@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
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.
“Stereophile Magazine will VERY SOON have specific NEWS about Krell. I just got off the phone with Wil Buhler, and he personally said that I could make this announcement. 🙂 So, your patience is about to pay off... and Stereophile will have the news! Thank you! 🙂
** THIS POST WAS DELETED in the other Group. Please share the word with your fellow Krell folks in other venues.” Willie Barnett, a Krell tech posted this on NEW Krell Facebook page. I have my hip boots ready for another dump truck load from Wil.
Based on your above post, I emailed Wil Buhler from the JFBicking & 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.
Assuming the principals even intend to resume business in its current form.
The Buelher character blames Krell’s prolonged closure on some judicial process and claims the court’s permission is necessary to reopen the doors (and start returning gear to owners).
Usually probate courts aim to maintain the value of assets winding their way through the process. For instance, if the asset were a chicken farm, the court would allow the chickens to be fed, the eggs collected, etc. all actions necessary to maintain the asset value of the business.
But here, we have Krell allegedly being kept under court-ordered closure, allegedly forbidden to get anything into or out of its premises, ensuring its income is reduced to zero and severely jeopardizing its value as an ongoing concern. Makes sense.
The probate courts are making no effort to preserve "Goodwill", which is a significant component of corporate valuation. Seizing expensive equipment in for repair, holding it for many months, then going radio silent, is not a way to preserve corporate value.
It’s not even clear if there are any employees currently working for Krell. The physical whereabouts of the to-be-repaired equipment is unknown, and there does not appear to be any timetable to return the equipment to its owners. But is it even on-site any more? Has it been sold at an estate sale? Where is it?
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.
I agree Krell is nothing more than a zombie company now. Has anyone considered threatening or moving forward with at least a small claims lawsuit to get their equipment back as it sounds like folks are just being strung along by these “new” owners?
The probate court has to consider any claims against the estate so if I had any equipment in Krell’s possession I would contact the Ct. Probate court and file a claim against the estate for your equipment.
This is what I found regarding the filing process with Ct. Probate Court for a claim against the Krell Estate for the return of your equipment. Note this was generated by AI and I am NOT a lawyer so this does not constitute legal advice nor can I vouch for Copilot AI's accuracy with the below answer. Seek legal advice from an Estate Attorney in Ct. and/or check the website for further filing process info.
"How do you file a claim with the Connecticut State Probate Court for assets owed to you by a pending probate case?
To file a claim with the Connecticut State Probate Court for assets owed to you by a pending probate case, you can follow these steps:
Obtain the necessary forms: You can find the required forms on theConnecticut Probate Court Forms page. Make sure to download and fill out the appropriate forms for your specific case.
Complete the forms: Fill out the forms with accurate and detailed information. If you need assistance, you can refer to theeFiling Portal for guidance on how to complete and submit the forms.
Submit the forms: You can submit the completed forms either electronically through theeFiling Portal if you are an attorney or a self-represented party, or you can submit them in person or by mail to the appropriate Probate Court where the case is pending.
Pay any required fees: Some forms may require a fee to be paid upon submission. Make sure to check the fee schedule and include the payment with your forms.
Follow up: After submitting your claim, you may need to follow up with the Probate Court to ensure that your claim has been received and processed. You can contact the Probate Court directly for any questions or updates regarding your case"
If you need further assistance, you can contact the Probate Court in which the case is pending or refer to theConnecticut Probate Court website for more information at:
By way of background, I worked at Audionics as an assembly person, repair jock, and then, as a full-fledged audio designer. Let me walk you through what happens in a small-scale audio company.
There’s typically only one repair person at even a medium-scale audio company. More often, in smaller companies, the most skilled tech takes time off assembling equipment to do the occasional repair. This is for a simple reason: you don’t pay the bills from repairs. You pay the bills by assembling new products, putting them in boxes, and shipping them. Repairs are more like janitorial work ... you gotta do it, but it doesn’t pay the bills.
The repair guy is not going to do several repairs at once, unless units are stacked up waiting for hard-to-get parts. This makes a huge mess, creates chaos in the tech area, and the tech will do everything they can to avoid a situation with multiple half-disassembled units all over the place. Big mess, very undesirable.
So in a normally operating factory, there’s usually only one unit getting repaired at one time, with others stacked up in a queue awaiting work. But ... I said in a normally operating factory. If the bills aren’t getting paid, vendors figure it out pretty quick, and parts are then hard to get, since word gets around amongst the parts vendors (they talk each other). Very hard to repair anything if the vendors won’t sell you parts because you don’t pay your bills. Even worse if the parts are exotic and hard to find.
Things get truly chaotic once the bills get past the 60 and 90-day mark. The assembly line shuts down, you get a huge pile of partly assembled units and you need to find space to park them without getting damaged, and repairs stop completely.
The most skilled tech, the repair guy, stops showing up at work once he or she misses their second paycheck, or if the checks bounce the second or third time. Once incoming parts are past the 60-day payment due date, and staff paychecks bounce more than once, the end is near.
