The Speaker Company?

[fmw]

Tough audience! Ease up on them. They are new and trying to sell their new Chinese imports. Obviously it is going to be an uphill battle. The products may not even be a good match for this group. Apparently they think they are since they are advertising here.

The first thing they need to do is to get a product or two reviewed. That shouldn't too difficult if they have something newsworthy to sell to the mags. That will begin to establish the brand, assuming they can get a kind word from a reviewer.

After that it is hard work and advertising.

It isn't easy. I can tell you from experience. I'm in the process of establishing a new brand (in another industry) at the moment.

 

[furrycute]

I don't know about products from SVS, but all products sold from av123 are Chinese imports. And almost all those "white van" speakers are also Chinese imports.

 

[rnatalli]

I don't know about products from SVS, but all products sold from av123 are Chinese imports. And almost all those "white van" speakers are also Chinese imports.

The av123 speakers I've seen were made in South America. Not that it matters these days.

To get established in this industry, companies need to volunteer their products to credible sources to review. I personally would stick with what's out there as there are too many choices as it is. But I guess there's no harm trying them if they have a return policy.

 

[Guangui]

I don't know about products from SVS, but all products sold from av123 are Chinese imports. And almost all those "white van" speakers are also Chinese imports.

AV123 moved their manufacturing to Colombia, I'm sure US Customs makes their life easy everytime they bring a shipment to the USA.

These days most of the big names that we associate with high end audio manufacture in China, Taiwan, Indonesia, or some other Asian country. The engineering, R&D, design, and testing is usually done at the companies facilities in the USA, Canada, UK, Japan, or wherever these high end audio companies are located. Many of the companies have their own quality control engineers living in China, or wherever, and working at these factories.

Have you checked Marantz, Japanese but many of their top notch products are Made in China, PSB Made in China, and so on. And many of the ones that say Made in the USA, is because their components are outsourced, mainly from China, and they do their assembly in the USA. And who knows, maybe TSC becomes thee economic entry level speaker company alternative many are looking for.

And, maybe many of us are forgetting that we are critizicing TSC only because they are new and inexpensive, but tend to praise the BB $50.00-$70.00 pair Insignia's. Have any of us ever thought that TSC might be better than Insignia...Now, whoever is the first brave soul that buys a pair of TSC, let us know immediately how did everything go; from customer service to auditioning.

 

[Guangui]

The av123 speakers I've seen were made in South America. Not that it matters these days.

To get established in this industry, companies need to volunteer their products to credible sources to review. I personally would stick with what's out there as there are too many choices as it is. But I guess there's no harm trying them if they have a return policy.

I fully agree with the review...If they want to be the economic alternative, they need to have their products reviewed by "credible" sources like Audioholics, Stereophile, Home Theater, Cnet, and the many online and printed publications out there.

 

[Johnd]

Tough audience! Ease up on them.

I don't think of it as "tough" to be skeptical of a new, unproven company. I wouldn't exist in business if were I not skeptical.

My skepticism is fueled by:

1) typos on the website;
2) identical frequency response for a number of their different speakers; and
3) some company GM posting at other forums:
"The Speaker Company is ... a MUCH bigger company than we appear."

Who cares? What matters to me is quality first, then price, then customer service. I don't care how big the company is. There are plenty of small manufacturers turning out top notch products.

Something (somethings) smells fishy here. If it quacks like a duck...

 

[RedTruck]

I feel like I kinda opened up a mess here with my question. Brand new to the group and now realize that you guys are very passionate about this. Am I missing something on the downside to them? They offer free shipping and a 30 day trial. Is there a reason no ones taken them up on it, or does it just seem like a hassle? Thanks for the advice.

 

[gus6464]

AV123 moved their manufacturing to Colombia, I'm sure US Customs makes their life easy everytime they bring a shipment to the USA.

I am sure US customs makes their life a lot easier considering they come from the cocaine capital of the world.

But seriously there are a ton of speakers that are made in china today. Hell look at B&W's new 68x line, all made in china. My Mirage Omni are also made in China and are very well made, my epos ELS-3 as well. Just because it was made in China doesn't mean they are crappy products.

 

[armaraas]

RedTruck,
Basically the issue is this company is very new or unknown to the people on this site, it appears no one here has any experience to share with you on them. All they can offer really are opinions, of which there will be two sides-
1. Those who are skeptical until proven otherwise
2. Those who will give them a benefit of a doubt until proven otherwise

Pros-
The speakers are cheap, might be good value
Good return policy on paper

Cons
The speakers are cheap, have not been auditioned by anyone here, even at their prices it's no guarantee they're a good value
Their return policy may look good but holding them to it may be another story

Really it's going to be up to you and what your aversion is to risk or the unknown. I doubt anyone here so far will will recommend the company without reservation and I doubt anyone will tell you stay away from them.
If your budget is tight and what they have might work for you and you don't mind being one of the first to order from them (from this site), by all means give them a try. And if you do, please report back on your experience. I would however, recommend just starting with a pair of speakers to audition, do not go all in and order 5 or 7 until you know you like them for sure.

People have taken companies up on their 30 day trials all the time, just not this particular one that we know of.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[Johnd]

I feel like I kinda opened up a mess here with my question. Brand new to the group and now realize that you guys are very passionate about this. Am I missing something on the downside to them? They offer free shipping and a 30 day trial. Is there a reason no ones taken them up on it, or does it just seem like a hassle? Thanks for the advice.

