My Latest and Last Speaker Build

[Andrew]

Back to Colin, his work is fantastic, and it deserves commercial recognition, but I don't think the DIY forums are where he will find a route to profit from his skills.

Either way, this process of building a business is not easy.

In the past, I was a close colleague of one of my company's tame venture capitalists, I asked her an open question, if I wanted VC money to build a company should I worry about my idea being patented/confidential, she said emphatically no, as most VC's wouldn't steal ideas. First, they hear lots of new ones every day, second, they know that having an idea is the easiest bit of building a business, such ask folks like Dyson, getting started is very hard. Marketing, sales channel, advertising, brand, reputation, quality control, manufacturing, legal issues, the list goes on and on.

Its interesting, that in this day and age, many large corporations would rather buy a successful small business than develop a new business themselves.

[Nick]

Its interesting, that in this day and age, many large corporations would rather buy a successful small business than develop a new business themselves.

And many small businesses model involve building them self up to the point where they get bought out by a larger company.

[pre65]

If you want to hedge your bets for bio-science or engineer or doctor then, Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics would be the ideal combo for 6th year studies. But don't listen to me I'm no career's adviser.

Andrew

I would second that advice. Then you will be in a better position to choose what is best for you.

[chris661]

If you want to hedge your bets for bio-science or engineer or doctor then, Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics would be the ideal combo for 6th year studies. But don't listen to me I'm no career's adviser.

Andrew

Would you believe that they are exactly what I've taken?

[andrew Ivimey]

and your results are coming out soon - good luck!

[pre65]

and your results are coming out soon - good luck!

I was on the phone to my financial adviser just a short while ago, and his daughter had just rung him with her results.

So here's hoping you get the grades you need Chris.

[chris661]

Results in 5 day's time for me.

Parents have muttered something about giving me some money if my results are good, so there's lots of incentive...

[MJK]

Back to Colin, his work is fantastic, and it deserves commercial recognition, but I don't think the DIY forums are where he will find a route to profit from his skills.

Either way, this process of building a business is not easy.

Colin does beautiful work. Maybe he should look at the business models used by Bob Brines and/or Jim Salk. They both seem to be doing well selling hand built speakers on the Internet. They have a few specific models that they make and market. In Bob's case he sells plans, flat packs, and completely finished speakers. Jim only sells finished speakers. However they do more than just nice woodworking, in both cases they engineer their designs and measure the results. Marketing is done on the Internet and at audio gatherings, no showroom required. I would also recommend going after the SS amp crowd with multi-way designs, it is a huge market compared to tubes and full range drivers.

[Nick]

Yep, good point, its often easier to sell to a large market than a small one.

[Andrew]

Well, two, well three things spring to mind.

One is for Colin to get a website, second is for him to get to a range of gatherings, for example, are the Wig Wam folk having a bash this year? Is anyone here going so that Colin could share expenses.

Solid state seems a good idea!

Finally, between us we should have enough kit to do some measurements for Colin.

[MJK]

I have thought about this problem for years. Here are some of my random observations.

I think it is fair to say that you will not sell too many finished speakers to people frequenting these forums.

Most people I work with, well compensated engineers, do not even have stereos or home theaters. Most have an iPod, factory installed car stereo, and a big TV. My kids have access to my system and choose to listen to iPods in docking stations, no interest in stereo set-ups or sound quality. Listening to music is background noise while playing video games or web surfing, it is not a top priority. These people are not going to buy many speakers and if they do it will be connected to some form of reciever or HT receiver, sound quality is not that important to them, price is important. They download their music ... enough said.

Full range drivers in large complicated enclosures coupled to tube amps are not popular enough to sustain too many vendors selling speakers, competition will be brutal for a new entry in the tiny market. Think small two or three way speakers to make the wife less unhappy, she will always be somewhat unhappy with a sound system in her home.

One path is to go big, exotic, and expensive and sell to a few people. These people will drive you nuts with crazy observations and requests, constant comparisons, and indecision. Coupling to tube amps is a crap shoot and problems will always be blamed on the speaker design.

