For anyone at the Florida Audio Expo I hope you took the time to check in on what Greg of Volti audio brought. A new model, right between the Razz and Rival. It’s called Lucera and it sounds sublime! Everything I love about my Razz but better in all ways. I am literally sitting in my hotel room trying to negotiate with my better half on how to order a pair.
PS, everything I’ve read about visiting the “Three Amigos” at the show is correct. Volti, Border Patrol, and Triode labs make a heavenly combination. I can’t wait to go back and listen again tomorrow.
Quick story of a visit to Volti Audio. Before Greg moved to Tennessee from Maine and a week before his visit to our brother, Art Dudley's (RIP) home in New York, a friend and I demoed his Vittoras for a friend in CA. Jeremy had fallen in love with the fine woodwork at a show. Greg had graciously set up the threesome on the long wall of his "Paul Klipsch dimensioned" living room space. At that time, I was unaccustomed to larger spaces and horns in general. Greg said he had vacillated in using the short or long wall. He was still locking in the crossovers, driving the pair with less than 2 watts of tube power, a Canadian amp designed for him. I had brought a small batch of CDs and we settled in.
The glory of a full range horns was fully in evidence. Since then, I have experienced 10 years of sharing a huge space with a nearby friend, sampling modded corner Tannoys...in nearfield, vintage AR9s, King stats, Dynaudio, Von Schweikert, others. I've forgotten Greg's CD player, but it was one of the day's best. The musicality of the digital source shone through, yet lacking some detail, especially by today's standards. My flavors focus on truth of timbre and a detailed soundstage. I suspect the short wall would have increased and enlivened detail, we agreed.
Greg tossed in some rock and cranked that little SET amp with a shrewd grin. I was looking for the exits...NOT because of distortion, rather, sheer clean, powerful volume. He had the Vittora's 18" sub locked-in and man! Winning the day were cuts from "Let Your Voice be Heard," Cantus, a men's choral group recording by Phile's former Chief Editor, John Atkinson. The space of that college hall is captured, and the sound spread, glorious!
Art Dudley, to me so qualified in many ways...great ear, musician, hands-on turntables & loudspeakers, likely THE best audio story writer and plain-truth evaluator ever, found the Vittoras a bargain. (for me, TAS's HP paved the way in DESCRIBING SOUND.) Imagine if Art had allowed himself the luxury of room tuning! I respect his choice of an untreated room for reviewing but am somewhat saddened he didn't get to live with a well-tuned room at home. Today, one wonders of his thoughts surrounding the BACCH crosstalk-cancelling DSP? I've had the Plug-In since last August and cannot find a negative. Yes, it changes lots of overdone studio stuff, however, who's to say what is better around that? On minimalistic recordings, for me, truth of timbre increases atop the spacial stuff. The future.
I found Greg to be a no-nonsense, fair-minded businessman with a great passion for his craft and love of music. An artisan. His sincerity and directness brought back the days when a handshake was enough. Greg, if you chance onto this, thank you again for a memorable experience. Continued great success to you and your wife and your lifestyle choices. Tim G
You pose a very good question and point Greg. For instance the pizza I grew up on in my side of town is known to be not that popular among people who claim to know better, or “Foodies”… but for me, it’s a must have once a week. Many others too as the pizzeria always seems to be busy. The same could be true for what people want in a sound signature, or aesthetic. What we’re used to, we grew up with. Or what was an important sound experience in our lives. For instance when I open a new record I get a slight smell that takes me back to opening my dads record cabinet..
Please understand that these are just my own thoughts on this subject. It’s not like I was tutored by the man himself about this. But based on my experience in designing and building midrange horns, here’s my thoughts on the Klipsch K400 horn used in the La Scala and Klipschorn loudspeakers.
