What happened to Berkeley Audio Design

If you have a question about a given audio manufacturer in the future, I'd have a couple suggestions:

1.  Don't make your headline sound like the company's dead.  Most audio manufacturers -- even the good ones -- are operating on a very low margin budget, so even the suggestion of a company's viability on a site like this can have a significant negative impact. 

2.  While you have every right to ask this question to this site's members, why follow it up with a question like "Just wondering if this company has ceased to exist as an engineering firm?"  Make an effort to at least contact them before you throw something like that out there. 

You may have very valid questions here, but the way you ask them is in such a negative tone it raises questions as to your motivations.  And that doesn't need to be the case here at all.  Most of the people who work very hard to produce honestly good niche products for us and our hobby and who so rarely get paid commensurately are unfortunately largely operating on a shoestring budget.  Especially when good high-end dealers are a cherished and vanishing breed, let's not shoot hard-working and well-intentioned manufacturers in the foot unnecessarily or unintentionally.  In any event, good to know BAD is still out there innovating and bringing products to market.  

My bad, but to be honest I thought with all the positive press and seeing BAD products used by top tier speaker makers I was sure it would be moments before there were half a dozen posts talking about BAD activities I did not know about.

I'll be more careful in the future.

Best,

Erik

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/what-happened-to-rhapsody-and-berkeley

Obviously an angry author for whatever reason responding back to the above post. The original question was asked about a vendor who was stripped his dealership of a few brands including Berkeley then in a very rare appearance which was kind of cool in of itself the vendor comes on crying gloom and doom with this big story looking for sympathy about how he didn't sell any Berkeley nunits in six months and how his rents are sky high and how it is all about sales and costs to him. Typical answer of most dealers.... Blah blah blah, first of all, if you take on a brand you need to give it a heck of a lot more time than 6 months and secondly if your rent is too high, tough luck brother, move! You make the decisions as to where to operate, not Berkeley... If you can't sell a single Berkeley unit operating in NYC, it is not the fault of the brand or your high costs, it is only a product of your failure as a salesperson. Ciamara is selling Berkeley DACs like pancakes, yet Rhapsody cannot sell one in six months and they get dumped and it is the brand's fault even though it sounds great, to quote him. Kind of strange but this is classic dealer behavior. Then he comes back kisssing another member's you know what inviting him to his store. Again, LOL!! Look what happened to Rhapsody's other brands like EMM Labs, Proclain, Avantegarde, etc, etc all in and out like a thunderstorm. The author to this thread is angry for whatever reason at Berkeley and should post his own thread with his own voice not copy another member in similarity.  How can anybody say this crap about a manufacturer at the cutting edge of technology? I don't believe Rhapsody at all..the guy is a charmer, just have a look at this thread

http://www.audioshark.org/general-audio-discussion-15/get-together-bobs-rhapsody-2518.html

Guess I opened a can of worms but never imtended to. I'm not knocking Rhapsody, after all, like Berkeley as he owned up to, his products sound good!! Sorry Rhapsody if I hit a nerve and had you come out of your dark cave...

Erik
I applaud you for receiving the feedback in such an open a gracious manner. This thread could have easily devolved into a mean one. Thanks everyone for responding - I have been interested in BAD Reference but was holding off to see what happens with MQA. Glad to hear they are incorporating it.

@gammajo

Well, personally I get the idea that no one can keep a brick and mortar store open without making money, it's that simple.

I'm happy to hear BAD is doing so well in NY too.

It makes me wonder though, you can't keep a store open making all the wrong moves either. You would think that after getting a high end brand like BAD the owners would be motivated to sell it.

Best,

Erik