Volti does it again!

Ken's review: 

Hi Ya'll, this is Greg from Volti Audio.

Here's a few tidbits of response to all the comments here.  I'm sure this will ruffle a few feathers.  I'm not trying to do that.  I get to have my say just like anyone else on an open forum.  

Sorry about the Lucera webpage being incomplete.  I do all my own website work and I've been too busy as of late to finish it up.  I'll get to it soon.  I published it without having any links to it, so I didn't think anyone would see it.  But I forgot that a search engine would pick it up!  oops.  

Regarding the drivers used in Volti speakers.  I don’t ever reveal what I use for drivers in my speakers because there’s no benefit to me in doing so.  If you need to know what drivers I use, you are not my customer.  I know this from experience.  I’ve never had one customer who cared to know what drivers were used in their speakers.   My customers care about how their speakers sound. 

I would not consistently, year after year, get rave reviews on my speakers if I used cheap drivers. 

I buy, test, and listen to drivers all the time, and I pick out the gems to use in my speakers – the drivers that give me the sound I’m listening for.  It is not uncommon for me to make a small modification or two to a driver used in my speakers.  

The mid driver used in the Razz is not as nice sounding to me as the one I use in the Rival.  I like the one in the Rival much better and it costs me five times as much to buy as the one in the Razz. 

It is my guess that Klipsch is able to buy 50 Forte midrange drivers made in China for the same amount of money I spend on one midrange driver for the Razz. 

Volti speakers sound better than Klipsch because the cabinets are built much better, the components used are of much higher quality, and because they are designed and voiced by Greg Roberts.   I don't find it difficult to build higher quality speakers than Klipsch, it's just more expensive to do.  

Regarding my strict ‘no returns’ policy. 

I don’t want to take returns.  I don’t want to have to return money because it is a burden on our business cash flow.  I don’t want to have to deal with the inevitable scratches and nicks on speakers that come back here and then have to sell those damaged speakers to another customer.  I don’t want to encourage people to take advantage of a policy that allows returns as a way to ‘rent’ speakers for a while.  I want my customers to make a firm decision to buy my speakers and then stick with it. 

I realize that it’s a strict policy and I’m sorry that some of you are turned off by it.  I know that I lose a certain number of speaker sales because of it, but it’s my decision and I’ll live with the consequences. 

If I was selling a product that was less expensive, that weighed ten pounds and shipped in a small box, and we were selling hundreds or thousands of that product, we could deal with a few returns.  But that’s not the case here at Volti Audio. 

It is often assumed that businesses always want to grow bigger.  I don’t.  I’m 60 years old and I realized a long time ago that when you can do something that you love to do and make a living at it, you are a very lucky person indeed.  I’m very grateful that I get to do meaningful work that brings me joy every day.  I like to make things, I don’t particularly like to manage people and manage business.  I prefer sawdust on my pants to wearing a tie. 

Over the last ten years, Volti Audio has averaged between 20 and 40 pairs of speaker sales each year.  I know that if I structured my business differently, I could grow that number ten-fold. 

Large business model

• I’ll have dealers and the prices of my speakers will be about double what they are right now
• All the dealers and their employees will be talking up how great Volti speakers are and speakers sales will increase far beyond what I can build in my small shop.
• We’ll expand the business into a much larger facility with a big paved parking lot and a fancy sign out front by the road.  There will be time cards and a big break room with vending machines in it for all the employees.  We’ll have regular safety meetings and I’ll worry about my employees getting hurt in the shop. We’ll buy our own CNC machines and have a full time programmer and full time sales/marketing person and full time human resources person and a full time shop foreman and I’ll meet with my management team each day and hardly ever go into the shop.  I’ll wear nicer clothes each day and never get any sawdust on my pants.  I’ll spend a lot of time on the phone and computer each day and hardly ever get to cut a piece of wood.    
• I will make a lot more money and I’ll be able to afford a new Ferrari 812 Roadster to cruise around the backroads here in TN. 

Small (current) business model

• I sell direct to my customers and keep my prices as low as I can while still being able to sustain the business and provide a good wage for my two trusted employees.
• I keep my cell phone number on the website so my customers can contact me.  I know each customer by name and offer personal customer service. 
• I get to do work each day that I love to do – design and build speakers that make me happy.  I get to enjoy actually building speakers in the shop, making sawdust, installing beautiful veneers, spraying lacquer, installing nice cloth on grills, and answering a few emails along the way. 
• No fancy clothes and I usually have glue and sawdust on me every day.  I wear a tape measure on my side at all times.  I don’t have to manage dealers, have safety meetings, meet with OSHA or insurance people, worry about production efficiency numbers, and I’m not stuck in an office all day on the phone. 
• I make less money and can only afford an old salvaged Porsche Boxster to romp around on those backroads in. 

It’s a lifestyle choice.  Which would you choose? 

The Boxster is more fun. 

Hi Greg,

Well said.  Life is grand.  Keep it simple and enjoy the road trips.  You make some beautiful looking and great sounding speakers.  Most will never get to appreciate the sound of them or see their beauty in person.  

One point:  My Audi TT Roadster with stage 1 APR tune is more fun to drive in the mountains of East Tennessee.  Unfortunately, I no longer live up there and do not get around to driving the Dragon or around Cosby as often as I would like.  Best road is NC209 from Hot Springs to Waynesville.  66 miles of curves.  My arms ache after that drive.  I’d probably have to stop twice to rest these days.  :)

I think Greg's business model is fine and suits him and his customers. I don't own Volti speakers, but I did buy a pair of his xovers for some khorns a few years ago and was very happy with the purchase. I spoke with Greg on the phone and he is a true gentleman and I wish him only the best.