Notable very small loudspeaker companies (other than Tekton!)


Let's give a shout-out to those very small speaker companies that make excellent products.  I'm thinking of true one-man operations (owner-designer-maker) as well as very small ones (owner-designer + a very few employees).

My nominees: Ryan, Prana, Philharmonic, Fritz, Watkins, Vaughn, Chapman, even Daedalus, Salk, Selah.

Who else belongs in this list?

How do they manage to compete with the "big boys", in quality if not in quantity?


twoleftears

Any more comments on Tyler?

From the outside, they remind me strongly of the Duntech/Dunlavy lines.

Fritz. Last show I went to he had among the best sound, was praised by musicians associated with Blue Coast Records. Very high quality parts at reasonable price points.

http://www.fritzspeakers.com/

He will basically whip something up or change it to your particular tastes. Bespoke speakers are not really something you can find at Best Buy prices anywhere else.

Two others I like:

Selah Audio: Top shelf drivers, carefully optimized over time with top shelf crossover parts. 
http://www.selahaudio.com/

Taylor Acoustics - If you like a kit but dont' actually want to build anything, or need a high quality cabinet:
http://www.taylorspeakers.com/

Best,

E
So the questions remains, how do many of these tiny companies rival and sometimes surpass the likes Revel, B&W and others?  Is it the genius of the individual designer?  A speaker "auteur", rather than a gaggle of cooks.