Rockmeister
pfm Member
I suppose ‘all things must pass’, but music will go on without us oldies
Audio Research in Recievership
- Thread starter Caledon1297
- Start date
Birdseed007
Audio scribe
I'm very sad to read this, an Audio Research pre-amp and Krell power amp was always on my fantasy hi-fi list - just iconic.
Lets hope that somebody is able to buy the brand and resurrect it...
Lets hope that somebody is able to buy the brand and resurrect it...
Exactly right and why traditional hifi manufacturers either need to change or face extinction. A certain brand gets a lot of stick in here for 'not being the company they were 20 years ago', but if they were they likely wouldn't be here in another 10... a pity a certain group of 'geniuses' on here can't grasp that.
As for Audio Research I have never owned any of their products, but always sad to see any well know brand disappear and of course the loss of jobs etc.
The studio aesthetic does seem out of step with today’s requirements.
The current Hifi vogue seems to be for active speakers & a one box front end. A perfectly valid solution which will work for many people.
The ‘current’ trend for large open plan spaces kills off traditional Hifi.
The current Hifi vogue seems to be for active speakers & a one box front end. A perfectly valid solution which will work for many people.
The ‘current’ trend for large open plan spaces kills off traditional Hifi.
I've seen a couple of modern amps that have picked up AV capability and control of settings by USB connection or similar, that does at least seem like a 21st century solution rather than sticking to 2 channels and tuning the sound with boutique mains cables. Honestly, I'm not surprised that the under 30s laugh at us.
Why does a single large room kill off hifi? I would have thought the opposite. It means that you can cook and eat with music on. My hifi is on the lounge away from the kitchen, it gets less use.
I'm with you re a 1 box front end though. Streaming is the future, CD s are dying and vinyl is only special interest. Last time I visited friends it was music from you tube and Bluetooth speaker. Sounded OK, too.
tricky1
pfm Member
True, but most people are just trying to maximize the space they have. Alot of young couples cannot afford houses with a dedicated separate listening room just for the 'hifi obsessive' in the family; or they have lounge areas where even small speaker footprints are competing for space.
tricky1
pfm Member
Sure, but unless you live in a stately home, they will anyway.Because, if you have family, not everyone wants to listen to your cr*p
awkwardbydesign
Officially Awesome
My grandsons now buy the music we listen to! My job as a bad influence is done.Because, if you have family, not everyone wants to listen to your cr*p
Large open plan family rooms don’t really work as a Hifi environment, too many compromises involved & kids messing about. I have a separate room with all the gear etc & diner kitchen with adjoining doors. I have my space & other half is not offended by the aesthetics.
Well this kind of proves my point. It’s not a value statement I am making. For many a smart speaker is all they need & that is perfectly fine.
Rockmeister
pfm Member
but we all started that way, even in the 50's and 60's all we had was a transistor radio. We just loved music, then one day, somewhere somehow, we heard that same music on a HiFi system and vooooom! We were off on our search for better sound.
Now however, 'better sound' can be had reasonably cheaply and in a small domestic way so most wont move from there to a full blown HiFi system, especially since the front end is now a small cube streaming Spotify or whichever.
We're doomed i tell you, doomed.
Now however, 'better sound' can be had reasonably cheaply and in a small domestic way so most wont move from there to a full blown HiFi system, especially since the front end is now a small cube streaming Spotify or whichever.
We're doomed i tell you, doomed.
hifinutt
hifinutt
from Audio Research
Audio Research voluntarily agreed to assign its assets to a receiver, Lighthouse Management Group, Inc, on April 4th. We want you to understand what that means and how it affects our daily operations. Audio Research has been operating since the assignment was filed almost four weeks ago, ten days before the AXPONA show where our VP of Sales (Allan Haggar) worked with our dealer Quintessence Audio, which featured a statement system including Ref 10, Ref Phono10, and Ref 160M MkII amps. Little has changed outwardly. Audio Research remains staffed with Greg and Evan answering questions and assisting owners via email and on the phone; the service department continues repairing products; production is building new products and performing updates; our parts inventory has been good and we continue to receive parts shipments; our sales department continues to accept product orders, and our shipping department continues shipping parts and product orders along with completed service units. Dave Gordon gave our Philippine distributor a tour of the facilities on April 26, where he and his wife were able to meet everyone, see everything going on, and listen to music in the sound room. The tour had been scheduled in March and did not need to be cancelled or postponed. Trent Suggs was relieved of control of Audio Research and we have been working with individuals to purchase the company: we expect to have a new owner very soon. There will be continuity as production, engineering, purchasing, service, and critical personnel will remain working for Audio Research. Including Warren Gehl. We just turned 53 in April and we look forward to continuing to provide the finest high performance audio products, service and support to our loyal customers, dealers and distributors.
