AXISS Audio showcased their Soulution 757 phonostage, 717 monoblocks, and 727 preamplifier with a pair of Rockport Technologies Lyra loudspeakers at Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) this past April. I noted in my report, “their presentation was superb.”
NASHVILLE, TN — On July 2nd , Veris Home Technology LLC D/B/A AXISS Audio, filed a federal defamation lawsuit against YouTube Audio reviewer and businessman, Michael Gefteas (AKA The Greek Audio Geek), Michael Bovaird, and their businesses: Bespoke Audio for the former and Suncoast Audio, Luxury Hi-Fi Distribution, and Clarisis Audio for the latter. Florian Wiegand, part-owner of Clarisis Audio was also listed as a defendant. Details of the lawsuit are listed in the legal notice below, which AXISS Audio posted on their website, axissaudio.com.
Michael Gefteas is seen here presenting on his YouTube channel, The Greek Audio Geek — Audiophile & HiFi Audio, which has a listed 11,800 subscribers (image from the episode, “Making HiFi Audio BETTER for Audiophiles”).
Amongst the complaints n the linked Federal filing, there are allegations that the codefendants have compensated Gefteas (The Greek Audio Geek) for product reviews with favoritism towards their products, criticism of AXISS and Soulution products, and “false and damaging stories.” If true, are both ironic and deeply disturbing. As a popular YouTube and Facebook reviewer, the passionate Gefteas champions financial transparency as he pulls back the curtain on “snake oil” and hidden financial incentives in the audiophile media.
Legal Notice
Dear Hi-Fi Audio Community,
After very careful consideration over the past several months, we made the difficult decision to file a federal lawsuit. This filing includes a large number of claims against Michael Bovaird, his businesses (Suncoast Audio, Luxury Hi-Fi Distribution, and Clarisys Audio), against Michael Gefteas (AKA The Greek Audio Geek) and his business (Bespoke Audio), and Florian Wiegand, part owner of Clarisys Audio.
This is a public filing and is very detailed. We wanted to set the record straight. Here are the main aspects of our defamation claims:
- Statements that AXISS chose to not provide a refund to a certain Soulution customer who had asked for a refund are false. As our complaint explains, this customer had purchased their products from Michael Bovaird at Suncoast Audio and not AXISS. It was Bovaird’s Suncoast Audio business who decided when and how much to refund to their customer, not AXISS Audio.
- Statements that a Soulution 717 blew up and caused physical injuries to this customer are also false.
- Statements that this customer’s Soulution 717 destroyed his Rockport Lyra speakers is false. As detailed in our lawsuit, although this customer’s speakers did have tweeter damage, AXISS Audio and Soulution extensively tested this customer’s 727 preamp and 717 power amp. This testing included over 50 consecutive hours of play on AXISS’s own pair of Rockport Lyra speakers and during which no faults could be found.
These defamatory statements and more have unfortunately caused significant damages to AXISS Audio, Soulution, and to our other brands, which is why we felt we had no other option but to pursue legal action.
To see the full lawsuit, please click here.
We hope everyone can understand that AXISS Audio and our brands cannot speak further about the details in our case and that we must let the legal process play out. When we can provide updates, we will post them here on this page. We appreciate all of your understanding for why we are now pursuing this legal process in order to restore our reputation and make sure that these damaging attacks do not continue to happen.
Sincerely,
Cliff Duffey
Owner, AXISS Audio
In an industry already fraught with troublesome puffery and hype, this unfortunate situation is yet another black mark for professionals and enthusiasts alike. May justice and the truth be served impartially and well.
jca