Onkyo has told its sales reps and major accounts that it will begin selling twelve home audio products, including A/V receivers and HTIB packages, through Walmart.com within the next couple of months.

Walmart has been ramping up its home entertainment initiatives in recent months, both on the retail and product development side. While this would represent the first time a specialty brand such as Onkyo has engaged with the powerful retailer, it likely won't be the last.

Onkyo asserts that it will keep all of its Walmart.com offerings below $499 in order to protect its dealer network, and will only offer these products through Walmart's website, not in stores. Some of these products will be derivatives of current models.

Onkyo believes the Walmart deal will expose the brand to more people as well as create additional business for its step-up products through its specialty dealer base. The company also believes its distribution network needs to evolve and diversify in order to survive, and avoid the status quo which often leads to reduced sales.