"The Speaker Company"

[FNG212]

While the email responses have been timely and accurate in answering my questions, there has been one question to which I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer. Audioholics has listed "The Speaker Company" has part of D&M Holdings, Inc., the same company that owns Denon, Boston, Marantz, etc ( http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/satellite/tsat-1000-ht8-b/tsat-1000-ht8-b-build-quality ) but D&M's website does not list "The Speaker Company" as a subsidiary ( http://www.dm-holdings.com/eng/brands/ )

The email reply from tSc states that they are owned by D&M but I cannot verify this.

I know many here shy away from these sort of companies and I am not necessarily looking for a reason to buy from them. I have pretty much settled on the Energy Take Classic system but still want a solid answer. I would very much like resolution to this. I think it would put faith into this company if somehow it could be verified they are owned by this very reputable company.

Thanks in advance.

[Matt34]

I can't find it now but if you look up their home office it's in a building occupied/owned by D&M.

[Matt34]

http://www.getfave.com/locations/12080474-d-m-holdings

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/ContactUs.aspx

[gene]

While the email responses have been timely and accurate in answering my questions, there has been one question to which I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer. Audioholics has listed "The Speaker Company" has part of D&M Holdings, Inc., the same company that owns Denon, Boston, Marantz, etc ( http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/s...-build-quality ) but D&M's website does not list "The Speaker Company" as a subsidiary ( http://www.dm-holdings.com/eng/brands/ )

The email reply from tSc states that they are owned by D&M but I cannot verify this.

I know many here shy away from these sort of companies and I am not necessarily looking for a reason to buy from them. I have pretty much settled on the Energy Take Classic system but still want a solid answer. I would very much like resolution to this. I think it would put faith into this company if somehow it could be verified they are owned by this very reputable company.

Thanks in advance.

They are a D&M owned company. The advetising and marketing people are the same for them and Denon/Marantz. I initially turned them down for advertising last year when they just got started b/c I mistakingly thought they were a white van company and they didn't disclose to me that they were part of D&M. This is NOT the case. The products we've tested from them are rock solid and the customer feedback is excellent.

[lsiberian]

They are a D&M owned company. The advetising and marketing people are the same for them and Denon/Marantz. I initially turned them down for advertising last year when they just got started b/c I mistakingly thought they were a white van company and they didn't disclose to me that they were part of D&M. This is NOT the case. The products we've tested from them are rock solid and the customer feedback is excellent.

In other words, we don't let no riff raff in here buddy!

[pzaur]

I have a pair of in ceilings that have been more than satisfactory. Especially, for the cost!

-pat

[FNG212]

Thank you very much folks, I feel much better about this and will now strongly consider them.

How have their subs tested? They seem to have some pretty powerful subs.

[MatthewB.]

From what I have read tSc is the same exact speakers as the Sapphire speakers that came out a few years ago and failed miserably in the market. Think they all had blue colored tweeters. Anyway I compared pictures of what they offer today with Sapphire of years ago and they appear to be the same exact speaker. Since Sapphire failed, I tend to take that into consideration.

[lsiberian]

From what I have read tSc is the same exact speakers as the Sapphire speakers that came out a few years ago and failed miserably in the market. Think they all had blue colored tweeters. Anyway I compared pictures of what they offer today with Sapphire of years ago and they appear to be the same exact speaker. Since Sapphire failed, I tend to take that into consideration.

I think the phires were more expensive. Looks tell you nothing about a speakers quality.

The interior tells you it's true quality. Great drivers can be put in bad boxes(Infinity Primus) and sound decent. And decent drivers can sound good in great boxes. Now a great driver in a great box! That's something I can believe in!

[-Kevin-]

[QUOTE=lsiberian;553489]I think the phires were more expensive.

QUOTE]

+1

The Sapphires were priced much higher.

[MatthewB.]

Even though the "Phires" cost more it still brings up a good point, what made the company fail? The speakers costing more than they were worth or the sound quality not being up to par with the cost. Either way if the Sapphires had sounded great then their higher cost wouldn't be much of a factor. I am glad to see tSc having more reasonable prices, but still makes me wonder does the current sound justify the current cost?

[Matt34]

Even though the "Phires" cost more it still brings up a good point, what made the company fail? The speakers costing more than they were worth or the sound quality not being up to par with the cost. Either way if the Sapphires had sounded great then their higher cost wouldn't be much of a factor. I am glad to see tSc having more reasonable prices, but still makes me wonder does the current sound justify the current cost?

I think there are quite a few factors that could come into play on why the Sapphire line failed and possibly none being the sound quality of the speakers themselves.

Marketing, exposure, customer service, defective run, parts availablity etc.

[speakerman39]

Even though the "Phires" cost more it still brings up a good point, what made the company fail? The speakers costing more than they were worth or the sound quality not being up to par with the cost. Either way if the Sapphires had sounded great then their higher cost wouldn't be much of a factor. I am glad to see tSc having more reasonable prices, but still makes me wonder does the current sound justify the current cost?

