I caught this in a car audio forum. i dont know nearly enough to comment on what really happened, so i'll just stick to the reporting:
http://www.ascendantaudio.com/
..:: Announcement ::..
As most of our customers know, we are a licensee of XBL2^TM technology. We use it in all of our products to date. We have been very supportive of this technology for its performance and advantages over some other standard motor technologies. We also pay a royalty directly to Adire Audio for every driver that we produce for the use of this technology. We have had nothing but praise for the performance of this technology in our products and have vocally supported XBL2^TM on the internet and to our customers.
It recently has come to our attention that there was a public statement made by the owner of Adire Audio. He commented specifically about XBL^2 technology being used by companies other than themselves.
This is the quoted reply from Dan Wiggins from Adire Audio in regards to XBL^2:
"You even presume that other XBL^2 drivers are equivalent to ours... Ever done some objective measurements to back that up? I have, and many OEMs have, and I can tell you that just because it says XBL^2 does not mean it's equal to all other XBL^2 drivers..."
After spending thousands of dollars on tooling the XBL2^TM motors for our Atlas and Avalanche subwoofers as well as paying thousands of dollars in royalties for their technology, we find the above statement to be rather disconcerting. To make a statement like this about their technology just doesn't make sense to us. Why would anybody want to license XBL2^TM from Adire if they are going to publicly state "just because it says XBL^2 does not mean it's equal to all other XBL^2 drivers..." Why would we want to license a technology from a company that actually disparages their own technology?
We are no longer comfortable carrying or using XBL2^TM technology in our products.
We have another technology available to us that performs virtually the same if not better and there is no royalty fee. After reading the above post from Mr. Wiggins, we have decided to re-tool our subwoofer motors and use this new technology instead.
To make this as clear as possible, we would like to reiterate our stance: We were VERY happy with XBL2^TM technology in our products. It offered some advantages over other motors. However, we refuse to use a technology when the company we are licensing it from makes a statement that is detrimental to their licensees.
Beyond this, we have a low distortion flat-BL technology waiting in the wings which does not cost us anything to use. We feel that this switch was made necessary by the public comments outlined above.
As a result, we will be selling off the remainder of our XBL2^TM subwoofers at a reduced price. The focus will now be to move on to our other technology. We have a relatively limited number of drivers available. We want to clear out the remainder of XBL2^TM subwoofers to make room for the mk II versions of the Avalanche and the Atlas as well as the other new subwoofer line(s) that we will be offering. The remaining Atlas subwoofers should be ready within one month at the latest. The Avalanche subwoofers will be ready within two months at the latest.
..:: Pricing ::..
The price for the remaining subwoofers will be as follows:
Atlas 12 - $145 $100
Atlas 15 - $160 $105
Avalanche 12 - $280 $200
Avalanche 15 - $299 $225
Avalanche 18 - $399 $275
As mentioned above, there is a relatively limited number of subwoofers that will be available for sale. Once they are gone, they are gone. The majority of drivers for sale will be the Avalanche 12. We do not expect the drivers to last long at these prices. We will be offering the drivers for sale before they are completely assembled as many will want to "reserve a place in line" to take advantage of the one-time lower prices. We anticipate that many people will want to take advantage of this one-time situation and get an exceptional driver or two at an unusually low price.
..:: Ordering ::..
We will be taking all orders over the phone. Since we anticipate a vary high volume of calls, emails will take longer than normal to answer. We apologize ahead of time to those who are inconvenienced.
Phone: 1-815-477-2423
Store Hours: 10 am - 8 pm
..:: Availability ::..
To clarify the driver availability, here is where we stand: We are awaiting the delivery of the custom dust caps for the remainder of both the Avalanche and Atlas subwoofers. The last batch of dust caps was sent with the wrong diameter/angle mounting rings that attach the carbon fiber dust cap to the cone itself. The Atlas subwoofers will be ready to ship within one month at the latest. The Avalanche subwoofers will be ready within two months at the latest.
..:: New Drivers and Warranty ::..
After reading the above paragraphs, most will undoubtedly have a few serious questions on their mind. We will answer them for you right here and now.
1) How will your new products perform without XBL2^TM technology?
As stated earlier, we have access to another technology that does virtually the same thing as XBL^2. It gives the driver a flat BL curve just like XBL2^TM. However, this technology does not cost us anything to use. We actually modeled up our new 6.5 inch midrange in both XBL2^TM and the new technology and ended up with nearly identical results. The 6.5 will now also be built with this non-XBL2^TM technology.
Power handling etc. is the same if not a little higher. Specs on the new versions of our subwoofers will also be very similar, although they may change slightly if we choose improve the drivers further. The new versions of the Avalanche and Atlas will offer the same performance as the originals, just with a different approach to a flat BL curve.
2) What about the support for existing Avalanche and Atlas subwoofers?
We will continue to stock replacement parts for existing Avalanche and Atlas drivers. Our warranty continues to exist as stated on all of our drivers. Recones will be just as easy to obtain in the future as they are right now. The soft parts (cone, surround, spider, dust cap, etc.) for both drivers are the same. This makes repairs and service very simple and easy.
3) What are Ascendant Audio's plans for the future?
Our company is growing very quickly thanks to the support of our customers and their enjoyment of our products. We have already begun tooling the new versions of the Avalanche and the Atlas. However, there is also at least one other subwoofer line that has been designed and will probably be released with the newer Avalanche and Atlas subwoofers. Our customer support will continue to be our top priority. Our subwoofers will also continue to be produced in the U.S. not overseas. We are not going anywhere. We are simply clearing out our remaining XBL2^TM stock and rebuilding our lineup with the newer technology. Our success so far has been a result of us taking care of our customers, and we want to continue to do so with the best technology available.
http://www.ascendantaudio.com/
..:: Announcement ::..
