In KeithR's “Dream Speaker” search thread my forthcoming horn speaker was among those suggested for Keith to audition, which brings up a pivotal challenge: How does a small company provide demos of large and expensive loudspeakers, to Keith or to anyone else who might be reasonably interested?
I've seen pre-Covid posts on this forum lamenting the scarcity of opportunities in the United States to audition serious horn loudspeakers. And I've seen posts by people who travelled for auditions which, for various reasons (often amp or room related), ultimately proved inconclusive. And obviously none of this has gotten easier with the pandemic. Perhaps there is a better way.
I have an idea that I'd very much appreciate feedback from this forum's members about. I'll phrase it in general terms, but can answer specific questions.
The “better way” I have in mind is to make in-home auditions practical. The obvious hurdles are shipping cost, risk, the investment required, and the difficulty of uncrating and moving and re-crating large and heavy loudspeaker systems.
The solution I have in mind is to make a somewhat scaled-back demo version of my forthcoming large hybrid horn loudspeaker system. The demo version will incorporate all of the important (and perhaps unorthodox) characteristics of the full-up version. The enclosures will be smaller, lighter, utilitarian, and easily repairable if they get scratched or dinged. So they will be less risky for everyone and relatively easy to uncrate, move, and re-crate.
The demo system will be designed with subwoofers in mind. Most of us have access to subwoofers, so in most cases it will not be necessary to ship subwoofers back and forth.
How to structure the transaction is of course a vital topic, but for now I'm just hoping to hear the thoughts of What's Best Forum members on whether this approach to providing in-home auditions seems like a good idea. I invite you to be probing and brutal, as there may well be issues I haven't thought of.
Thanks!
Duke
I've seen pre-Covid posts on this forum lamenting the scarcity of opportunities in the United States to audition serious horn loudspeakers. And I've seen posts by people who travelled for auditions which, for various reasons (often amp or room related), ultimately proved inconclusive. And obviously none of this has gotten easier with the pandemic. Perhaps there is a better way.
I have an idea that I'd very much appreciate feedback from this forum's members about. I'll phrase it in general terms, but can answer specific questions.
The “better way” I have in mind is to make in-home auditions practical. The obvious hurdles are shipping cost, risk, the investment required, and the difficulty of uncrating and moving and re-crating large and heavy loudspeaker systems.
The solution I have in mind is to make a somewhat scaled-back demo version of my forthcoming large hybrid horn loudspeaker system. The demo version will incorporate all of the important (and perhaps unorthodox) characteristics of the full-up version. The enclosures will be smaller, lighter, utilitarian, and easily repairable if they get scratched or dinged. So they will be less risky for everyone and relatively easy to uncrate, move, and re-crate.
The demo system will be designed with subwoofers in mind. Most of us have access to subwoofers, so in most cases it will not be necessary to ship subwoofers back and forth.
How to structure the transaction is of course a vital topic, but for now I'm just hoping to hear the thoughts of What's Best Forum members on whether this approach to providing in-home auditions seems like a good idea. I invite you to be probing and brutal, as there may well be issues I haven't thought of.
Thanks!
Duke
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