Audio Research filing for bankruptcy?


I just heard Audio Research might be filing for bankruptcy. This is a shock to me. I just called them a few days ago to have my Ref 6 upgraded to a Ref 6SE. I will also be the new owner of the Ref 750s. I was just wondering if they did go bankrupt what would all those millions of owners do about servicing their equipment. Should I be concerned? I’m alittle worried now. 

128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xtattooedtrackman

‘I’d assumed given Audio Reseach’s pedigree and long standing high end tenure they’d be on very solid ground financially.’

How many people do you think buy ARC equipment? ARC builds great equipment that 99.9999% of the world doesn’t know about nor cares. Even if you take a poll on this website I think you will get a small % of ownership. That’s not a negative thing but the facts in this hobby.

Specialty/low volume stores are going to struggle in this economy and the high interest rates for funding new projects is becoming more expensive. When the economy tanks later this year you will see more companies have problems.

"When the economy tanks later this year you will see more companies have problems.  "

 

....Tanks alot, @p05129 ....and the Very Special Specialties of/by/for those Special People who own them.... *wry L*  

...become art objects that may or not actually work. ;)

"Trouble in River City!"
((insert Locale here))

If that goes down, there's a tush-load of other companies that domino in-line as well....🤨  

Will the smarter ones in da loop be able to 'keep it local'....instead of a 'bigger affair'?  

Ever consider living out of town?

I mean, Way Out of town.....😏  

Nanook of the North out of town.............

Several years ago my brother put his Honda 750 into a dealer for a minor repair.  They went broke he never saw it again.

True, ARC is an attractive asset and the receiver is there to sell it.  It will get sold.

But don't be so confident.  The real issue is who buys it.  These days many buyers of such assets are only in it for a quick buck.  They don't pay their own money, load the company down with debt, pull out the maximum management fees whether the company is making money or not, if anything's left over then it's dividends.  It makes no difference to them if the company survives, let alone prospers.  They just bleed it dry either way.  A few years later they spit out the pieces and move on to their next victim.

It's called private equity.  And it's evil and destroying good businesses.  Over here in the UK, they bought the water and sewage companies.  Instead of spending money repairing and improving the plant, they ripped it out and put it in their pockets.  The result is record levels of raw sewage in our rivers.  Nice.  Not.

I have a few ARC pieces.  Fortunately they are so well made I rarely get service issues.

One can only hope that ARC failed financially due to upper level addiction or embezzlement issues & not due to a business model that no longer works in our crazy times & is truly unfixable. They make some beautifully sounding, high quality  equipment  & I hate to see any independent US company go down