Sound United has been sold....

[shadyJ]

The trouble is that you have never designed anything I don't think. The fact is that passive speaker components are bulky costly and waste half the amp power or more.

On the other hand standardization of modular amps could be very cost saving. DSP crossovers are now plentiful and can easily be controlled remotely. My work here has shown that whole room Eq is a dead end and poor. Where as voicing a speaker is simpler, cheaper and far more effective. Active speakers allow this this to happen in a very straightforward fashion, and will best any global room Eq by a country mile.

Active speakers have their own problems. Each one requires its own power, so now you are talking about power cables in addition to signal cables (unless they are to be wireless, which has its own problems). It also makes the speakers more complex; more parts means more opportunities for failure. One of the nicest things about a passive loudspeaker is that it is one of the most reliable pieces of consumer electronics that can be had. They don't break unless you abuse them, and they can stay in good working order for decades. There is still a place for passive speakers, especially for affordable multi-channel setups.

 

[TLS Guy]

Active speakers have their own problems. Each one requires its own power, so now you are talking about power cables in addition to signal cables (unless they are to be wireless, which has its own problems). It also makes the speakers more complex; more parts means more opportunities for failure. One of the nicest things about a passive loudspeaker is that it is one of the most reliable pieces of consumer electronics that can be had. They don't break unless you abuse them, and they can stay in good working order for decades. There is still a place for passive speakers, especially for affordable multi-channel setups.

That is if you look at traditional infrastructure. With standardization the amps could be made slot in and out, the same with the power supply. The whole system could be controlled from a phone or ipad. I agree you need an AC source, but current building codes would mean there would be one nearby. Then all you need is an ethernet cable.

What is have found is the active solutions impart enormous advantages in the lower octaves, but not so much in the higher octaves above 2.5K. Below 500 Hz it is absolutely no contest in that active solutions win hands down. I have known that now for over forty years. Just the fact of having a bass driver directly connected to a power amp alone brings about a highly significant improvement. When you look at the physics involved and the interaction of inductive and reactive loads, it should not surprise anyone.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The fact is that passive speaker components are bulky costly and waste half the amp power or more.

Again, the question is, are powered speakers (built-in amps/EQ/DSP) LESS EXPENSIVE than passive speakers?

Show me a great 100% ACTIVE system that cost LESS than most passive systems.

When MOST consumers are 100% happy with $500-$1,000 AVRs and passive speakers that cost thousands less than powered speakers, why would everyone want to spend more money on powered speakers with built-in EQ/DSP/Amp?

When so many HT enthusiasts DEMAND room-correction, why would everyone want to get rid of all room-correction?

When most people DEMAND having 7-9 speakers and 1-2 subs (5.2.2 or 5.4.2), why would they cut down to just 3.1?

Now if that's how you PREFER things to be, that's understandable. But most people do NOT want to do what you want.

Again, when MOST people are 100% HAPPY with a $500-$1,000 AVR and their $2000-$4000 speaker systems, you are asking people to spend MORE MONEY.

Surely you understand that most people don’t want to spend more money.

 

[TLS Guy]

Again, the question is, are powered speakers (built-in amps/EQ/DSP) LESS EXPENSIVE than passive speakers?

Show me a great 100% ACTIVE system that cost LESS than most passive systems.

When MOST consumers are 100% happy with $500-$1,000 AVRs and passive speakers that cost thousands less than powered speakers, why would everyone want to spend more money on powered speakers with built-in EQ/DSP/Amp?

When so many HT enthusiasts DEMAND room-correction, why would everyone want to get rid of all room-correction?

When most people DEMAND having 7-9 speakers and 1-2 subs (5.2.2 or 5.4.2), why would they cut down to just 3.1?

Now if that's how you PREFER things to be, that's understandable. But most people do NOT want to do what you want.

Again, when MOST people are 100% HAPPY with a $500-$1,000 AVR and their $2000-$4000 speaker systems, you are asking people to spend MORE MONEY.

Surely you understand that most people don’t want to spend more money.

You only think that way if you are a rigid thinker.

If you change systems, standardize and get the economies of scale then it could be cheaper, drastically improved and far simpler. You could dispense with AVP and AVRs for most and only require active speakers and crossovers speakers, router, Ethernet patch bay, cat6 cables and your cell phone and or tablet. The latter pretty much everyone has.

I should point out that good passive crossovers are expensive to build. Most commercial speakers even high priced ones use components that would not go in any of my builds. Active crossover with DSP could be built cheaper and smaller that would have far superior performance.