The front office staff are usually the last to leave, again, due to missed paychecks. The lights get turned off when the last employee leaves ... by then, the place is stripped bare by the departing employees. Very hard to prevent the aggrieved techs from taking partially assembled electronics that are just lying around in random piles.
By the time the electricity and water is turned off, anything not tied down is gone. From personal experience, I should have taken my handbuilt prototypes home, because they are now lost and gone, leaving only a few scattered notes I took with me. This is how knowledge gets dispersed and lost.
Sorry to report the grim details, but I lived through this not just once, but several times at Audionics. I finally escaped to Tektronix after a few of these episodes.
I know this sounds gruesome. I can assure you, it is a lot worse when it happens to you, in a company you’ve worked at for several years. It takes several of these cycles in the tech industry before you learn how to read the signs and get out fast before the roof falls in.
Wow. I guess that is just how it happened. I feel bad for those who lost their gear that was in for service. I would be sad and angry, but what financial recourse is there when the company goes bankrupt?
I guess if it comes down to it, you would have to physically go to where your gear is, show proof of ownership and personally retrieve it to get it back. Sure hope for everyone's sake this is all speculation.
Well, it looks like our hopes for a Krell “reopening” as Will Buhler suggested in his communication to us on Audiogon are the of coal in our Christmas stocking. They have the same lame press announcement for months now on their revised website. I followed their instruction to contact the service at the new site and nada. Very unlikely we will see anything before January at the earliest. Not sure what is going on but I think they owe us with equipment in for repair or upgrade more information. I don’t see the need for the news blackout. Surely there is more to communicate given the passing of time but what is that information. Common Will give us some Christmas hope!
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!
The yardstick(s) is simple: do they have any techs who are getting paid? If not, are the repaired or awaiting-repair units stored somewhere, and if so, where? After the hoped-for restructuring, who has detailed knowledge of the product line? (Not marketing knowledge, but build and repair experience.)
The rest is legal window-dressing related to restructuring and rearranging liabilities and assets (if any). The techs who have relevant product knowledge (how to build, how to repair, how the gizmos work, etc.) are probably no longer in town and have moved on (you can’t pay rent, buy food, and buy gas with promises).
Most of the genuine assets of any tech corporation is the knowledge in the worker’s heads. Most assembly and repair procedures are never written down. Disperse the workforce, particularly the techs, and a restart is more like starting from scratch, a much harder job. This is why re-creating a Saturn V rocket, or building a LEM, is impossible.
I had a summer job at NASA in 1969, during the Apollo landings. Sorry about the acronym, it means Lunar Expeditionary Module, the little machine that actually landed on the Moon. I used NASA tech as an example of lost technology, since President Nixon made the decision to shut down the Apollo program in the summer of 1970.
There are plenty of blueprints still around, but tech projects are far more complex than blueprints and circuit schematics. The real, detailed, knowledge is in the minds of the technology group members. When a project is terminated and the group is dispersed, much knowledge is lost forever, and it has to be re-created from scratch if the project is re-animated. "The Project" can be anything from the vast Apollo program to something as simple as a power amplifier.
The folks in the "front office" are the CEO, several marketers/salesmen, and the folks in accounting who juggle the books, paying the creditors in the right order and keeping the Tax Man happy. They are not technology people; they work in the back, along with the assembly staff.
Surprisingly, even though a hifi company may have several marketers on staff, they may not have a full time designer/engineer. The designer/engineers are often "guns for hire" who work at several different companies without credit or recognition. They even sign NDA’s (non-disclosure agreements) so their identities are hidden.
Many high-profile hifi companies, to some extent, are a "false front" and largely a PR operation. The people in back who design, prototype, build, and repair the gear are anonymous and often fired at whim, or if business falls off a little.
You can see why this puts the "brand name" in a different light. The real engineers are an anonymous cast of rotating designers, hidden behind unbreakable NDA’s, while the folks who stay-the-same are the CEO and the PR team. They provide the brand identity, but it is really a mirage in terms what’s inside the product. So if the "front office" folks go away, nothing is left except a memory in the minds of the customers. In legal terms, that memory is called "Goodwill" and has a monetary value.
OK folks, please take the following with a grain of a kilo of salt.
I just bought a vintage Krell from a guy who works in the industry. We got to talking gear and shooting the breeze, and at some point I said good thing I can fix that Krell myself if it needs fixing, what with Krell being out of business and all. He said that's not the case, he knows folks at Krell and Krell is not out of business.
He was not interested in elaborating so I left it at that... No warranties expressed or implied.
It seems the LEM (the artist formerly known as the Lunar Excursion Module) is now undergoing a rebranding as simply the Lunar Module (LM) according to various Nasa and Space websites. Perhaps the term excursion was making some feel vaguely uncomfortable ;) Me, I'm always up for a good excursion! Kidding - probably some Artemis marketing jockey trying to normalize terms for moon landers.
Too bad about Krell - have had plenty of experience with vulture capitalists in past lives, and this pattern is always the same.
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