New speaker concept survey

[jazzers89]

Some friends and I are participating in a university business competition and we'd like to know how our product would be received by the audio enthusiast community. By the way, I can't explain in detail HOW the product would work for obvious IP reasons so just assume that it does, indeed, work.

Product: A flat+thin (5mm) speaker "plate" with excellent frequency reproduction, the ability to have localised sound (coming from any area of the plate) as well as having a longer life span (no moving parts). It would also be more energy efficient since it has no moving parts. It is designed to be extremely scalable to sizes ranging from 1cm squared to 1m squared or more.

Survey:

1.Do you think this idea is profitable in any way, shape or form?
2.Would you buy an iPod dock with this technology?
3.Would you consider buying a flat screen TV with this speaker behind the screen? (This way, action in the video would have sound coming from that section of the screen)
4.Would you consider buying a flat screen TV with these speakers embedded around the screen?
5.Does onboard sound for TVs even matter to you?
6.Would you buy flat speakers just for aesthetics?
7.Would you buy these speakers if they came in a picture frame? (basically hiding the speaker behind a picture)
8.Would you like to see this product embedded in walls for multi-room audio?
9.Do you think current speakers are too large?
10.Do you have any other recommendations? (target market, product integration, etc.)

Thanks for helping!

JP

[el`Ol]

How large does it have to be to get along without a sub? And does it beam with increasing surface?

[LineArray]

Hi El Ol,

as far as i understood, that product is imaginary only.

I wanted to ask similar questions like you did ...

But i think the thread starter maybe does not want to
dicuss "technical restrictions".

On the other hand if i just answer "yes a perfect speaker
looking like this would be very attractive" , what is it worth
without discussing the technical/sonic behaviour of the
imaginary device ?

Maybe the panel can be imagined as an array of micro transducers
which is configurable to any dispersion characteristic we want ?

Bass response is no problem ?

So without getting a bit more specific it is difficult indeed.

Kind Regards

[VeZeSS]

1. Could be.

2. No. I wouldn't buy any iPod dock anyway. Ever.

3. No. Striclty projector..

4. No.

5. No.

6. Yes, if they still sound decent. I wouldn't buy any sound system for just aesthetic if they sound terrible.

7. Yes. But only if they still sound good. I see possible problems with high directivity. (you won't be able to aling them)

8. I wouldn't want to SEE the product embedded in walls. I would like to just hear them. Hide them if you can.

9. Depends. In my opinion, no. If you ask my wife, yes.

10. Maybe this should be marketed for women and interior designers. A lot of people out there wants high fidelity sound systems without WAF.
Make silverscreens with this speaker. Divide it for multiple segments for desired directivity and hide it in the room.

[jazzers89]

LineArray, you're absolutely right, unfortunately this product is entirely fictitious. I was purely testing grounds here to see if there was a business opportunity.

I also didn't connect the dots (my fault) when I first posted this to an audiophile website that people would answer AS audiophiles and not as the general public. This became crystal clear when VeZeSS answered that he "wouldn't buy any iPod dock ever" since this is the FASTEST growing segment of the home audio market.

Ideally, I would have asked these questions to people who value form and convenience over harmonic distortion and a flat frequency response. But unfortunately, there are no forums dedicated to people who moderately like audio...

That being said, thanks a lot for your help

JP

[bear]

And, a brief repeal of the laws of physics would go a long way to realizing such a product...

I think that if you offer up a survey about a ficticious product that offers imaginary features and abilities to see if it is "desireable", that ur taking a poll about not much of anything.

Flying cars anyone?

_-_-bear

[planet10]

Originally posted by jazzers89
we'd like to know how our product would be received by the audio enthusiast community. By the way,

JP,

One doesn't need to guess at how such a product would be accepted by the market, or how much cash would have to be poured in to get any traction... just do a study on NXT.

dave

[planet10]

Originally posted by jazzers89

I also didn't connect the dots (my fault) when I first posted this to an audiophile website that people would answer AS audiophiles and not as the general public. This became crystal clear when VeZeSS answered that he "wouldn't buy any iPod dock ever" since this is the FASTEST growing segment of the home audio market.

A reaction like that is usually tied to the misconceptin that an iPod is tied to MP3. Load it up with Apple Lossless or AIFF files, get a digital stream out of it, and ian iPod can be a world-class digital transport. The Wadia iTransport points the way.

dave

[Saturnus]

First an observation: This sounds like just another "revolutionary" implementation of the ancient sound panel idea that has been around for almost a century

Survey answers:

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No
5. No
6. No
7. No
8. No
9. No
10. No

[Rademakers]

1.Yes, in the right market.
2.No
3.No
4.Sounds better then option 3 but no.
5.No
6.Aesthetics are important to me but I can't see it apart from sound reproduction (that's a no).
7.If it's a really cool picture that has any benefit from sound coming from it ....and it's cheap....or I'm rich ...errr...perhaps? (I mean really, really cool picture).
8.Perhaps.
9......speakers and to large in the same sentence
10. I think you would have a better market among those that now little if at all about audio or care more about the gadget-image it might represent.
In that particular case 7. could be a yes.

Best regards Johan