Krell Moves to new location

@testpilot, Thanks. Your post above was an outstanding suggestion and I agree.

I forwarded it to Wil Buhler (wkb@krell.industries) and others at Krell for their review. I am waiting for him to respond.

I also included the follow up post “Not hard at all and that’s exactly what they should have done”. I hope these suggestions get his attention. And, I also included the link for the Audiogon forum post.

@srace1, As you posted above, i forwarded it to Wil Buhler (wkb@krell.industries) and others at Krell for their review. I am waiting for him to respond.

@srace1, Unfortunately, I do not work for Krell Industries and cannot solve your repair issue. Krell has had your amp since March and you have heard nothing. If I had these issues, I would do the following:

1) please contact the Orange CT Chamber of Commerce for any status or info on Krell Industries.

2) Contact the BBB in the area for any information.

3) Contact the Orange CT City Attorney’s office for any info or advice.

4) I suggest you hire a Private Investigator to do some investigating on Krell. The cost of hiring a private investigator for 4 hours typically ranges from $200 to $800, depending on the hourly rate and the nature of the services required. I have done this before and it was really helpful.

I emailed Wil Buhler from Krell and am waiting for a response. Based on the above, I doubt he will reply. My suggestions above might help get you some answers. Please keep us posted.

@bulldogger, +1, My emails to Wil Buhler, Sales at Krell, Info at Krell and Support at Krell have not been answered. I have no clue why Krell Industries is not responding. If anyone knows what is going on at Krell Industries, please post it. Thanks.

Someone sent this info:

”Emails sent to their previous addresses are reportedly not being received, as they are transitioning to a new digital infrastructure. For inquiries, use the updated contact emails: Info@krell.industries, Sales@krell.industries, Service@krell.industries, and Support@krell.industries. Responses may be delayed as they work through these changes”.  

BTW, My emails were sent to these new email addresses. 

Wil Buhler, Managing Partner, JF Bicking & Co. from Krell Industries emailed me the following message:

“I wanted to clarify that the sale of the building was unrelated to Rondi’s passing. The transaction had already been in progress prior to her passing and coincidentally finalized afterward. Additionally, everyone's equipment remains intact, and the building sale had no impact on the lockout issue.

The lockout was strictly a matter tied to probate proceedings and obtaining the necessary legal permissions to reenter the premises. That process is nearing completion, and we anticipate resolving this matter very soon.

We are fully committed to returning everyone's equipment as quickly as possible and deeply appreciate your continued patience during this time.   Thank you for your understanding”.  

He also said “We will be putting out a more official press release at some point next week”.  

The official press release should provide us with more details.   thanks..

@thecarpathian, @testpilot, @srace1, @devinplombier

Thanks for your comments above and I agree with everything you posted.    

I emailed your comments to Wil Buhler Managing Partner, JF Bicking & Co. for his review.  Unfortunately, I do not work for Krell Industries, but I can send emails to the people at Krell Industries.

I said in my email to Wil that everyone is anxiously waiting for Krell’s' press release next week and I hope it addresses the issues mentioned above. Krell Industries absolutely MUST communicate with its customers, retailers and vendors regarding what is going on.  "I know the JF Bicking is a strategic advisory firm and might be breaking up Krell Industries or who knows what. The lack of communication means KRELL is doing irreparable harm to the customer relations aspect of your business".

One person commented with "why would Wil Buehler provide detailed updates to hgeifman (me) but not to the company's own customers like a normal person would?”.    He probably communicated with me because I sent him so many emails.  Maybe you should do the same.  His email address in on the Krell Industries Web site.  This issue cannot be solved by Audiogon members posts. 

Obviously, Krell Industries needs to start communicating with its customers, retailers and potential customers.  I asked "Will Krell Industries re-open for business and when?"   

Someone also said "Chances are some small-time investment fund is buying the Krell Industries name and trademarks as we speak, and brainstorming a relaunch.  What will future Krell gear look like?”

Krell Industries is great audio company, and it bothers me to see various Audiogon forum posts complaining about the situation and Krell Industries not responding with effective communication.   

Me:  I do not know if Krell Industries will return as it was, into something else or go out of business.   Their lack of communication is not good sign so now we wait.