Mathew, one good thing is that tsc allows a free in home trial with free shipping BOTH ways. What better place to demo speakers than right there in your own room? All anyone has to lose is a bit of time deciding if it is worth it or not. If it is, then simply keep them. If not, then send them back for a full refund. I like that idea myself. ;);) Personally, I can see them(tsc) doing real well in this tight economy. :):)

Cheers,

Phil

[MatthewB.]

I wasnt aware of the free shipping both ways, that is a feature I wish all ID companies would employ.

[speakerman39]

I wasnt aware of the free shipping both ways, that is a feature I wish all ID companies would employ.

Ditto my friend! ^^^^^^^^^^ :);):)

Cheers,

Phil

[anamorphic96]

I own the ASW-10 subwoofer. It is actually a Energy ESW-10 clone. It is a great subwoofer with a very clean and tight sound with good extesnion to about 28hz. Which is what its advertised for.

TSC purchases older designs and buys out older inventory form some very well known speaker companies. Some of their other speakers are Polk Audio clones. They also do some of their own design work. From my understanding they have some very good engineers working for them and have resources that other companies do not have.

In fact I can't think of many other companies that offer the performance this company offers for its asking prices.

[speakerman39]

I own the ASW-10 subwoofer. It is actually a Energy ESW-10 clone. It is a great subwoofer with a very clean and tight sound with good extesnion to about 28hz. Which is what its advertised for.

TSC purchases older designs and buys out older inventory form some very well known speaker companies. Some of their other speakers are Polk Audio clones. They also do some of their own design work. From my understanding they have some very good engineers working for them and have resources that other companies do not have.

In fact I can't think of many other companies that offer the performance this company offers for its asking prices.

Very much agreed. With free shipping both ways, what more could someone ask for? ;);) In the future, I may give them a chance myself. :):)

Cheers,

Phil

[lsiberian]

I own the ASW-10 subwoofer. It is actually a Energy ESW-10 clone. It is a great subwoofer with a very clean and tight sound with good extesnion to about 28hz. Which is what its advertised for.

TSC purchases older designs and buys out older inventory form some very well known speaker companies. Some of their other speakers are Polk Audio clones. They also do some of their own design work. From my understanding they have some very good engineers working for them and have resources that other companies do not have.

In fact I can't think of many other companies that offer the performance this company offers for its asking prices.

I agree. For the price they offer a great deal. If you want great speakers you will need more funds. Building a great speaker enclosure is simple in design time consuming in implementation. In fact I think most of the costs in a high end speaker comes from the enclosure. Very good driver kits can be had at fairly low costs. One could even harvest Primus or Beta drivers and put them in a better enclosure.

[JJP50]

Even though the "Phires" cost more it still brings up a good point, what made the company fail? The speakers costing more than they were worth or the sound quality not being up to par with the cost. Either way if the Sapphires had sounded great then their higher cost wouldn't be much of a factor. I am glad to see tSc having more reasonable prices, but still makes me wonder does the current sound justify the current cost?

I may be wrong but I always thought Sapphires were almost a house brand of Tweeter. At least in my area they were a Tweeter exclusive. Of course with the demise of Tweeter they would have a hard time moving product.

[MatthewB.]

JJ they were a house brand of Tweeter and sold only through them. To me they were not the right type of speaker to showcase the system considering other options that Tweeter also sold. To me they were okay, but then when you test a higher end speaker that tweeter sold, you just kind of pushed the Sapphire to the back of your mind and concentrated where your money could be better spent. Don't get me wrong they do an okay job for my ears, I felt better sound could be had elsewhere.

[R-Carpenter]

I own the ASW-10 subwoofer. It is actually a Energy ESW-10 clone. It is a great subwoofer with a very clean and tight sound with good extesnion to about 28hz. Which is what its advertised for.

TSC purchases older designs and buys out older inventory form some very well known speaker companies. Some of their other speakers are Polk Audio clones. They also do some of their own design work. From my understanding they have some very good engineers working for them and have resources that other companies do not have.

In fact I can't think of many other companies that offer the performance this company offers for its asking prices.


Soo, they buy out old unused stock and clone (rip off) Polk? Do we know, where that fancy lab is and who are some of the great engineers? Resources that they have are most likely cheap Chines labor and a good marketing department.
Let's face it, companies like TSC is a customer service/marketing outfit.

[m_vanmeter]

both of those comments are over simplifications and do not give TSC credit for having the common sense to look for the best design examples of discontinued speaker lines and for using the vast common pool of knowledge on speaker design to manufacture quality entry level and mid-level speaker systems. The off-hand comment about "chinese labor" completely misses the point that almost ALL but the higher priced speaker lines, by any manufacturer, are made in China or have Chinese manufactured parts in them. That's just the way it is today. If you want speakers totally make in the USA, Canada, or Europe, they are available, just be prepared to empty out your wallet and a sizable chunk of your bank account. That is a purchasing choice us "mere mortals" make every day, balancing our "hobby" with the demands of the real world.