Audio Research voluntarily agreed to assign its assets to a receiver, Lighthouse Management Group, Inc, on April 4th. We want you to understand what that means and how it affects our daily operations. Audio Research has been operating since the assignment was filed almost four weeks ago, ten days before the AXPONA show where our VP of Sales (Allan Haggar) worked with our dealer Quintessence Audio, which featured a statement system including Ref 10, Ref Phono10, and Ref 160M MkII amps. Little has changed outwardly. Audio Research remains staffed with Greg and Evan answering questions and assisting owners via email and on the phone; the service department continues repairing products; production is building new products and performing updates; our parts inventory has been good and we continue to receive parts shipments; our sales department continues to accept product orders, and our shipping department continues shipping parts and product orders along with completed service units. Dave Gordon gave our Philippine distributor a tour of the facilities on April 26, where he and his wife were able to meet everyone, see everything going on, and listen to music in the sound room. The tour had been scheduled in March and did not need to be cancelled or postponed. Trent Suggs was relieved of control of Audio Research and we have been working with individuals to purchase the company: we expect to have a new owner very soon. There will be continuity as production, engineering, purchasing, service, and critical personnel will remain working for Audio Research. Including Warren Gehl. We just turned 53 in April and we look forward to continuing to provide the finest high performance audio products, service and support to our loyal customers, dealers and distributors.
hifinutt
hifinutt
another person wrote this recently
Everyone take a deep breath , thus move was expected by most for over 3 years now . When the buyers agreed to take on the massive debt load during the sale it was step 1 to pull them out of trouble . My guess is it was more of a 5 year plus plan for investors but with interest rates going bananas the last 2 years money is worth a bit more then they planned on during orig purchase , as we all have learned it's not about audio but the numbers at the bottom of the quarterly report ! In todays audio world it's also not remotely uncommon from krell wrapping up the last round of investments and putting very well respected money men in charge of rebuilding the once loved brand to goldnote jumping on recent success and expanding then exploding the entire distribution network almost worldwide it's pretty common to see todays moves look more like a hedge fund meting rather them two audio engineers running day to day .
Well that's because it is the hedge funds and investors making the moves recently .. no doubt this has nothing to do with products , sales or any issues other then them numbers on the quarter report .
If we all relax a few months let it play out till we see the new owners and who's in charge , I think it will end up being a fantastic move for the brand .. they will free up the inflow of cash from new owners and can use it to develop the next line instead of paying interest on massive amounts of debt they agreed to carry over during the purchase.
As of now there's really many more positives in this move and 2 interested investors are 2 groups who are very positive ! One that grew emotiva over 400% quarter on quarter for almost 3 years before moving on , the others were involved in early funding to rebuild krell and also are pretty successful in other highend products .. positive is they are hands on and are extremely focused with upper end client relations . From service to tiered product offerings and encouraging relations between dealers and customers which is often overlooked today .
Take a deep breath and I think this will end up being a new beginning for one or our loved American brands ! God knows we are running low on them already . While it may not be an independent Hopefully the new owners will see the plus it letting them operate as such !
Everyone take a deep breath , thus move was expected by most for over 3 years now . When the buyers agreed to take on the massive debt load during the sale it was step 1 to pull them out of trouble . My guess is it was more of a 5 year plus plan for investors but with interest rates going bananas the last 2 years money is worth a bit more then they planned on during orig purchase , as we all have learned it's not about audio but the numbers at the bottom of the quarterly report ! In todays audio world it's also not remotely uncommon from krell wrapping up the last round of investments and putting very well respected money men in charge of rebuilding the once loved brand to goldnote jumping on recent success and expanding then exploding the entire distribution network almost worldwide it's pretty common to see todays moves look more like a hedge fund meting rather them two audio engineers running day to day .
Well that's because it is the hedge funds and investors making the moves recently .. no doubt this has nothing to do with products , sales or any issues other then them numbers on the quarter report .
If we all relax a few months let it play out till we see the new owners and who's in charge , I think it will end up being a fantastic move for the brand .. they will free up the inflow of cash from new owners and can use it to develop the next line instead of paying interest on massive amounts of debt they agreed to carry over during the purchase.
As of now there's really many more positives in this move and 2 interested investors are 2 groups who are very positive ! One that grew emotiva over 400% quarter on quarter for almost 3 years before moving on , the others were involved in early funding to rebuild krell and also are pretty successful in other highend products .. positive is they are hands on and are extremely focused with upper end client relations . From service to tiered product offerings and encouraging relations between dealers and customers which is often overlooked today .
Take a deep breath and I think this will end up being a new beginning for one or our loved American brands ! God knows we are running low on them already . While it may not be an independent Hopefully the new owners will see the plus it letting them operate as such !
gustav_errata
pfm Member
I'm relatively young (ok 41 now, hence "relatively", but generally at the age considered to be at the vanguard of the millenials) and can say that I could afford neither the cash nor the space for a hifi system until my late 30s, made all the more complicated by moving around a lot and practically living out of a suitcase for years. I don't think my experience is uncommon.
Another data point: if you're feeling so masochistic as to browse Reddit, a site that definitely skews younger, you'll find plenty of posts by people showing off their new systems in the audiophile, budget audiophile, and vintage audiophile subreddits (those names might not be 100% correct; I haven't been there in a while).
Another data point: if you're feeling so masochistic as to browse Reddit, a site that definitely skews younger, you'll find plenty of posts by people showing off their new systems in the audiophile, budget audiophile, and vintage audiophile subreddits (those names might not be 100% correct; I haven't been there in a while).
chiily
PFM Special Builder
Clearly them need more exposure and education as the great cr*p one listens to; wear them down...Because, if you have family, not everyone wants to listen to your cr*p
You are absolutely right! I have an ad in a Swedish mag from 1976, stating US $ prices:
Pre amp SP-3A $795, Power amp D-51 (possibly solid state) $720, Power amp D-76A $1195, Power amp D-150 $2685 (!!!). Convert it with inflation and it will be rather silly prices.
An LP12, was £127, BTW.
That's as may be, but I wouldn't use a hifi in a dedicated room. YMMV.