In the beginning, Mr. Klipsch had a terrific folded horn design (Khorn). Compact and fitted in the corners of just the right sized/proportioned room, these bass horns produce solid bass down into the low 30’s and have a way of surrounding the room with bass that I’ve not heard from any other speaker. The Khorn bass horn cuts off naturally at about 400hz on the upper end, no crossover needed. Mr. Klipsch needed a midrange horn/driver combination that could reach down to 400hz to integrate with the bass horn. He chose a midrange horn size that would fit comfortably under the tophat design of the Khorn and then manipulated the design to lower the Fc of the horn by lengthening the throat of the horn, creating a long, narrow pathway for about half of the length of the horn. It is obvious to me that the unusually elongated throat of the K400 is ’pushing’ the horn beyond it’s ’comfort zone’ and causing the characteristic honky, colored, and harsh sound that the horn is known for. But it does reach down to 400Hz! The goal was met, but at a cost.
Twenty years ago or so, someone was building midrange replacement horns for La Scala and Khorns that had the same mouth size/shape to be a direct replacement. The horn was much shorter though. Still with a 1" throat, but not elongated. I tested and listened to a pair of these in my Khorns, and indeed they did sound less colored and harsh than the stock K400 horns. However, there was a problem. They didn’t extend down to 400Hz, leaving a ’hole’ in the response between the mid and the folded bass horn. Could be overcome somewhat in La Scalas, which have bass horns that can extend up higher than 400Hz to meet the midhorn with the higher Fc, but no chance with the Khorns. This exercise demonstrated to me how Mr. Klipsch took a ’normal’ exponential horn design and lengthened the throat to lower Fc. The replacement mid horn with a shorter/normal throat would get down to 600Hz and the longer throat K400 down to 400Hz - but at the cost of sound quality.
Nowadays, modern compression drivers are much more capable than they ever were. Machining tolerances, modern materials, and modern manufacturing processes enable compression drivers to produce lower mid frequencies with very low distortion. A modern compression driver with a 2" outlet and 3-1/2" diaphragm feeding into a 2" throat horn is capable of covering low-mid frequencies in a typical listening room with much greater ease. It is no longer necessary to push the design Fc of a horn by constricting the throat. A shallower design with a 2" throat that fits under the tophat of the Khorn can cover down to 400Hz with ease, and with no unwanted colorations, glare, or harshness that plague older and lesser quality designs. Think of it this way, the modern compression driver can cover more of the load, not requiring the horn to do as much.
Why does Klipsch still use the K400 horn in their speakers? It really is one of the worst sounding midrange horns ever produced. I just did the demo today for a customer who visited here to listen to my speakers. I spoke through the K400 and then spoke through my V-Trac horn. The difference is night and day. Charlie left here today with a pair of Lucera speakers in the back of his van and a big smile on his face. The demo of how different horns can sound I’m sure had a little to do with that. It certainly didn’t hurt.
So why? Perhaps it is because the Khorn has an iconic sound that Klipsch simply cannot change. People are used to a certain sound from the Khorn. Making a big change to the sound would be kinda like making Wonder Bread into a healthy slice of bread that you can no longer squeeze into a little ball in your hand. lol. Is Wonder Bread still made? Or how about New Coke? Remember that one? How did that go over?
IPC made terrific gear. In particular, I like their IU 1000 compression driver that has a diaphragm just like a Western Electric 555 diaphragm. This driver was made in the 1930's and 1940's and I would put it up against any midrange driver made today.
I don't think that Volti, or any other modern builder has access to compression drivers as good as these old drivers. The modern ones that sound very good are VERY expensive, such as Goto, ALE and Cogent drivers. I do think that modern manufacturers can make good horns for their drivers--either new designs or replicas of old horns. I've heard a few such modern horns. Volti appears to be quite successful with making practical horns that can be fitted into reasonably sized cabinets. Still, there is something about the "weight" and sense of authority of a larger format horn that makes one dream of owning such systems and the room that can fit those monsters.
