Wow, this is the first time I've heard of his passing. I met Pierre at the Hi-Fi 96 show in Manhattan in 1996. Very likeable guy. He was demoing mapleshade cds using some Stax headphones. Wow, what a sound. I bought several discs that day. Until recently I had a Samson audio rack, but sold it. He had some very eccentric ideas, but was very passionate about achieving good sound.
RIP
RIP