@hiend2, Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. please see below:

For those who are not able to see the original Krell Owners & Enthusiasts Group, here is the full scoop given by Wil Buhler.
-------------------
JF Bicking & Co

pSoodsrentt1mth7fhmma6fha8249t7l376acglh21208au5f4h9ga8a21i5 ·

Before diving into the questions, here’s some background on JF Bicking & Co. and myself. JF Bicking is the advisory arm of our family holdings company, a little over a decade ago we began offering the same services to other businesses and organizations, entrepreneurs and families. If anyone would like to know more about our firm visit our site https://www.jfb.fyi/who-we-are. We don’t deal with a specific industry or type/size of business; our only criteria is family owned businesses and no public companies. That leads us to myself and Krell.

I will be the first to say when we first engaged Krell as a client I was by no means an audiophile. For those of you who have found a reason to hate me yet, here’s one; before working with Krell I thought Bose was definitely in the top 3 Hifi companies. Frankly the first time I heard the phrase was when one of our Analysts who introduced Krell called himself one. I still don’t quite consider myself an audiophile today but I’m getting there, I feel like it would be like someone who had been to a car show once joining the Porsche Club of America. Since first hearing in the arms of the angels on a Krell system I was hooked. I played classical cello when i was younger and all of a sudden i could hear cello throughout the whole song that I never could before. Since then every Krell listening experience has been a unique one. Quite fittingly; one of the last in person experiences I was able to share with Rondi was listening to Ella Fitzgerald in her family room with her and her husband who was also a huge audiophile as well, it was part of every aspect of Rondi’s life.

Q -What is your position within Krell? Are you full owner, Minority stake holder, Majority stake holder, Managing partner, Etc.? And when did that position come about? There are many rumors that lead back to the late Rondi D’Agostino not having a succession plan so, to many, it was unexpected that an investment firm claimed ownership instead of a family member, for example.

A - I’m bound by several confidentiality agreements that bar me from even discussing most of the question, being completely honest even if I could I would not disclose that information, no company in my position would, not for nefarious purposes but simply because it’s literally none of your business. Please tell anyone who feels they have an ownership claim to contact us or our attorneys rccblaw.com. A family member is still involved in ownership along with ourselves. Growing up I was taught to not look at things like I own them but rather that I’m a steward for the next generation; I apply that same philosophy to our position at Krell. Hopefully this answers your question.

Q -When can we expect Krell to reopen? And upon reopening, when can staff be expected to return to the factory to resume work?

We technically never closed just our facility, we’ve tried as best as possible to make ourselves available via our firm and email. 610 894 0692 or Service@krell.industries. Here’s the less annoying part of my answer. As an attempt at full transparency after much delay due to the courts insistence on a particular family member’s involvement in the matter, approximately 3 weeks ago the courts gave us permission to proceed ahead with the probate process without the individual. Since that point we have been working with all parties involved to move forward. Unfortunately death is a fickle bitch and our Firm experienced a profound loss the weekend we received the courts notification so that delayed our forward progression just a few more days. That brings us to now, we are hoping in a perfect world we will have received court approval to proceed with opening before the holiday weekend or immediately after. Once received we intend to have our Repair manager start on that same day to begin to address all of your issues immediately. We hope to be back to 85% operations within the first week and back to 100% by the end of the month.

Q -What will take priority? Service, warranty, new order fulfillment, etc.?

Service and Warranty will be concurrent and new order fulfillment will be only when we can guarantee the quality control is 100%

Q -Will your team be reaching out to all of us that have units in service, and if so, what is that time frame to do so?

Yes, within the first several days of opening, it would be incredibly helpful if anyone who has something in for service could send an email to the Service@krell.industries. Please provide your information, ie: contact, name, etc./ the unit in for repair/ what the issue is/ and whether you still want it repaired or just returned. We will not take it personally, and can recommend an alternative temporary repair facility until we are back to 100%

Q -Has a plan been put together for any of us in service that may wish to have their equipment either shipped back or picked up at the factory without repair? What is the timing for that looking like?

Refer to the answer above.

Q -Can you discuss what happened with Krellhifi.com and how another website was developed and launched during a time when the company was thought to not have ownership?