I run a smaller vintage horn (KS12025) which is a two-foot wide by 6-inches tall metal sectoral horn. It is a straight horn which makes it too big to fit into a practical cabinet (it sits on top of the woofer cabinet). My compression drivers are Western Electric 713b's. The sound is quite good and is free from excessive horn coloration, but, when this driver is put on large format horns, it is evident that size does matter in horn-based sound. I don't have the room or the money to even think of an upgrade. That has left me with upgrading the crossover which I am in the process of doing.
@larryi I have a recovered single horn and folded cab that I pulled out of an old theater. It was made and installed by International Projector Corp. The drivers from what I understand were actually made by Jensen. The horn compression driver weighs like 60lbs by itself. The horn array is multi-celled a is quite large, it's coated on the outside by some sort of spray or paint on dampening material. When I cleaned it all up and sanded/sealed the bass cab. (also some fresh wire and a thorough clean of the Altec Xover), the darn thing sounds amazing! Too big for the living room so it lives in my second garage playing anything I want, sometimes at warp factor 12.
When I listened to the new Lucera at FLAX there was a jump in midrange smoothness and coherence for sure compared to my RAZZ. (Hence my burning desire to bring a pair home). What I understood from Greg on this new model was some mid driver xover work along with a larger woofer. It sure sold me!
I have doubts that something like a 2” throat diameter is the secret sauce to superior horn performance. Horn behavior has been studied for many decades and a dizzying array of designs have been tried.
i like the Volti speakers and its compression midrange driver and horn are good compared to most modern varieties, but, I prefer a number of vintage horns and compression driver combinations, none of which employ a 2” throat. I particularly like WesternElectric horns and drivers, replica Western Electric drivers, and other vintage horn/drivers that followed Western Electric principles.
One of the most striking things you demonstrated to me was the difference between an of the shelf or typical horn, with a 1 inch or less throat compared to the two inch used in my Razz, was the lifelike and natural sound. Speaking in a normal voice, about 15 feet away, the difference was massive. Greg spoke through both and hands down there was no mistaking why the Volti mids sound just right.
Currently all Volti speakers utilize midrange horns with 2" throats.
I’m fortunate that I found a very nice sounding midrange horn with a 2" throat that I can buy for the Razz and the Lucera. Having a supplier for those midrange horns is a big part of being able to keep the costs down. It is very time-consuming and expensive to build midrange horns out of wood.
One of things you are paying for when you move up to the Rival is the hand-made wooden midrange horns.
I do like wooden midrange horns, but the wood material the horn is made out of has only a little effect, if any on the sound quality. What I gain by building midrange horns from wood, is that I can control the size and shape of the horn to suit the particular speaker design and integration with the other drivers in the speaker.
To date, I have myself, built over 1500 wooden midrange horns. With that experience I’ve learned what makes a great sounding midrange horn.
Ah, here’s that big company/small company thing again. If I want a big company, well no more building wooden horns by hand. I’ll have to find a company to make us the molds to mold our own horns. Very expensive to do here in the U.S. I once visited a company about fifty miles from me in McMinnville, TN that makes these type of metal (steel I think) molds. Intricately machined pieces that bolt together to make removable molds. The guy who showed me around the place was very nice and explained the whole process. The cost estimate was $50K! But then I could make my own designed midrange horns of a high quality plastic. Yes there are different quality levels of plastic. Probably I would not end up doing this (for the big company thing I mean). I would end up going to a Chinese company like Klipsch does, because it’s so much cheaper to have plastic parts molded there. Even custom ones. But as I’ve explained before, I’m too old for such things and I enjoy building my own midrange horns out of wood. I’m building the first twelve for the New Vittora right now. The largest midrange horns I’ve built to date.
@lucera Yes, please keep rambling - I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the Jubilee and the reasons for the Klipsch horn design. Also, how does the throat size compare in the Lucera and the Rival?
Old and lesser-quality horn speakers have always been plagued with certain characteristic issues in the midrange, like ‘colorations’ or honki-ness, midrange glare, harshness, and midrange that is not well integrated with the bass and treble. Most of these issues start at the throat of the horn. A larger throat will always sound better than a smaller one.
