1) It was never said "that their products are good enough not to develop new ones" What John DID say was that he sees no need to develop new products just for the sake of having a new product. If there isn't a definable improvement, why bother? This is contrary to, and smarter than, 95% of the companies out there in ANY field. The 325i is a perfect example of this- an evolutionary improvement. It also shows that he is not just sitting back saying "good enough, don't bother", but at the same time he knows that you don't have to change everything and create something 100% new if a refinement is what is needed.
2)"I am sure when the market moves away John will start to make new products" What market is moving away? The headphone market? I wasn't aware that the headphone market was in danger of moving away anytime soon.
What kind of behavior is responsible for John as he looks out for his family is not my call, but a smart business owner with sales in the millions will no doubt do well by them. And really, steady devotion to a goal moves the world as much as anything. Can you doubt how much Grado (under both Joeseph and John) have moved the audio world so far?
It seems you've found a farily negative way to look at this. Personally I think Grado's way of doing business is refreshing. Many American companies used to take the slower & steadier path, and we've suffered from the loss of that.
Originally Posted by Banfi T.
Grado was once an innovator. Now John - or Grado as a company - thinks that their products are good enough not to develop new ones. Anyway, they are good enough to support the company - for now. But I am sure when the market moves away John will start to make new products since he is responsible for the legacy and the employees (and for his family). Now, this is reaction to the market, not innovation. Guess which behavior moves the world?
Or imagine the situation, when the market changes and the current line will not sell well. John will stop pay for himself again? In my view this is not a responsible behavior, especially not for a man with family.
Sorry.