Genex Troubles

[DSD_Mastering]

Lawsuit filed against Genex Audio
Pro Sound News - Europe

Can't say I didn't warn ya'

[manthe]

Originally Posted by DSD_Mastering

Lawsuit filed against Genex Audio
Pro Sound News - Europe

Can't say I didn't warn ya'

Jeesh..that sucks! I'm really sorry you had to suffer that. I'm glad there was 'some' resolution for you. I hope they get punished severely! I cant STAND this sort-of behavior in any industry. As volatile as pro audio and recording is these days, this stuff is so much more detrimental. People are hanging on by threads out there...This sort of thing can and does put hard working, honest people out of business...sickening!

[DSD_Mastering]

Yeah... I consider myself fortunate. I just feel for all the others like Gus and everyone else.

Jules had deleted a thread about this some time ago.

[blaugruen7]

"additional costs of 1 million dollar"????

wow,
i am not interested to be involved in this...

[Plush]

Genex and Kevin Brown quickly cause a misery.

[mediapr]

FROM PSNE Online:
Pro Sound News Europe - Black on Black Music Publishing dismisses lawsuit against Genex Audio

Tuesday, 22 January 2008 US: On January 15th attorneys for Black on Black Music Publishing and Steven Dargi filed a Request for Dismissal with the Los Angeles Superior Court of lawsuit against Genex Audio. On January the 19th - the originally scheduled date of a post-mediation status conference between both parties in the lawsuit - Judge Charles C. Lee, sitting in Department 33, agreed to settlement under CCP §664.6.

As reported exclusively in PSNE's January print issue, in April of last year Black on Black and Dargi filed suit claiming non-delivery by Genex of a fully-functional recording system for Black on Black's recording studio in Minnesota. As a result, the suit alleged, the facility was forced out of business and subsequently defaulted on its lease agreements. Black on Black Music's lawsuit sought actual damages of $250k and general damages of $1 million. On December 31st 2007 Genex' attorney sought leave to file a cross complaint, centred on the condition and resale value of a used Neve analogue console taken as part payment by Genex for a new digital recording system.

LATEST UPDATE:
On April 22 Steven Dargi and Black on Black Music Publishing secured a judgment against Kevin Brown and Genex Audio in the sum of $110,000, plus attorneys' fees of $2,299.50 and $80 incidental costs. Dargi filed the original lawsuit against Brown for breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. PSNE has since learned from public court documents that the Request for Dismissal filed in early January by the plaintiffs was made because of a confidential settlement agreement reached between the two parties. When Brown failed to fulfill the conditions of that court-approved agreement, Dargi applied for and was subsequently granted a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court against the defendant.

The original April 2007 lawsuit claimed non-delivery by Genex Audio of a fully-functional recording system for Black on Black's facility in Minnesota. The equipment package included GX9048 and GX9000 recorders, plus a Smart AV Elite 96 control surface and companion Genex DSD Mix Engine. As a result, the suit alleged, the recording studio was forced out of business, and subsequently defaulted on its lease agreements. Black on Black Music's lawsuit sought actual damages of $250k and general damages of $1 million. On December 31 2007 Genex' attorney sought leave to file a cross complaint, centered on the condition and resale value of a used Neve analog console taken in part payment for the new recorders, Smart AV Elite and Mix Engine. Dargi declined to comment on the recent court judgment; Brown failed to return several phone calls and emails.

Meanwhile, tales of erratic sales and support from Genex Audio continue. Gus Skinas' GX9048 DSD-capable 48-track recorder, serial number 10921, which in August 2006 was rented to Genex for an important session in Southern California, still has not been returned, despite promises by Brown that it would be shipped before the end of November 2007, with compensation. On a more positive front, Mario Cuellar from Binaural Venezuela tells PSNE that two of the three GX9048 DSD-capable machines purchased in February 2005 for an UN-sponsored event are now fully functional. "When the front panel is connected [on the third machine], it doesn't boot," Cuellar reports. "It is almost impossible to know [what is wrong] without the schematics." Brown has offered to send a replacement front-panel PCB. "[PSNE's] intervention in this matter generated results that I was unable to achieve [despite] repeated requests, pleads or threats," concedes Carlos de Andrade of Visom Digital, Brazil, the other dealer involved in the order from PNUD (United Nations Development Programme).