We had been working on developing a new website with a more modern look and user-friendly functionality and design which is the krell.industries that exists now. That was also the point of the store was to test and see if there was any demand for merchandise and DTC access for certain products. Rondi, much like myself, wasn’t the biggest fan of change and was quite reluctant to take down the old site so the new site’s 100% completion wasn’t an absolute priority at the moment. Due to the unauthorized lockout severely hindering our ability to access key information such as email along with trying to help confusion we shut down the old site. Unfortunately certain features still need to be completed on the new site and will as soon as we are finished with probate.

@bulldogger, I posted the above information on November 22. Since that post, I have heard NOTHING from Krell Industries, have not emailed Krell and am no longer paying attention to Krell Industries.

>>>> It is VERY disappointing that Krell Industries is not communicating with their customers, retailers or vendors. I have no clue what is going on at KRELL INDUSTRIES.

@bulldogger, 

Based on your above post, I emailed Wil Buhler from the JF Bicking & Co. who is representing KRELL INDUSTRIES the following:

"As per an Audiogon forum post, in addition to the news you are providing to Stereophile, KRELL INDUSTRIES should SEND out a press release and include it on your web site.  Krell should also email all its customers, retailers, vendors, with this news.  In summary, KRELL INDUSTRIES should prioritize effective communication to enhance brand visibility and goodwill. A press release detailing recent developments and product launches is essential, alongside direct emails to customers, retailers, and vendors".

My email was sent on Wednesday, December 18th and I have not received a response.   As I said before, it is VERY disappointing that KRELL INDUSTRIES is not communicating with their customers, retailers or vendors. I have no clue what is going on at KRELL INDUSTRIES.

@soix,

+1,000, "It’s a master class in exactly how NOT to handle a corporate crisis situation".  

Obviously, the post above asks many questions that everyone is wondering about. Unfortunately, it seems, no one is answering them.

I also do not understand why Krell industries said they will communicate something to Stereophile but send nothing to their customers, retailers and vendors. This makes zero sense to me. When will Krell Industries send out an official release with the full details?

The previous communication from Krell Industries has little useful information and raised many more questions. Are there any employees left at Krell? Where is the equipment sent in for repair? When will Krell Industries communicate something to the public? Is Krell Industries out of business or in the process of going out of business? How is the Probate Court involved and when will they be finished?

When will we hear something useful from Krell Industries? My answer to these questions is I have no clue or additional information. A very sad situation!

in other words, Krell Industries has not yet issued a comprehensive public release addressing its current situation to customers, retailers, and vendors. While the company has shared limited updates through its new website and social media, many stakeholders remain frustrated by the lack of direct communication. A press release with full details has not been announced, leaving questions about their operational plans unanswered.  

Based on everything posted above, it seems Krell Industries is facing significant turmoil, including THEIR ongoing communication issues. As already noted, customers report a lack of information from the company, which has been compounded by technical difficulties with their website and email systems. Although Krell has announced plans to reopen and transition to a new cloud-based platform, responses to inquiries have been POOR, leading to frustration among EVERYONE. The situation remains unclear, leaving many concerned about the company’s future and customer support capabilities.

My emails to Wil Buhler, Stereophile and George Myer AV regarding KRELL INDUSTRIES have not been answered.  Are they ever going to respond?   THEIR lack of response is not good news.  I find it very strange that they post their business status information on Facebook and claim to report their status to Stereophile.  A press release is the recommended form of communication. 

Is KRELL INDUSTRIES closed and out of business?  I have no clue!

More than 6,113 Audiogon Members have viewed this ’Krell Moves to new location’ post and 91 people have made comments. While I found everyone’s comments interesting to read, none of them have REALLY answered the one question everyone is asking. What is going on at KRELL INDUSTRIES?

As of today, Krell Industries has NOT yet issued a comprehensive public release addressing its current situation to its customers, retailers, and vendors. While the company has shared limited updates through its new website and social media, many customers remain frustrated by the lack of direct communication. A press release with full details has NOT been released, leaving questions about their operational plans unanswered.

I also do not understand why Krell industries said they will communicate something to Stereophile but send nothing to their customers, retailers and vendors. They also sometimes post to Facebook. This makes zero business sense to me.

Some of these Audiogon posts say Krell Industries has closed and will not reopen. Other people are worried about getting their equipment repaired and/or returned. Some people have provided many details regarding various legal options. There are many other interesting comments.

