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Design a $60,000 Speaker - Start here

Hi Everyone,

Just thought for interest I'd talk about one of the most expensive woofers in the 10-12" varieties, the Accuton AS250-88-552 CELL, actually an 11" aluminum honeycomb sandwich construction. Retail price at hobbyist volumes: $1,400, each.

In addition to the exotic material, the suspension and motor assembly are also worthy of note, as they leave a very large amount of unobstructed space directly behind the dome, allowing it to behave most ideally like a piston.

So putting this together into say a modest 3 way with all drivers from the same company and of the same level, I estimate around $6k / pair of speakers for the drivers alone. Add the normal markups, and this is a $60k speaker.

Will it sound any good? I have no idea. I just wanted to share with you all where some of these speakers that cost as much as a luxury sedan get their prices from.  Obviously, my estimates are rough, and go up and down. The point of this is just a general expose.

Best,


E

erik_squires
imhififan's avatar
imhififan
2,176 posts
 
So putting this together into say a modest 3 way with all drivers from the same company and of the same level, I estimate around $6k / pair of speakers for the drivers alone. Add the normal markups, and this is a $60k speaker.
The same driver array like a Monitor Audio PL-500 will make it well over 100k!
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
ATC drivers have cost that much for years. ATC got started with the Supertramp tours back in the 70’s providing the best woofers available at that time for their live stadium performances.

There is definitely a market for overbuilt drivers just as there is a market for muscle cars or any other extremes required in performance applications.

For those who say it isn’t worth it or it isn’t great value - you are absolutely right - this kind of performance is rarely or hardly necessary in most domestic homes. However, for those passionate about sound quality and ultra low distortion at realistic SPL then these type drivers are the ticket to a whole other level of ultra-high performance.

Oh, I very much doubt the sound quality of your "cheap Tekton DI" woofers will hang together when driven hard in the same way this driver will perform. At moderate levels you could well be right but there is high fidelity and then there is truly HIGH FIDELITY and sometimes the difference can be as little as 3% at moderate levels or an extra 6db to 9db in clean SPL.

A $50 eminence woofer (like in my guitar cabinets and stage monitors) is simply not going to be able to compete with this Accuton at $1400 but for sure the Accuton wont be 28 times better at 28 times the price. This shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows about these things -diminishing returns....
missioncoonery
1,214 posts
 

"Oh, I very much doubt the sound quality of your "cheap Tekton DI" woofers will hang together when driven hard in the same way this driver will perform. At moderate levels you could well be right but there is high fidelity and then there is truly HIGH FIDELITY and sometimes the difference can be as little as 3% at moderate levels or an extra 6db to 9db in clean SPL"


Kenny is the head cheerleader in the Tekton hype on this site,maybe he has a vested interest in the company (so I take his posts with a grain of salt),who knows but most Id say who know anything about drivers certainly wouldn't stand up and shout  for Eminence.

erik_squires OP
16,009 posts
 
I don’t think Monitor Audio and Accuton are comparable in terms of build cost.

Still, I am a big fan of Monitor Audio, and think that their price point is far too low for the build quality and design.

Making your own drivers is also a great marketing /cost cutting strategy. Since you make them, no one can compare driver costs like you can in say a WIlson or B&O or Sony, or an all Accuton speaker. Focal, B&W and Monitor Audio all take advantage of this somewhat. 

Best,

E
erik_squires OP
16,009 posts
 
About Tekton - 

I really really wish people would stop attacking them. I think their price point is good and design innovative. I can point to at least one store brand that IMHO sucks, uses cheaper parts than Tekton and is the absolute darling of Stereophile and many here. 

Tekton offers very good price performance with innovative features. They should be evaluated on their merits.

Best,

E
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