Krell Moves to new location

Just brought my 350 MCX’s there for alignment One tech is the krell guy

 

Krell Service and Repair | George Meyer AV

The main point is that you and I should decide what we do with our stuff, not a manufacturer we paid in full for the product we own.

 

Notorious offenders include Apple, Tesla, and Krell. None of them makes cheap throwaway stuff. Not Krell and Tesla, anyway.

 

@devinplombier I still don't understand why the vast majority of people need that law, most mainstream equipment is just cheap throwaway stuff anyway.

guy with shark teeth is calling: is it time to buy a used Krell amp?

@jea48 Arnold Martinez is no longer with Krell. Wasn't with them very long, Rondi hired him shortly before she died.

if Krell would release their service schematics to third party technicians, servicing Krell products would not be an issue. 

Absolutely, one hundred percent. It is time Right to Repair laws are passed in all states to give folks back the control over how and where to have their gear maintained - gear they paid for and own. It is time rogue companies are put back in their place.

@willywonka I see your point, but that essentially makes you a Harman / Bose customer

 

@willywonka if Krell would release their service schematics to third party technicians, servicing Krell products would not be an issue. 

This is one of the reasons I've started steering clear of these boutique audiophile companies that are one owner shows. Granted Krell had almost 50 employees compared to some companies that are 1-2 man operations. If the owner has a health issue or dies you are basically screwed. 

I’m sorry, but this is not how to run a company. How many customers shipped components needing repair to Krell before the doors closed? And how long must someone sit in limbo while the legal process continues. I’d hate to be someone who’s sitting in limbo not even knowing if their item or items is even going to be found! How is it Krell owners didn’t have their affairs in order before this happened. This is what not to do if you own any company!

Yeah generally no mandate for private companies to have a Board of Directors, although it  can vary by state as to what functions a company must have. In a situation like Krell has gone through, I'm not surprised Rondi did not constitute a Board. I think it is also mute reinforcement that Bicking or any other investor did NOT have a significant financial interest in Krell. Invariably, someone putting  money into a business or someone with substantial ownership wants a Board and someone looking out for their financial interests.

@jea48 Kristopher is alive. I emailed him awhile back but he never responded. Owns auto repair shop.

Yeah generally no mandate for private companies to have a Board of Directors, although it  can vary by state as to what functions a company must have. In a situation like Krell has gone through, I'm not surprised Rondi did not constitute a Board. I think it is also mute reinforcement that Bicking or any other investor did NOT have a significant financial interest in Krell. Invariably, someone putting  money into a business or someone with substantial ownership wants a Board and someone looking out for their financial interests.

Another unexplored item is Krell’s board and who sits on it

The board as created in 2009 by the "Investors" no longer exists. I imagine the three appointed board members by the "Investors" were shown the door by Rondi D’agostino when she regained control of the company in about 2016. (As she said, she reacquired Krell, in the Article above. 12-23-2024 at 01:49pm ).

I did a search to find any info about about any present board members. Found nothing. I did find something pre Rondi D’agostino’s death as for management personnel. Have no idea if it is accurate. Though if it’s on the internet it must be true.

This one also shows revenues for 2023 of $15.3M Don’t know if is accurate.. What was the net, bottom line?

https://rocketreach.co/krell-industries-management_b5c44eacf42e0df5

Here’s is another Link:

https://www.zoominfo.com/pic/krell-industries-llc/39634277 Is this accurate? ???

I don’t see any Board Member’s names.

Note the names, last updated. All as of 12/2024.

Note the President’s name. Arnold Martinez What’s his background? Check him out.

I see a familiar family name, Michael Bellas. The Late Rondi D’agostino’s husband.

Looks like the SH forum post saying he had dementia was wrong...

.

Another unexplored item is Krell's board and who sits on it

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".

 

The plot thickens!

With A Sharper Focus on Krell, a Blurry Picture Emerges March 15, 2018 by Ted

Excerpt from Article:

D’Agostino Takes Us Back in Time

Speaking to us, initially, in a very halting manner as she reached for the right words, D’Agostino first answered these allegations by explaining the situation when she reacquired control of the company a couple of years ago. The company had gone through a tough period in which she had been at odds with a significant financial partner. The conflict was ultimately resolved with the exit of this partner and with D’Agostino in full control of the company.