Everyone wants to know when Krell Industries will send out an official press release with the full details. My answer is I have no clue!

AND, as stated above, "Will the real owner of Krell Industries, please stand up".

@thecarpathian

Thanks for your post and the info above. I found the link you referenced and posted its ’contents’ below for everyone to read. Please see below the ======.

============================================

Krell Industries: Preparations For Reopening

(UPDATED 1/9/2025)

To our valued dealers and distributors,

We are pleased to inform you that Krell Industries is now in the process of reopening. This is a very complex matter, involving relocation and a number of legal issues which are in progress. Due to the unpredictable nature of filing Court documents, etc, we cannot provide a timeline. We are working toward re-opening, and an official announcement will be made in Stereophile Magazine.

As part of our commitment to enhancing your experience, we are migrating our digital infrastructure to a cloud-based platform. Due to the significant complexity involved, this process will take some time.

Unfortunately, our old domain, krellhifi.com, and related emails have been hijacked, and are no longer under our control. Remedies are being pursued. For the time being, please use our new website: krell.industries (no additional TLD).

We’re excited to announce the upcoming launch of our new dealer portal, which will become an integral part of our sales and service process. Through this portal, you’ll be able to track purchase confirmations, shipping and delivery dates, service quotes, and more in real time. This portal is part of our broader initiative to modernize and digitize the purchasing and payment process, enhancing both ease and security for you, our valued dealers.

For now, please use the following emails for any inquiries:

• Info@krell.industries
• Sales@krell.industries
• Service@krell.industries
• Support@krell.industries
• Dealers@krell.industries

Please note that responses may be delayed until we are fully operational, as we continue to operate under limited capacity. We also ask for your patience as we finalize testing of our new website, as there may be some technical or user experience issues. (This work is ongoing.)

We greatly appreciate your continued patience and understanding, and we’re working diligently to reopen and resume full operations as soon as possible. Your support is invaluable, and we look forward to working with you again soon.

Thank you for your partnership.

Sincerely,
Krell Industries

Wil Buhler
wkb@krell.industries

please see below the ==== for a copy of the above referenced article.  

@bulldogger, Thanks for finding and posting this article on Krell.

=====================================

"On June 18, 2024, Krell Industries closed temporarily after the unexpected death of owner and CEO Rondi D'Agostino; Krell has been in limbo ever since. According to Wil Buhler of family holdings company JF Bicking & Co, Krell's long-awaited reopening is within reach.

What’s been happening? Buhler offers an explanation. "JF Bicking's working relationship with Rondi gave her and us equal managerial control, even though she still held the majority share. With the death of her husband in August of 2024, that share has now gone to her heir.

"Through all subsequent negotiations with that heir, the invaluable help of former Krell Industries Vice-President Walter Schofield has enabled us to stick it out through less than cooperative behavior on the majority holder's part. Once matters are settled and we can start up again, Walter will come back onboard and help with the rebuilding and running of Krell.

"Within a day or so, we are planning to submit a formal offer to buy Rondi's outstanding majority share of Krell from her heir. Our lawyers, Royer, Cooper, Cohen and Braunfield (RCCB Law), are pretty confident that we will succeed.

"Once we've conferred with Walter, we will submit our formal offer to buy Krell. Ultimately, we think the courts will intervene. We're requesting the courts to appoint an independent third-party administrator to handle Rondi's estate so that we can proceed with reopening Krell. Our next hearing is next week, between February 3 and 7. That's when an independent administrator will be appointed if the heir has not yet accepted our formal offer for purchase."

Meanwhile, Buhler informs Stereophile readers, krell.industries is the legitimate website for Krell Industries. "The former website, krellhifi.com, has been hijacked," he says. 

What about Krell equipment sent in for repair? Willie Barnett, Krell's longtime repair technician, continues to be affiliated with the company, active on the Krell Owners and Enthusiasts Facebook group, and hard at work. "All Krell equipment previously submitted for repair is safe and currently being fixed," Buhler assures Krell owners. "Product will be sent back to the owners once repairs are complete."

Stereophile has contacted Rondi’s heir and will update this story if and when comment is received. The announcement of the official reopening of Krell Industries will be shared on this site. Please stay tuned".

