Covox

SRT, Inc.

Company type	Privately held company
Industry	Audio hardware, Computer hardware
Founded	1975
Founder	Larry Stewart
Defunct	1994
Fate	Ceased operations after financial difficulties and legal disputes
Headquarters	Eugene , United States
Area served	United States, United Kingdom (subsidiary in London)
Key people	Larry Stewart (founder), Mike Stewart, Brad Stewart (management)
Products	Speech Thing, Voice Master, Voice Master II, Sound Master sound card, Voice Master Key software suite
Owner	Larry Stewart (until retirement), then sons Mike and Brad Stewart; majority stake sold to Sound Trends in 1992
Number of employees	25 (1994) (1994)

SRT, Inc., operating under the trade name Covox, Inc., was a privately held American tech firm that operated from 1975 until 1994. The company specialized in audio hardware for microcomputers and personal computers, with its most notable product being the Speech Thing, a digital-to-analog converter designed to connect via the IBM PC's parallel port. Initially headquartered in Southern California, Covox shifted its main office to Eugene, Oregon during the early 1980s.

History

Established in 1975 by Larry Stewart in Southern California, SRT’s first innovation was Av-Alarm, an acoustic device intended to protect crops by repelling birds. In 1982, aiming to reduce operational expenses, Stewart relocated the business to Oregon and enlisted his sons Mike and Brad Stewart to oversee management. They formed Covox, Inc. as a dedicated subsidiary concentrating on audio solutions for microcomputers and PCs, eventually adopting the Covox brand name. Brad Stewart took on the role of vice president and directed product development efforts.

Covox debuted its initial offering in 1984 with the Voice Master speech synthesis board for the Commodore 64, targeting sectors such as business and education. Its follow-up model, Voice Master II, was released in 1990. By mid-1987, products under the Covox name represented 85% of SRT’s total sales revenue.

In late 1987, Covox launched the Speech Thing—recognized as the first IBM PC add-on capable of playing digital audio samples. Although early sales were modest, it gradually gained popularity among game developers and multimedia software firms. Disney Interactive licensed this technology for their Disney Sound Source peripheral. The company introduced the Sound Master sound card in 1989, which featured a three-voice programmable sound generator but did not achieve widespread market success compared to the Speech Thing. Additionally, Covox released the Voice Master Key voice recognition software suite for IBM PCs.

To increase production capabilities beyond Eugene, Covox leased a 17,000-square-foot facility in Vancouver, Washington in 1989. By 1992, the workforce numbered 23 employees with annual revenues reaching $3 million; the company also expanded internationally by establishing a subsidiary office in London. At this stage, founder Larry Stewart had retired, transferring ownership control to his sons.

Confronted with limited capital for expansion, Covox sold a majority stake of 60% to investment firm Sound Trends late in 1992. However, Larry Stewart later publicly criticized Sound Trends for poor financial management, including an unsuccessful $250,000 marketing campaign.

The final phase of Covox’s operations was overshadowed by legal disputes. In 1993, Creative Technology filed suit alleging trademark infringement concerning Covox’s Voice Blaster software; Creative prevailed with a settlement reached in early 1994. Several creditors also initiated lawsuits over outstanding debts. Facing escalating financial difficulties, Covox terminated all 25 employees in July 1994 and was forced out of its Eugene headquarters. Despite assurances of resuming business post-restructuring, no further activity materialized.