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RE: Drivers are the LEAST part of a typical speaker's cost

Posted by seancuster71@gmail.com (P) on March 3, 2025 at 19:21:14

In Reply to: Drivers are the LEAST part of a typical speaker's cost posted by Brian H P on March 3, 2025 at 13:24:30:

R&D makes it sound hard and time consuming it's not. In the past before impulse response measurements and software like LEAP, Clio pocket crossover design was a little harder and more time consuming.

DIY is how high-end audio started Frank McIntosh Founder of McIntosh sold kits Harman Kardon and Marantz also sold kits. The bestselling tube amplifier of all time the Dynaco ST-70 sold in kit form from 1959 to 1983 and still sells in kit form online today 66 years after its debut. Companys like Altec Lansing selling components with cabinet plans back in the 1940's & 50's Electro voice, Jensen, Stephens true sonic, University speakers all sold kits all these American companies sold as many kits as assembled gear in the earl days.

As far as how speaker business run today there are no distributers or dealers. Take Tekton for example Eric Alexander only employs 8 people he sells from his website so no distributer or dealer markups. Sean Casey founder of Zu audio has ten employs and sells online a non-speaker example is Schiit audio started with two people now employs 20 people all these companies are over 15 years old and have been running just fine with minimal investment & employees.

Tekton and ZU make to order they have CNC cut flat packs/unassembled speaker cabinets. You pay for a pair of speakers 2nite tomorrow morning they will glue and clamp the cabinets next day they will Finnish and veneer or automotive paint the cabinets the automotive paint they cure under UV lights in minutes then they mount drivers' package and ship. Zu has been doing this since 2000 and Tekton since 2006.

I should have told the back story on the Dolby labs speakers at Madisound they are not a closeout or discontinued Eminence driver. Dolby Labs just shelved the design these drivers were going into. They did profit of Madisound sale. If Madisound was going to buy a certain model Eminence speaker to sell on their website, they will buy around 100 pairs and would have to sell them for a lot more than $20. Dolby Labs makes orders in the thousands say 1000 pairs, so they are way cheaper. Madisound was a huge sound contractor at one time now they are just three people with a website selling speakers and related items.

Designing speakers is not hard most all speaker designers are self-taught until recently now Berklee college of music offers a loudspeaker design course. Along with Savannah College of Art & Design and there are some online courses as well. Electro-voice, Udemy, Harman Pro Audio all offer online courses. So, with all the resources available now there is no reason not to design.

If you talk to any speaker designers, they will tell you they are still learning and will continue to learn until the day the die or quite that is so with all fields of study design and manufacturing. Nelson pass designed his first amplifier in 1974 the Threshold 800A and 51 years later at the age of 73 he will tell you he is still learning it's what keeps him passionate about amplifier design. And Nelson still has his Amp camp and Speaker camp dedicated to DIY because he understands the importance of DIY to the high-end audio industry. He even has some elementary school and middle school kids attending and learning. Without Nelson and others in the DIY community design will go to AI and Losing the human element in design will prove to be disastrous.

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