MIT Startup looking for feedback on Home Stereo System

[Ben C]

Greetings!

I'm a grad student at MIT, and I'm working with a startup here that's developing a new high-end home stereo system. We're looking for feedback on the latest features of the system, and would love for you to take this quick 5-minute survey. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the survey or the technology we're developing, so do don't hesitate to ask!

https://dsc4026.sawtoothsoftware.com...ame=xYXqPLYNTC

-Ben

 

[KenM10759]

Guess I'm not your target market. None of the options presented make any sense because we can get fairly high-quality sound and room correction and lossless wireless transmission with easy-to-use software right now for a LOT less money than even the $18000 minimum options given in your survey.

Have you considered you may be creating a solution that's in search of a problem (which doesn't exist)?

 

[ski2xblack]

Well, I must be suffering from poverty, as I could not in good conscience vote for any of the proposed system configs in your survey.

I think there may actually be a small market for this, though. I personally know folks who have dropped $30K+ (or more) at ListenUp, got the fancy kit and house-call for setup and calibration, the whole nine yards (only to end up with a system that sounds worse than my garage rig). So there are folks with more sense than money. Can you snag enough of them to make this endeavor profitable? High end audio is a shrinking, highly competitive niche market.

 

[KenM10759]

Well, I must be suffering from poverty, as I could not in good conscience vote for any of the proposed system configs in your survey.

I think there may actually be a small market for this, though. I personally know folks who have dropped $30K+ (or more) at ListenUp, got the fancy kit and house-call for setup and calibration, the whole nine yards (only to end up with a system that sounds worse than my garage rig). So there are folks with more sense than money. Can you snag enough of them to make this endeavor profitable? High end audio is a shrinking, highly competitive niche market.

That's funny as hell, and no surprise at all. Even poor folk in our economic strata who would opt for the kids at Geek Squad/Best Buy Magnolia to recommend, install and calibrate often know better and do it themselves to avoid that result.

This MIT grad student project expects to do better, of course, than Blink High End, Goodwin's High End and numerous other custom installers fighting with each other to survive in the Boston market. Good luck to them getting financing. I'd love to see that business plan!

 

[everettT]

I just answered no to all. I found the purchase question regarding how much you have spent on a system - 2k to 20k to be a reach. Whom ever wrote the survey has no experience in doing so.

 

[KenM10759]

I agree, and answered similarly. I think I might have spent a total of $9k over the past year, but that was a "30 year" incremental thing and not going to happen like that ever again in my life unless there's divine intervention in the form of a lottery win.

 

[shadyJ]

Dr. Amar Bose came out of MIT , but so did Dr. Hsu , I guess they kind of balance each other out for hi-fi karma.

 

[KenM10759]

I am in NO way criticizing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an institution of higher education, research and innovation. I am however questioning the business prowess of a grad student *if* he or she is trying to do market research in this manner.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like opening the link would be a waste of time but I'll probably go ahead and take a peek, but likely will just echo the comments made.

Okay, got to the second question and it's just plain confusing and unanswerable without further definition. Does audiophile refer to the nutcase end of the audio geekdom? Does not going overboard mean you don't waste money on audiophoolery?

 

[herbu]

developing a new high-end home stereo system

I didn't click on the link because I don't click on links from people I don't know.

1. We already have systems that can reproduce the source with a level of distortion that is indistinguishable to our ears & brain.

2. We already know speakers make the greatest difference to our ears & brain.

If you are serious about a "new" system, can you tell us what you plan to improve?

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

I didn't click on the link because I don't click on links from people I don't know.

Totally agree...

That being said...
My moderator super powers allow me to check IP and Email addresses...

The OP seems to be Kosher from that standpoint...