BMI didn't go out of business. If I remember correctly, a few years ago, BMI decided to distribute all their products through a distributor. Somewhere along the line, they ended up only distribute to the Asian market. I had followed BMI products early on and had contemplated about buying one. The amp that ended up in my system for the past 8 years had a captive cord, so I didn't pull the trigger.
I recently purchased a new amp which required a powercord, so I started searching for BMI powercords again. What I found out was that the BMI powercord has become very popular in Asia, selling in the range of US$1500-US$6000+. A friend just did some search for me and there were two used models selling in Hong Kong for US$1300 (middle of the line) and US$4300 (top of the line). I remember that their early model Whales and Sharks used to go for about $200-$400 on Audiogon. So that's quite a bit of price jump!!! Maybe that's why BMI decided to focus on the Asian market instead.
I just saw a Whale Mk 3 on Audiogon today for US$150, out of curiousity, I bought it so I can check it out. Should be here in a couple of days. Will see how it stacks up to the PS Audio Xtreme Statement and a derivative of VH Audio Flavor 4 that I am putting together.
FrankC
