[Lancelot]

On other forums it has been mentioned by a major reviewer for a major publication that , I'm paraphrasing here,he knows of at least a half dozen small manufacturers where the death, or perhaps major debilitating illness, of the owner ,would close down the operation. This makes him leery of reviewing their products.

The owner controls all the capital, bank accounts to access funds to pay for everything and while there are often employers, they are salaried staff that have no access to any succession plans.

I'm not trying to suggest anything inappropriate is happening here but , as consumers, are you concerned  that your often pricey components MIGHT overnight not be serviceable and there resale value significantly diminished.

For everyones information, I have absolutely no connection to any company, audio or otherwise, but my modest income makes me consider such possibilities and I haven't seen this discussed before.

[macrojack]

There's a thread on Audiogon right now by a guy who is trying to retrieve his amplifier boards from BEL, a small, one man operation. Richard Brown of BEL has stopped answering his phone and emails and does not respond to messages. The poster appears to be up a creek without a paddle.

He sent these parts in for service in good faith and has been abandoned. In this case it appears to be the result of negligence but it could just as well be due to a heart attack or plane crash.

It's definitely something to think about. On the other hand, Spicas always seem to sell quickly. 

[JimJ]

I don't see why it would make someone nervous to review their products, any more so than normal - companies shut down all the time with the founder in perfect health, much less something tragic happening.

Western Electric hasn't built tube amps in years, I don't see their resale going anywhere but up even though you can't call up WE and get them serviced anymore

Given enough time, people will figure out how to work on anything

[BradJudy]

Here's another question - what's *usually* longer: the length of time between when someone gets their small business going and the time they die, or the time between any company getting going and it either going under financially or being majorly restructured (bought, sold, etc)?  

I haven't crunched any numbers, but I expect companies either go under or change drastically more often than business owners dying.  After all, how many businesses have the big names in audio been through in their time?  

Of course, if one of your motivations to buy a particular product is the personal support of the owner, and the owner happens to be 85 years old, then you might be concerned.  Just as you might be concerned if you're buying a product from a company that's in the news with financial troubles.  In either case, you may just ask the company what happens to support if things don't go well.  

[CSI]

Definitely a concern. Some companies survive their founders through luck or planning or smart moves on the part of outside investors. Many years ago Peter Snell died unexpectedly (a heart attack while at his work bench, I believe) and those who took over the company hired the very talented Kevin Voecks to design the next generation of speakers. As a result, Snell Acoustics survived and remains in business to this day with Joe D'Appolito now in the designer's chair.

[JLM]

Good question.  

Audio gear is a rather poor investment to start with.  Individual components age, wear, oxidize, and collect dust.  Over time seems that replacement pieces typically sell for less.  Popular taste trends change, making pieces less revelant.  Technology and materials do advance.

Big companies get bought and sold, divisions merged, in-house expertise flushed.  Their bureaucracy can make service difficult, and efter the warranty expires - forget about it.  On the other hand, the thread title does express a valid concern.  But overall buying from big or small isn't a factor for me.

I look for quality, simple/conservative designs, high value, long term audio purchases from known sources that stay within my bugetary comfort zone.  Except for my $160 Oppo everything else has come from small to one-man shops.  Buying from the little guy (internet cottage industry types) provides much higher value, so it helps insulate against this kind of loss.

[Bemopti123]

What needs to be understood is that the prices of products whose owners/designers have gone away have more to do with design execution/technologies used rather than something else.  I can recall several products whose companies have ceased to exist, but they are still traded and sold in the used market successfully, and I believe that it has to do with the ease in which the products can be made functional again.  Proprietary technology, boards, mystery components and the like spell junk prices for pieces that uses them especially if the company goes down under.  Spica speakers have ceased to exist but are still highly sought after due to the legend they made when the company was functioning and also if you look at their models, they do not use rocket parts.  

Furthermore, companies that are been in operations for a long long time and have a track record in producing great sounding components and have sold a great number of them, even if the company were to disappear, there would be enough incentive for some enterpenurial individual to go into repair business for these components, simply because it makes $$$ sense.  But then, do not expect to get new faceplates and other cosmetic components from this new venture.  

I think this thread does not deal with those companies that are still producing but have lost their distributorship in the US, when they once existed.  That presents another problem.  

[Wayner]

On that note, we gots plenty of companies going away that are big time.

Here is my big question: How does a multi-billion dollar conglomerate in which half of the workforce is versed in bean counting, go belly up?

Wayner

[Bemopti123]

On that note, we gots plenty of companies going away that are big time.

Here is my big question: How does a multi-billion dollar conglomerate in which half of the workforce is versed in bean counting, go belly up?

Wayner

Remember that some of these companies sort of break even, but once they are acquired by Bigger player, it is very possible that their business model that expects %+ in profits cannot be met, thus they disappear into thin air leaving a very talented group in the street with tons of their former line dumped into the fleamarket that Audiogon has become.