Our current systems are outdated straight jackets.

The problem is prevalent rigid thinking which I fear you suffer from in spades.

 

[PENG]

You only think that way if you are a rigid thinker.

If you change systems, standardize and get the economies of scale then it could be cheaper, drastically improved and far simpler. You could dispense with AVP and AVRs for most and only require active speakers and crossovers speakers, router, Ethernet patch bay, cat6 cables and your cell phone and or tablet. The latter pretty much everyone has.

I should point out that good passive crossovers are expensive to build. Most commercial speakers even high priced ones use components that would not go in any of my builds. Active crossover with DSP could be built cheaper and smaller that would have far superior performance.

Our current systems are outdated straight jackets.

The problem is prevalent rigid thinking which I fear you suffer from in spades.

Why would you want to take away the fun for those who believe every amp has a different sound signature? They can include some sort of easy amp swappable feature but... Other than that I do see your point, but I think it will take a long time for the trend to get established, like EVs, good concept, engineering but people won't let go..., or class AB amps, many still say they have better "sound" than class D, even when on all else being equal basis, sad, but true (not that AB sounded better than D), but it is true that many think they do!

 

[TLS Guy]

Why would you want to take away the fun for those who believe every amp has a different sound signature? They can include some sort of easy amp swappable feature but... Other than that I do see your point, but I think it will take a long time for the trend to get established, like EVs, good concept, engineering but people won't let go..., or class AB amps, many still sear they have better "sound" than class D, even when on all else being equal basis, sad, but true!

I fear you may be right. However we should move to a system for the many who want to enjoy artists and their heroic efforts and not obsess over wire and the topography of power amps.

You know one solution would be to use Peter Walker's current dumping topography. Those amps have a very low part count, and fit on a small card and bolt onto a heat sink. They would be ideal for compact plug in modules. They don't make a lot of heat and are very reliable and long lived design. The patents have long expired.

 

[cpp]

However we should move to a system for the many who want to enjoy artists and their heroic efforts and not obsess over wire and the topography of power amps.

So this has nothing to do with sound but convenience and space savings. Might as well use a smart phone and ear buds, you can save a lot of space and it sounds good and you can enjoy the artists and their heroic efforts, plus it goes with you. This is the world of the kids these days. Mobility. Old folks they like their stuff.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

class AB amps, many still sear they have better "sound" than class D, even when on all else being equal basis, sad, but true!

One point some people make is that class-D amps cannot handle 2-ohms and 1-ohm. It doesn’t matter to most of us because our speakers are usually 4-8 ohms.

But what do you think?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Active speakers have their own problems. Each one requires its own power, so now you are talking about power cables in addition to signal cables (unless they are to be wireless, which has its own problems). It also makes the speakers more complex; more parts means more opportunities for failure. One of the nicest things about a passive loudspeaker is that it is one of the most reliable pieces of consumer electronics that can be had. They don't break unless you abuse them, and they can stay in good working order for decades. There is still a place for passive speakers, especially for affordable multi-channel setups.

Some of us would never want to put DSP, EQ, and Amps inside EVERY SINGLE speaker because it will make every speaker more complex and put EVERY speaker at higher risk of malfunction.

There is a very good reason why speaker/subwoofer drivers have a 5-10 YR warranty, but the internal amps usually only have a 1-3YR warranty.

Bryston offers 25YR warranty on their analog amps, but only 5 YR warranty on their processors

If some people prefer a 100% active system because they believe it sounds better than a passive system, they can still use 100% external amps for their active systems. My Linkwitz Orion 3.2.1 system was like this.

But some people are rigid thinkers who will never want to hear these facts.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So this has nothing to do with sound but convenience and space savings. Might as well use a smart phone and ear buds, you can save a lot of space and it sounds good and you can enjoy the artists and their heroic efforts, plus it goes with you. This is the world of the kids these days. Mobility. Old folks they like their stuff.

You hit the rigid old nail on the head.

It’s really all about convenience for him.

Everyone with common sense knows that the more complex you make a component (speaker), the higher the risk of malfunction. Pure 100% common sense.

But yeah no, let’s stuff every speaker with EQ/DSP/Amps. If a speaker has 5 drivers, let’s stuff FIVE amps into that one speaker.

