Starting a home theater Company.

[AudioAddict32]

I have been doing audio for many years now.And i have grown especially fond of Solving problems with superior design with superior products. I was wondering if any audiophiles have a preference for a particular subwoofer box alignment, and why? there are so many other designs to use besides sealed or ported. Why not use them is the question.All feedback is appreciated.

 

[lsiberian]

I have been doing audio for many years now.And i have grown especially fond of Solving problems with superior design with superior products. I was wondering if any audiophiles have a preference for a particular subwoofer box alignment, and why? there are so many other designs to use besides sealed or ported. Why not use them is the question.All feedback is appreciated.

I suggest you start anything as a small business and do your homework. If you are starting a company that sells subs you need to start doing enough research to answer these questions yourself.

Tapped Horns are IMO the best design I've seen in years they require big boxes, but an 8" driver of the right type could give you plenty down to 20hz.

Porting requires huge boxes, but give you incredible extension for the cheapest price. In subs getting a large enough port is a challenge.

Sealed designs give you the smaller box require for most living rooms and the most head room in the upper region.

P-Rs give you a smaller box, but usually cost more combined than an extra driver.

In a dedicated room a multisub ported setup is desired.

In a living room a small sealed sub is desired.

In a massive space a horn loaded is desired.

 

[jinjuku]

With all respect, given the nature of your question, I would start out by working for another Home Theater Company and learn the ropes first.

I wouldn't expect going to enthusiast forums and spoon feeding to translate all that well into professional installation.

 

[jamie2112]

With all respect, given the nature of your question, I would start out by working for another Home Theater Company and learn the ropes first.

I wouldn't expect going to enthusiast forums and spoon feeding to translate all that well into professional installation.

Very true. DO your homework and then jump in......

 

[j_garcia]

I've done this already, and decided to stop because it doesn't pay the bills in this market; and I've been doing this for ~25 years. If you don't have some kind of history working for another company to at least build a bit of a reputation with customers for knowing what you are doing, it is an EXTREMELY tough field to get into on your own.

 

[lsiberian]

I think the market is there if you are up for the hard work. Always start part time of course. If I had a woodshop I'd probably sell simple sealed subs for fun.

 

[j_garcia]

The market for HT is always there, but depending on where you live, cracking it isn't so easy. Where I live up in Northern California, there are only two places to get audio gear within (literally) a hundred miles, and one of them is Best Buy. Since that is what people in the area generally know about audio, it is practically an impossible market to crack. I have and still am considering opening an audio shop up there, so I applied to the one independent place up there and he said there wasn't enough work to justify bringing me on. If and when Best Buy goes under, that may change quickly though. I intended to do custom installation and calibration and that's a difficult one for people to spend money on because everyone thinks they can do it right themselves.

In the Bay Area, where I spend most of my time because I work here, the market is considerably different because there are a few high end shops and plenty of customers.

 

[jinjuku]

If I had a woodshop I'd probably sell simple sealed subs for fun.

I would consider it but there wouldn't be any project that I would touch for under $2/3K. Just not worth the effort.

I could see offering, as example, a couple of IXL 18.2.2 with their supplied ported design finished in the customer choice of veneer and front baffle color along with a pro amp with DSP and part of the price is integration.

But that would be at least $3K. No one ever got rich installing a set of $200 2 way bookshelf speakers for people. If your not a serious customer, I'm not a serious installer.

 

[j_garcia]

I would consider it but there wouldn't be any project that I would touch for under $2/3K. Just not worth the effort.

I could see offering, as example, a couple of IXL 18.2.2 with their supplied ported design finished in the customer choice of veneer and front baffle color along with a pro amp with DSP and part of the price is integration.

But that would be at least $3K. No one ever got rich installing a set of $200 2 way bookshelf speakers for people. If your not a serious customer, I'm not a serious installer.

Unfortunately, this is reality. I thought the same thing, and after looking at the numbers, it is tough for a small independent to make adequate profit on a low cost speaker. I am still thinking about doing it, but volume is the key to low cost speakers and you need to be bigger to do that effectively IMO.

 

[jinjuku]

Speaking of Home Theater Shops...

Digital LifeStyle in my part of down just closed their doors... Nice group of guys too.