Who? Us? Passionate about speakers? C'mon RedTruck. You're kidding, right? We are dispassionate, purely objective machines when it comes to gauging a speaker's quality and worth.

You are missing nothing. In fact, you've hit it right on the head. And if you have confidence that:
1) this company stands by their word;
2) that there will be there in 30-60 days to refund your money (should you so desire); and,
3) there is not a proverbial book of exclusions and limitations (in fine print) describing your rights for refunds, returns and exchanges, I say go for it!

Purchase the speakers, run them through the proving grounds, and submit your review. If they are even half as good as they proclaim (they compare their "P"...not "Pee" speakers to "Polk, JBL & Infiniti", mind you, no models of those brands...just the brands ), I would be interested in some for myself.

So let us know RedTruck, of your intentions, and your review (if you purchase). This may be the new undiscovered B&W at a fraction of the price. It already is the "Polk, JBL & Infiniti" of the New Speaker Comany Universe...perhaps it is something to listen to. I, for one, would truly be interested in your reviews of this speaker, if you are so inclined. Cheers.

 

[Davidt1]

To the OP, those speakers are cheap. Just buy them. About a year ago, there was company named Elemental Design who went on AVS to promote their products. There were much skepticisms because they were unknown and their products were sold for ridiculously low prices. Some people decided to give that company a chance, and as time went by, more people did the same. Now, eD can't make subs quickly enough to fill orders. Give the new guys a chance.

 

[fmw]

I don't think of it as "tough" to be skeptical of a new, unproven company. I wouldn't exist in business if were I not skeptical.

My skepticism is fueled by:

1) typos on the website;
2) identical frequency response for a number of their different speakers; and
3) some company GM posting at other forums:
"The Speaker Company is ... a MUCH bigger company than we appear."

Who cares? What matters to me is quality first, then price, then customer service. I don't care how big the company is. There are plenty of small manufacturers turning out top notch products.

Something (somethings) smells fishy here. If it quacks like a duck...

The tough refers to assuming the worst rather than best, declaring one guilty rather than innocent, accusing them of lies without knowing the truth. I'll stick with the adjective. I think it fits here.

 

[Johnd]

The tough refers to assuming the worst rather than best, declaring one guilty rather than innocent, accusing them of lies without knowing the truth. I'll stick with the adjective. I think it fits here.

I have declared no one guilty. No one. For the record. (Other than guilty of those three points I noted above).

 

[mazersteven]

I am not defending this new company by any means. I am just drawing a parallel here. Since people on this board seem so enamored with av123 and SVS products, we should be clear as to what about those products we are all excited about.

With regard to those unsubstantiated testimonials, well, check out av123 and SVS's websites, they have PLENTY of those testimonials.

With regard to trying out stuff unheard. Has ANYONE ever heard of a pair of av123 speakers or an SVS sub before hitting that buy button? I guess the way around that is by offering a 30 day in home free trial. And at the end of the day, return the speakers with no restocking fees if you don't like them. I am sure this new company has a similar return policy.


Seems to me that this new company is exactly copying the business practices of av123 and SVS. If people now find this sort of business practices so objectionable, where are your voices against the business practices of av123 and SVS?

 

[emorphien]

Anyone heard of av123 and SVS when they first got started 6 years ago? And exactly how did av123 and SVS establish their so called "reputation" on the net?

It always takes a few suckers to buy them and say "hey these are decent" to get a company like this going.

That or they send samples to be reviewed to someone people trust for equipment reviews.

I don't think there's any great mystery on how this works. It's an uphill battle for each of these companies to hit the mainstream or at least become stable.

Are av123 or SVS bullying new guys out? I haven't seen that but they have the history, popularity and reviews to say their quality is good and their product worth trying. The downside of ID is you can't try it in stores, the upside is it can tend to be a better value. av123 and SVS has proven themselves to enough people (and Ascend and Axiom and HSU and so on) that they are stable now.

TSC may well pull that off, but people will have to take a gamble on them or a review site will have to have the opportunity to test some to really get the ball rolling.

I personally am not the kind of person that jumps head first in to something like that. I let others do the discovery for me when money is at stake

 

[fmw]

I have declared no one guilty. No one. For the record. (Other than guilty of those three points I noted above).

Nor was the adjective aimed at you in particular.

 

[furrycute]

Well, what can I say. I always stand up for the little guys.

 

[Johnd]

Nor was the adjective aimed at you in particular.

Well, I understand that fmw. I only speak for myself. And I have not seen anyone here declaring that they are absolutely junk. No one seems to know. I can only comment on the empirical data...and I have.

 

[tomd51]

I mean, I don't get it. All these companies are internet direct companies. Just because av123 and SVS got a head start, and now has the market cornered, it doesn't mean they can now just kick out other newbie competitors.

Jezzus you have an axe to grind on these two companies, don't you? After your stellar input on the Velo sub thread yesterday, I thought you might have just been a little sensitive for some particular reason, now I see it's just an ongoing torch you feel you have to carry to discourage these two.

Just let it go, dude... -TD

 

[tomd51]

Now that's f'n funny...