 

[highfigh]

Never have been a fan of a conglomerate entity holding multiple brands as if they are different companies. To me it feels monopoly-ish, and always has. Even my beloved JBL speakers brand has always had that ghost in the closet since before I was interested in them, that I have had to overlook. It adds a feel of generic quality, but at boutique prices, along with a certain blatant, socioeconomic classification vibe to it all. A super-corporate entity of 1%'rs that I love to hate, instead of just being a genuine fan of a product for whatever merits it may hold on it's own.

As such, all this has done is cause me to future proof my corner of the hobby for life and pretty much ignore all the hot air and marketing drama and it's overplayed ad campaigns and desperate sales forces. It's also caused me to heavily scrutinize actual valid technological advances, over the fluff. This tends to take me out of their loop for 20 years at a time, because that's about how long it takes for this technology to audibly advance significantly enough to make it worth looking into again.

OTOH, it makes me thankful for just how completely they developed stereo listening way back, and how redundant it tends to make these otherwise minutely incremental, so-called advances, as time goes on. Too many non-productive hands in the till compared to what they put out to ever justify interest from me. It's easier and less worrisome just to buy used after consumerism has run it's course.

Which segment of the audio market were the first to gain your interest and when? Was it after Harman International bought JBL? That wasn't a bad thing, really. Look into the market size of their pro/industrial audio market and it may clear up any thoughts that the consumer market was the big deal for Harman.

Do you really think that a group of hobbyists could run a corporation as huge as Samsung/Harman/JBL/etc? At some point, people who know business need to become involved, if the brand is to grow and if you want to see companies that have died on the vine, look into the audio brands that faded into obscurity- many were run by nice people you would like, but didn't know how to compete in the marketplace.

You need to understand/learn that many of the 1% are Democrats.

Do you really believe consumerism will ever run its course? I don't, until people learn to identify BS better.

 

[highfigh]

Some of us would never want to put DSP, EQ, and Amps inside EVERY SINGLE speaker because it will make every speaker more complex and put EVERY speaker at higher risk of malfunction.

There is a very good reason why speaker/subwoofer drivers have a 5-10 YR warranty, but the internal amps usually only have a 1-3YR warranty.

Bryston offers 25YR warranty on their analog amps, but only 5 YR warranty on their processors

If some people prefer a 100% active system because they believe it sounds better than a passive system, they can still use 100% external amps for their active systems. My Linkwitz Orion 3.2.1 system was like this.

But some people are rigid thinkers who will never want to hear these facts.

The link shows 20 years, not 25. Still, it's a helluva warranty.

Service and Warranty – Bryston

bryston.com

Intelligently-designed in/on-speaker amplifier/processor design could include modules that are easy to replace, in case something fails. Producing boards with everything when the warranties cover different lengths of time would be a really bad thing for the end users. I want to know that the design was validated through destructive testing- if they treat the amplifiers like farm animals and they survive, I'll be more comfortable in the choice to buy a product, assuming it sounds good.

 

[highfigh]

That is what I figured. It is good to have confirmation from an installer. I get some of those calls from friends. Even the set up of a sound bar from TV to ar via eARC can get some into trouble, let alone the set up and the myriad of connections on the back of a receiver. Most want to run a mile from that nightmare.

I do know people who would love to avail themselves of the vast riches out there for the asking if you know how. They are just intimidated.

Just look at the troubleshooting we have done for many over the years just over and obscure setting for instance. Many of these have not been neophytes.

This whole infrastructure has never been ready for prime time in my view.

It's not just the manufacturers- try using the Spectrum TV app with a Roku.....total crap and they don't have many resources to instruct people on how to create/find favorite channels and the app doesn't include numbered buttons unless their Xumo streaming box is used. One of my customers isn't a techy type, her husband wants to think he is, but couldn't even connect the new router correctly even though he says he likes to build computers. Doesn't seem to like the concept of RTFM. He threw their Harmony H1100 on the hardwood floor because he didn't like it and she called to let me know that she needed to 'talk him off of the ledge' after he couldn't operate the very simple master BR system. I went there and saw that he had turned the power amp's mechanical switch off when I had it set up to turn on when the signal reached the input, but I guess pushing buttons helped to, well, push his buttons. The 'expert' couldn't get it to work but after I pushed a few buttons on the equipment, it worked flawlessly. Another customer had problems with the whole house part of their system and, rather than read the cheat sheet, he would press the 'Device Mode' button and mess it up, even though all of the activities and other buttons triggered discrete commands (except the Time Warner cable box). He would send messages, I would go there and find the remote in Device Mode, turn the volume down and put it in Activity Mode. The proper reaction to not hearing anything is to crank up the volume, right? It ALL worked as it had before, but this guy was great at jumping to conclusions and not following instructions. Which I found on their desk in the 2nd floor office, when the equipment being controlled was on the 1st floor or in a rack in the basement below the family room.

