New Fad? The kit speaker.. way to go?

[DaveyF]

Today, I had the pleasure of listening to the new PBN speaker that comes in a kit form.
The speaker was very impressive and could easily compete with speakers that were 3-5 times the price.

Now the interesting thing about this speaker....called the PBN 'Pennywise' ..( I kid you NOT)
is the similarity to the Wilson Sophia but at a fraction of the price.

Link: http://www.pbnaudio.com/speakers/pennywise-series

The idea is to bring a good quality speaker to the market and to save the customer $$ by requiring the basic construction, except for the box, to be at the end-user's time.

This is nothing new of course, Heathkit did something similar in the day, however, IMO this speaker is a real bargain for anyone that has some ability. ( Unfortunately, I do NOT count myself as one of those people )
I think Peter Noerbaek is onto something here that may have been lost in the hobby and now is ripe to be exploited.
If I was in the speaker market in the $4K price range and had any ability with electronics, this would be a no-brainer.
Perhaps, this is the way of the future for hobbyists that want a system that is outstanding but would otherwise be priced out of the market.
I certainly think so!

 

[rbbert]

VMPS still sells many (perhaps even all) of its models as kits if you so desire, and they are pretty good bargains even factory assembled (as are the PBN speakers).

 

[c1ferrari]

Today, I had the pleasure of listening to the new PBN speaker that comes in a kit form.
The speaker was very impressive and could easily compete with speakers that were 3-5 times the price.

Very nice sounding gear and room. Sorry I missed you

 

[c1ferrari]

Davey,

I replied via e-mail.

 

[audioguy]

I have no clue what his speakers sound like but $4200 for what appears to be nice speakers is a heck of a deal!!!!

 

[mep]

I wouldn't pay $4200 for "what appears to be nice speakers." And if they don't sound good and only look good, it wouldn't be a heck of a deal. I would lower the enthusiasm a notch or two until I actually heard them. If they really do sound great, then it's time to get amped up.

 

[DaveyF]

I wouldn't pay $4200 for "what appears to be nice speakers." And if they don't sound good and only look good, it wouldn't be a heck of a deal. I would lower the enthusiasm a notch or two until I actually heard them. If they really do sound great, then it's time to get amped up.

Mark, That's good advise. However,if you are looking into the sub $5K market and are able to do a little kit build-up, these should be on your short list, IMHO. I haven't heard the new Maggie 3.7s, BUT I would be VERY surprised if they bettered these new PBN's in any significant way.

 

[c1ferrari]

I wouldn't pay $4200 for "what appears to be nice speakers." And if they don't sound good and only look good, it wouldn't be a heck of a deal. I would lower the enthusiasm a notch or two until I actually heard them. If they really do sound great, then it's time to get amped up.

Hi Mark,

I issued my earlier comment based upon system integration and room...Peter of PBN Audio had his Olympia line of electronics supporting the loudspeakers -- it was a very effective demo.

The system cum loudspeaker was versatile reflecting the source. Classical music was rendered with aplomb and the jazzish-rock, I later heard, was dynamic

I can't offer any observations regarding the performance/versatility of this particular loudspeaker with other electronics.

 

[Robh3606]

Perhaps, this is the way of the future for hobbyists that want a system that is outstanding but would otherwise be priced out of the market.
I certainly think so!

That's what DIY is all about. There are lot's of kits out there if you look for them. You can get some really good bang for your buck. It's a good bit of fun doing them or cloning on your own. I doubt it's the future though. Too much to do with too little time seems to be the theme these days.

Rob

 

[Bruce B]

I have been a judge in the PNWAS speaker contest for a few years. The thought of building a DIY speaker has always intrigued me. I'm not really interested in the typical box speaker, but would love to tackle a planar/ribbon speaker. Sort of like an overbuilt Maggie...

 

[Robh3606]

The thought of building a DIY speaker has always intrigued me.

Hello Bruce

You should just go for it. It's a lot of fun and work but when you are done it's worth the effort. You are going to need tools like a measurement system and a crossover program but many are now available as freeware or with minimal investment. A couple of hundred bucks worst case if you wanted to get in cheap so really not all that much considering the fun you can have.

Rob