“When I got the company back, there were a whole host of hidden issues,” D’Agostino explained. “Mostly in the way of undisclosed liabilities. And we have been struggling really to get things under control…and it has been a little bit on the hard side.”

She "reacquired" control of Krell around 2016. Sounds like the "Investors" were out... Of course she didn’t give any details how she got control of Krell back.

Well that being the case of the interview as of around March 5th of 2018. No idea how she financed the operations of the company after she "reacquired" it. Therein working capital.

.

As for this:

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.

My guess was the family member was the son. It was not...

Son Bret went on to found BSC (Bully Sound Company), and sadly passed away in January, 2017.

Krell Returns September 22, 2018

So who owns Krell today?

Who is paying for the services of JB Bicking & Co.?

From what I have found a normal estate probate can take 6 months to 2 years.

Will the real owner of Krell Industries please stand up.

.

 

who is ultimately responsible for returning everyone’s equipment and where is the money to do it going to come from?

Owners will likely receive a freight bill payable upfront.

 

Can you say probate.i luv my krell.enjoy the music hope krell comes back

This stuff gives me a headache...

You bring up the good point of who is ultimately responsible for returning everyone’s equipment and where is the money to do it going to come from?

Lynn_olsen is largely correct but bankruptcy is a bit more complex depending upon the state and the type of bankruptcy. Most bankruptcies start out as a Chapter 11 meaning they will get some money from an outside source in exchange for basically full ownership of the company. Then Krell in this case would settle the claims of it’s the debt holders with some of the cash infused for ownership of the company with the remaining cash going into future operations of the company. Most states want to get back pay to employees but that is limited in amount, duration of pay owed and the size (cash) of the estate. As for taxes, I suspect Krell has produced losses for multiple years and has a sizable NOL (net operating loss) which is a shield against future taxes  (largely at the federal and state level) and an asset of the estate. The other bankruptcy is called a chapter 7 proceeding which is basically a dissolution of the company under bankruptcy court procedures with the proceeds going to people the company owes money to which includes employees, vendors, secured debt holders ( generally a bank) and then to unsecured debtors. If there is sufficient cash after the bankruptcy action to pay off all the above, then the shareholders get the remaining cash. This whole process is somewhat more complex than that, but this is a quick overview of the rank order of payouts. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Pennies on the dollar”. That is a reference to the fact that in most bankruptcies, most entities owed money get less than what they are owed and hence Pennies on the dollar.

A large percentage of companies that attempt a Chapter 11 actually wind up as Chapter 7’s in less than a year or so. As for those of us with equipment at Krell, it should not be considered part of the estate. We never transferred title to our assets and Krell is simply “holding” our amps, preamps, etc. However, getting them sent back to us will be a chore since cash will be at a premium and there likely is nobody there to send our equipment back to us other than a court appointed trustee who wants to get this off his or her plate as quickly as possible. Sending back 60 pound amps to Oregon or Mississippi will not be high on their to-do list.

This rather negative overview assumes Krell is going into bankruptcy - an event for which we have no actual knowledge. This was merely a response to Lynn_olsen response about payment priorities under a liquidation scenario. The other caveat here is that I am not an attorney but do have experience working with clients through the bankruptcy process. 

Srace1 can probably chime in here, but if memory serves, the order of payoff when a company is dissolved is:

1. Back pay for former employees. This is a matter of state, not Federal, law, and state attorneys pursue this matter on behalf of the employees. Some states (like California) are quite aggressive on behalf of former employees, others aren’t.

2. Federal, then state, then local taxes, in that order. Pursued by the IRS and state attorneys.

3. Banks, then other stakeholders, including customers with equipment in for repair. Owners of equipment in for repair might pursue a class action lawsuit; this is easy in some states, and quite difficult in others. Depends on state law. And yes, the reason class action lawsuits are rare is that lawsuits are often (much) more expensive than any potential gain. It’s the duty of an ethical lawyer to warn their clients of the potential costs of a lawsuit.