I began doing this kind of work for the first customer in 2003 and when she bought a different house, I installed equipment for the whole house, using some wiring (pool house and 2nd Floor guest suite) but every other room was wired by me in 2011. I changed the Fam Rm TV a few months ago because her husband thought the larger Samsung would be better, but then he wanted to use ARC- the problem is that the TV cabling is about 50 feet and ARC doesn't work reliably at that length. I convinced him that a streaming box is more reliable and that's more important than using the smart features in the TV, which was never meant for that room, anyway. The AVR had a problem with VTuner during the warranty and I had the same model here, so I saved the config from hers and mine, loaded her config into mine and installed it at her house until the repair had been made. When her AVR returned, I loaded her config after installing it, loaded my config into mine and everything was hunky-dory. That AVR is still in place and has had no other issues in 13 years. The amplifiers for the distributed audio haven't been so lucky- the first was was damaged when he decided to clean his aquariums with the hose from the sink, with the aquarium between him and the amplifier, so water splashed into it and the second was the victim of a laundry overflow above it, so I put the amplifier in a rack case that has removable end covers, to prevent a repeat of either situation.

People like these make me feel as if I'm needed........

 

[MrBoat]

Which segment of the audio market were the first to gain your interest and when? Was it after Harman International bought JBL? That wasn't a bad thing, really. Look into the market size of their pro/industrial audio market and it may clear up any thoughts that the consumer market was the big deal for Harman.

Do you really think that a group of hobbyists could run a corporation as huge as Samsung/Harman/JBL/etc? At some point, people who know business need to become involved, if the brand is to grow and if you want to see companies that have died on the vine, look into the audio brands that faded into obscurity- many were run by nice people you would like, but didn't know how to compete in the marketplace.

You need to understand/learn that many of the 1% are Democrats.

Do you really believe consumerism will ever run its course? I don't, until people learn to identify BS better.

Just saying, it's just knowing that products aren't really as exclusive as they portray, is all, and is always in the back of my mind.

I am a fan of the Harman/JBL brand because they manage to bring higher quality budget performance to the masses that could never afford that level of low distortion performance otherwise.

I'd even go as far as to say that Harman actually helped raise the bar on budget audio, compared to when I started. Some of their products are freakishly good for the $. I'd swear they just had to move mass quantities of overages of quality parts by disguising them as budget speakers. Take the Studio 590s for instance and how often they go to half price. Only thing those speakers are missing, really, is being wrapped in a high-end finish.

I came from a time when umbrella corporations were not as common, except for perhaps, the auto industry. Or maybe I just wasn't that aware of it. I have a 1965 Maytag washing machine. Have owned it since around 1982 and it still works perfectly. I replaced the motor sled/tensioner once and the tub seal and that's all. Now, Maytag is Whirlpool, I think. It's like I may as well just flip a coin and choose a brand.

 

[MrBoat]

You only think that way if you are a rigid thinker.

If you change systems, standardize and get the economies of scale then it could be cheaper, drastically improved and far simpler. You could dispense with AVP and AVRs for most and only require active speakers and crossovers speakers, router, Ethernet patch bay, cat6 cables and your cell phone and or tablet. The latter pretty much everyone has.

I should point out that good passive crossovers are expensive to build. Most commercial speakers even high priced ones use components that would not go in any of my builds. Active crossover with DSP could be built cheaper and smaller that would have far superior performance.

Our current systems are outdated straight jackets.

The problem is prevalent rigid thinking which I fear you suffer from in spades.

I think the idea of active speakers, in spite of what technical merits they may include, would be out of place now that the era of the authorized service facilities are so few and far between. Just about anything with active electronics in it is going to need service much more frequently than passive. I have a few pairs of active speakers. I give them 10 years at best, with my first set only lasting 7 years.

They don't stock replacement parts very long, these days. A lot of people will have issue paying thousands, for what amounts to disposable appliances. They would pretty much have to guarantee replacement parts/serviceable for life, otherwise.

 

[highfigh]

Just saying, it's just knowing that products aren't really as exclusive as they portray, is all, and is always in the back of my mind.

