2. speakers
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How would you get into the biz?

I'm really NOT soliciting here.

I'm just thinking about how VERY difficult the high end speaker business is. It is the electronic equivalent of opening up your own restaurant. Very hard, laborious, risky, and full of nefarious types. Kind of like the concrete business. :)

What do you think are the best and worst ways?

Best,

E
erik_squires
timlub
2,040 posts
 
Sounds like seanheis1 and whyowhy liked what I was looking to do...Ok, for those that don't get it,  read my 1st post.   We had  15, 10 and a 6 1/2 in versions.




jon_5912
605 posts
 
I think we've reached a time when speaker boxes should consist of tapered tubes that are the theoretical ideal for absorbing the back wave.  B&W and Vivid have made very expensive speakers with this feature but I think it's high time more companies that aspire to make high-performing speakers get on board.  If I was considering starting a speaker company I'd definitely be looking for ways to create the ideal shaped box for a reasonable price. 

I doubt that there's any massive improvement coming in drivers since so many kinds of materials and techniques have been tried and refined already.  DSP is pretty refined at this point as well and I think a no brainer for any new speaker company.  Speakers should be active, crossover should be DSP, box should be tapered tube, drivers should be a bigger part of the overall cost of the speaker than they typically are.

I'm just a hobbyist but that's my fairly valueless opinion. 
cyanii
13 posts
 
Based on my experience of building an own company from scratch, the most important thing is to do it. 
No endless discussions and plans, but doing it. 
If the product is relevant for consumers the rest will come step by step. 
Many questions can be ansered when situations must be solved. No sense in too much planning in the beginning - this is wasting precious time of building the company. 
So just do it, start now and keep us updated on your progress. 
Good luck!
erik_squires OP
16,126 posts
 
Hi cyanii ,

Yeah, this is the sell a good apple pie method. :) My theory:

If you bake a great apple pie you don't have to force people to eat it. They'll smell it and come out of their bedrooms or cubicles to get a slice while it's still hot. :)

Best,


E
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 

The two way bookshelf stand mount or floor standing design is probably the most saturated format in the speaker market. If the goal is to make a living in making speakers, one has to stand out from the rest by offering something that is so different that it at least piques the curiosity of some of the audiophiles to give it a listen. At the minimum, you should be willing to allow for in-home trials with expectation that the customer will be so blown away that they not only keep the speakers but also solicit friends to give it a try. I’m a firm believer that if the product is a good value, it’ll catch on. But it has to be really really a cut above everything else out there and to me that is probably the biggest challenge. You can start with the audience here and ask how many are willing to participate in (and support) your venture. Just as one data point, I've been smitten with the sound of single driver full-range speakers and have studied at least a dozen of designs all spread across my desk. Yesterday while looking in the used market, I saw an add from a guy who had built a custom full-range speaker with excellent cabinet -  used 3 sheets of 3/4" MDF pressed and glued, veneered professionally, and used Fostex F200A drivers @ $700 each, custom stands, custom crossover, asking $1500. I could not even come close to building something like that and expect to make profit.

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