Why pay so much for super high end?


Most speakers costing $50,000+ use Seas, Scan Speak or Accuton.

In DIY forums most speakers designed use bargain drivers and usually are only 2.0 designs not bookshelf or center speakers to complete a surround system.

I’d love to have a Scan Speak 11 speaker system for atmos with 3 way bookshelves, center and floorstanders.

Why aren’t the designs out there and why are you guys pissing away all your money.

Personally I won’t get an upgrade from my speakers unless it’s of this caliber and neither can I afford nor want to donate money to these thieves.

A 3rd party 11 speaker atmos scan Speak system would be nice but I’m not spending $250,000.

Why on earth aren’t there designs out there for this and why do you all piss away your money?

I don’t get why hi fi isn’t all DIY even honest factory direct companies mark up 300%.

Unless you pull in $1+ million a year and don’t have any time I don’t get it.

Are you guys lazy?

Someone easily could design a great crossover and cabinets for everyone and the days of paying over $3,500 for a pair of loud speakers if you got some time or know a friend who could build cabinets would be over. I know of people who could design cabinets that rival $100,000 speakers and cost less than 1% than that.  Someone with some experience could easily design a diamond, beryllium and soft dome and various versions for various tastes.

I don’t get it. Speakers are so simple.  Crossovers cabinets and drivers.

You guys just throw your money away I don’t understand it why?


funaudiofun
davt, seldom have I heard of a more logical, compelling solution to a serious problem. I salute you.

The whole point was is that it doesn’t take all that much time or effort to build high quality speakers that someone has designed for you. Either that or you have a friend who can build you cabinets because most Americans do. Making a crossover is incredibly easy and soldering is actually pretty fun. Building cabinets is actually fun too for a lot of people.

Time is not an exscuse. That’s just a random thought you guys come up with on a spot because I don’t know you’re afraid you’re wasting your money?

If you have time to listen to your speakers AND rant and rave with me on Audiogon you got some time to build some cabinets and crossovers. It takes a day or two. And if someone designed a sophisticated enough cabinet and crossover for you, which is entirely in the realm of reality, you could get $100,000+ speakers for a couple of grand. You could build Focal Grand Utopia BEs if someone with some experience took some time to make designs for just a fraction of the price probably save $170,000 off their $180,000 price.  

And this isn’t a constant hobby that requires constant attention. You build them in one or two days and you’re done.

This is obserd. "I don’t have time"? Figuring most of you are paid $100 an hour or less with designs in hand, in a couple of hours you can basically earn $10,000 an hour being a speaker builder saving yourself tons of money.

And you guys are all defending these mark ups? Why? What do you owe them? Many people don’t realize they’re just buying 3rd party drivers and a moderately easily (with the knowledge in hand) designed cabinet and crossovers. I didn’t know that and when I found out I was pissed. I never stopped to think about it. People are commenting on mark ups aren’t taking in to account that while you need a lot of knowledge to design crossovers and cabinets, you need beyond amateur skill to replicate it. beyond amateur.


So go on saying you "don’t have time" or "every other industry marks up" which is ridiculous rebuttals. Keep feeding this crooked industry the one that I’ve grown to hate with a serious passion.

This thread has seemingly strayed off topic, nevertheless, I’ll add my opinion. "Music", as performed by a band with live instruments, sounds best and can be more accurately reproduced with 2 channel stereo. "Noise" as in everything other than "music" such as movies with helicopters, bomb blasts, etc. can be more accurately reproduced with "surround" sound. Curious with surround sound though is where does it end? The original surround sound was 5.1. Latest technology is 22.1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/22.2_surround_sound I suppose theoretically there is infinite dimension to where sound could emanate from. This is one reason why the Grateful Dead knew what they were doing from, among other things, a sound reproduction perspective.
https://www.google.com/search?q=wall+of+sound+grateful+dead&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&a...
" This is obserd. "I don’t have time"? Figuring most of you are paid $100 an hour or less with designs in hand, in a couple of hours you can basically earn $10,000 an hour being a speaker builder saving yourself tons of money.

And you guys are all defending these mark ups? Why? What do you owe them? Many people don’t realize they’re just buying 3rd party drivers and a moderately easily (with the knowledge in hand) designed cabinet and crossovers. I didn’t know that and when I found out I was pissed. I never stopped to think about it. People are commenting on mark ups aren’t taking in to account that while you need a lot of knowledge to design crossovers and cabinets, you need beyond amateur skill to replicate it. beyond amateur.

So go on saying you "don’t have time" or "every other industry marks up" which is ridiculous rebuttals. Keep feeding this crooked industry the one that I’ve grown to hate with a serious passion."

You do a lot of talking. Now put your money where your mouth is. I'll give you 2 weeks to build a speaker that sounds as good as a pair of $2500 Vandersteen Model 2's.  You can have a max budget of $5000. That's 2x full list price. The only requirements are that the speakers need to be time and phase correct like the Vandersteen's, and they have to measure at least as well. Mere child's play for someone with your verbal skills.

Do that and I'll reimburse you for the cost of materials up to 5k, and give you an additional 25k. You can show us all how easy it is to make 10k an hour. I pay cash and have no problem coming up with the money.

What I don't want, is a ridiculous debate. Either take me up on my offer and build the speakers, or not. Its up to you. I won't waste anymore time responding to your BS claims when I can have meaningful conversations the other members here. They have something real to contribute. 
MB, I have to say it again, twice in the same thread. "Seldom have I heard of a more logical, compelling solution". I salute you.