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Moose
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Minnesota
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 Link Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:41 pm Post subject: A $2,500 Woofer? |
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I just received the latest Madisound catalog. Very interesting; how can so many drivers exist for DIY'ers? I'm looking through it and I find this 31.5" Fostex woofer that lists for $2,535.75! This isn't some overwrought audiophile subwoofer box, but just the driver! What in the world can be done to a woofer to make it cost over $2,500? Maybe it's worth it; I haven't come across a description on how it's made and so I won't pass judgement based solely on price. But one thing that gets me is that it uses alnico for the magnet - hello, Fostex! - the speaker world is moving to neodymium and I certainly would expect the latest technology and materials for the price.
With specs like a .69 QTS and a VAS of 3210 liters, this driver is obviously meant for an infinite baffle and I'm certain that it performs very well there. Not many of us have the room or the situation for this simplest, and perhaps best, woofer alignment system. Is this the ideal woofer for an IB? I'd sure like to hear from someone who has experience with it.
If $2,500 isn't enough for you, Fostex is coming out with a 16" woofer with a list price of $2,672.70 (why the odd cents? At these numbers, why not just round?). No specs are included. There are quite a number of excellent 15" and 18" woofers around so they'll have a very hard time justifying this price.
The Fostex line also includes $1,400+ and $2,200+ wood horns. Why wood? Is wood a superior material for horns or is it just for looks? I would be worried about all the wood things, like drying, cracking, etc.
Anyway, regardless of quality and performance, at these prices, I won't be able to invest in Fostex drivers for my speaker project.
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In the real world, I am alan halvorson, King of the Wild Frontier and Swell Guy.
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Tom.W
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 6637
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papalek
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 1537
Location: Longs SC
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| Link Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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I think the Executioner X21 is a better deal than that one. If you really want to rock,you can buy 10 of the x21's for the cost of just one of those.
Which do you think would thump harder?
One 31.5'
or
Ten 21s"
Of course this is considering you have the room for them 
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My current list of PJ's AmPro 1 1/2-4600,4200, 1/2-3600,2600.
I do love my AmPro's
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Moose
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Minnesota
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| Link Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:04 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the link, Tom, but it doesn't tell me anything about why it's worth the asking price. I wouldn't think a scaled up 15" or 18" woofer should cost several times as much as the 15" or 18". Just from the looks of it I can't see the justification. Maybe it's there but I won't shell out on specs alone.
Got to look at those Executioner X21 woofers now - maybe it's just what I'm looking for.
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In the real world, I am alan halvorson, King of the Wild Frontier and Swell Guy.
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AvgOrdinaryGuy
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 123
Location: Northeast Arkansas USA
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| Link Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:33 am Post subject: |
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Somebody with more money than sense will buy it just for the bragging rights of having the biggest. Justification of the cost is probably because they are not mass produced, like the 12" and 15" drivers, so the cost of the tooling and labor to manufacture them has to be recovered in only a few examples. Kinda like the difference in a Fiat and Ferrari (looking at price, not performance).
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kal
Forum Administrator
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 17860
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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jask
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 10165
Location: kamloops BC
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| Link Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:51 am Post subject: |
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| AvgOrdinaryGuy wrote: | | Kinda like the difference in a Fiat and Ferrari (looking at price, not performance). |
don't be dissin the Fiat  , first production 4 wheel disc,first belt driven DOHC,longest continuous production run of a body type,longest production use of a single engine design (Lampredi inline 4) with modifications. yeah I have one in the garage...
I would just love to talk to the designers of these speakers and find out what they intended them for 
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Analog_Alpha
Joined: 17 Jan 2007
Posts: 89
Location: London, Ontario
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| Link Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject: |
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You know what FIAT stands for? Don't you?
FIX
IT
AGAIN
TONY
Chris
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Moose
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Minnesota
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| Link Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | don't be dissin the Fiat |
Do they use salt on the roads in the winter in B.C. like Minnesota does? I've seen a few relatively new Fiats (when they were fairly popular here) completely rusted out.
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In the real world, I am alan halvorson, King of the Wild Frontier and Swell Guy.
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jask
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 10165
Location: kamloops BC
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| Link Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:52 am Post subject: |
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| Moose wrote: | | Quote: | | don't be dissin the Fiat |
Do they use salt on the roads in the winter in B.C. like Minnesota does? I've seen a few relatively new Fiats (when they were fairly popular here) completely rusted out. |
No we don't, but the 124 is not a winter car. some of the ones that lived on the coast (Vancouver,Victoria..) suffered from the salt air and long wet winters, but nothing like cars from the east-the rust I have seen on 10 -15 year old cars in Ontario and New York  I have had visitors from back east stop on the street when they saw a 60's or 70's car drive by!!..."wow, lots of people out here drive vintage cars!!?"
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jask
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 10165
Location: kamloops BC
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| Link Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:39 am Post subject: |
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| Analog_Alpha wrote: | You know what FIAT stands for? Don't you?
FIX
IT
AGAIN
TONY
Chris |
If thats all you know about Fiat you don't know much...
here are a couple more: back at the end of 05 the market value of Fiat exceeded the value of General Motors (thanks to GM no less..)
the first production transverse engine with gearbox on end...... FIAT
the list goes on,and on
if "our" manufacturers were even trying to be as progressive as the European makers we would have the option of the new diesels, or safety features like power windows that return to open if they encounter blockage, (two cases of children being choked to death by power windows out here this summer) a feature that is common on European models. Even getting the safer style window switches in US cars took a 5 year transition window that is not fully in effect till the end of next year!
rant
rant
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Stonefool
Joined: 24 Dec 2006
Posts: 253
Location: Sweden
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| Link Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 11:14 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe I'm completely derange, but how does this "$2,500" stand against a (about) $600 SVSubwoofer?
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Trying to get everything to work.
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Moose
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Minnesota
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| Link Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 2:14 am Post subject: |
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| Stonefool wrote: | | Maybe I'm completely derange, but how does this "$2,500" stand against a (about) $600 SVSubwoofer? |
I'll bet extremely well. It's meant for use in an infiinite baffle and nothing else. It's better to eliminate the box and all it's hassles.
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In the real world, I am alan halvorson, King of the Wild Frontier and Swell Guy.
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cmjohnson
Joined: 03 Apr 2006
Posts: 5180
Location: Buried under G90s
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| Link Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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Do you have any idea what it costs to make the molds for the investment-cast frame for a speaker that size?
Or if it's a stamped frame, do you have any idea what the cost of the stamping dies would be?
That's WHY the speakers cost so much. Because the tooling is undoubtedly hideously expensive.
CJ
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