Unusual Speakers for the rich and famous

Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
If I had the time, I would love to go through that list and explain the fundamental design problems of each and every one of those speakers. There is so much wrong with so many of those designs...
Oh so true. More bragging rights than common sense there.
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
Yeah, don't forget about the $5 mil turd shaped gold speakers "Aural Pleasure"... snicker.

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,my turds are much better looking that those .........
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Yeah, don't forget about the $5 mil turd shaped gold speakers "Aural Pleasure"... snicker.

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The irony here is that those speakers are likely better performers than any of the others on that ultra-expensive speaker list. It looks to still have a problem; that woofer is just too large to mate well with that tweeter. That woofer looks like an 8" or 10", so that speaker will have a significant directivity error.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Focal make some really eye catching speakers for the filthy rich and are known for making legit, great sounding speakers. I'd love to own a pair of the Grande Utopias. At over a quarter mil/pair it's just pie in the sky for me...


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Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
The irony here is that those speakers are likely better performers than any of the others on that ultra-expensive speaker list. It looks to still have a problem; that woofer is just too large to mate well with that tweeter. That woofer looks like an 8" or 10", so that speaker will have a significant directivity error.
I think I read that's actually a dual concentric driver paired with a Vifa supertweeter. There's more going on than just a big woofer and tweeter.
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Focal make some really eye catching speakers for the filthy rich and are known for making legit, great sounding speakers. I'd love to own a pair of the Grande Utopias. At over a quarter mil/pair it's just pie in the sky for me...


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I have heard some of the Utopia speakers, those are legitimately good loudspeakers, despite their cost.
I think I read that's actually a dual concentric driver paired with a Vifa supertweeter. There's more going on than just a big woofer and tweeter.
Ok, that concentric driver should solve the directivity problem at least. The dumb thing is the compartment for the supertweeter is large and weird looking and is a bit distant from the coaxial driver. They shouldn't have made such a big deal out of the supertweeter and merely given it a small mounting on top of the coaxial driver mounting. That would have looked better as well as functioned better. This speaker didn't have to look like a turd as mikado eloquently stated. What the hell was the designer thinking?
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Not particularly unusual, but Andrew Jones' masterpiece before his departure from TAD/Pioneer. Everything made in-house. The finest speakers I've ever heard.

I have heard the Reference Ones as well as the stand-mont version. I also heard the TAD Stand-mount Evolution speakers. All were quite good, of course. Those are terrific speakers.
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
Focal make some really eye catching speakers for the filthy rich and are known for making legit, great sounding speakers. I'd love to own a pair of the Grande Utopias. At over a quarter mil/pair it's just pie in the sky for me...

I've heard these. They're awesome. 600lbs each. And just to make @TLS Guy shake his head, they have an 80Hz passive crossover to that 16" subwoofer driver.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Focal make some really eye catching speakers for the filthy rich and are known for making legit, great sounding speakers. I'd love to own a pair of the Grande Utopias. At over a quarter mil/pair it's just pie in the sky for me...


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Man, I think focal makes some of the most beautiful speakers around. But every time I see those I can’t help but think of these guys.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I've heard these. They're awesome. 600lbs each. And just to make @TLS Guy shake his head, they have an 80Hz passive crossover to that 16" subwoofer driver.
I spent a while one afternoon looking up info on them and determined that if I ever have a spare quarter mil to spend on speakers they'd be on my short list. I love the way they look, and they review really well.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
I've heard these. They're awesome. 600lbs each. And just to make @TLS Guy shake his head, they have an 80Hz passive crossover to that 16" subwoofer driver.
And that is still very bad engineering. The whole problem with many of these exotic speakers, the design principles are just so often wrong, and defy basic principles and logic.
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
And that is still very bad engineering. The whole problem with many of these exotic speakers, the design principles are just so often wrong, and defy basic principles and logic.
Maybe so, but three of my favorite speakers have bass crossovers you say include bad engineering practice. This Focal, the KEF 207/2 (crossed at 120Hz), and the Revel Salon2 (crossed at 150Hz). I will say this, after all of your lectures on subject, when I'm reading the specs for a speaker one of the first things I look at is what frequency the bass crossover point is, and I think of you. ;)
 
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Trebdp83

Audioholic Ninja
Maybe so, but three of my favorite speakers have bass crossovers you say include bad engineering practice. This Focal, the KEF 207/2 (crossed at 120Hz), and the Revel Salon2 (crossed at 150Hz). I will say this, after all of your lectures on subject, when I'm reading the specs for a speaker one of the first things I look at is what frequency the bass crossover point is, and I think of you. ;)
Hmmm, you seem to be showing signs of PTLSD.;)
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
Hmmm, you seem to be showing signs of PTLSD.;)
Whatever that is, nope. Sometimes I just like to tease Mark a bit, and I think he knows that. Even Mark has to admit, there are no grays in his world, only black and white.
 
rebulx

rebulx

Junior Audioholic
Above 2k this business is just nonsense. ok maybe 5k. but still it's just nonsense. Perhaps not, maybe it's just more artwork or wood working?
 
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