful to our clients and users who have trusted us and contributed to building the SONOSAX reputation.
Over the years, SONOSAX has brought many innovations, even inspiring other manufacturers, including American ones. Despite competition, we have always maintained loyal and respectful relationships with our overseas competitors.
Kevin Faber “I’ve been using your boards since I started mixing 8 years ago. I have two sxst10s, which I am about to send in to Glen Trew to service as they’ve been worked pretty hard the past few years. Looking into the LC8 for additional channels to plug into my Scorpio when days go nuts with cast. Really really love all the work you do. The day I stop using a sonosax board is the day I quit the industry. Great work, hope to visit you all out in Lausanne, when I have a moment to take a break! Keep up the great work!”
Current Challenges with American Customs TaXEs
The current American administration, considering the Swiss-USA trade balance as “very unbalanced”, has imposed since August 7th customs tariffs of 39% on Swiss products. This situation particularly affects us:
Our economic reality:
- We export around 15% of our production to the USA
- We import about 80% of our components from the USA
- Our tools (computers, software, measurement equipment) are mostly American
- Our digital platforms are managed by the United States
These 39% tariffs, combined with the weakness of the dollar, create considerable challenges for our presence in the American market.
Our Continued Commitment
Although this situation is difficult, it does not threaten SONOSAX’s existence. We guarantee our full support to all our clients in the years to come.
While waiting for a favorable evolution of these customs taxes on swiss products or the discovery of viable solutions, we encourage our clients, as many already do, to visit us in Switzerland for their purchases of new equipment as well as for any maintenance or repair.
This approach also offers them the opportunity to discover Switzerland and enjoy an authentic Swiss fondue!
