Hauppauge's SMSC buys Calif. audio-tech manufacturer

Hauppauge-based SMSC has bought a California audio technology maker whose wireless products are used in home theaters, cars, portable audio players, headphones and earbuds, the company said Thursday.

In a deal that closed Tuesday SMSC paid $5.5 million in cash for Kleer Semiconductor Corp., of Cupertino, Calif., with a potential added $2-million payment based on performance goals.

"Kleer technology provides a natural extension to SMSC's consumer and automotive connectivity portfolio," Christine King, SMSC's president and chief executive, said in a statement.

Kleer low-power consumption technology is already being used in Sennheiser headphones and earbuds, TDK TH-WR700 wireless headphones, DigiFi wireless earbuds and the CyFi bicycle speaker system.