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In Reply to: John Dunlavy's (1929-2007[Jan] ) quiet passing posted by PeAK on March 12, 2007 at 16:41:51:
Very sorry to hear of John Dunlavy's passing. He was a brilliant speaker designer, a most interesting individual, and a real gentleman.Bob
Follow Ups:
> Very sorry to hear of John Dunlavy's passing. He was a brilliant
> speaker designer, a most interesting individual, and a real gentleman.
Second all of your comemnts, Bob.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
John remember this interview with John Dunlavy, August 1996.
Any follow up comments about the article and the man?
> John remember this interview with John Dunlavy, August 1996.
Of course. I had driven up to Colorado Springs to measure both some
of John's speakers and my BBC LS3/5as in his anechoic chamber and
took advantage of the trip to get his thoughts down on tape. I still
have the DAT and some day will transfer it to hard drive.
> Any follow up comments about the article and the man?
Not about the article, but I was saddened both by John's decline into
Alzheimer's and by the fate of his and Joan's company after they
had sold it.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
Other than the fact that it closed its doors seemingly very soon after the Dunlavy's sold it, what did happen?It appears that the company had substantial physical assets, an established distribution network, an accepted line of products, good brand reputation, etc. -- all of which seemed to have vanished into thin air. One would have thought that the buyer from the Dunlavys would have been able to sell the company again if they didn't think they could make a go of it themselves.
It's nice that the Duntech folks are building on John D's. work, but, realistically, speakers are heavy things to ship around; and Australia is a long way from the United States.
This information is from a friend who was working at Dunlavy when it shut down.The new ownership invested over $1 million in the company and decided to have its cabinets made in China. A $200,000 shipment arrived from the new supplier and all the cabinets were flawed beyond use or repair. Apparently there was no recourse. Fed up, the owner simply pulled the plug. Employees received no notice.
What kind of person drops $1M for the company (or is the $1M in addition to what was paid to the Dunlavys?) and then --*launches an initial order of product from an untested overseas supplier in a . . . ahem . . . "non-transparent" country to the tune of $200K
and, following that diaster, just says "screw it," dumping all of the accumulated goodwill of the brand and its products into the toilet?
The "new owner" must have inherited the money, won it in the lottery, or been a dot-commer; because he/she is surely no businessman.
Too bad lots of people -- employees, dealers -- got caught in the crossfire.
Thanks for the info; it's a sad story all around.
...the buyer had a fairly successful concert-lighting-gear company. He seemed to think that live-event lighting apparatus and high-end home speakers were a natural fit.With logic like that, is the rest all that remarkable?
Oh--he also made pissy comments about John's business acumen...as HE (the buyer/company-killer) announced the closing.
Class. Pure class.
Cheers, Bill
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