PSNE has also heard from another customer whose GX9048 recorder was shipped to Genex Audio's office in Woodland Hills, CA, and only very recently returned. In February 2007, Ingo Schmidt-Lucas, owner of Cybele AV Studio, Düsseldorf, West Germany, returned his non-functional eight-channel machine to Genex for repair and upgrade up to 32 DSD channels. "Kevin [Brown] sent me many, many apologies and excuses - but did nothing," Schmidt-Lucas relates in a recent email message. After 15 months, and subsequent to an investigation initiated by this magazine, in mid-May Genex shipped Cybele AV Studio's upgraded recorder, the studio owner reports. Genex has sent the studio a remote control as compensation.

Genex Audio continues to supply Live+ DSD-based mixing and recording systems to Live Nation for use at performance venues around the world. "Kevin Brown informed me that [because] he had to work on a huge order of 9048 machines for Live Nation," Schmidt-Lucas offers, "he needed to invest all man power into this big job. The consequence was that everything else had to be postponed."

[PlugHead]

OMFG!!!

Man, I am sorry to see and hear this. I remember some of the issues being public with these guys re: support. Now to see this...

I was ^this^ close to getting one of these boxes, and then even later closer to buying DaveG's standalone converters - now to think customer support will truly be non-existant if this bankrupts the company.

Regardless of people constantly bashing digi/PT etc. there is something to be said about not being a small 'cottage industry' business, esp. regarding your clientele. The last thing any client ever wants is something like this to happen, then see them go 'tits up' as a result of poor business practices, etc.

All the best to those involved!

[Ultimo]

Ladies & Gentlemen of the high end audio community:

I am so glad to read that Genex and Kevin Brown finally got really in trouble with the law and that their products are basically gone from being visible and relevant. I had my shares of problems with this crook and alerted the Home Security department -and other institutions-, because I did not want him to escape to his native British Empire being welcomed by the Queen after robbing numerous businesses in the US.

He deserves every punishment he brought upon himself!
A. Klein

[hirezsqwave]

Mr. Klein,

Would you please elucidate further where, and in what publication you heard what you spoke of here regarding Kevin Brown?

[hirezsqwave]

Just thought everyone here would like to know that I heard from Mr. Kevin Brown, President of Desono LLC, the successor in interest to Genex Audio Inc., yesterday by telephone. It does not appear that he is in any new legal trouble, as Mr. Klein suggests, unless someone, including Mr. Klein is able to enlighten all of us with officially verifiable news and information about the inception of any new litigation or any developments in existing litigation.

As there appears to be nothing new, it appears that Mr. Brown is attempting to make good on his existing and past obligations, including those he has with us regarding the return of our GX9048 recorder, the D-Stage 48 Channel Mic-Preamps/DSD converters, and the D-Mix DSD Mix Engine featuring 64 inputs by 24 outputs, and a 8 channel sub-master bus, allowing the creation of up to 7.1 surround material in DSD quality. The system is scheduled to interface well with our Sonoma and Pyramix DSD Audio workstations. We are looking forward to working with this equipment. Mr. Brown, we hope, will deliver on his promises.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Bruce,

I hope this all works out in your favor. Not something I would like to have to deal with.

Best of Luck!

[klaukholm]

Desono is nowhere to be found online. Your Page Title is inactive.
Have they gone under once again?

[Plush]

Yes they have. Kevin has gone into hiding.

[maikol]

Originally Posted by Plush

Yes they have. Kevin has gone into hiding.

Absolutely...

[David Spearritt]

Bloody shame. They were great machines, great sound and beautiful ergonomics. We still have a GX8000.

[maikol]

I do agree with you. Fantastic sounding units, but bad customer support, and very bad business practices (like sending another customer's machine to someone without telling!). The new DSD product line was looking very promising.

We do own a stage I/O preamp/AD system, which sounds great, but has some early design problems (the TI gain chip can go dead, and a good numbers of channels do not work because of that), but there is no way to get any schematics of the preamp/AD card to get it fixed, as Kevin does not answer to emails.

I wonder if Live Nation (who are those for which the Stage IO and Mix engine were designed; they'd ordered a large number of systems) are still using these, and if they managed to get schematics ?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[nobtwiddler]

I sold mine when things just got crazy...
I liked Kevin, and held on as long as I could cause I really wanted him to do make good, and get the company going.
But I was worried that if things went the wrong way there would be no product support. I guess I was right!
Very sad situation.

I loved that machine, and the sound of DSD.
Was lucky enough to cut a few records with it.
I truly miss it.

I wish someone would build something like the 9048 again!
Only one that worked like it was supposed to.