Manufacturers past their heyday

Avalon used to get a lot of press, and now it is fairly quiet.

Conrad-Johnson is an interesting mention throughout this thread. They were pioneers in the finest tube sound fifty years ago. Clearly, by all reports they still make some of the best sounding tube equipment using modern circuits and parts. And, thanks to the foresight of the original owners, they are still there standing behind the original equipment. Very few, if any of the company’s mentioned can claim that quality and consistency. Do they add $20K to an amplifier in custom metalwork so the owner can point to his shiny stuff with the useless meters? Nope, just good sounding tube amplifiers.  Quite an enviable record.

Try this one:
https://monarchy-audio.com/

That Monarchy link didn't work for me. I know that he was trying to sell it for a while before he closed.

Looks like Monarchy Audio is still here.
http://https//monarchy-audio.com/index.htm

And a version of Blue Circle
https://www.tlp-audio.com/powerConditioners2.php

One good news story - Luxman. Got bought out by Alpine in the 80‘s I believe and rapidly went downhill. Not sure what happened after that, but they appear to have risen like a phoenix to attain their former status.

I remember many years ago, I got into Steteo Exchange in NYC and listened to a pair of Mirage M7 bipolar speakers. They were great. 

PS: Pioneer???

There are several factors at play here. One, many of these legacy companies have been absorbed by big conglomerates (Mark Levinson, McIntosh, Harman Kardon, and Martin-Logan come to mind immediately) so they're no longer driven by a few brilliant guys passionate about delivering the best audio possible, regardless of how much profit they can squeeze out of every unit sold. (And, a lot of the legends and pioneers of high-end audio are no longer with us, Those geniuses were the drivers of their brands. Without them, many of their brands are shadows of what they once were.) Two, audio technology hit a plateau years ago. There's only so much audiophile-worthy innovation that's coming forth nowadays, unlike during the golden age of the 70-90s. Three, digital. Streaming audio has more or less killed the notion of audiophile sound. Convenience over quality. Then again, it has driven the vinyl renaissance, so there's the silver lining.
 

No highs? No lows? Must be Bose!

That was Janszen, sorry, I had forgot the correct spelling.

A speaker I owned and thoroughly enjoyed in the past was Jantzen.  I had the 412A model of speakers.  They had a 12 inch woofer and 2x2 array of electrostatic elements in a sealed box.  The company is still around and is now run by the son of the original owner.  I have not heard a current production model.  I would love to hear them, however, they are way out reach of my retirement income.

I think the answer is very simple.  The heyday of consumer audio was from the late 60's through the mid-80's.  The manufacturers who developed a loyal following then and have continued to produce equipment that appeals to that following remain.

The best example i can think of is Sony,  sure they are still involved somehow, but their interests show that they have changed and are nowhere near they heydays. 

can you imagine how long the list is for manufacturers that should never have gone into the audio business???!!!!!

mrpaul,
The thread isn't about companies that are out of business, just those that are past their prime.

I owned equipment from these companies at on time. As far as I know they are all gone.Dahlquist
Merlin
Joule Electra
Monarchy Audio
California Audio Labs
Blue Circle

@teo_audio. 
Glad to see Usher on life support, at least here in the States. They make some great speakers. 

My systems are full of old Marantz, Focal, KLH, and Jolida stuff.  In part, bec. I have no interest in putting more money into this hobby than I have, and also bec. I am very happy with the sound, and don't want to go through the turmoil of 'upgrading' or 'experimenting' again (which once almost killed my enjoyment of music altogether).  I will say I am not at all happy with the latest Jolida piece I got on spec while I was fixing something else, and you will probably find it soon here or on Audiomart.

B&K

As for Usher, still around, and it’s Fred over at Katli, in Cali.

Dealers tend to take on.. and then...(as time passes) not sell more of a given product, not due to quality or quality in comparison to others.. but due to push vs pull sales.

’Push’ sales, is when the seller has to convince you. (explain, detail information on products, etc)

’Pull’ sales is when you come into the store looking for specific products and brands.

Guess which one is easier to navigate in a world of older deeply opinionated audiophiles.

It’s not the dealers who make the executive decisions on what is best and what is not. In most cases, that is.

While you're at it teo, it's manage, not managed.

So I've melanged to mengele it?

My first thought is Usher speakers. They were HUGE, or at least trying to be, in the USA over a decade ago. An old acquaintance  was a dealer. I never hear anything about them anymore. Maybe they no longer have a US distributor. That’s usually the case.

While you're at it teo, it's manage, not managed.

Harmon/Kardon is actually Harman/Kardon

When in the audio sales end of things, we used to call them "common hardon". 

I'm not done yet. Lots of infinity left to insult.

It's an infinity related equation.

If a person talks long enough, they will, sooner or later, managed to have insulted everyone.

Apogee doesn't count hifi28. They've been out of business for many years.

Apogee

Krell

tomic601  Your comment misses the point.  The post does not ask why absolutely all older companies are passe.  It asks why some are.  I think that McIntosh is better than ever, but I am still not a fan.  I really lost interest when Bob Carver, Julius Siksnius, John Curl, Nelson Pass, David Hafler, and James Bongiorno, etc. entered the fray.  

