Hi.
For the reductionists who want to think that everything about an audio component can be determined by a single item such as a driver, I suppose this is an interesting discussion.
For people interested in the sound quality of a speaker system, most know that drivers are only a part of it.
The Caravelles are priced, based upon our manufacturing costs, and the costs of doing business. There is no "additional markup" based on "thin air", as some seem to be intimating.
While some may seem to be of the opinion that quality drivers, which don't happen to cost a fortune, cannot be a part of a state-of-the-art speaker system, they are in for a surprise when they actually hear the Caravelle.
We look at it from a value/performance perspective, and actually consider it a testament to our overall technology implemented in these speakers, which allows performance levels which were previously thought impossible with "off the shelf" driver elements. It can be quite shocking to find how much performance is available from these fine drivers, when they are placed in the right setting, using our technology. The key to this speaker system is what we do with the drivers, and what we do with the enclosure, and the crossover, not what some parts cost "off the shelf" from a parts supplier. We tried some very expensive drivers in this design, and the ones that worked the best in our application were the ones we picked. The cost of the drivers was coincidental, and the performance with the crossover and the enclosure was primary. Think what you like, but please listen to the system before flogging us about our decision.
For those unfamiliar with our enclosure, it is by far the most expensive part of this speaker system, and is one of the key factors which allows us to produce this level of performance. The costs of these specialized one-piece composite cabinets dwarfs the costs of all of the rest of the individual parts. For those of you familiar with our company's concepts, you know why we have chosen this route. For those unfamiliar, we at Starsound use highly specialized vibration management technology to improve the sound quality of many aspects of audio and video systems, and this is our main contribution to the music reproduction world. All our products are based around this concept, and the Caravelle is no exception. As such, we placed a very strong emphasis on this aspect of the Caravelle's design and manufacture, which is truly responsible for what they sound like. Unfortunately for some, it was a costly endeavor, which cost far more than a wood or MDF box imported from another country, that would have mightily reduced the cost; but would have made the Caravelle just "another monitor" without the performance benefits that are garnering all the accolades we hear. This is the VALUE of the Caravelles, not just the PRICE. Sure, we could have made it cheap and average sounding, but we preferred to make it a top performer. To do this, we had to go above and beyond the normal way of doing things. The competitive high-end monitor speaker category is tough to beat, and it requires some innovative thinking to do it. And often, this costs money to implement properly, and it certainly did in this case.
We're not hiding anything from anybody. Our drivers, cabinet construction, specifications, concepts and ideas, and performance levels have all been mentioned and discussed at length many times on various forums. Just like in this thread, it always seems to be a "lightning rod" for controversy from some detractors. We've come to expect this.
We're letting our Caravelles stand on their own two feet(stands), and they are standing pretty tall all by themselves. This is our speaker design, that we have presented for sale on the market. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy this(or any) speaker, and it is up to the purchasers to decide what is best for them.
For those hobbyists wishing to try for more performance from the same or different drivers, in their DIY box, the drivers are readily available for them to try it. It's a free market. Any DIY builder who can beat the sound of the Caravelles with his own design and saves some money, more power to him. Consider it a challenge.
Just remember, the key to a good purchase is VALUE. What degree of performance are you getting for your money? An old adage states,"The bitterness of poor value remains long after the sweetness of cheap price is forgotten." We strive to provide VALUE in our products, which will stand up to the rigors of competition at the price-point in the marketplace. And that is exactly what we have provided in the Caravelle.
Nobody can please everyone, and the ones we wish to satisfy are our customers. We've revealed all about our speakers, our technology, and our company's concepts, to everyone willing to listen. Some will buy, and some will not. That's the way of the world.
Some anonymous WW2 flyer once said,"You get the most flack, when you are over the target." If that's true, then we must be pretty close right now. But, we would really prefer it if the people shooting at us would at least know what they are shooting at, before they pull the trigger. Knowing what "Driver X" sounds like in another totally different design, is no way of knowing how it sounds in ours. Perhaps if they actually listened to the Caravelles, they could actually make some meaningful comments that go beyond self-serving, uninformed conjecture. If you haven't listened to it, you don't know. Period.
In closing, I hope everyone is enjoying their audio systems, as much as we enjoy ours. We welcome questions and auditions from any interested parties, and we provide ways for them to do this by contacting us by phone or email. I'm also happy to entertain questions and respond to comments on the forum, and on this thread.
Tom Lyons
Starsound Technologies