Stereophile report Updated 2/12/25 (previously 2/7/25)

copy of report:

“In the February issue, Stereophile tentatively predicted the imminent reopening of Krell Industries, the legendary high-end amplifier manufacturer. It didn’t happen, and it still hadn’t happened as the current issue went to press.

It now appears that two parties are competing to reopen Krell.

To recap: On June 18, 2024, Krell Industries closed following the unexpected death of owner and CEO Rondi D’Agostino. An early announcement indicated that the closing would be brief, but Krell has been in limbo ever since.

In an interview in late January, Wil Buhler of self-described “family holdings company” JF Bicking & Co. told Stereophile that the long-awaited reopening was within reach. Others disputed his claim, though not publicly.

What is JF Bicking’s relevance to l’affaire Krell? Bicking claims a 30% share in the company. “JF Bicking’s working relationship with Rondi [D’Agostino] gave her and us equal managerial control, even though she still held the majority share,” Buhler told Stereophile. Documents supplied by Bicking and reviewed by Stereophile appeared to support Buhler’s claim of an ownership stake.

Who owns the rest of Krell? “With the death of her husband in August of 2024, the [majority] share has now gone to her heir,” Buhler said. “Her heir” is Rondi’s son Kristofer D’Agostino. Also involved, perhaps as an adviser to Kristofer, is Steven Javaherian, Krell dealer and proprietor of Florida–based dealership High Performance Stereo. In November, Javaherian set up a Connecticut limited-liability corporation (LLC) called Krell Audio.

Javaherian and Kristofer have refused to talk with Stereophile. “We were ordered by the probate judge not to make any public statements at this time,” Kristofer wrote in an email. “Unlike the other parties involved, I’m obeying the judge’s orders to not speak on this issue until a ruling has been granted.”

Anonymous sources told Stereophile that at first, Kristopher was uninterested in being involved with Krell. Apparently that has changed. Now, two factions—majority owner Kristopher on one side, JF Bicking on the other—are competing to own and reopen the company.

“Within a day or so, we are planning to submit a formal offer to buy Rondi’s outstanding majority share of Krell from her heir. Our lawyers … are pretty confident that we will succeed.” Documents reviewed by Stereophilesuggest that the proposed deal is structured as a small upfront cash payment plus a declining share of profits, starting at 10%. JF Bicking would take on all Krell Industries debt.

“Ultimately, we think the courts will intervene,” Buhler continued. “We’re requesting the appointment of an independent third-party administrator to handle Rondi’s estate so that we can proceed with reopening Krell.” When contacted in early February, Buhler said the offer had been made but that no response had been received. A court hearing was scheduled for the week of February 3 but then rescheduled for February 19, well after this issue of Stereophile went to press.

Willie Barnett, Krell’s longtime repair technician, is still in the picture. In a Facebook post in mid-February, he wrote, “I am still working with Steven Javaherian to get the Repairs going again”; Earlier posts to the group, in late December, suggested that he was working with JF Bicking. He has made it clear all along that his interest is in getting Krell reopened.

When we spoke with Buhler in late January, he said, “Through all subsequent negotiations with [Kristofer D’Agostino], the invaluable help of former Krell Industries Vice-President Walter Schofield has enabled us to stick it out through less-than-cooperative behavior on the majority holder’s part. Once matters are settled, and we can start up again, Walter will come back onboard in a consulting capacity and help with the rebuilding of Krell.”

Contacted by Stereophile, Schofield remained neutral in the ownership dispute, saying, “I only ever wanted to see Krell reopen, have people’s equipment repaired and returned, and if possible, see the brand restart production. … At first, it seemed there was only one horse in this race. All I ever wanted to do was help, and I am still willing to do so for any entity that takes control of the brand.”

Stereophile’s hope, too, is that whichever side comes out on top, the dispute will soon be settled so that Krell Industries can reopen and restart its work processing repairs and fulfilling customer orders”.

Or, in other words, “The legal battle involving Krell’s founders and private equity investors further complicates the company’s stability. The founders alleged fraudulent practices by the equity firm, while countersuits were also filed. These ongoing issues may contribute to delays in resolving customer concerns.

If the legal case mentioned is scheduled for February 19, it could lead to further delays in addressing operational problems. Customers with pending repairs may need to prepare for extended wait times”.

+1, “oh, my….”

