I had a post almost exactly like yours drafted earlier but I decided at the last minute not to post it. I didn't want to look like I was "piling on" when it's well understood around here that SonicBlue acquiring Empeg has sent their order fulfillment and customer service down the tubes. The thing that kept me from posting it is (a) it's been said a lot before by others and (b) the Empeg guys really are, as you said, the exception, and their commitment to customer service hasn't deteriorated since the acquisition.

I think we all wish they had held out a little longer and found a better buyer, but that might not have ever happened, and the whole Empeg venture may have collapsed if SonicBlue hadn't arrived. It really boils down to assessing whether the continued survival of Empeg, Ltd. is worth the price we pay by having horrible service from SonicBlue (when it's needed.) We all have different answers to that, I'm sure.