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Thoughts wanted for new speaker design

I am working to introduce a new speaker at Capital Audiofest this year and have a few tentative designs but wanted to do a little market research and see what you guys would find most interesting. Since I don’t have $40K for focus groups, thought I would ask your guys POV.

I currently offer two stand mounts - one which is a fiberglass based composite (Nightshade) and the other is Carbon Fiber bases (Blackthorn).

you can see them here at:

www.verdantaudio.com

i am currently sold out but will be back in stock in about two weeks.  

i am looking to see what you guys would be most interested in:

1. a higher efficiency standmount - 92dB to 93dB but will be using compression drivers. Material could be MDF or Bamboo but most like Bamboo. Price ~$2500

2. A less expensive standmount made from bamboo or MDF that will be ~$2000. Likely be less than $2000 if it is MDF.

3. A Nightshade (fiberglass) Floorstander that would retail at $8-$10,000.

4. A floorstander that would look like 1 or 2 though I expect the efficiency of 1 will be closer to 100dB. Retail $3500 to $5000.

Unless you guys saw me at AXPONA or know someone who bought my first batch of speakers I know you haven’t heard my current stand-mounts. Just looking for a POV on what will be most interesting to you.

Thanks in advance.






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elliottbnewcombjr
5,349 posts
 
Oh yeah, be sure and have low power amps playing them when you demo them, the true way to reveal their efficiency beyond words.

Perhaps both a low powered SS amp, and a Tube preamp and tube amp. Maybe a modern integrated tube amp with remote volume and remote input switching, so people can bring their own source material and easily hear it.

If you can hook up with an amp maker, they could loan you their equipment, benefiting from their exposure via your speakers.
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,499 posts
 
@keithtexas   Those Trenner and Friedl ISIS are $40K.  Holy crap.  The only way a pair of speakers that size could be made by hand for less than $6K would be to make it out of MDF and I am not sure I could ever hit $3k with drivers and crossover parts that I would be proud to put in a product of mine.  

MDF is not going to perform the way the hardwood plywood Trenner and Friedl are using is going to perform.  The sound will be muddier and IMO, wouldn't even be a poor man's imitation.  

In round numbers, I could probably do a baltic birch plywood cabinet in the $6K range with a mainstream veneer.  "Solid" bamboo (engineered planks) would be in the $7K to $7.5K range.  These will be much closer in terms of sound profile.  I am not privy to the method they are using for venting so I am certain mine will sound different but would be excellent.  They definitely wouldn't be identical but I could do a "poor man's version" in better materials that you might be pleased with.  
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,499 posts
 
@elliottbnewcombjr  Thanks you for your POV.  I am leaning toward a higher efficiency stand-mount that would pair with the Art Audio Carissa (18w SET) which I import and have one in inventory to use for shows.  
mcreyn
293 posts
 
Re: "Heco, The New Statement, bass response (according to their website) can go down to 18 Hz with 93db sensitivity. I think it may work well with low power 300B amp."

Talk about playing fast and loose with the specs. They rate the speakers as "4-8 ohms" with sensitivity of 93db @ 2.83v. Translation, they are are 90db efficient speaker at 1 watt.

Similarly, their 18-20,000 hz range is given with no restriction, +/- db, or -3, -6, or -10 db downpoint. Any bass driver can go to 18hz, the question is how far down will it be relative to its average level and what will be its output limitations.

Thiel/Small parameters and Hoffman’s Iron law still apply to all speakers. Designers have to pick their tradeoffs of two of the three of bass extension, efficiency, and enclosure size. There is no way two 8 inch paper drivers in that sized enclosure (approximately 3 cubic feet) are putting out any real output at 18hz. Because those are lightweight paper, their fs is probably in the 40hz range, so at best the enclosure is tuned in the high 30hz range with a 24db/octave falloff below the turning frequency. They could tune lower, but the group delay will go through the roof and efficiency down.

The short is that their specs and reality don’t comport.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Right mcreyn. There is absolutely nothing special about that speaker and maybe you might feel 18 Hz in a phone booth but in any normally sized room those speakers might go flat to 40 Hz if that. And since when did an Alnico magnet become special or indicate how well a mid range driver might perform. 

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