I am a fan of the Harman/JBL brand because they manage to bring higher quality budget performance to the masses that could never afford that level of low distortion performance otherwise.

I'd even go as far as to say that Harman actually helped raise the bar on budget audio, compared to when I started. Some of their products are freakishly good for the $. I'd swear they just had to move mass quantities of overages of quality parts by disguising them as budget speakers. Take the Studio 590s for instance and how often they go to half price. Only thing those speakers are missing, really, is being wrapped in a high-end finish.

I came from a time when umbrella corporations were not as common, except for perhaps, the auto industry. Or maybe I just wasn't that aware of it. I have a 1965 Maytag washing machine. Have owned it since around 1982 and it still works perfectly. I replaced the motor sled/tensioner once and the tub seal and that's all. Now, Maytag is Whirlpool, I think. It's like I may as well just flip a coin and choose a brand.

GM, Ford and Chrysler have been conglomerates since before the '60s and Ford owned 25% of Mazda at some point. Maytag/Whirlpool/Amana are still good brands, but as always, the consumer needs to find out which are better.

I'm not sure that moving old/discontinued inventory as limited runs in lower levels is a bad thing- it gives people who wouldn't buy the upper level stuff a chance to have it, after the development costs have been written off.

I went to the local grand opening for a national AV distributor and one of the first people I saw as I entered was the owner of the store where I got into selling this stuff. He was talking with one of our reps from the same time period and within 6' was another rep who I have known almost as long. The KEF regional manager was there and we're good friends- we met about 6 years after I started. I got that job in Feb, 1978. While I was talking with the first rep, who is now 84 years old, he asked what I have been doing and when we got to the part of the direction of the AV industry, we agreed that it used to be a lot of fun. In the words of Moe Sizlak (bar owner on The Simpsons), "Not no more, it ain't". Companies have been bought & sold, Pioneer pulled out of most markets for awhile, Onkyo & others have had problems and after being sold, many speaker brands are nothing like what they had been. As an example, Jamo was #3 worldwide in completed units sold, meaning speaker systems, not components or in-ceiling/wall. The only two ahead of them were Bose and The Harmon Group, which included JBL (consumer, pro, commercial), Urei and others.

I was looking for the brands owned by JBL and found a site with Harman's history, including this-
"In 1976, Harman supported Jimmy Carter’s bid to become President of the United States. When Carter became President, he appointed Harman to be the Deputy Secretary of Commerce. As US law required appointees to have no direct business interests in day-to-day activities, Harman had to sell the company. He sold Harman International to Beatrice Foods, a large conglomerate for $100 million. Under Beatrice Foods, Harman International turned away from the company’s earlier policy of advancing Hi-Fi design and marketing of products that appealed to audiophiles. Under the new style of management, Harman International sales had dropped 40% by 1980.". I have serious problems when a company in one industry hires someone to run it or sells to a corporation that's absolutely unrelated. Sure, business principles work across many industries, but if they don't understand the market for the new company, bad things can happen- The Koss Corporation is a great example. They hired a new president when John Sr wanted to retire and that moron drove it more than $9 million into debt. Once the audit came in, the guy was fired, John Sr stepped in and turned it around in 11 months, but he had to sell his house in order to do it. The moron they had hired came from the air compressor industry. I guess that was applicable since both products move air, but.....

 

[highfigh]

I think the idea of active speakers, in spite of what technical merits they may include, would be out of place now that the era of the authorized service facilities are so few and far between. Just about anything with active electronics in it is going to need service much more frequently than passive. I have a few pairs of active speakers. I give them 10 years at best, with my first set only lasting 7 years.

They don't stock replacement parts very long, these days. A lot of people will have issue paying thousands, for what amounts to disposable appliances. They would pretty much have to guarantee replacement parts/serviceable for life, otherwise.

I have found replacement parts far later than I would have thought possible but you're right- they don't usually go back very far although that depends on the item. Just In Time purchasing is great but as we're seeing since the transportation and shipping disruptions in recent years, a reliable source isn't always available and dedicated designs make this a problem. If a company that makes the items can still produce them later, that's great but sometimes, materials availability and increased cost makes this unworkable. Still, lifetime warranties exist, although it can be a case of "Will repair or replace with same or comparable product". While I don't think 'they should replace with parts that are exactly the same' is reasonable many years later, it's possible, sometimes. Those days are coming to an end though, unless the parts are generic.

