Onix Electronics & Speakers thread

So I bought a pr. of PBEM Reference 3s from a chap in Lost Wages, had them shipped to The Skiing Ninja for his Master xover with platinum cap upgrade, plus No-Rez treatment of the boxes. They've been playing in my office for a week at low volume - 7x24 - for break-in of the overs.

This morning I pulled them out to my main listening area, they sound 'freakin' amazing. First Miles Davis 'Kinda Blue', then Steely Dan 'Aja', now Beethoven's 5th symphony. It's a thing of beauty to listen to.

Yet on searching online at the various ONIX resellers, no one seems to be carrying the Reference 3.

That would be a shame if this speaker fell by the way-side.

The Reference line has been Quasi-discontinued (in limbo) for a while, but Hugh is considering bringing the Ref 2's and Ref 3's back and has been working on a new center channel to replace the Ref 100. Ultimately the fate of the Ref 3's will depend on the level of interest. They're definitely a very nice speaker. (Ref 2's were under-rated too IMHO) If anybody has strong feelings about keeping either of those two speakers alive, please say so!

The new center channel will likely be introduced either way, as it can be used as an L/C/R. It uses the same drivers as the Ref 3 minus the supertweeter.

For those who don’t know the Onix background, from my understanding Adam Worsfold and Tony Brady started Onix Electronics in England back in 1986 above a shoe shop in Brighton Sussex England after working for Thorn EMI. While it was Worsfold and Brady who did the electronics, Thierry Comte of Triangle and Atohm fame did the design work on the Reference series speakers to expand the product line. And in fact if you look at the Reference speaker crossovers of today it states "DESIGNED IN FRANCE" with an Atohm designation, which also makes sense since they utilize Atohm drivers.

Worsfold and Brady ended up liquidating the company in England and it was sold to a Chinese company in 1991, I believe even at that time it was to Mr. Pu. Onix then built and sold both electronics and speakers in Asia.

There have been a group of people like myself who have been very happy with the Reference speakers. And they received good past and present reviews; the one that really sold me on the Reference 3s was Kris Deering’s review, and which later the Secrets team voted them one of their ‘best of the year’ back in 2004.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...s-11-2004.html

I know Mr. Deering has moved on to other speakers in the last few years, but I held out for Dannie Richie’s crossover design that Skiing Ninja markets, which has made them even better.

Thanks Jack.

That sounds about right.

Sigh .... Yea of little faith.

My memory gets kind of faded, but not from a few months ago .....

This is a weird thread.

Ya, but I like it. The ONIX folks have to start somewhere to seperate themselves from a failed 'partnership'.

Thanks for the history Jack, I have my original xovers on a shelf, I'll have to look at them for the verbiage you mentioned.

It took me a while to find what I had gathered when I was starting to write up a review about the speakers over at Skiing Ninja. Some of the above data is a little off. I'm lucky to remember my wife's name.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=94818

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=73622

http://www.hifi-forumi.com/forum/vie...17009&start=15

Thanks Mike. Robert happens to have posted some very interesting pictures on his site. Might be interesting to some Onix owners...

http://horen.lifeme.net/angel-city-a...a-t182.htm#893

Onix is a registered trade mark in the UK that was registered by Adam Worsfold ( myself ) in 1986 and completed in the UK in 1989 . Onix was a company formed and operated in Brighton UK.

The company was 100% under my ownership until July 1991 when I sold it to Micheal O Brien ( Rogers/Swisstone )

Tony Brady was the principle electronics designer along with my self as the person that put production and final cosmetic design on all of the ONIX products . We both had a say on how the product was designed as we had both been through a very comprehensive apprenticeship with Thorn EMI and worked side by side for many years . Tonys talent as a designer was a major reason that Onix became what it did.

Neither of us had a partnership agreement and so at no stage was it ended and neither of us parted on bad terms . We remained friends

Due to breach of contract on the part of Micheal O Brien after the sale of ONIX by myself to him, an extensive litigation ensued that finally passed judgment on my side . It was concluded late in 1999 . During this legal process O Brien sold the assets of the company to a Chinese company/person without title as it had gone into liquidation in 1995 , this was done to avoid the ensuing debts from my successful awards of losses.
This aspect remains a very questionable area with regards to title of the designs and in particular ownership of the name .

IN fact the name ONIX in class 9 was never sold by me as it was registered in my name and DID NOT belong to the company . Its use may be considered part of an illegal assignment . ( Consult a trade mark agent to find out what that means )

I am still proud of what ONIX ( UK ) made and personally will help any of our original customers as can be seen from the many forums that have ONIX questions posted on them.

