It isn't. It's about how it sounds. To whom etc? Good question. And the answer is, that's one of the main reasons they sound different
Expensive could mean a lot of thing. The one most likely is the correct answer.
andy2: To ease your longing for an answer, here is one. I have worked on designing (technically) a loudspeaker for almost 8 months now, I still on the theoretical level and will commence the first - in several - constructions which probably will take 1-2 years including drivers, crossover network etc to complete. I know people who have constantly upgraded or changed things as long as a decade. When it is done has nothing to do with the time frame you are working within. Look at Bowers&Wilkins, a commercial company. Their 800 series have gone through incremental changes over 35 years, starting with the Matrix and now the 800D3 series. While one might say: Yes but, each change was released as a complete and finished product. That might be true, but even B&W themselves state that and I quote:
Done is a relative term just as 'The best loudspeakers I ever heard' is a relative and extremely subjective statement.
Who the h*** knows when someone consider something ready, done, absolute, beautiful, excellent etc. Only you know.
- Oneminde -
http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/speakers/bowers-wilkins-800-series-a-history-of-innovations/
- Link:
Done is a relative term just as 'The best loudspeakers I ever heard' is a relative and extremely subjective statement.
Who the h*** knows when someone consider something ready, done, absolute, beautiful, excellent etc. Only you know.
- Oneminde -
http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/speakers/bowers-wilkins-800-series-a-history-of-innovations/
I supposed B&W exists in their own little universe. If I told my employer it will have no time frame and it will take no more/no less than needed to be, I think you'll know what happens, to put it kindly.
But of course if you live in your own little universe, it doesn't matter.
Some are driven by money and others by passion. The framework of any project reflect the goal in itself.
Exactly.! So, what justify to spend two years designing an speaker ?? Nothing but an extreme passion that makes the designer believes until more time he spends, it will be better. At the end, a listening session with "qualified listeners" ?? will dictate the verdict. Since not everybody likes to listen to the music the same way, who can say the speaker is right or wrong ?? I will give you an example, Thiel speakers. They are totally rolled off for rock and "live" music. They are dark sounding speakers for this kind of music, however, they are famous and preferred by many classic music listeners. I can not say Thiel speakers are bad or have been designed wrongly. They have a reputation and a name behind them. This is a very subjective topic. A group of people may like an speaker tuned in a way but others may not find it a good sounding speaker.
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I started designing new speakers a couple of weeks ago. I pulled out parts from the shelves and did simulations and bugged the forum. Cabinet plans are drafted. Cabinets need to be built. Drivers for the cabinets need to get delivered. A day will be spent making impedance plots and "battery tests" to get the stuffing of the cabinets in order. I need to get on the lathe and make horn adapters. I need to borrow a dsp to get the crossover points and slopes right. Then build a passive crossover because I want to. I'm through the phase of listening to different capacitors, so, well, I guess the speakers are done mid April.
Yeah, right....
Yeah, right....
Yes, but still the results are judged by preferences. The fact that you may spend two or more years designing them don't mean everybody will like them or more time designing is equal to a better sounding. (may be for the person who evaluates it)
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Totally agree with you.! I still don't know the universal or standard speaker.
I don't think it is a good marketing strategy to keep the same design for years and years. B&W has to sell and people like to hear about a "new model" " an improved model", "a better sounding than the old models" If that is true or not, who knows ??
Well isn't that the truth. We - as in all of us - are slaves to the latest news and ye, companies must stay afloat.
What I wanted to say is a "new" model doesn't mean a better sounding speakers. It could be or I couldn't be. Still, companies need to change models based on marketing. A better looking speakers is sometimes what they need to sell even sacrificing sound quality.
- Its not all humbug, does who have spent some time checking classic and modern drivers know that changes does happen, mostly to the membrane material and some to the motor, meaning manufacturers can increase the performance and decrease or move the breakup further up past the human hearing. I am thinking about ceramic materials.
- Then there is cabinet material, baffle diffraction compensation (BDC), baffle step compensation (BSC), damping materials etc which more than likely require a manufacturer to change its model lineup. While the later can be argued as; That has been taken care of and there is nothing new - customers who are not as technically inclined or involved does not know this, so for them, if "their" favorite company add or change some of does aspects and claim it improves, they are probably correct, but in reality are not adding as much as one might think. This sounds like criticism and in a way it is, but we also need to remember that spite wanting to do something does not always mean you can, for many reasons.
- Then there is way of production which in many ways is more than likely going to change profit margin, time, cost ... etc.
- Very few company's produce classic monitors which look like something from the 70's, its not trendy to do so, aka design and visual aspects is very important to people.
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