Second path is to go smaller and more cost competitive and sell to the SS reciever owners. Sell more speakers that represent good bang for the buck and sound good, they can hear the diference but will not pay a premium for it. Once they own something that performs well they will not want to go back to mass market junk. Their friends will also recognize the difference and might be swayed to get a pair. But again listening to music is not a high priority activity and cannot command to much investment.

Enough babbling, back to sleep.

[simon]

It started life as Lynn Olson's Raven, but has morphed a bit since then. But it gives the general idea. It was how good I thought the balanced output stage sounded on the Buffalo DAC that started me down that route.

My Buffalo turned up today . Wasn't really prepared for just how small it is.

Interesting circuit, especially as I haven't really graduated past common cathodes. I'm struggling a bit with the power supply though, perhaps it's the way it's drawn. The 50k sets the current through the shunt? I'm not sure what the 2 No. 20uF caps add resistor network are doing. The 4 No. 39k and 4k resistors are a lift? But where is "From other channel" coming from, and where does the 500V go to on the other channel?

[Nick]

To another 20H coke and then all the rest.

[floppybootstomp]

Super build.

But let me get this right - they'd sell for £10K commercially?

Blimey

That post makes me look kinda stupid. Now I'm sure I saw the figure of $10K mentioned and somebody (I think Colin) said $10K basically = £10K which is actually true cos everything is cheaper in the USA.

I also see a lot of editing of posts. Ok, I now realise the figure should have read £1K.

Commercially, £1K is a very fair price for the loudspeakers Colin posted at the beginning of this thread, imo.

Look at the prices of so called specialist Hi Fi suppliers then weigh in the exclusivity factor and also consider many professionals would willingly pay that amount for the product and I think the price and the product are both commercially viable.

Other observations to this thread.

Of course profit isn't a dirty word. Exploitation, child labour and shady dealer practices are dirty words though. As is the old boys network, backhanders and preferred tender submitters.

Our society is based on free enterprise, even under a so-called socialist goverment.


I've been self-employed since 1996 and right now is the worst time I've ever experienced. I'm a one man band and my customer base is dwindling.

Some of the reasons are known contacts retiring and new blood using their own preferred workers; in a couple of instances I've had a disagreement with customers (not my fault, hasten to add, just circumstances and me refusing to be taken for a mug); but most of all it's the agressive marketing campaigns by the big boys and their willingness to price jobs rock bottom just to pay employee's wages without a nod to profit in some instances.

I'm finding it hard to compete. My labour rate, incidentally, is £40.00 per hour which is a fiver less than the avergae garage mechanic.

I am seriously worried right now, might have to consider a real job, lol, but at my age (I'll be 60 in April) that's hard to find. Maybe my future lies in chatting to customers at B & Q. I do not want to retire, I'd go mad.

Offspring. I have three daughters. two graduated this year (twins), one is doing another year at Cambridge Uni practising teaching at Cambridge local schools and hopes to become a teacher next year.

The other wanted to be a paramedic but failed her interview as she couldn't lift 100kg on a floor mounted pulling device, she only managed 85kg, which upset me deeply as she shone in all other areas of the interview.

She was advised to use a rowing machine at a gym, which she's doing and is trying to find another interview to be a paramedic. A paramedic, incidentally, is an ambulance person which obviously needs some medical skills, is often the person whose first action saves a life and will probably never be a medical consultant.

The third female offspring, the eldest, is deputy manager at a pub in Blackheath which she seems to enjoy and at least she's earning a crust.

I was always top of the class at school but also always in trouble. This confused teachers who oprobably saw me as something of a paradox. I left secondary school after six years with an English O level and a bunch of GCSE's. I have got by and realised it's truly who you know and how you interact with other humans, qualifications are not always essential.

Best piece of advice to offer a youngster entering the work market is 'Don't say anything you don't have to and realise that many people are out to bring about your downfall'. That is very sad but true.

I don't know Colin, but I'd really like to think there's a niche for his skills and he'd make a living selling cabinets. Advertising, media and customer awareness, as ever, is the key, imo.

[Nick]

I have moved the preamp conversation to another thread