Any products produced today that are not made by me or tony using the name ONIX are at best only a name on the front of a unit . A name does not reflect what Tony Brady or Adam Worsfold considered Ideals , the products must have our original DNA to be considered what ONIX was.

In 1991 when I and Tony Brady moved on, it declined as is documented in many forums on the net. I am not aware that any of the original distributors or dealers still sell Onix today

I hope this clears up the grey areas of what ONIX is and who owned/owns it and the time-lines of the ORIGINAL company .

I for one do not consider many of the products that have since worn the name worthy of doing so, but as they say life moves on.

Email me if with any questions you may have I will be glad to help

Regards

Adam Worsfold

aw @onixdna.com

Interesting history of the brand. Thanks for the info.


Kind of a low blow, though, don't you think? The Reference 1 has been given a few very positive reviews, and I haven't heard anything negative about their current speakers.

I forwarded this info to the current owner of Onix (be it the company's name or the brand's name).

They in turn will choose to post here or elsewhere, it is totally up to them.

Thanks,

I welcome any communication regarding ONIX from the period that I owned the company ,I welcome the current promoters of the company to contact me and welcome any questions they may have regarding that period.

My comment on the quality of its current range is not intended as a dig/or degrade of their products just that if the original ideals are not running through the designers or owners veins, they cannot be present in the products they produce .I can confirm those ideals were not handed to a new generation, and in fact ended when Tony Brady and myself left , so surely by definition original values are gone. It must then become just a name and not a company ethic that made that name .

I have no hostility to anyone either promoting or supporting any product, but I do not like and openly confess to disliking the use of our reputation in any of the promotional material that is used either on the net or in the press, without our knowledge or consent . Even if it is a practice that takes place in many areas of promotion, I for one am alive and well to defend its incorrect use.

ONIX is a trade mark registered by Adam Worsfold ( myself ) , ONIX UK was the company that made that trade mark a recognized international name, Adam Worsfold and Tony Brady designed the products that put that name on the map, when those individuals left the original company, they took with them the reason the name became known. This does not imply that others cannot make good products, but it does clarify that the Chinese company do not have any commonality with the original name that gained the reputation. Likewise it does not mean their products are bad .

Many people make great HI FI but to live off what others created by using their names and reputations in the promotional material or on the net when they are no longer involved is both deceiving and wrong .

My point is companies should stand on their own reputation for the products they make no matter where they are based, and should be proud to do so, they should be proud to make the best product they can, they should not live off other peoples reputation that no longer give input to the products and in fact in this case have not done so for 20 years . It is fine to use an established history of success for any company if the original values are handed down and original people have moved on and values maintained , but not if the people that made that success have not handed its ethic down and in essence someone has just obtained a name with an historic reputation .With so many companies being sold to the far east this sale of past people involvement is happening far too often these days, and as such I for one think it should not. The buyer is all to often being hoodwinked into buying and old reputation made by good people that is in reality no longer genuinely worthy.

People make any company, buying a name does not assure good products, neither does it mean any new products are inherently bad , but the people that make any name what it becomes, build in a soul that is always lost when only a name is moved on and not the ideals that were created along with that name.


Regards

Adam Worsfold

E mail
aw @onixdna.com

It's always interesting to hear about the history of a company. At what point (year) was the agreement you had with Michael breached? Also, why did you sell the company and what sort of volume were you doing in terms of dollars or pounds at your zenith?


Well, it sure sounds like a dig to me, Adam. Whatever your ideals might've been, according to you, you cashed out to M. O'brien. an accountant. His venture then failed but whether it failed because the products weren't made as robustly, a perception, and not totally unwarranted, of cheap Chinese junk, changing market demands, or whatever would take a rigorous and dispassionate post mortem I think.


Matter of factual correction are always welcome and help to provide an accurate historical record. However, I never got the impression that your reputation was being used in any promotional material as a way of lending gravitas to the present incarnation of ONIX. It's nice to have trophies but success at one time only lasts for so long and if it's not met with continued success you just wind up being just another person at the pub telling stories of how you won a trophy playing football back in the day.


You're right, but it does plant doubt about current ventures and suggests that the old guard was unique in a positive way. What you're really saying is that the Chinese ONIX is junk without using those exact words.

Trademarks need to be renewed every 10 years and a fee paid. So, are you saying that after the company (minus assets) passed back into your receivership that you once again registered the trademark or did it just expire?


Everything I've read about the current ONIX has never suggested that they're living off whatever reputation you had during your brief run with the company. It's just historical stuff. Filler. It seems to me that you're elevating matters to a level that just isn't there. Now, it's nice to hear you chime in, but really that was 20 years ago.