4. Bond and stock holders are paid last. The value is usually zero at this point.

@jwei 

You asked "For the experienced legal minds among us, I ask Which parties benefit"?

My answer: Lawyers and liquidators.

Jea48 I didn’t wanna make the communication on this form very personal since I didn’t want to come off as any sort of know at all. However, perhaps some of my work background will be appropriate and give some perspective on why I have made the comments i have. I ran a number of large consumer products companies earlier in my career. I tired of that and then did turnarounds for private equity and venture capital portfolio companies for over a decade. Subsequent to that I started a hedge fund focused on small ( under $1B market cap) public companies in some stage of turnaround. I took a number of client companies through bankruptcy. I have a pretty good idea of the situation if not the specifics facing Krell and Buhler. 
 

As I have outlined, there is much to be desired with the communication from Bicking. I realize Krell and Bicking are both private companies and won’t have the disclosure  mandates of public companies.. What I am about to write is based on some level of conviction of the situation at Krell despite a lack of knowledge of the facts. I have researched Bicking and there is no indication that they hold an equity position in Krell or any other company. They are strictly an advisory firm and as such they are likely trying to turnaround Krell. It is unclear who hired them or for that matter who they report to. I agree it is curious that Buhler used terms like “we” or “our firm” when referencing Krell but you need to understand I suspect he is the management of the company at this point probably largely through default. Again a suspicion on my part, but this has been going on so long that personnel has dispersed and he is of the last men standing at the company. While perhaps a bit sloppy, Buhler’s note to this forum was casual and not official so the terms he used are understandable. Nevertheless he has missed some self imposed deadlines for communication on the situation. Also while not mandated, in a situation of a consumer products company communication with “stakeholders” becomes paramount in preserving brand equity. 
 
While I am not at the point of suggesting Krell is a failed company it certainly would meet my definition of being in the “zone of insolvency”. I am not a lawyer either, but I have worked clients through the bankruptcy courts, and when a company finds itself in that situation the people running the company need to take care of the debtors first and the equity holders second. Basically they need to run the company so that debtors get their money or in my case my property back. Frankly anyone who has equipment in at Krell for repair, warranty or upgrade is supposed to get their equipment back since it isn’t part of the Krell estate. 
 

I don’t want to speculate on outcomes but even if Bicking is an equity holder in the company at this point I SUSPECT their focus to shift from protecting the equity holders interests to protecting the debtors interests. I agree this whole situation is odd and it appears Buhler has had a relationship with Krell for sometime. Given the financial trials and tribulations I am not surprised Bicking has had a relationship with the company for sometime. However based on what I have seen and on some likely assumptions, the nature of their advisory services  has probably changed over time.  Unfortunately not much we can do other than rely on the better Angels doing the turnaround.

Reading this thread is sad for me.  There have been so many missed opportunities to support brand goodwill by simple communications.

Can such destruction of value be deliberate?  For the experienced legal minds among us, I ask Which parties benefit from having a lower valuation for Krell assets?  If the value of Krell goes to zero, who avoids inheritance tax or . . . ?

@srace1 said:

The case citation from jea48 is from 15 years ago and while it shows a litigious past for Krell, it has no bearing on the current situation.

@srace1 did you by chance read any of the other Links I provided?

I am not a Lawyer but as a layman, jmho, Dan and Rondi D’agostino sold Krell Audio to KP Capital Partners in 2009. Thus the new name Krell Enterprises LLC.

Imo, I believe, somewhere in the chain of events over the years JB Bicking & Co. acquired Krell enterprises from KP Capital Partners . Don’t know that for sure...

JB Bicking & Co.

Wil Buhler

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry, and venture capital. Currently run a Holdings company specializing in startups and industry disruptor companies. Takes a hands-on approach with the companies we manage and partner with.

Proof? I didn’t dig deep enough. But reading this...

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.

Note:

"WE" , we’ve tried , Ourselves , our Firm.

As an advisor to Krell industries would those be the words you would use? To me they show ownership, jmo...

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.

JMHO, just a guess, the family member does not have any claim to Krell Industries.

As of three weeks ago the court is proceeding with the Probate proceedings.

Not sure what you think Mr. Buhler can do at this point. I assume, He got their lawyer’s to argue to the judge the family member does not have a valid claim.

