A lot of moving parts here. Taking the high ground, ARC may have stood firmly by their origional mission statement and operated as such, long after "the numbers" didn’t align with those objectives.
As far as Axpona is concerned, there may have been opportunities there that were under the radar, such as having the "right" people in the "right" place at the "right" time -- potential buyers of the business? Or, it could have just been a proper Swan Song for a company that’s been a major contributor to high end audio for generations?
Hoping the owners land on their feet, or a the very least, get out of this alive. Some don’t.