Antique Sound Labs

Thanks for the responses, but I'm mostly curious about whether the brand still survives, and how they are viewed by this community.  The other thread was about some dealer apparently bashing all Chinese tube amps.  ASL came to mind as a fairly early Chinese maker with a good reputation at the time.  Has anyone had any experience with them in the last 10 years?

Thanks for all your responses.  It looks like ASL no longer exists, and Joseph Lau remains unfound.  I did find this brief history at this equipment review from 2007:

Twenty years ago, Antique Sound Laboratory and its affordable tube amps probably couldn’t have existed. Founded in Hong Kong by Joseph Lau, the company is a United Nations of electronics, employing Chinese manufacturing, Russian parts (in the form of EL34 tubes), and North American distribution through Canada’s Divergent Technologies. Prior to the partnership with Divergent, Lau offered tube-based amplifier kits, specifically low-watt single-ended-triode (SET) power amplifiers. However, Lau had limited reach in the marketplace, and his distributors were hesitant to support his plans for more ambitious design and production.

About that time, Tash Goka of Divergent Technologies had received rave reviews for his high-efficiency Reference 3A loudspeaker, specifically for how beautifully it responded to SET amps. Unfortunately, most SET amps were expensive, and Goka was looking for a low-cost alternative that would mate well with the 3A. After he’d talked with Lau and tested his designs, the two agreed to combine Divergent’s expertise in speaker design with Antique Sound Lab’s fine workmanship and ability, to jointly produce affordable electronics that would make musically sophisticated tube systems available to a wider range of buyers. To further its goal of attaining audiophile levels of performance in its products, Antique Sound Lab makes its own transformers, and operates its own metal shop, powder-coating paint facility, and tube-electronics assembly and testing group.

Thanks for the update, fsonicsmith!  By unfound I meant that I'm assuming this quote from above "ASL IMO has decided to change course and pursue more profitable businesses " meant Joseph.  A lot of high end businesses are that way - there are 1 or 2 people who are essential to the company's existence.  The unspecific nature of the information about him suggests he may have left the audio industry.  It's not like there's no future in electronic circuit design.