Is it possible to buy directly from the source who sells BG their Neo3s/Neo8s?

[thadman]

I read somewhere on here that you can purchase the drivers directly from the company who sells Bohlender Graebener their Neo3 and Neo8 drivers...at a very low cost ~$10/driver if you purchased a very large number of them, but I cant seem to find the thread again even after multiple attempts at searching. I'd be looking to purchase 40-50 drivers, something on that order.

Just wondering if anybody had any information on this, thanks

[FastEddy]

... my guess is: similar speakers may be available from a number of speakers sources, but not the exact models with the exact same specifications.

Another guess is that the BG company has their propriatary designs made with the understanding that their propriatary designs will not be sold to anyone else ... that's what the whole idea behind unique, propriatary designs is ... the exact design/part numbers/specs, only from the company, only at their price.

" ... the company is based in Carson City, Nevada where it markets its unique products throughout the world under the BG, Radia and Radia Pro brand names as well as on an OEM basis. ..."

Lastly, you might try simply contacting the factory directly ( http://www.bgcorp.com/ ) ... who knows, they might give you a nice break on an order for 40 or more.

[nate]

Buying BG drivers direct means buying them from BG.

If you are a manufacturer, then you can buy in bulk from BG for a lower price otherwise, parts express is pretty much your only option.


Nate

[FastEddy]

" ... f you are a manufacturer, then you can buy in bulk from BG ..."

Well, calling the sales manager at BG would resolve this question. My best guess is that they would be quite forthcoming to anyone wishing to buy 40 drivers ...

[chipco3434]

Many years I was at a large sales meeting... The sales manager asked, "Do you why we use distributors?"

Some answers from the territory managers included:
1. It's a good place to make phone calls.
2. It's a nice place to take a dump with trade magazines.
3. To ascertain credit.

Ding ding ding.

Good distributors are good because of their "word". They pay in "net 30". They order and don't cancel. They call with real inquiries that will generally pan out. They provide a buffer of stock on their shelves to smooth the supply chain. Although I'm not in the audio business, I would expect that the distributor discount is typcially ~35%. Manufacturer's may add to this discount when in need to move product or aggressively push new products. Further, if the relationship is very good, you can expect the occasional call where the manufacurer must move some product before the end of the quarter or year. Then its "35 and 10" with a "net 90".

Group buys, by definition, don't really have this advantage. When operating in the committee/consensus mode, there is inherently a delay in communication that does not benefit the manufacturer. Nor, can they be confident of the credit worthiness of the customer(s).

Lastly, the manufacturer risks his relationship with their distributors by "selling direct". Make no mistake, we are not the customers. The customer is the distributor. From the manufacturer's perspective, we are endusers. It is niave to believe that PE would watch passively whilst a GB occurs for 40 BG drivers. If I was on the PE side, I would be certain to 1) call the BG manager; 2) dramatically reduce the price of the current BG inventory in a sale offering; 3) make sure that my offshore (Chinese) suppliers had sample BG drivers on Monday morning. I would be confident that the BG sales manager would have a clear perspective of how I felt about that "direct sale". For forty pieces? Maybe for 400 pieces, but then that's an OEM sale, and that might even include a "nickel" (5%) for a distributor.

Sure, the manufacturer needs endusers, but as developed over 200 years of wide geographical distribution (USA), they REALLY NEED distributors. The internet is flattening the distribution picture, but the financial reasons for distribution have not really changed.

[FastEddy]

Yes ... distributors rule!!

(Ten years ago I couldn't even spell eCommerce Distributor ... now I are one.)

[JohanH]

Originally posted by thadman
I read somewhere on here that you can purchase the drivers directly from the company who sells Bohlender Graebener their Neo3 and Neo8 drivers...at a very low cost ~$10/driver if you purchased a very large number of them, but I cant seem to find the thread again even after multiple attempts at searching. I'd be looking to purchase 40-50 drivers, something on that order.

Just wondering if anybody had any information on this, thanks

Do you mean these?
http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11704...r_Ribbon_.html

Cheers,
Johan

[thadman]

Yeah, how much do they cost in bulk?

[LineSource]

Originally posted by thadman
I read somewhere on here that you can purchase the drivers directly from the company who sells Bohlender Graebener their Neo3 and Neo8 drivers...at a very low cost ~$10/driver if you purchased a very large number of them

I also "read somewhere" that BG manufactures significantly better quality long (60"-72") planar speakers for OEMs like Genesis than a DIY'er can purchase through normal suppliers. These drivers are said to have better efficiency plus extended 20Khz frequency response from separate tweeter + midrange foil patterns on the same lighter weight film. If you are building a linesource, this might be closer to the Holy Grail than many small drivers.

[JohanH]

http://www.hg-audio.com.tw/ribbon-RM8403.htm

Cheers