 

[MrBoat]

GM, Ford and Chrysler have been conglomerates since before the '60s and Ford owned 25% of Mazda at some point. Maytag/Whirlpool/Amana are still good brands, but as always, the consumer needs to find out which are better.

I'm not sure that moving old/discontinued inventory as limited runs in lower levels is a bad thing- it gives people who wouldn't buy the upper level stuff a chance to have it, after the development costs have been written off.

I went to the local grand opening for a national AV distributor and one of the first people I saw as I entered was the owner of the store where I got into selling this stuff. He was talking with one of our reps from the same time period and within 6' was another rep who I have known almost as long. The KEF regional manager was there and we're good friends- we met about 6 years after I started. I got that job in Feb, 1978. While I was talking with the first rep, who is now 84 years old, he asked what I have been doing and when we got to the part of the direction of the AV industry, we agreed that it used to be a lot of fun. In the words of Moe Sizlak (bar owner on The Simpsons), "Not no more, it ain't". Companies have been bought & sold, Pioneer pulled out of most markets for awhile, Onkyo & others have had problems and after being sold, many speaker brands are nothing like what they had been. As an example, Jamo was #3 worldwide in completed units sold, meaning speaker systems, not components or in-ceiling/wall. The only two ahead of them were Bose and The Harmon Group, which included JBL (consumer, pro, commercial), Urei and others.

I was looking for the brands owned by JBL and found a site with Harman's history, including this-
"In 1976, Harman supported Jimmy Carter’s bid to become President of the United States. When Carter became President, he appointed Harman to be the Deputy Secretary of Commerce. As US law required appointees to have no direct business interests in day-to-day activities, Harman had to sell the company. He sold Harman International to Beatrice Foods, a large conglomerate for $100 million. Under Beatrice Foods, Harman International turned away from the company’s earlier policy of advancing Hi-Fi design and marketing of products that appealed to audiophiles. Under the new style of management, Harman International sales had dropped 40% by 1980.". I have serious problems when a company in one industry hires someone to run it or sells to a corporation that's absolutely unrelated. Sure, business principles work across many industries, but if they don't understand the market for the new company, bad things can happen- The Koss Corporation is a great example. They hired a new president when John Sr wanted to retire and that moron drove it more than $9 million into debt. Once the audit came in, the guy was fired, John Sr stepped in and turned it around in 11 months, but he had to sell his house in order to do it. The moron they had hired came from the air compressor industry. I guess that was applicable since both products move air, but.....

I had read about similar acquisitions in the past as they became more common, along with the era of the hired axe-men/quality strippers and that all helped to sour my opinions. But I got to where I no longer cared and instead, delved into DIY and repair, using what electronics schooling I had taken in the past, for something useful, finally.

Still don't really care what industry does, but am still fond of Harman/JBL. It was a little 2.1 desktop (Harman Kardon Soundsticks ii) system that carried me thru for 5 years while raising my two sons when I didn't have time or funds for much else. All my older gear had fallen into disrepair. When the desktop system had finally failed, is when I started repairing my old gear and happened upon Audioholics.

Now I have too many speakers and amps, most of which I have built myself. I still have drivers and parts for other designs, too, still in boxes, like some kind of audio hoarder.

 

[MrBoat]

I have found replacement parts far later than I would have thought possible but you're right- they don't usually go back very far although that depends on the item. Just In Time purchasing is great but as we're seeing since the transportation and shipping disruptions in recent years, a reliable source isn't always available and dedicated designs make this a problem. If a company that makes the items can still produce them later, that's great but sometimes, materials availability and increased cost makes this unworkable. Still, lifetime warranties exist, although it can be a case of "Will repair or replace with same or comparable product". While I don't think 'they should replace with parts that are exactly the same' is reasonable many years later, it's possible, sometimes. Those days are coming to an end though, unless the parts are generic.

I think now, near immediate obsolescence is part of the plan. Especially seeing how quickly, forced, meaningless upgrades occur. With how people are now so addled by instant gratification and convenience now, I can see how manufacturers can get away with it easier now than times past.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I have a few pairs of active speakers. I give them 10 years at best, with my first set only lasting 7 years.

They don't stock replacement parts very long, these days. A lot of people will have issue paying thousands, for what amounts to disposable appliances.

Watch. He’s gonna come back with “everyone else’s powered speakers will last 50 years”.

Cramming more digital electronic parts inside every single speaker = Increased digital electronic complexity and heat, decreased reliability and availability of parts, increased costs.

But no. We’re just rigid thinkers.