As most of our customers know, we are a licensee of XBL2^TM technology. We use it in all of our products to date. We have been very supportive of this technology for its performance and advantages over some other standard motor technologies. We also pay a royalty directly to Adire Audio for every driver that we produce for the use of this technology. We have had nothing but praise for the performance of this technology in our products and have vocally supported XBL2^TM on the internet and to our customers.
It recently has come to our attention that there was a public statement made by the owner of Adire Audio. He commented specifically about XBL^2 technology being used by companies other than themselves.
This is the quoted reply from Dan Wiggins from Adire Audio in regards to XBL^2:
"You even presume that other XBL^2 drivers are equivalent to ours... Ever done some objective measurements to back that up? I have, and many OEMs have, and I can tell you that just because it says XBL^2 does not mean it's equal to all other XBL^2 drivers..."
After spending thousands of dollars on tooling the XBL2^TM motors for our Atlas and Avalanche subwoofers as well as paying thousands of dollars in royalties for their technology, we find the above statement to be rather disconcerting. To make a statement like this about their technology just doesn't make sense to us. Why would anybody want to license XBL2^TM from Adire if they are going to publicly state "just because it says XBL^2 does not mean it's equal to all other XBL^2 drivers..." Why would we want to license a technology from a company that actually disparages their own technology?
We are no longer comfortable carrying or using XBL2^TM technology in our products.
We have another technology available to us that performs virtually the same if not better and there is no royalty fee. After reading the above post from Mr. Wiggins, we have decided to re-tool our subwoofer motors and use this new technology instead.
To make this as clear as possible, we would like to reiterate our stance: We were VERY happy with XBL2^TM technology in our products. It offered some advantages over other motors. However, we refuse to use a technology when the company we are licensing it from makes a statement that is detrimental to their licensees.
Beyond this, we have a low distortion flat-BL technology waiting in the wings which does not cost us anything to use. We feel that this switch was made necessary by the public comments outlined above.
As a result, we will be selling off the remainder of our XBL2^TM subwoofers at a reduced price. The focus will now be to move on to our other technology. We have a relatively limited number of drivers available. We want to clear out the remainder of XBL2^TM subwoofers to make room for the mk II versions of the Avalanche and the Atlas as well as the other new subwoofer line(s) that we will be offering. The remaining Atlas subwoofers should be ready within one month at the latest. The Avalanche subwoofers will be ready within two months at the latest.
..:: Pricing ::..
The price for the remaining subwoofers will be as follows:
Atlas 12 - $145 $100
Atlas 15 - $160 $105
Avalanche 12 - $280 $200
Avalanche 15 - $299 $225
Avalanche 18 - $399 $275
As mentioned above, there is a relatively limited number of subwoofers that will be available for sale. Once they are gone, they are gone. The majority of drivers for sale will be the Avalanche 12. We do not expect the drivers to last long at these prices. We will be offering the drivers for sale before they are completely assembled as many will want to "reserve a place in line" to take advantage of the one-time lower prices. We anticipate that many people will want to take advantage of this one-time situation and get an exceptional driver or two at an unusually low price.
..:: Ordering ::..
We will be taking all orders over the phone. Since we anticipate a vary high volume of calls, emails will take longer than normal to answer. We apologize ahead of time to those who are inconvenienced.
Phone: 1-815-477-2423
Store Hours: 10 am - 8 pm
..:: Availability ::..
To clarify the driver availability, here is where we stand: We are awaiting the delivery of the custom dust caps for the remainder of both the Avalanche and Atlas subwoofers. The last batch of dust caps was sent with the wrong diameter/angle mounting rings that attach the carbon fiber dust cap to the cone itself. The Atlas subwoofers will be ready to ship within one month at the latest. The Avalanche subwoofers will be ready within two months at the latest.
..:: New Drivers and Warranty ::..
After reading the above paragraphs, most will undoubtedly have a few serious questions on their mind. We will answer them for you right here and now.
1) How will your new products perform without XBL2^TM technology?
As stated earlier, we have access to another technology that does virtually the same thing as XBL^2. It gives the driver a flat BL curve just like XBL2^TM. However, this technology does not cost us anything to use. We actually modeled up our new 6.5 inch midrange in both XBL2^TM and the new technology and ended up with nearly identical results. The 6.5 will now also be built with this non-XBL2^TM technology.
Power handling etc. is the same if not a little higher. Specs on the new versions of our subwoofers will also be very similar, although they may change slightly if we choose improve the drivers further. The new versions of the Avalanche and Atlas will offer the same performance as the originals, just with a different approach to a flat BL curve.
2) What about the support for existing Avalanche and Atlas subwoofers?
We will continue to stock replacement parts for existing Avalanche and Atlas drivers. Our warranty continues to exist as stated on all of our drivers. Recones will be just as easy to obtain in the future as they are right now. The soft parts (cone, surround, spider, dust cap, etc.) for both drivers are the same. This makes repairs and service very simple and easy.
3) What are Ascendant Audio's plans for the future?
Our company is growing very quickly thanks to the support of our customers and their enjoyment of our products. We have already begun tooling the new versions of the Avalanche and the Atlas. However, there is also at least one other subwoofer line that has been designed and will probably be released with the newer Avalanche and Atlas subwoofers. Our customer support will continue to be our top priority. Our subwoofers will also continue to be produced in the U.S. not overseas. We are not going anywhere. We are simply clearing out our remaining XBL2^TM stock and rebuilding our lineup with the newer technology. Our success so far has been a result of us taking care of our customers, and we want to continue to do so with the best technology available.
We're pretty demanding customers.
