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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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Showing 2 responses by mcreyn

mcreyn
293 posts
 
My two cents, keeping in mind I am not shopping:

1)  The 2 way with a compression driver seems like a good way to diversify your line and offers a choice for lower power tube lovers.  
2)  $2,000 standmount.  It is probably just me, but it seems like prices have just gotten out of control.  Even classic value companies like Vandersteen have seen massive increases in pricing and are introducing ever more expensive speakers.  
3)  I really like the idea of a speaker with a controlled roll-off below 80hz.  What I think would be even better is a high quality, under $500 active speaker/subwoofer crossover.  
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.
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