[R-Carpenter]

both of those comments are over simplifications and do not give TSC credit for having the common sense to look for the best design examples of discontinued speaker lines and for using the vast common pool of knowledge on speaker design to manufacture quality entry level and mid-level speaker systems. The off-hand comment about "chinese labor" completely misses the point that almost ALL but the higher priced speaker lines, by any manufacturer, are made in China or have Chinese manufactured parts in them. That's just the way it is today. If you want speakers totally make in the USA, Canada, or Europe, they are available, just be prepared to empty out your wallet and a sizable chunk of your bank account. That is a purchasing choice us "mere mortals" make every day, balancing our "hobby" with the demands of the real world.

Correct. I do agree with this statement, however there's a strong trend of glorification of companies as such on the majority of the forums. Well, everything comes at the price and you do get what you pay for. There's nothing wrong with budget setups or budget cars. There's nothing wrong with TSC.
But everything needs to be balanced in order to work. The economic reality in this country today is a partial result of the rat race for the lowest $ price per item. Part of the hidden cost is the low standards in labor law, environmental protection and quality control issues. We all are paying it now but will pay significantly more later on.
As far as paying premium prices for better product, well, what's wrong with saving up let's say on a Bavarian sports sedan instead of buying a Korean getabout if that's important for you?
As for myself, I did exactly that then I was shopping for speakers. I waited for a year and a half and saved 4k for a pair of speaker that I really liked.

I do give TSC credit. I think their marketing is simple outstanding!

[anamorphic96]

TSC is owned by D&M Holdings who is the parent company of Marantz, Denon, McIntosh, Snell, and Boston Acoustics. This is where the resources and and engineers come from. Not sure about a fancy lab. But you said that not me.

Older designs that are discontinued are tweaked slightly in appearance and sometimes use a different driver or a modified driver. Such is the case with the ASW subs that TSC offers. Everything is identical except for a stripped down cabinet and the woofer doesen't have the same surround that Energy uses.

I dont think TSC is the be all end all of speakers companies. But they offer speakers that are a hell of a lot better than the crap people get with HTIB's. They have eliminated the middle man and offer a great value. They are far from being just a marketing company. Judging by the reviews Audioholics has done they measure and perform in line with many of the bigger speaker companies.

Bose is the king of being a customer service and marketing company. At least TSC is not ripping people off like Bose does.

[GomGom]

So does TSC make great speakers and how their floorstanding speaker stand against other high-end brand such as Paradigm, B&W, Axiom and many others? Their price is relatively cheap but I'm not too sure how they will sound.

[pzaur]

So does TSC make great speakers and how their floorstanding speaker stand against other high-end brand such as Paradigm, B&W, Axiom and many others? Their price is relatively cheap but I'm not too sure how they will sound.

Buy 'em and listen to 'em. You get all your money back if you don't like them.

-pat

[anamorphic96]

Well Audioholics did a review of the TST2 and gave it a favorable review.

Sound is a very subjective thing. I would think the TSC would hold there own with the entry level Paradigm, PSB, Axioms, and Polks.

But if you buy them and don't like them, they have free shipping both ways. There is no risk involved.

[GomGom]

The down side is that I'm in Canada so I might have to pay the custom which is not covered and I have to check if they ship to Canada.

[nick51]

The Speaker Company is owned by D&M holdings. The company was started at D&M in December of 2007. We are located in D&M HQ in Mahwah, NJ. We are the "value" brand at D&M. Our products are made for us an have no relation to any other D&M products. We usually get our lunch at ShopRite in Ramsey, NJ and we all love Chocolate. Dark Chocolate to be specific. ;)

Thanks, Nick

While the email responses have been timely and accurate in answering my questions, there has been one question to which I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer. Audioholics has listed "The Speaker Company" has part of D&M Holdings, Inc., the same company that owns Denon, Boston, Marantz, etc ( http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/satellite/tsat-1000-ht8-b/tsat-1000-ht8-b-build-quality ) but D&M's website does not list "The Speaker Company" as a subsidiary ( http://www.dm-holdings.com/eng/brands/ )

The email reply from tSc states that they are owned by D&M but I cannot verify this.

I know many here shy away from these sort of companies and I am not necessarily looking for a reason to buy from them. I have pretty much settled on the Energy Take Classic system but still want a solid answer. I would very much like resolution to this. I think it would put faith into this company if somehow it could be verified they are owned by this very reputable company.

Thanks in advance.

[alexsabree]

The Speaker Company is owned by D&M holdings. The company was started at D&M in December of 2007. We are located in D&M HQ in Mahwah, NJ. We are the "value" brand at D&M. Our products are made for us an have no relation to any other D&M products. We usually get our lunch at ShopRite in Ramsey, NJ and we all love Chocolate. Dark Chocolate to be specific. ;)

Thanks, Nick

I don't know why everyone thinks that TSC doesn't have good Customer Support, I asked them many questions about their T250 subwoofer through email and got the answers that I wanted.

More than likely I'm going to end up giving your bookshelf or tower speakers a try. I was going to get your T250 subwoofer, but I ended up with more money that I initially expected and bought a more expensive subwoofer from eD.

Oh and I think its awesome that you are active on forums such as these. Its real nice to be able to talk with you. ;)