You read the title- craigslist ad for some brand new-ish pair for $40~ and I wanted to hear them just to hear how bad these speakers really were. I also wanted the cabinets (you can't even find wood/veneer for that price) which were a decent configuration dual 8", mid 5" and some tweeter in ported cab.
audiofile 830lr maple with black drivers
The cabinet's easy- more bracing, tuning, etc.
The question now is how bad the drivers are? Out of the box the woofers seemed to bottom out (on a max 35w amp) and had muffled midrange and tinny highs. compared to a pair of Energy Floorstanders and a pair of open baffles.
But how much do you think it cost to make these from the factory? The bare minimum I would think for some 8" woofers to produce, $5-10? So in comparing these ultra low end to the ultra low end spectrum of PE stuff, in these cases- sub $5-20 products (Jamo, Peerless)-
Judging by looks, did these scammers really just throw together anything that worked? Are these drivers that much worse than low end, or was it bad execution? Crossover Design? Heck, maybe better cabinetry would do it.
For example~ based on well reviewed products:
4 woofers (299-112 $17), 2 5" mids (280-012 $10), 2 tweeters (270-018 $9), so we're talking about a total cost of $36 in drivers from PE. (I just found parts and matched fr for example) Assuming all design goes well (xover, cabinet), what am I going to expect here? I just find it odd that the manufacturer would even bother with *some* bracing, *some* filling, but absolute fail in driver/design.
Btw, I actually took another glance and these parts actually might mate well surprisingly, db matched okay as well.
audiofile 830lr maple with black drivers
The cabinet's easy- more bracing, tuning, etc.
The question now is how bad the drivers are? Out of the box the woofers seemed to bottom out (on a max 35w amp) and had muffled midrange and tinny highs. compared to a pair of Energy Floorstanders and a pair of open baffles.
But how much do you think it cost to make these from the factory? The bare minimum I would think for some 8" woofers to produce, $5-10? So in comparing these ultra low end to the ultra low end spectrum of PE stuff, in these cases- sub $5-20 products (Jamo, Peerless)-
Judging by looks, did these scammers really just throw together anything that worked? Are these drivers that much worse than low end, or was it bad execution? Crossover Design? Heck, maybe better cabinetry would do it.
For example~ based on well reviewed products:
4 woofers (299-112 $17), 2 5" mids (280-012 $10), 2 tweeters (270-018 $9), so we're talking about a total cost of $36 in drivers from PE. (I just found parts and matched fr for example) Assuming all design goes well (xover, cabinet), what am I going to expect here? I just find it odd that the manufacturer would even bother with *some* bracing, *some* filling, but absolute fail in driver/design.
Btw, I actually took another glance and these parts actually might mate well surprisingly, db matched okay as well.
Are the buyouts worth it you asked. The answer is usually no but there are those who actually like the sound. If you have to refurbish everything from the cabinets to the drivers then how does that put you ahead in any way? 3/8" or 1/2" particle board or MDF usually needs more than just bracing, it needs doubling up. If the vinyl begins to delaminate in the first year, you really haven't gained anything have you? The cost of producing drivers in other parts of the world are a lot less than the prices you have suggested.
Usually it's the Second owner who buys them for $40-60 the first suckers shell out $200-300 for a pair seeing $1200 MSRP each sticker on the box. IMHO they are OK speakers for $100 and probably sound more competent than most first designed DIY efforts using 100-200% marked up by distibutors "proper drivers"
Pair of Audiofile 830LR Speakers *MINT CONDITION* - eBay (item 300521442674 end time Mar-03-11 02:27:15 PST)
I say have fun with them. I think an easier beginner project than many, all you need is xo help which you need some patience to learn, or might find at a local (to you) club or DIY show.
Someone gave me an unused pair of Digital Whatever speakers that I assume were the white van type. I unpacked one and set it up in my living room. It's a very nice looking box and the sound, while no match for my venerable AR-3s, is quite acceptable. In terms of performance I feel they are worth $100 each or so. Maybe they are unreliable or will fall apart but so far no problems.
Those white van speakers must be getting crappier as time goes by, my step father bought a pair of "Digital liquid cooled" 12+3+2" ..... the woofer was translucent polypropylene about twenty years ago . They're still on his main stereo! And the funny thing is they don't sound too bad ,as long as you don't put more than ten watts into them
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.