If you would like to chase improved sound quality it seems important that any judgements about what it is would be reliable.
Must be the price tag, your Parasound sound cheap compared to the BHK. I'm sure the Constellation stuff will take care of the gap.
Waly, I don't think you actually understand how it works: First, we try to make a 'STATEMENT' design, be it phono, line or power. Here we throw everything that we can think of at a design, hoping to make a more successful design than many others. THEN, if we are successful, we strip down the design, losing parts, making a cheaper chassis, etc, but still trying to get the 'essence' of the 'statement' design for the most part. Finally, we make the cheapest design that we think we can get away with, while still holding on to our design reputation, to make something that we can afford. In fact, that is the sort of Parasound power amp that I normally listen to. Not perfect, BUT pretty darn acceptable.
When it comes to really expensive stuff, it is mostly the equipment case that takes the big money. Second, might be the absolute ability, like extremely low noise, extremely high power, etc that adds parts and complexity to the design.
The final price is usually based on the basic cost of materials and the 'hassle factor' of making a limited number of units with no obvious defects. Nobody today is getting rich on audio electronics design, to the best of my knowledge.
When it comes to really expensive stuff, it is mostly the equipment case that takes the big money. Second, might be the absolute ability, like extremely low noise, extremely high power, etc that adds parts and complexity to the design.
The final price is usually based on the basic cost of materials and the 'hassle factor' of making a limited number of units with no obvious defects. Nobody today is getting rich on audio electronics design, to the best of my knowledge.
And that you call an answer?
edit, I could give you similar answer and we can go in a circle for ever.
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I am not trying to be unpleasant, but there does seem to be some double-standards here since I actually am in the same position and been accused of being a huckster, charlatan and a swill?
What is "cash-flow"?
Again, I see nothing wrong with it - just don't judge the entire worth of a man.
Also not trying to be unpleasant. Vacuphile has made only a couple of very vague references to developing something that is licensed by the Harman Group (iirc?), whereas you seem much more forward both in claims of your work and saying, "look at what my customers are saying!"
No shame at all in making money off this!
This conversation comes up over and over. Where to improve our audio systems and what comes up again and again is our speakers are the weakest link in the chain. I don't discount any of the circuit designers and admire those who can design at the limits of the current devices that are available. Whether that is JC or Demian, or Bcarso, or some so call amateur there are some really excellent circuit designers in this thread and in others. Others are masters at testing and finding fault or hidden flaws in those designs.
But when it comes to the speaker side of things the best I am seeing are those who can design an active filter or even use the newest dsp chips to fix problems that inherent in so many speaker systems. Others seem to think that taking the same speakers used in so many other boxes and building a new box are advancing the art. There are very few if any who would consider actually building a driver from parts, even commodity parts or starting from scratch and building a speaker. This is where I have been working and it is indeed a lonely area of development, this is the real area that needs development and the most likely to be overlooked or just ignored. I'm tired of looking at pretty pictures of the next design using the highest cost Seas or Dynaudio JBl or whatever driver, it gets to the point where it is just a rehashed design that looks different but sounds like every other iteration of these designs.
I'd love to see some thought put into real speaker development, I know I'm not the only one who can do this, but this seems to be why we are stuck with the same sound we've had forever. I know there must be some who are as adept at mechanical design as those who are at electrical design. It would be nice to see some of those step up and look at what has been so standardized by now, take a clean look at what can be changed and put in some time.
But when it comes to the speaker side of things the best I am seeing are those who can design an active filter or even use the newest dsp chips to fix problems that inherent in so many speaker systems. Others seem to think that taking the same speakers used in so many other boxes and building a new box are advancing the art. There are very few if any who would consider actually building a driver from parts, even commodity parts or starting from scratch and building a speaker. This is where I have been working and it is indeed a lonely area of development, this is the real area that needs development and the most likely to be overlooked or just ignored. I'm tired of looking at pretty pictures of the next design using the highest cost Seas or Dynaudio JBl or whatever driver, it gets to the point where it is just a rehashed design that looks different but sounds like every other iteration of these designs.
