erik_squires

Responses from erik_squires

What makes an expensive speaker expensive
Not really. The R&D, and design costs are fixed, but the number of units sold is not.  If you double the units sold, you cut your R&D investment per unit in half.  Now whether that investment actually produces "better" sounding equipment i... 
Speaker Pricing and Reviews
Ohlala, the power of full page ads.  If you really want to be offended, listen to Golden Ear Triton 5's.  To be honest, the B&W's sound far less offensive than the GET's despite sharing a frequency response. Whatever the problem with the GET's... 
Speaker Pricing and Reviews
Waterz, that's actually really good advice. I use liquid soap in the shower for just such a reason.  Regular use of it and the shower stream in the ear canal keeps my ears unobstructed. As soon as I hear the center of the music balance shift, I kn... 
What makes an expensive speaker expensive
The real answer, is in the slide from Focal. Modernity, brand, perceived advancement. All of these contribute to what consumers perceive as value. I’m sure there’s more. However, there’s no real connection between cost or quality of the parts and ... 
Magico S1 Mk II - The First Review
Being smooth and being flat are two different things. Lots of "high end" speakers have a terrible and inconsistent high end. Wilson, B&W, Focal. Not smooth. The Magico S1’s did not sound ragged to me at all. In fact it sounded very smooth and ... 
Great bookshelf or small towers suggestions
If you are buying store brands, Monitor Audio Silver series, no question, especially used.  If you are up for making it yourself, or having it made, the ZRT's will devastate the B&W's or Focal's in the range. Add about $900 to the kit part for... 
Magico S1 Mk II - The First Review
You absolutely should get something that makes you want to listen to them! :)  My current speakers make non-audiophiles stop talking in mid-sentence just to listen to what's playing. Personally that's what I seek out. Then I end up loosing sleep b... 
Magico S1 Mk II - The First Review
Maybe this would help. By comparison to the Wilson Sasha Mk 2s or B&W 802D’s (last ones I heard) the Magico’s missed nothing. The B&W’s and Wilson’s I’ve listened to by comparison made me feel the treble kind of stopped too soon or I was m... 
Magico S1 Mk II - The First Review
By comparison, I think the Magico's are far better built than the Focal's, which is why I was so bent out of shape. Bent pressboard cabinets, miniature, underdamped tweeter motors and crossovers deliberately designed to create a low impedance in t... 
Speaker Pricing and Reviews
I wanted to post something else. I make really neutral measuring and low distortion speakers. I don't sell any but my designs are free and on my blog. One thing I've noticed, is that music lovers love my speakers, and when they listen they want to... 
Speaker Pricing and Reviews
gdhal,What I don't believe is that a speaker as non-neutral as the B&W 802's or Golden Ears are being touted as the best available. As other critics have written, my ears hurt from listening to treble boosted that much. So, either the speakers... 
What makes an expensive speaker expensive
There are exceptions to the rule. I'm just saying that in general, this is how they seem to line up, the blanket reason being business, marketing and making money. Not that I'm against any of that. I'm against low value, juiced speakers being tout... 
Speaker Pricing and Reviews
No, not at all, but it's a lot cheaper to buy a nanoDIGI to alter the FR for $170to match your hearing loss than to buy a speaker for tens of thousands of dollars. :) It's also not nearly neutral, so don't sell it to me as such. Best,Erik  
What makes an expensive speaker expensive
I did a lot of research on this subject. The answer is, roughly, driver prices and gimmicks. For most high end speakers (and I use the term pejoratively) the final cost is between 20 and 30x the cost of the DRIVERS of one speaker. I know, you’d th... 
Speaker Pricing and Reviews
Doh! Sorry, too many "http" strings. http://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2016/05/stereophile-reviews-data-doesnt-lie.htmlhttp://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-cynical-introduction-to-speaker.html