Knowles Corp

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Knowles Corporation

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Knowles Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of earnings, comprehensive earnings, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, including the related notes and schedule of valuation and qualifying accounts for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023 appearing under Item 8 (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Basis for Opinions

The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting, appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

As described in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, management has excluded Cornell Dubilier from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 because it was acquired by the Company in a purchase business combination during 2023. We have also excluded Cornell Dubilier from our audit of internal control over financial reporting. Cornell Dubilier is a wholly-owned subsidiary whose total assets and total revenues excluded from management’s assessment and our audit of internal control over financial reporting represent 19.4% and 2.9%, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Goodwill Impairment Assessment – Consumer MEMS Microphones (CMM) Reporting Unit

As described in Notes 1 and 7 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s consolidated goodwill balance was $540.7 million as of December 31, 2023, of which the goodwill associated with the CMM reporting unit was $270.2 million. Management performs the annual impairment assessment in the fourth quarter of each year on October 1, or more frequently if there are events or circumstances indicating the carrying value of individual reporting units may exceed their respective fair values on a more likely than not basis. Fair value is estimated using a discounted cash flow model. Significant assumptions used in the model included forecasted revenue and terminal growth rates, profit margins, income tax rates, capital expenditures, working capital requirements, and the weighted average cost of capital.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the goodwill impairment assessment of the CMM reporting unit is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when developing the fair value estimate of the CMM reporting unit; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating management’s significant assumptions related to forecasted revenue, the terminal growth rate, profit margins, and the weighted average cost of capital; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s goodwill impairment assessment, including controls over the valuation of the CMM reporting unit. These procedures also included, among others (i) testing management’s process for developing the fair value estimate of the CMM reporting unit; (ii) evaluating the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow model used by management; (iii) testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in the discounted cash flow model; and (iv) evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management related to forecasted revenue, the terminal growth rate, profit margins, and the weighted average cost of capital. Evaluating management’s assumptions related to forecasted revenue and profit margins involved evaluating whether the assumptions used by management were reasonable considering (i) the current and past performance of the CMM reporting unit; (ii) the consistency with external market and industry data; and (iii) whether the assumptions were consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating (i) the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow model and (ii) the reasonableness of the terminal growth rate and weighted average cost of capital assumptions.

Acquisition of Cornell Dubilier - Valuation of Customer Relationships

As described in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, on November 1, 2023, the Company acquired all the issued and outstanding shares of Kaplan Electronics, Inc. and certain assets of Cornell Dubilier Electronics, Inc. and CD Aero, LLC (collectively “Cornell Dubilier”) for aggregate consideration of $259.8 million, which included customer relationships recorded at $82.7 million. The fair value for customer relationships was determined using the multi-period excess earnings method under the income approach. Significant assumptions used in assessing the fair value of customer relationships included forecasted revenue and terminal growth rates, profit margins, customer attrition rates, and discount rates.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the valuation of customer relationships acquired in the acquisition of Cornell Dubilier is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when developing the fair value estimate of the customer relationships acquired; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating management’s significant assumptions related to forecasted revenue, profit margins, and discount rates; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the acquisition accounting, including controls over the valuation of the customer relationships acquired. These procedures also included, among others (i) reading the purchase agreement; (ii) testing management’s process for developing the fair value estimate of the customer relationships acquired; (iii) evaluating the appropriateness of the multi-period excess earnings method used by management; (iv) testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in the multi-period excess earnings method; and (v) evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management related to forecasted revenue, profit margins, and discount rates. Evaluating management’s assumptions related to forecasted revenue and profit margins involved evaluating whether the assumptions used by management were reasonable considering (i) the current and past performance of the Cornell Dubilier business; (ii) the consistency with external market and industry data; and (iii) whether the assumptions were consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating (i) the appropriateness of the multi-period excess earnings method and (ii) the reasonableness of the discount rate assumption.

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Chicago, Illinois

February 21, 2024

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2013.