Before anyone jumps to conclusions, check out this post, supposedly by the guy who designed most of BLUE's flagship mics:
"There is going around discussion about the question – who is designer and owner of the colored microphones sold under „Blue” name, „Violet Design” microphone line, and the coming out classic microphone line under „JZ Recording Equipment” name.
Above microphone products have one private owner of the visual design, the technical design and the manufacturing technology – Mr. Juris Zarins from Latvia.
First designed microphone model was „Blueberry” (named so by US trade company „Blue”). Next models - „Mouse’s”, „Dragonfly’s”, „Cactus”, „Kivi”, „Baby Bottle’s” and a number of microphone accessories followed.
The most important part of the microphone – capsules use hard to clone manufacturing technology, it prevents the original product from cheap copying and degradation of image.
Product manufacturing is organised under agreement between Mr. Juris Zarins (as owner of the product) and manufacturer.
During the last three years it was impossible to come to written agreement between „Blue” company and manufacturer, and as the result manufacturing of above microphone models and accessories for „Blue” was cancelled in October 2004.
57 people involved in microphone design and manufacturing are able to confirm above information.
Sorry for my US English..
Juris Zarins"
If that is the case, and I don't have any reason to think it's not, then BLUE could be out of business, and Violet could take it's place. I gather from what Juris said that he and his team got tired of owning the design while the distribution company - BLUE had all the controll, so they sued BLUE for the rights to the designs, and started up their own company. Could be a big shake up in the mic industry if high quality mics start to be sold direct from Latvia....