So a 2” throat is twice size of a 1”? Sorry, wrong. When it comes to midrange horn design, we look at the throat as an area, not a diameter. We use A = π r2 to calculate the area of the throat circle. A 2” throat has an area of 3.14 square inches. A 1” throat has an area of .79. That means the 2” throat has an area almost four times greater than the 1” throat.
However, the terminology and actuality of midrange horn throats are different than you might expect. A 1” throat horn can be a horn that actually has a 1” opening or it can be a horn that has a 1” female threaded end that accepts a driver with a 1” male threaded end. For the latter, the actual opening from the driver into the horn is less than 1” diameter – the throat is effectively smaller. As an example, the Klipsch Khorn has always had just such a horn and just such a driver. The actual opening of the driver that feeds into the Klipsch Khorn midrange horn is 11/16”, with an area of .36 square inches, or an area that is well over eight times smaller than a 2” throat.
Yes, it's true, other than being made of plastic now instead of pot-metal, the current Khorn midrange horn is the same size, shape, and design as the one Mr. Klipsch introduced in the early 1950's, with the same inherent issues. Mr. Klipsch had good reasons for the horn design back in the day, but why is Klipsch still using this midrange horn? I have a theory. I call it the Wonder Bread theory.
The Volti Razz combines a very high-quality midrange driver made in Italy with a 2" throat on the midrange horn and as a result has a much better sounding midrange than any Klipsch speaker, including the iconic Khorn.
Fancy test equipment is not required to discover the inherent issues with the Klipsch Khorn midrange horn. All one needs to do is remove the driver from the end of the horn, place your lips at the throat of the horn and speak through it. The very definition of honky. You can't find another midrange horn that better demonstrates what a honky midrange horn sounds like.
Just a reminder that the Razz is our lowest priced entry-level speaker. Midrange sound quality improves as one moves up through our range.
Honestly, I'm not anti-Klipsch. I have great respect for what Mr. Klipsch did during his lifetime. I've owned Klipsch speakers my entire life. If you come to my shop, you'll see a pair of Klipsch La Scalas hanging out on the balcony providing us with music every day. I've been a Klipschophile since I was 14 years old when I sold my football card collection to buy a pair of dusty old La Scalas and then dragged them down into my basement bedroom. I'm a fan. But I also know how to build much better sounding horn speakers and I have the business structure to be able to do it. So my ramblings about Klipsch products are just a way to put those products in their place as compared to the Volti products.
Ok, ask me about the Jubilee, or the Wonder Bread thing, or why Mr. Klipsch designed one of the worst sounding midrange horns ever put into a speaker . . . that is, if you want me to keep rambling on.
Zero-turn riding lawnmowers all pretty much look the same. One company came out with the design first, and then others decided it was a good idea and came out with their own versions, which ended up looking pretty much like the initial design, because let's face it, there's really not too much you can do to change the design and still have it function as a zero-turn riding lawnmower.
Volti Audio truly stands out. Currently, my setup features large, three-way, fully horn-loaded speakers with a complete Volti system. I purchased the speakers second-hand, fetching them from a distant city. I power them with a Hegel H390 integrated amplifier. Although I experimented with tube amplifiers, this configuration mesmerizes me, reminiscent (to my ears, in my room), of my experience with Volti’s audio show setups with Border Patrol and Triode Labs. It delivers a sound that's been a lifelong dream: expansive, flawlessly balanced, effortlessly dynamic, pure and transparent. And it never gets old. Every Volti speaker I've encountered, including the Rival II, instantly puts the listener at ease. That feeling of ease is, in my opinion, a critical and underappreciated aspect of good audio. It is the opposite of listener fatigue.
The engineering, superior component quality, hand-crafted cabinetry and massive crossovers all set Volit apart. Conversations with Greg, a passionate, knowledgeable, and transparent craftsman, have enriched my understanding immensely. This endorsement is genuine, born from my experience over the last 6 years. For those seeking their "endgame speakers," Volti is worth the investment of time required to check them out. The peace of mind that comes from stepping off the constant search is priceless. My gratitude goes to Greg for his devotion and his unparalleled, downright obsessive design work.