I'd love to see some thought put into real speaker development, I know I'm not the only one who can do this, but this seems to be why we are stuck with the same sound we've had forever. I know there must be some who are as adept at mechanical design as those who are at electrical design. It would be nice to see some of those step up and look at what has been so standardized by now, take a clean look at what can be changed and put in some time.
Nobody today is getting rich on audio electronics design, to the best of my knowledge.
I suppose that depends on your definition of rich and design.😉
I suppose that depends on your definition of rich and design.😉
The nonlinear distortion of loudspeakers reduced via integrating motional feedback and incorporating the electronics with the speaker is not a new idea, but vitiates the desire of the typical audiophile to mix and match. And it will be no substitute for good directivity behavior and proper location in a reasonable room. Ditto room correction boxes.
Can't argue with you on that. Fact is speakers are a lot harder than they look to those not well versed in the art . Or putting it another way its a lot easier to screw up a speaker than an amplifier. And looking around the speaker sections of this forum cause a lot more arguments than CFA vs VFA!
But I for one am always happy to learn new skills.
Amazing how well people can understand the mathematics of a circuit and don't have the mechanical design experiences to design a speaker. I know Brad could do it, any others?
It's the paradigm shift (paradigm used correctly). But if you can model a circuit you can model a speaker. If only they were that simple!*
I am afraid I showed very little aptitude for the mechanical side in my first year at uni so dropped that course. In hindsight that was a very dumb thing to have done. But not the dumbest, as you will discover if you ever meet my ex 😉
The good thing is that testing is lot easier than it used to be. laser vibration stuff is still $$$$ but everything else you can do at home or in the garden.
You should try and convert a couple of died in the wool electron herders into speaker designers. You never know what might happen.
* you can design amplifiers with no care to how the ear or room works. Speakers you can't. IMO, happy to be wrong on this.
I am afraid I showed very little aptitude for the mechanical side in my first year at uni so dropped that course. In hindsight that was a very dumb thing to have done. But not the dumbest, as you will discover if you ever meet my ex 😉
The good thing is that testing is lot easier than it used to be. laser vibration stuff is still $$$$ but everything else you can do at home or in the garden.
You should try and convert a couple of died in the wool electron herders into speaker designers. You never know what might happen.
* you can design amplifiers with no care to how the ear or room works. Speakers you can't. IMO, happy to be wrong on this.
I think you mean shill, personally I think all those words are too strong. You certainly have a unique kind of over enthusiasm, you would do well to consider some of the criticisms based on solid engineering principles and be open to changing your beliefs.
Bill,
I guess we were on the opposite sides of this, I always found the mechanical side of things much easier and intuitive. Materials and mechanics are something I can put in my hands and understand, electronics are so circuitous, no pun intended.
I guess we were on the opposite sides of this, I always found the mechanical side of things much easier and intuitive. Materials and mechanics are something I can put in my hands and understand, electronics are so circuitous, no pun intended.
Scott,
I know you understand the equivalent circuit to a speaker design, I guess the actual physical design is something very different. Basically an AC solenoid is all it is and then some mechanical parts. I guess all those years of building things and working with advanced materials did come in handy. I wish I had stuck with electronics courses though, you all make it seem so easy.
I know you understand the equivalent circuit to a speaker design, I guess the actual physical design is something very different. Basically an AC solenoid is all it is and then some mechanical parts. I guess all those years of building things and working with advanced materials did come in handy. I wish I had stuck with electronics courses though, you all make it seem so easy.
You nailed it, I reduced the problem to a pile of SPICE simulations using some carefully done on axis frequency responses and speaker impedance plots. The result, to be fair was OK but nothing special to say the least.
With some pain I say the three words men never utter, "I don't Know".
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