Now you just gotta wait for the Judge... Note, Mr. Buhler didn’t say the judge lifted the asset lock down of the company assets, and no doubt records... Like the one(s) for your amp(s)... If the Judge did I would think Mr. Buhler would have mentioned that. ,Don’t you?

Jmho, Mr Buhler wants, just as much as you do, to get Krell Enterprises up an running again. Time is money...

.

The case citation from jea48 is from 15 years ago and while it shows a litigious past for Krell, it has no bearing on the current situation. Interestingly, it put a value on Krell at $3MM in 2009 ( 40% was bought for $1.2MM). Doubt it is worth that much now. Buhler said a month ago there would be a press release the end of November . Clearly that hasn’t happened and as many have pointed out, the lack of communication by Krell and Bickering is very unusual and unprofessional. Furthermore, his choice of using Sterophile and a Krell enthusiast group as the points of dissemination for news on the company is just plain stupid. Why wouldn’t you issue a press release, post it on the new website, and then various groups would pick it up and transmit it?

Let me see if I can add some potential clarification to what the role of Buhler and his firm. They may have a venture capital arm, but Buhler is acting in an advisory capacity as a turnaround guy. As I stated in a prior communication that means he is either working to fix it or to sell it. Many in this forum has rightly stated that the longer this current malaise continues,  the lower the probability of recovery and the higher the probability of a simple salvage through liquidation. The liquidation value decreases with time as well since personnel assets have dispersed and brand equity has been diminished. It is unclear who hired Buhler, but whoever did should hold his feet to the fire and have him communicate with Krell stakeholders both more professionally and more frequently. Doubtful he is doing this as an act of charity by a committed audiophile, so he has a fiduciary responsibility to act in the interest of the debt holders ( those of us with product in at Krell fall into that category).

I am increasingly suspect of the viability of Krell as a going concern and also the probability I will get back my $20K amps. The next steps are just unclear at this point, but I appreciate much of the input from folks on this forum. Keep fighting the good fight. 

Edit:

Add to above post 12-22-2024 at 08:56am

KI v. KP LLC (2010) Superior Court of Connecticut. KI, Inc. et al. v. KP Acquisition Partners, LLC et al.

.

 

 

@thetruespiritofradio said:

Too bad about Krell - have had plenty of experience with vulture capitalists in past lives, and this pattern is always the same.

Sure sounds like that’s what JF Bicking & Co. is.

.

 

JB Bicking & Co.

Wil Buhler

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry, and venture capital. Currently run a Holdings company specializing in startups and industry disruptor companies. Takes a hands-on approach with the companies we manage and partner with.

Who hired the Probate Lawyer that got a Judge to lock down the assets of Krell industries? My guess is,

From @hgeifman post 11-22-2024 at 12:36pm

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.

A family member... Just a guess the Son. Someone on the SH forum posted a while back that Rondi D’agostino’s husband has Dementia. ??? Don’t know if that is true...

.

Krell has had money problems for years.

2009:

https://hometheaterreview.com/what-happened-at-krell-and-why-the-dagostino-family-is-out/

.

2009

https://www.twice.com/news/krell-founders-sue-equity-fund-return-company-18287

.

2011

https://casetext.com/case/krell-investor-llc-v-ki-inc

.

2018

https://www.strata-gee.com/krell-business/

.

July 26, 2022

https://www.strata-gee.com/turmoil-returns-to-krell-coo-walter-schofield-is-out-without-explanation/

.

I see JF Bricking is a member of the Krell ENTHUSIAST Group on Facebook. Lots of avenues for them to speak. Thanks all who have reached out and questioned JF Bricking. I won’t say questioned Krell because I don’t believe Krell still exist. There is not much or any profit to be made. That’s why JF Bricking is doing little. It’s not worth their time.

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.

Rock on!

That's good news; I hate to see knowledge dispersed and lost.

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.

 

 

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.

@lynn_olson ,

I give up, what's an LEM?

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.

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!

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! 

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.

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?

Very insightful!

 

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.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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:

Pages - Welcome Page

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.

Krell no longer deserves the benefit of doubt…the audio community should now consider them out of business.