stereophile.com n August2019 13
sterophi
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AUDIO NEWS & VIEWS
CALENDAR OF
INDUSTRY EVENTS
ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES:
WehaveapageontheStereophile
websitedevotedtoyou:stereophile.
com/audiophile-societies.Ifyou’dlike
tohaveyouraudio-societyinformation
postedonthesite,e-mailChrisVogelat
[email protected].
Pleasenotethatitisinappropriatefor
aretailertopromoteanewproductline
in“Calendar”unlessitisassociatedwith
aseminarorsimilarevent.california
❚Thursday,July18,4–7pm:Youare
cordiallyinvitedtobeourguestforan
intimatelisteningeventfeaturingDanD’Agostino’sRelentlessMonoblock
Amplifier,atAudioVideoIntegration
(647FranciscoBlvd.E.,SanRafael,
CA94901).TheRelentlesswillbe
pairedwithWilsonAlexxspeakers
andNordostOdinSupremeReference
speakercables.Wewillhavethetop
representativesfromD’Agostinoin
attendancetoprovideademonstration
ofoneofthemostincredibleand
powerfulamplifiersontheplanet.Come
enjoyfantasticmusic,deliciousfood,
andadultbeverages.Seatingislimited,
soweencourageinterestedpartiesto
RSVPnowtosecureaspotbycalling
(415)526-0070oremailingjulianj@
avimarin.com.
❚Sunday,July21,2–5pm:TheLosAngeles&OrangeCountyAudio
Societywillholditsmonthlymeeting
atCommonWaveHi-Fi(1451E.Fourth
St.,Suite106,LosAngeles,CA90033,
(213)277-4434,commonwave.net).
Ourhosts,WesleyKatzirandstaff,
areproudtopresentDeVoreFidelity’s
fantasticspeakers,includingtheWest
Coastpremiereoftheirnewreference
fromtheOrangutanline.Supportfor
theseloudspeakerswillbethrougha
fleetofelectronicsfromNagra,including
boththeHDandClassiclines,and
RogueAudio.Avarietyofdigitaland
analogsourceswillbedemonstrated
fromDr.FeickertAnalogue,Koetsu,
Kuzma,Nagra,Ortofon,PearAudio,
RogueAudio,andSoundsmith,aswellties that come with these iconic brands
returning to private ownership. These
companies are led by people who are
passionate about audio, the prod-
ucts they build, and the markets and
customers they serve. We are com-
mitted to delivering the performance
and experience that our dealers and
customers have grown to expect from
Paradigm, Anthem, and MartinLogan.”
The following day, Sound United,
whose brands include Denon, Polk,
Marantz, Definitive Technology,
HEOS, Boston Acoustics, and Classé,
announced a “preliminary agreement”
to acquire the Onkyo Corporation’s
consumer audio division, including
the Pioneer, Pioneer Elite, and Integra
brands; the deal does not encompass
Onkyo’s lifestyle and embedded audio
technologies.
Two days later, What Hi-Fi? an-
nounced that Ken Ishiwata will leave
Marantz after 41 years. Ishiwata, who
for 23 years served as the company’s
brand ambassador, and as technical
coordinator before that, is one of the
most respected figures in the industry.
Ishiwata was responsible for creating
and voicing a number of celebrated
Marantz products, and for years a line
of Marantz gear—the KI-Signature
series—carried his name. Ishiwata’s
first audio gig, in 1968, was at Pioneer,
when he was just 21. In a messageshared with What Hi-Fi?, Ishiwata
stated, “It must be [a] big surprise that
I’m not part of Marantz organization.... I thought I’d be forever a part of
Marantz. Unfortunately, that’s not the
case.”
Like the Paradigm group before the
Bagbys regained control, Sound United
is owned by a US private equity firm—
Charlesbank Capital Partners.
US: SOUTH THOMASTON,
ME
Jim Austin
Hi-fi in Maine is a small world. There
are two companies of note: Cable
company Transparent Audio and
Rockport Technologies, which of
course makes loudspeakers.
Perhaps 15 years ago, when I was
living in Maine, I visited Transpar-
ent’s facility in an industrial park in
the small town of Saco, just south of
Portland. My host was Josh Clark, a
young man who not long before had
graduated from Bates College, where
my wife was teaching chemistry. I got
the factory tour and spent some time in
Transparent’s fabulous listening room.
Josh was gracious, and I had a nice visit.
In the years to come, I’d see Josh
here and there, mostly at classical
music concerts but occasionally at
audio events. Then, not long ago, I
heard he’d left Transparent. A mutualCANADA: MISSISSAUGA
US: VISTA, CA
Jason Victor Serinus
Earlier this year, at a time when a blue
moon was imminent for North Ameri-
cans, major transitions were underway
at some well-known audio brands. On
May 13, Canada’s Scott Bagby and his
son, John Bagby, announced that they
had purchased Paradigm Electronics,
Anthem Electronics, and MartinLogan
Loudspeakers from Minneapolis-based
private equity firm ShoreView Indus-
tries. Scott Bagby, who was one of the
founders of Paradigm back in 1982
and served as chairman of the board
after ShoreView Industries acquired a
controlling interest in the company in
2005, takes the reins once again—he
will serve as CEO and chairman—and
bids ShoreView adieu.
In response to questions emailed
to the Bagbys, who were traveling at
the time of the announcement, John
Bagby explained how the change
came about. “This spring, the majority
owners approached Scott about the
possibility of them exiting the business
and him assuming full control of the
brands,” John Bagby wrote in an email
to Stereophile. “Seizing the opportunity,
[we] knew [we] wanted to guide the
future of the brands and begin the
next generation of their legacy. We’re
incredibly excited about the possibili-
SUBMISSIONS:Thosepromotingaudio-related
seminars,shows,andmeetingsshoulde-mail
thewhen,where,andwhotoStletters@
stereophile.comatleasteightweeksbefore
themonthoftheevent.Thedeadlineforthe
November2019issueisAugust20,2019.