Adam, you weren't around very long - 5 years - and then you sold the business. No one is living off your reputation. With all due respect, it sounds more as if you are. If anything, the present ONIX has looked to distance itself and improve upon what happened after you sold it. They further are faced with the somewhat difficult but not insurmountable task of getting it through people's heads that the past business association with AV123/Mark Schifter ought not taint their current and future offerings.


Adam, does that mean you sold your soul in 1991? Look, your present concern is noted, but the internet's been around for a few years. Why weren't you posting about this sometime after you won your lawsuit? Why now almost 15 years later?

I welcome the comments posted above and for reasons of open forum cannot discuss the intricate details of what occurred in the sale of ONIX, or the facts of trade mark assignment, but suffice to say renewal can be paid by anyone but ownership never changes hands .

I will however if you wish to know, pass the details you have requested on in a private E mail with the assurance they remain private. The points you raise are valid but they are also much deeper than a forum is intended for.

It must also be noted that in the context of my posts they really apply to the EU and in particular the UK and I note that most of the people that have posted on this thread have been from the USA in this vein ONIX was very small in its penetration in the early days and it may well be that the perception of what it is in the USA has been created since I moved on, either way I have had a successful career outside of ONIX and would not change a thing since then, all of posts have been in reply to what people have requested and no malice is intended .

If I can be of further help please e mail me .

Regards

Adam

It changes hands if when you sold the company you also sold the trademark (BTW, just what is the trademark?). Also, consider the following.

In Blinxx UK Ltd v Blinkbox Entertainment Ltd (2010), the former sought to prevent the latter from trademark infringement. They lost in court because they'd been aware for a couple of years of possible infringement but did nothing about it. When they finally did, it was too late.

In the matter of the hotel, The Carlyle, which is US based, the trademark was revoked in the UK because of non-use. So, in your case, if you did indeed have a trademark in the UK after the matter with O'Brien was settled, it may be worthless for a number of reasons. If the present incarnation of ONIX is infringing on it in your opinion, then just seek legal redress. As it stands now, you're suggesting you've been wronged in some way but from all I've read maybe you're just wishing you hadn't sold the company to an accountant and are feeling some remorse.


Sure I'd like to hear more and will abide for your wish to not have the contents revealed publicly on open forum.

Company and TM law in the UK is clearly very different to the law in the USA and each case must be taken on its own merits . Your case points do not apply in this case as the trade mark has been used, so no matter who owns it the mark is still a trade mark . Ownership is a different matter, it has no relevence to who uses the mark . Enforcement is entirely down to the owner of the mark to highlight to authorities its use ,if its use is not opposed no actions will be enforced and in fact no actions will be taken .

I do not regret selling the company but a sale contact is a two way street and any breach has consequences . I have judgement and that is why I can post as my original post states

ONIX FACTS

Details as to why will passed privatly, but once again I do not have a single regret as to the course my history has taken me, I do not regret selling ONIX it was the right thing to do and was 100% my choice but... a breach of contract ! ... well thats different no one likes that.

Regards

Adam

Adam,

You said there seemed to be a breach of 'something' between you and such Michael O Brien then why don't you ask Michael to come here to tell us his side of the story?

Better yet, it would be beneficial for everybody to learn more about the history of Onix if you can start a new thread to highlight such event.

This particular thread was started by someone who is a fan of Onix with its current products and so it seems a little peculiar that you chose to remain silent for the last several years when Onix was distributed by av123 and yet suddenly appeared now and stated your side of the story.

Furthermore, I am sure you know which Chinese company owns Onix so please, by all means, contact them and resolve your issue once and for all. Life is too short.

Thanks,

I have no knowledge of Mr Pu or Sound arts but I would welcome a chat . I am sure that M O Brien will not put his head up he sure as hell wont want to see me, suffice to say I welcome any questions that you may have on this matter in an E mail .

My life has been busy and only now did I discover what is going on with ONIX and as such I am making certain points known .

In this vein I can assure all concerned I have no intention of seeking redress from anyone, causing any trouble to anyone that is involved now, or harming anyone's business.

Lets be fair the forums and their existence was not really around until the last few years, so the ability to raise awareness was not there likewise to discover things that may be going on with regards to any product or market place did not exist a few years ago.

The US market was unknown to me and I thank everyone on this forum for the help in raising my awareness to what is going on in the US, with regards to the current ONIX. Life is exactly as you say too short to dwell on the past things always move on .

Regards

Adam

Forums have been around for a decade or so and before that there were Bulletin Boards. If the US market was unkown to you, that's kind of a European tunnel vision on somebody's part. It sure wasn't unknown to a lot of European companies. Hell, I've got a Transcriptor turntable so some of you folks, including the Japanese managed to find us