I visited Greg and toured his shop last summer. I made a special stop on our vacation thru the south. Auditioned the Razz. Sounded wonderful. He's as straight a shooter as you'll find as evidenced by his posts. A genuine dude doing what he loves. The cabinets are expertly made. Thick solid wood, heavily braced and yes, you can add custom touches; just ask. As for the idea that he doesn't care about business or his customers, that's nonsense.
After listening to the Razz I said "OK let's do it. What's next?" He told me he takes a deposit and then the remainder after the speakers are finished. I said OK. Then he told me to be sure, think about it. Wouldn't take my money. He said that since I was on vacation and had another week to make sure. He'd take my deposit after I was 100% sure. My financial outlook changed over the next several days so I did not buy a pair, yet :). Problem avoided.
He's committed to beautiful sound, furniture grade cabinets and happy people! Love it!!
Greg has some pretty epic roads all around him, I got to experience them first hand, I'm a bit envious. Here in NE Ohio one has to drive a bit to get to them. They are great especially in the southern part of the state.
For those considering a visit to Greg's shop for an audition, do it! You will not be disappointed for several reasons.
1. The experience of an extended listening session with these speaker gems.
2. Excellent Mexican food literally across the street.
3. The roads are indeed epic.
4. The bed in the shop is super comfortable. (I slept like a baby)
I agree doyle - it really is more fun to drive a slower car fast.
I don't drive that fast anymore. Those days are over for me. I get much more enjoyment out of driving speeds that won't get me in trouble with the law, or cause a crash. It's a lot less stress when you just relax and keep the speeds in check.
I'm very lucky though, because I've got great backroads right nearby to me that allow me to drive at lower speeds and still have a spirited driving challenge.
200hp seems about right for a relatively lightweight roadster, especially with a manual transmission. The Boxster has great handling and that makes the corners that much more fun. My car may be a bit rough around the edges cosmetically, but I've got it set up perfectly. Turn in is sharp, I can feel the car rotate as I throttle through corners and with throttle on through a corner, coming out is seamless. Just love it. Love the sound it makes too. I removed the snorkle on the air inlet, which is on the drivers side to increase the sound from the engine with the top down.
Heading into a corner, rev-matching and downshifting to third, throttle on and pull it hard through the corner, no drifting for me, but close, full throttle on the way out of the corner, not enough power, cmon, cmon, cmon winding all the up through third and shift into fourth and then let off and let it cruise back down. Man, makes me want to go out right now and drive it.
It can be risky to send a potential customer to hear Volti speakers at a customer's home. I never know how the system is going to be setup and what other gear will be used with the Volti speakers. It might be a good demo, or it might not.
And yes, there is the liability thing that I have to be concerned about. I don't really know most of my customers.
One of the reasons I moved from Maine to Tennessee is because of the central location. TN has eight bordering states and within one day driving distance of a very large chunk of the population in the U.S.
If someone wants to come demo speakers here, it can be done in one day from anywhere in the country. Fly into Nashville, I'll pick you up at the airport and take you to my shop. You'll demo speakers, have lunch, maybe get a convertible ride, and then back to the airport we go.
You'll get a tour of our modest little shop and see where we build your speakers. I usually have one of each of our models to demo and I move the speakers in and out of the demo room (my living room) so that one pair is not interfering sonically with another pair.
If you want to spend the night, I have a single bed that I can set up in my veneer room in the shop. It's not too dusty in there, it's very comfortable and you get your own bathroom.
This is really the best way to hear my speakers. The cost is plane ticket and one day of your time for a nice experience all around. I think worth it even if you don't end up buying my speakers. Remember, it's an experience for me too, which is why I don't mind making the effort.
