How a $300,000 Speaker is Made

[Homer J Simpson]

OMG 

[Dubbie]

https://youtu.be/wX65iSZTI7E?t=325

 

I think that is Milspec - Aircraft-Quality -  NASA - DIN Standard - Audiophile soldering.

[Mr. Scram]

I don't see a problem. It's boutique stuff. It's not intended for people just looking for a good sound, or for bang for buck. If you want a quirky, hand made piece with a story and have money to burn, you buy something like this. They don't seem to make all sorts of extraordinary claims, other than obviously upselling the sound quality of their systems. There's no magic components or ingredients either.

It's the same reason people buy a Morgan. It's not practical, not safe and not the fastest. Yet people are queuing to buy a wood framed car.

[Dubbie]

I think the mechanical/joinery side of things is fine. I have no problem at all with people selling custom made "Artistic" things like these.
The price is probably reasonable when you factor in the manhours and the materials.

[edit] I read it as 30K, not 300K... maybe not so reasonable, but if there are buyers, who wouldn't be a seller then?[/edit]

I think the comedy is when the assembly quality of the board in the video is worse than something you might buy off aliexpress for $1.50

[grumpydoc]

https://youtu.be/wX65iSZTI7E?t=325

 

I think that is Milspec - Aircraft-Quality -  NASA - DIN Standard - Audiophile soldering.

Disregarding the audio waffle for a minute they appear to be offering hand crafted items into which a high degree of skill is invested. That alone is worth something so if they can find a market at $300,000 for a pair of loudspeakers good luck to them. While I find what they are offering faintly ludicrous from a personal perspective I can, at least, have some respect for the carpentry skills and it's not as if they are selling gold plated optical interconnects or directional Ethernet cables.

Do their loudspeakers sound better than a $3000 pair - probably not, in fact probably not better than a $1000 pair (which is about where I personally would put the knee in the price vs quality curve) but they have a great aesthetic.

[H.O]

...
I think the comedy is when the assembly quality of the board in the video is worse than something you might buy off aliexpress for $1.50

Nah, you simply don't get it. It's all about leaving a precise amount of flux residue at the correct location that does it (ie make you believe Elvis has just entered the building) - they've spent a lot of time and effort perfecting that, you have to use a buthane powered soldering iron too in order to make those top grade compoents justice - no more no less.

Seriously though, the woodworking looks really nice!

[IanMacdonald]

Only, solid wood isn't the best thing for speaker cabinets, for exactly the reason it makes good guitars. The guitar needs resonance to create its sound, the speaker shouldn't resonate because that alters the sound the instrument created. Paradoxically, the cheaponasty materials like chipboard and MDF are the best for speakers because they are less springy and resonant.

[chris_leyson]

I liked the wood work you can't fault it. Nobody uses solid wood in loudspeaker construction ? back in the 1930s HMV and a lot of other companies made plywood horn speakers for some of the larger cabinet style gramaphones, I would google it but maybe wood and horn in the same sentance might not be appropriate. I know that was childish but seriously MDF would be good for speaker cabinets it's quite dense.

[Mr. Scram]

I liked the wood work you can't fault it. Nobody uses solid wood in loudspeaker construction ? back in the 1930s HMV and a lot of other companies made plywood horn speakers for some of the larger cabinet style gramaphones, I would google it but maybe wood and horn in the same sentance might not be appropriate 

Plywood isn't solid wood.

[chris_leyson]

Plywood isn't solid wood.

OK true. But hey it's made from solid wood but you're not going to get much bass from a 78 gramaphone.

[DrGeoff]

Powder coated mild steel? Not much good for corrosion resistance unless it is galvanised first.

[Cyberdragon]

I think it's ugly, it looks like a Medusa-Mothra hybrid blasted a hipster and turned them into a wooden and metal butterfly!  I see the woofer, but do they even have a mid and tweeter? That amp in the back looks nice though.

EDIT: Yes, I know it's handmade and at least the case is well made, but it still looks like it's from Ikea to me.

[Mr. Scram]

Powder coated mild steel? Not much good for corrosion resistance unless it is galvanised first.

These things will be in well heated homes.

[Mr. Scram]

I think it's ugly, it looks like a Medusa-Mothra hybrid blasted a hipster and turned them into a wooden and metal butterfly!  I see the woofer, but do they even have a mid and tweeter? That amp in the back looks nice though.

EDIT: Yes, I know it's handmade and at least the case is well made, but it still looks like it's from Ikea to me.

This end of the market typically deals in designs that are typically not for everyone. I guess you don't get to spend your spare $300000 on these

[sstepane]

30% - is the cots of the movie
and 30% - is labor - watch the movie - everybody works so sloooow...

[eeviking]

MDF is about the worst wood you can use for speakers in regards to resonance. It's only used be course it's cheap and easy to machine. HDF is a little better and high quality plywood is way better.
Of course if you use multiple layers or curved panels and a lot of bracing you can get decent results with MDF.
Some also dampen with bitumen etc. but that will only absorb the resonance energy and make the speaker less efficient. If you want to avoid resonance you need something stiff and heavy.
A lot of high and manufactures have moved on to composites like epoxy/stone mixes or even thick aluminium billets.
Now lets bring out the snake oil and purple smoke 

[james_s]

While it seems ridiculous to me, I've seen paintings sell for hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars that I wouldn't have paid $10 for and you can't even do anything with a painting.

[wraper]

While it seems ridiculous to me, I've seen paintings sell for hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars that I wouldn't have paid $10 for and you can't even do anything with a painting.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3609779/What-spectacle-Student-glasses-floor-pretended-art-people-immediately-started-cooing-taking-pictures.html

TJ Khayatan, 17, and his friends decided to pull the prank after they were left unimpressed by the art at the gallery
Teen laid a pair of glasses on the floor of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to see how people would react
TJ claims that the spectacles were immediately swarmed by art lovers who began taking pictures of the 'exhibit'

[Mr. Scram]

Let's not have this discussion yet again.

[CopperCone]

dollars for electromechanical converters with peculiar transfer functions 

i wonder if one day we will have radiation plots of fancy speakers

[xrunner]

Let's not have this discussion yet again.

 

[james_s]

Hah! I'd forgotten about that art museum prank. If there were any hoity-toity art museums around me I'd be extremely tempted to plop some of my own "art" in there and see what happens. I've seen some quite attractive sculptures and paintings but the vast majority of what passes for art is stuff I'd consider garbage. If it's something I could create then IMHO it's not really art. Any idiot who has made it through highschool can slather some paint abstractly on a canvas or weld some scrap together.

[Mr. Scram]

Let's not have this discussion yet again.

[Cyberdragon]

Let's not have this discussion yet again.

But it's relevant. These speakers aren't making any audiophool claims, so it comes down to being expensive art.

EDIT: Yes, I'm aware I've just opened the floodgates and probably destroyed this thread, but I'm dastardly.

[Mr. Scram]

But it's relevant. These speakers aren't making any audiophool claims, so it comes down to being expensive art.

EDIT: Yes, I'm aware I've just opened the floodgates and probably destroyed this thread, but I'm dastardly.

Let's at least discuss the speakers, rather than the same silly modern art discussion that gets rehashed every time. We know some people don't like modern art, we know some people don't understand modern art. So let's avoid doing that dance yet again, rather than having everyone regurgitate their stance on the matter and ending up exactly where we started, but now indignant that others could be so stupid.

In regards to the look and build of the speakers: some people will like it, some people won't. Some people have $300000 to spend on speakers, some people don't. Some people will spend $300000 on speakers they like, some people won't.

See? Pretty easy. Done.