Emo dumps Carver, the Carver site is down.

Nothing strange there. I assume that Emotiva bought Carver (the company) and kept what they wanted (Brand name, designs, supplier relationships, any one of a hundred other "assets"), and cut loose what they didn't want, including Carver (the man). Happens all the time.

At the end of the day, the acquisition really isn't the relevant issue here.

Barring some clever deal structure (unlikely to be effective, I'd think), when Emotiva acquired Carver, LLC, I'd assume that they inherited Carver LLC's' liabilities attendant to warranty service. They would be on the hook, unless/until they bankrupted Carver, LLC (very likely). In that case, it's up to the courts to determine how much Emotiva is on the hook for warranty claims. I'm sure the banruptcy court will try to protect consumers, to the extent possible.

But, don't blame Emotiva. Presumably, Bob Carver cashed out on the sale. Even if he hadn't sold, he might have bankrupted the company, too. You'd be in the same boat.

Whenever you buy from a small company with limited financial resources, you run the risk of bankruptcy - whether via the then owner, or any future owner.