If any Volti user has access to a quad of AHB2, I highly encourage one to try to do a biamp quad monobloc setup pushing them. Of course up front you need world class preamp and dac. I was about to get a volti, but changed my mind and got a JBL 4367 (2 ways). Tested a single AHB2 just for fun, ended up as permanent 4x AHB2.
The air, the realism, is insane when playing any live recording. I spoke with someone who owns a TAD R1 or CR1, using the same setup.
Yeah: trolling badgerman. Because some DO DO IT and some don’t. Greg doesn’t want to. And as I said: it’s cool either way. But you’re insisting that it’s not reasonable to ask for such a policy. Which does exist. Thus, troll-ing.
Your best bet is attending an audio show. Volti makes appearances at a lot of shows. There are many other good brands that also attend shows so some kind of rough comparison can be made.
And...if he can't/won't/doesn't...just remember that many manufacturers are increasingly reluctant to put people together unless they really know both parties pretty well...and it's hard not to blame them in this time of increased "tension" between people.
Instead, invest in a road trip to Nashville and then on to Volti...not that far away and its beautiful country!
@tonnesen If no one bites here, reach out to Greg when he gets back from Florida and see if he's willing to connect you with anyone who owns Rivals in Denver/Boulder.
The speakers I demoed at someone's house years ago were Merlin VSM MXs. After I heard them and decided I wanted them, Merlin owner Bobby Palkovic (RIP) set me up locally to hear his speakers with a couple of different amps, including a trip to David Berning's house to hear his amps!
Trolling? Seriously?? It's completely ridiculous to expect a speaker manufacturer like Greg to offer a return policy. Every pair of speakers is custom-made to order. Special and custom orders are rarely returnable for anything boutique or bespoke.
There are so many audio manufacturers in the world that it's impossible to hear them all, have you noticed? Pick one you have heard. If you get intrigued by something, not in your area, make an effort rather than being lazy and thinking "If I don't like it, I'll return it." The problem is the folks who do return things, tend to do it over and over. So by having a policy that doesn't allow it, Greg probably avoids a load of high-maintenance (even for this crowd) folks looking for a home demo. I'm a big fan of home demos but also realize when it's impossible or impracticable.
Is there anyone in the Denver/Boulder area with the Rivals willing to host a listening session? I'd love to visit Greg in TN but I have geriatric dog who makes if very difficult to travel.
I always get a kick out of the "return policy" guys. Seriously, don’t you make some effort to hear a product before jumping in?
Do you always get a kick? Or are you trolling?
Many of us DO make an effort to find others with the speakers we’re interested in. Small companies don’t often have that wide a distribution. It’s a big country -- have you noticed?
That’s why return policies exist, bro. That’s why other companies have them.
Greg explained why he doesn’t want to do this. Totally legit reasoning and totally his choice. He was chill about it. He didn’t jump on the people asking a perfectly reasonable question about a perfectly common practice. He doesn’t really need trolling to make his argument. He made it with good reasoning and civility. Take a page.
I always get a kick out of the "return policy" guys. Seriously, don't you make some effort to hear a product before jumping in? Years ago I bought a pair of artisan two-way speakers that were rarely sold by dealers. I reached out on one of the audio forums and asked if anyone who owned them would mind hosting me for a demo and offered to bring their beverage of choice. I had immediate opportunities offered, chose one, and had a great time "auditioning" the speakers and met some great music lovers to boot. I ended up buying the speakers and had them for many years.
I'm sure Volti owners in your area would be happy to show off their speakers. And if you are ever in Tennessee, I know for a fact that Greg would be happy to demo them for you. It's just not that hard to hear things, even if you have to travel a little to do it.
I own a pair of Rival SEs, that I stepped up to from a pair of Razz. I got the Razz to replace a pair of Klipsch Forte IIIs. The Volti's are so obviously in a different league than any of the Klipsch Heritage series that I have heard (everything up to La Scala), that it should be immediately obvious to anyone who listens to them. Hell, just take the testament of the folks who have replaced Klipsch horns with Greg's versions. Volti's also sound great with a variety of amps, I'm currently running AGD Audion Monoblocks (GaNFET amps) and they sound sublime with the Rival SEs. Just one of five amps that I have heard with them and they all sound excellent. These are great speakers, full-stop, no caveats.
