Conversation with Todd Sutherland of Madrigal

[greynolds]

I had a brief exchange of emails with Todd Sutherland of Madrigal today about the future of the AVP. I asked Todd if it would be OK to copy our conversation to this group - he said sure. Note that he was still at work at nearly 8PM tonight (when I received his last response), so he's certainly a dedicated guy (or doesn't have air conditioning at home, as it's pretty hot here in New England). I'm posting the conversation here, edited only to make it easier to tell who said what:

Geoffrey Reynolds wrote:

>Subject: Proceed AVP Software
>
>Todd,
>
>Around 5-6 weeks ago, the rumor grapevine (on
>the always inaccurate internet...) was saying
>that a new software release for the AVP would be
>out in about 3 weeks. Since it's been around 6
>weeks, I figured I would check with the more
>accurate source . Any information that could
>be provided would be appreciated, including what
>will be in the new release, and an approximate
>release date.

[Todd Sutherland] The AVP 24/96k software has been done for weeks now. We've been waiting to finish the 24/96k software for the PAV/PDSD platform so that we can release them together for all of our customers and that will be in the next 10 days or so. Hang in there.

>I'm now moderating a discussion group for
>Proceed at http://www.htguide.com. It's been a
>pretty inactive group, as there hasn't been much
>new to talk about for a while. Given that some
>of your competitors are active on some similar
>groups - Buzz Goddard of TAG McLaren (also at HT
>Guide), a few people from Lexicon (at SMR-
>Forums), etc., I was wondering if it would be
>possible for someone at Proceed to be active, or
>at least monitor and dispel any inaccurate
>information in the Proceed group.
>Alternatively, if you (or someone else at
>Proceed) would be willing to field questions and
>allow me to post your answers on the group, that
>would be great too.

[Todd Sutherland] I'd be happy, as always, to answer questions directly from any of our customers. I'm afraid I don't have the liberty of the extra time it would take to participate directly in such a group, sorry.

>There seem to be quite a number of people who
>are concerned about the future direction Proceed
>will be taking in regards to supporting Dolby
>Pro Logic II, the new DTS formats, component
>video switching, the rumored new models, etc. A
>number are also concerned about how quickly
>Proceed releases support for new formats. While
>I realize that Proceed has always taken the
>careful approach in the past to make sure
>formats are well defined before releasing code,
>it seems like that is turning a large number of
>people away lately. A more interactive internet
>presence may make these people feel much more
>comfortable that Proceed is indeed still alive
>and listening to their customers.

[Todd Sutherland] I don't disagree, but a manufacturer is not always at liberty to disclose the timing of releases when they are affected by
influences outside their control. This is what leads to ruined expectations and disappointing customers when you tell them what's coming and when, then can't deliver. We've learned this lesson. However, in the next few weeks, we
will be posting as much detail as possible on the future of the AVP. Part of what's been going on behind our scenes is that we first wanted to improve upon the AVP for what it is. Instead, we've changed our minds and are now going to offer as much of the upcoming Mark Levinson No40 surround processor technology in the AVP as is possible, allowing it to offer not only an
extremely competitive feature set (yes, many new formats), but a level of performance in sound quality that will not be believed for anywhere near its price range. Please stay tuned.

>My experience with Proceed so far has been
>nothing but positive. When my first AVP
>couldn't be repaired, I was very graciously
>given a replacement unit (which has been fine).
>Any time I've had questions, you have always
>been quick to respond. However, I'm getting to
>the point where I'm considering an upgrade, and
>knowing what is in store for Proceed in the next
>6 months could very likely have a big influence
>on my decision.

[Todd Sutherland] As mentioned above, we will be telling you our plans shortly and yes, what I'm referring to for new capabilities will be offered
as an upgrade for every AVP on the market.

>As always, thanks for your time,
>Geoffrey Reynolds

[Todd Sutherland] You're entirely welcome.
Thank you for your patronage.

Todd Sutherland
Madrigal Audio




Geoffrey Reynolds

[Geof]

Todd's always been an interesting fellow to exchange email with.

I have been following the AVP II rumors for awhile and I will be interested in hearing about the plans. I really like the AVP but it's shortcomings are becoming noticeable. The new surround formats you mentioned above, along with the lack of HD component switching, are the most glaring needs in my mind. Hopefully they'll rectify that shortly.

I'm also a PMDT owner and have been thru a rather tough year with that product. It took them over a year to get the software to where it should have been when they released the unit. They have worked at getting it better so I don't want to unfairly paint this picture, but, they are woefully slow with SW updates (the PMDT software issues and 24/96 code demonstrate this). There is no reason to think this may change (that software releases will become more frequent) in the future. The question in my mind is do I continue to invest in Madrigal products knowing that it may take a very long time to get new features or do I move along to something else, cutting my "losses" at this point in time. Their products are upgradeable (to an extent) but the upgradeability promise only holds true if they actually release upgrades. I shall wait to hear about their forthcoming plans to decide.




Geof

[Doug]

Geoffrey, great job. I too have interchanged dialogue with Mr. Sutherland previously, attempting to get them to the forum. Sadly, I got the same answer you did from both Proceed and Theta. Myself, I don't think the attention is paid to the internet as it should be. But the fact is, most of their customers are internet savvy.

Geof, I can certainly empathize with your plight. That's a difficult thing to do, wait. I am afraid I don't have the answer for you, but presently, it appears Theta reacts to the market much faster than Proceed. As Proceed is under the Harman International banner these days, one would think they would have better resources, than it appears they have.

Doug





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