Irving Bud Fried has died

Hello.

I have a call into my dear friend, Dr. Jonathan Raines, who is CEO of Fried, and has taken a leading role in Bud's care of late. As such, I don't know what is going on at the moment. All I can say is that I sincerely hope this news is wrong. Bud was perhaps the most interesting person I have had the pleasure of becoming a friend of. I also consider him one of the sweetest and most generous.

Hopefully, we will know one way or another very soon. I promise to update the thread as soon as I know ANYTHING.

Sadly, as I returned home, I have found a few messages on my machine from Fried, including Dr. Raines who is currently in San Francisco, that Bud Fried has passed away.

It is surely a sad day for audio. Again, Bud was one of the most interesting, delightful people I have ever had the honor of knowing - audio or otherwise. The man's legacy is beyond the comprehension of the most intelligent, passionate, and diehard audiophiles among us. There will never be anyone the likes of Bud again.

I am blessed to have been informed directly, and hopefully, anything I can do in manning the Philadelphia, PA area front, I will be thankful to help with. One thing I would like to do is thank all who send their well wishes our most profound thank you in this time of grief.

May God keep Bud Fried,
Joe Trelli
[email protected]

I attended the funeral services this morning. Very nice, yet very somber. It was very cold and very rainy, just outside of Northeast Philadelphia. Seems like the sky has been crying here since Friday.

I sound like a broken record, but Bud was a unique and special human being. While I was very possibly the only audiophile in attendance, the talk of loudspeakers was the prime focus of the eulogy (along with fair Harvard), as that was the man's life's work. We are all so lucky that such a brilliant, passionate, and gifted individual dedicated his life to the relentless pursuit of improving the reproduction of music. Every time we listen to our systems, part of our enjoyment is directly attributable to Bud. Perhaps one of the few people in this world who a deep discussion of audio will take place at the services to celebrate their life.

I did cry a few tears during the service - so much of it hit home. His daughter and grandsons look amazingly like him. I was most happy that his dear wife, Jane, was able to attend.

Undoubtedly, there will never be another Bud Fried. I was honored to be able to attend today.

Your comments are not lost on me, [email protected]. I appreciate all input, as the goal is to serve the community at large, and being as involved as I am with the internet discussion forums and seeing myself as a true audiophile, I strive to be an advocate for the outside world. Everyone is free to say anything, and I can assure you, these comments will not fall on deaf ears, they go straight to the CEO - Dr. Jonathan Raines.

I believe when Bud initially retired long ago, quality took a serious step down. In fact, other mistakes, which I am aware of, took place. Eventually, the company folded. But, those of us who believe strongly in carrying on the legacy of all that Bud laid forth have resurrected Fried.

Personally, I have been pushing as hard as I can for us to reach downward towards a more accessible entry point for the loudspeakers, and feel strongly that the Beta should be reintroduced. I am thinking that the $750 - $1200 price point is where they would come in. Bud supported me in this. Dr. Raines does not want to cheapen the brand by making anything but the best we can make, and feels just as strongly that true transmission line loudspeakers is all that we should be manufacturing. The Beta was an aperiodically loaded loudspeaker, while excellent (another of Bud's great ideas, which he found to sound better than the sealed and ported versions tried), is no match for the TL (which Bud discovered, and then morphed the C/3 into the C/3L). The good news is that a compromise has been reached, and there will be a new minimonitor (with true transmission line midwoofer loading and series crossover - who else is doing that?!?), which you alluded to. The price will NOT be $3000, it will be $1750. My hope is that the parts, build, and finish quality will make most audiophiles happy.

Interestingly enough, a lot of people who have owned Frieds have an extremely tough time finding a speaker to replace them. A lot of other speakers simply will not satisfy a Fried owner. I have found myself in the same boat, and more than understand. Late last year, I was profoundly blessed to the point where Bud gave to me his own longtime reference loudspeakers (Valhalla System - C sats, but with 10" O subs not the 8" D subs, and everything tweaked to the max), believe me, I find them in many ways to be the finest speakers I have heard. Our goal is to finally provide such an alternative as it is past time for a lot of these speakers to be replaced - they have outlived their useful lifespans.

I am but a bit player, and have little to gain from "selling" speakers here or anywhere, my goal is to keep always the legacy of Bud as I honestly hold the man in my heart with the truest love and respect. While I do not call the shots, so long as they will have me at Fried, I will put forth the opinions of myself and all of us here to try to provide the community with the kind of product we all hope manufacturers will provide to us in the quest for, in Bud's own words, "The true reproduction of sound and music in the home."

Thank you for all the well wishes! To say that Bud was a great man is a supreme understatement. Though most actually knew him better than I, I consider it a gift from God to have grown quite close to him as of late.

He is to the loudspeaker what Henry Ford, Enzo Ferrari, and Dr. Ferdinand Porsche are to the automobile. As Sean so wisely pointed out, Bud's legacy will hopefully live on for a very long time as the industry takes the art, science, and sonics of loudspeakers forward into the future.

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bud's obituary
http://www.legacy.com/philly/LegacySubPage2.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=3366694