I started with a 2005 NB Miata in East Tennessee 18 years ago. Joined the local Miata Club. The weekend drives were a lot of fun. Got to see a lot of East TN and NC. Got the bug in me to get a Z4. It was faster straight line but heavier. Then the Audi TT Roadster. Fast and fun with the grip of all wheel drive. I am the limiting factor with the Audi. The Miata could climb the steep hairpin turns just fast enough and still hold the road. The Audi TT can climb them too fast and start drifting. Things can get a bit too exciting at that point. It goes into a neutral slide but fortunately back off the throttle and the tires quickly regain their grip. Good thing, it can be a long way down.
Like my dad used to say. It’s more fun to drive a slower car quickly than a fast car slowly.
I enjoy every moment in my 2002 (NB) Miata. Never feel like I get to drive it enough. After a hard workday it’s the perfect antidote. Jump in and pretend I’m at Monaco while driving home. I’d make Lewis Hamilton proud, in my head…
That Miata I had was a great little car. A 2006 (NC) with only 18K miles! It was like new still. I loved how simple and reliable it was. Just throw the canvas top back. It's the type of car you can imagine just jumping into without opening the doors and then head down to the beach. Of course I couldn't do that as large and old as I am. lol
@doyle3433- Very cool! I REALLY want a Miata. Always on every serious motojournalist's Top 10 List. The "poor" man's Boxster, and less likely to land you in jail, or cost a fortune to fix (though I would have one of those too!).
Since Greg brought it up, he's a legit car guy too. It was fun to share our mutual enjoyment of a ragtop blast. Mine is a Mazda MX5. Greg has one too. He's no joke while driving, had a blast carving up the country roads with Greg.
I loved your post! Bigger is not always better, and not if you must give up freedoms you want/need. Besides, if you had the Ferrrari instead of the Boxster, you would worry all the time about getting hit by an idiot in an old F150 beater, or robbed, and idiots would be posing all over it for their Instagram photos. "Get off my car!" (in best Clint Eastwood voice)
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
When I look at these speakers, I see Klipsch redux.
I’m not trying to be critical.
If anyone can explain how or why these are made differently or sound different from speakers in the Klipsch line, I’m all ears.
Because used Klipsch speakers are pretty easy to find used and are likely less expensive
Different drivers = Different sound.
Looks like a Faital woofer, BMS mid, etc on Volti...10,000 bucks? No thanks (nothing special or innovative). Some great sounding stuff can be diy’d for way less.
Greg wanted me to point out that the link to his website with the new model is not a completed page and it is still under construction (and they do not cost $7,500).
I guess, in theory, he could have a "generic" tour model...but then again, how are people going to feel about eating two way shipping costs of $500+ if they don't like them....let alone all the finger pointing that could very well occur when a 110lb speaker gets dinged, even slightly, by the shipping company
Volti already offer an unfinished pair of the Razz at a significant reduced price (which is a really cool idea). If the 'touring' model was just for potential customer in-house demos, dealing with marks or dings wouldn't be an issue, and if you like it, you pick your finish (if you want a finish) and order new after you know you like it. Round trip shipping costs for large speakers does seem like an issue though. I personally wouldn't mind paying a demo or rental fee as I listen in my system before I return it or pass it on to the next person on the list. To pay the shipping fees, one would assume you have decent probability of purchasing and the manufacturer direct sales model is offering a price that makes it worth while...
I'm done buying speakers without a return option for scenarios where I cannot listen to it ahead of time. I purchased a pair of new Magico S series speakers from an out of state dealer with no return policy and had never heard Magico but was interested after reading the many positive reviews, and I didn't keep them long term as they were not a great fit for me.
I've owned Forte IIs and Cornwall 3s, so Volti has definitely been on my radar for a while, but I've never heard a pair and live a long way from TN.
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