unsound - there is always more than is obvious behind product development decisions. As I have alluded previously, the company supported Jim's design aspirations. Kathy, the marketing director, supported Jim's design aspirations. Drivers and electronics were Jim's primary interest. Cabinets played a supporting role as a necessity.
Developing that baffle was a major undertaking. I made the mahogany patterns with late night CNC time stolen from day time production requirements. The convoluted baffle would have been a far larger undertaking, in design, pattern-making, casting and production finishing. The company did not have enough confidence in the product's projected sales to invest in that larger baffle cost. C'est la vie.
Such dynamics are the stuff of small, self funded entrepreneurial companies. Given the luxury of capital to invest, including more staff, and the confidence that a market would emerge, I believe that flagship product(s) could have been developed which would have leap-frogged Thiel's market niche.
The cabinets are indeed serious functional elegance. Thanks for that.