If this is true, the situation at KRELL is much worse than described in the Stereophile article. I do not know what is true, and not true. I feel sorry for anyone that has equipment at KRELL waiting for repair.

The Judge hears the case on February 19 and, most likely, will request more information from both sides meaning more delays.

See update regarding the Krell Industries vs. JF Bicking & Co Connecticut court case on February 19 posted on Stereophile web site below:

”Updated 2/20/2025 (previously 2/12/25)

In a Connecticut courtroom on Wednesday, Kristofer D’Agostino, son of late Krell owner and CEO Rondi D’Agostino, won control over his own trust, opening a path for Krell to begin to get its ducks in a row and, if all goes well, reopen.

This was a probate hearing, intended to establish who would control the D’Agostino trust. Wil Buhler of "family holding company" JF Bicking had put forward a motion to have a third party administer the trust. Buhler apparently didn’t know that the proposed third-party administrator had already notified the court that he would not accept the role of trust administrator. The only alternative available to the judge was to allow Kris D’Agostino to administer his own trust.

According to Stereophile sources, once D’Agostino receives the certificate certifying his role as administrator, he will be able to gain control of the probate assets, which are said to include at least 70% of Krell. (The possible ownership by JF Bicking of the other 30% remains in dispute—a dispute that must be resolved in Delaware, where Krell Industries is officially registered.)

For many months, it was widely assumed—not only by Stereophile—that Kristopher D’Agostino did not intend to try to reopen Krell. That left JF Bicking as apparently the only horse in the race. Recent weeks have brought indications that Kristopher D’Agostino does indeed intend to pursue Krell’s reopening. We’re not business experts, but that intention and an undisputed 70% (and possibly larger) ownership stake would seem to put him in a position to at least make the attempt.—Jim Austin”

My comment: I am not an attorney but the above identifies more issues that must be resolved. The above says “The possible ownership by JF Bicking of the other 30% remains in dispute—a dispute that must be resolved in Delaware, where Krell Industries is officially registered”.

Unfortunately, this means more delays meaning I have no information when Krell Industries will reopen, etc.

There are many players involved that include Kristopher D’Agostino, Tech 9 Auto, Steven Javaherian, High Performance Stereo (Krell Retailer), JF Bicking, Wil Buhler , Krell Industries, Krell Audio and the Delaware Probate Court. Of course in addition to the above, you have Krell workers, customers and retailers. And, yes, I probably forgot someone (maybe the building landlord).

All of the above have legal issues involved regarding gaining control of the probate assets, which are said to include at least 70% of Krell and the possible ownership by JF Bicking of the other 30% remaining assets. It is my understanding the Delaware Probate Court needs to resolve this ownership issue.

Assuming the Delaware Probate Court makes a decision allowing Krell to re-open, where is the capital going to come from to get Krell Industries back in operation. Obviously, that is another issue that needs to be resolved.

Based on the above Audiogon post, many Krell customers have equipment at Krell that need repair. Some of them have been waiting for a long time. How long will it take to resolve these issues? I have no clue.

@devinplombier 

No!  Based on the above post, I assumed KRELL INDUSTRIES is closed.  I do not know and no one has officially said they are open or closed.  In other words, I have no clue.

@devinplombier

Perplexity AI reports the following but the posts above say the same thing. The most important statement below is “Krell’s ultimate success depends on resolving these issues and securing sufficient resources to restart operations effectively”.

“Krell Industries is currently in a state of transition. The company temporarily closed on June 18, 2024, following the unexpected death of its CEO, Rondi D’Agostino. The reopening process is complicated by probate issues and negotiations with the new majority shareholder. Despite these challenges, Krell aims to restart operations soon.

The company faces hurdles, including past financial instability, strained relationships with stakeholders, customer equipment in for repair and delays caused by the probate process. Additionally, competition for control over reopening adds complexity.

While progress is being made, the ultimate success depends on resolving these issues and securing sufficient resources to restart operations effectively”.

I have no further info regarding what is going on at Krell Industries. I have no equipment in for repair and am not in contact with anyone at Krell Industries.  What a mess this is.  

@bulldogger

Thanks for the info about the move to a new building. Do you have any information about the Delaware court case decision and a date for Krell Industries to reopen and start operations? Thanks.

In addition, do you have any information about the equipment Audiogon members have in for repair?