It's a lack of depth and understanding. Most of the companies listed as relevant, are sold and re-sold, and maybe still good, but as said before here it's marketing. Question- "why has marketing influenced/formed  your opinions". Some equipment casings are pure eye candy. Sound is, or should be the one thing on trial here and each one of us are entitled to that opinion, our impressions and what we like. My opinion is that many companies can make an amp or preamp or speaker. Some do a better job for my ears than others. CJ- Well Conrad Johnson is still extremely relevant. Their many decades long employee and  designer,  Jeff Fischel, has put his fingerprint on again, decades worth of equipment. They still take calls, emails and they still service equipment made 30+ years ago. They are a boutique provider, and that's their model of business. The model is high value, high dollar, at a limited production. The other manufacturers are what they are, same or different. I doubt CJ is selling 20+Million in products. This also means they don't have the marketing budget of some more well marketed/relevant companies. 
a year. Imagine a much smaller staff, high value in part quality and true to their house sound. Relevance- it fades, is fickle, means what to whom? If something is so relevant, do I need others to make me feel like my purchase is justifiable and therefore reinforce me making it? I'd take a CJ Premier 350sa, a solid state amp over a newer and better advertised product any day. I'd take a CJ Premier 12 Monoblock tube amp set over anything close to the price of a used pair (of which there are quite a few great buys on the market). Why? The presentation of sound, the imaging, sound stage, that these monoblocks have is incredible to my ears either with KT88, 6550's, or KT120's. I do get impressed by my Pass Labs XA amps or my PrimaLuna EVO' 400's and my LTA Preamp, but none of them are as pleasing.  The OP did mot mention what he/she owns? What do you own? 

zavato  I have a concrete example of how something begins to lose relevance:  When the revolutionary B&W 800 was released, it was the pinnacle of speaker sound design.  Many recording studios immediately bought them, including Abbey Road and Decca.  Revierwers were awestruck. When the 801 series 2 was released, it was perceived to not be as good.  It actually was better, mainly due to its lack of speaker box resonance from its internal matrix design;  Unfortunately, it was released with the first, gigantic 800.  There had been nothing universally considered to be finer than the first 800, but the Series 2  had the 800 as its competitive ideal, as well as some competition from other speaker companies.

CJ is here in my home town of Fairfax va and still making some remarkable produts. I have seen so many different audio companies come out in the last 30 years that still can't hold a candle to some of the original design pieces of audio equipment.  Cheaper products cheaper parts and snake oil

JBL . Jbl is still a top notch speaker manufacturer.  Jbl is bigger overseas than here in the states on there high end level.  They set the standards and still kicking ass

"grandfather listen to old gear he had on when riding his grandma to give birth to his father while glancing at same poster."

Thanks for the imagery. "Once you see it, you can't unsee it."

" S.A.E., Harmon-Kardon (I guess Harmon lives on as a conglomerate but the celebrated “Citation” line is a relic of the past.),"

Harmon/Kardon is actually Harman/Kardon

Oh no, Miller has a Carbon Copy!!  

B&W seems to be less talked about these days in the US.  I may be mistaken, but that is my perception. 

"Hey there. "Heyday" is all one word"

I disagree. Just this morning I woke up and the first thing I said was: "Hey Day!"

The reason conrad johnson fell off the radar is that they lost their founding members and when that happened they stopped advertising and stuck with their existing products for these reasons no one talks about them anymore it is a shame because they were and are a great company.

Biology is a bitch for small companies named after the founder/designer.

Yes, Linn is certainly NOT past its heyday.  I understand that they have recently completed facilities to bring all their manufacturing in-house.  My new Akurate system (hub, Exaktbox-i) and "old" AV-5140 speakers, now aktiv via the Exaktbox-i, sound about as good as I can imagine a system sounding.  I believe Linn is in the ascendant.

That story's a beaut.

Mark Levinson crapped out years ago he's history.

Here's a little story about memory and perception.

https://lincolnhigh73.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/whatdidyouteach.jpg

DeKay

Now you're talking! Silvertone. Definitely past its prime.  

How many remember Kenner?  https://toytales.ca/close-n-play-phonograph-from-kenner-1973/  

Kenner is so far past its heyday nobody even knew it had a heyday! 

How about MAG LEV? Or did they just have a hype-day?

I miss Kraco...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vKy5s5IbQI

DeKay

millercarbon,
You must be joking mentioning Klipsch. They are certainly experiencing Days of Glory with the Heritage line the last few years.

In that case then it would be a rebirth. Glory days, well they'll pass you by, as the great philosopher sang.    

Yes of course its a joke. The only hypotheticals I take seriously are how to build a system. If you ever think I'm being serious about ones like this all I can say is must have been some other buddy no, no, no it wasn't me.

Hey there.  "Heyday" is all one word: the time when a person or thing's success or popularity is greatest. I rather doubt even CJ has been at its greatest for the whole 40 years.