Stedman

What Stedman does

Stedman Corporation is a privately held, US-based manufacturer of premium studio accessories for the music, broadcast, and podcast industries, headquartered and producing out of a single factory in Richland, Michigan. Founded in 1992 by electronics engineer Bill Hannapel, the company originally built microphones before pivoting to its current core franchise: the Proscreen line of patented metal pop filters, which use a louvered screen architecture to redirect plosive airflow away from the microphone capsule without attenuating high frequencies. In July 2018, Stedman extended into studio maintenance with the PureConnect line of audio connector cleaning kits and consumable refills, which combine microfelt tips with DeoxIT contact cleaner to service 1/4-inch and XLR connectors; supporting accessories include headphone hangers and universal clamp adaptors.

The company operates a product-led, hardware-only business model with one-time purchases priced $4.99–$129.99, a lifetime warranty on every component, and no recurring or subscription revenue. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-consumer via stedmanusa.com plus a network of major music-equipment retailers including Sweetwater, Amazon, Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, and B&H Photo, with regional reach into Japan via Nihon Electro Harmonix and into the UK via featured podcast/session customers. Customer segments span professional recording studios, independent engineers, podcasters, broadcasters, and touring musicians (e.g., Royer Labs, Pomplamoose, Little Feat), with no enterprise contract layer. The company has 5 employees, no external funding, and a documented ownership transition in September 2020 when Scott Dana acquired a major portion of stock and assumed the VP role.

Name

Stedman

Legal name

Stedman Corporation

Website

https://stedmanusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stedman Corporation is a privately held Michigan manufacturer of premium studio accessories, best known for its patented Proscreen metal pop filters and PureConnect audio connector cleaning kits, sold worldwide to recording studios, broadcasters, podcasters, and touring musicians through its website and major music equipment retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audio Recording Studio Equipment

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)

Keywords

• Metal pop filters
• Audio connector cleaners
• Recording studio accessories
• Microphone pop filters
• Studio maintenance tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Richland, MI

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: Stedman generates revenue through the one-time sale of physical products including Proscreen pop filters, PureConnect cleaning kits, headphone hangers, and accessories. All products include a lifetime warranty. There is no subscription or recurring revenue component.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stedman Corporation manufactures and sells the Proscreen line of patented metal pop filters and the PureConnect line of audio connector cleaning kits, along with supporting accessories such as headphone hangers and universal clamp adaptors. Products are hand-assembled at the company's Michigan factory and sold with a lifetime warranty through its own website and a global network of music equipment retailers. The company's core function is to eliminate plosives in vocal recordings and maintain audio connector quality for recording studios, podcasters, broadcast professionals, and touring musicians.

Product overview

Stedman Corporation manufactures premium studio tools for the music industry, primarily offering pop filters and audio connector maintenance products. The core product lines include the Proscreen series of patented metal pop filters (available in XL, PS101, PS100, and DT101 Desktop models with various sizes and mounting options) and the PureConnect line of connector cleaning kits and refill supplies for maintaining 1/4-inch and XLR audio connectors. Supporting accessories include headphone hangers and universal clamp adaptors. All products are proudly manufactured in Michigan, USA with a lifetime warranty. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Richland, Michigan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Proscreen: Line of patented metal pop filters designed to eliminate plosives while preserving audio quality. Includes models PS100, PS101, PS101 V2, PS101 Custom, PS101 Vivid Colors, XL, XL V2, XL Vivid Colors, and DT101 Desktop.
• PureConnect

Products and services

• Proscreen Metal Pop Filters Patented metal pop filters (XL, PS101, PS101 V2, PS101 Custom, PS100, DT101 Desktop, and Vivid Color variants) for vocal recording. The louvered metal screen redirects plosive airflow downward away from the microphone capsule while preserving high-frequency detail that fabric filters attenuate. Designed for professional and home recording studios, podcasters, broadcasters, and voiceover artists.
• PureConnect Connector Cleaning Kits Audio connector cleaning kits (GP-2 Gig Pack and PK-3 Pro Kit) that use DeoxIT cleaning fluid and disposable Microfelt tips to remove oxidation and contamination from 1/4-inch jacks and XLR male and female connectors. Designed for recording studios, touring musicians, and live sound technicians.
• PureConnect Refill Supplies Refill kits and individual replacement consumables for the PureConnect cleaning system, including Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 refill kits, 1/4-inch Microfelt tips, 1/10-inch XLR female tips, cotton cleaning pads, and DeoxIT cleaning fluid bottles. Designed for ongoing maintenance of studio, stage, and touring audio connections.
• Headphone Hangers Stedman SHH Studio Headphone Hanger (for mic stands and music stands) and DHH Desk Mount Headphone Hanger. All-metal construction with clamping knobs designed for studio, desk, and stand mounting of headphones.
• AD-2 Universal Clamp Adaptor Universal clamp adaptor that allows Proscreen pop filters to be mounted to any size or shape of microphone boom arm, with verified compatibility with Warm Audio WA-MBA, Rode PSA-1, and Shure SH-Broadcast1. Clamp opening range 0 to 1.5 inches.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminates all popping artifacts from vocal recordings while preserving high-frequency detail
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Royer LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyer Labs, a ribbon microphone manufacturer, has endorsed the Proscreen pop filter as the preferred solution for protecting delicate ribbon assemblies while maintaining acoustic transparency. Royer recommends the Proscreen to customers as essential studio equipment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shure: Shure is a major pro-audio incumbent producing microphones, wireless systems, and studio accessories. While not focused on pop filters, Shure's ecosystem overlaps Stedman's customer base of recording professionals and broadcasters.
• Rode Microphones: Rode manufactures microphones, pop shields, booms, and podcast accessories targeted at the same content creator, broadcast, and recording professional segments as Stedman, and is a relevant broad competitor in pop-filter-adjacent accessories.
• Audix: Audix manufactures professional studio and live microphones along with accessories for the same vocal recording and broadcast applications where Stedman's pop filters are positioned as essential studio tools.
• Electro-Voice: Electro-Voice is a long-established pro-audio brand producing microphones and sound reinforcement equipment. It serves the same studio, broadcast, and live-sound markets where Stedman Proscreen and PureConnect are deployed.

Direct peers

• On-Stage Stands: On-Stage produces microphone stands, music stands, and studio accessories. It is comparable to Stedman as a maker of small-format studio and stage accessories for musicians and recording professionals.
• sE Electronics: sE Electronics manufactures studio microphones and the Reflexion Filter acoustic treatment platform. It competes directly with Stedman's Proscreen by addressing vocal recording cleanliness and acoustic isolation in the same professional studio segment.
• Pro Co Sound: Pro Co Sound builds audio cables, stage boxes, and signal management accessories used in the same studio and live-sound environments where Stedman PureConnect is deployed for connector maintenance.
• Hosa Technology: Hosa Technology manufactures audio cables, connectors, and adapters — directly comparable to Stedman's PureConnect cleaning and connector maintenance category — and serves the same studio and touring musician segments.
• Bespeco: Bespeco manufactures stands, cables, and accessories for musicians and studios. It competes with Stedman's headphone hangers, clamp adaptors, and other hardware accessories in similar retail channels.

Others

• Electro-Harmonix: Electro-Harmonix manufactures guitar effects pedals and is a documented Stedman distribution partner in Japan. It shares the touring musician and pedal-board user base where PureConnect connector cleaning kits are particularly relevant.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgMHOxOz9S_drV08S-Oj92A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stedman-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stedman