Over the top? No. It's about being a responsible adult. There is more at stake here than someone's lost amplifier joy. A small post about a smoking amp can figuratively start a fire that has massive repercussions.
He agreed to test the Ragnarok. This comes with certain expectations from the manufacturer, such as being the first to know and being given a chance to make good on the failure. If I were in his shoes, with a beta unit that failed, I would have contacted Schiit and had the matter resolved one way or another. If the failure was systematic, and thus applying to more than my unit, Schiit would issue a recall if necessary. There is no reason for him to create panic when he doesn't have the facts of what happened.