Masimo/Sound United Dealer Portal now says “HARMAN”

[everettT]

I was hoping you had dealers nearby who have the active speakers on display- I'll contact my friend to ask who has them, in your area.

To be honest, cosmetic appearance has been the main focus for speakers for too long. Furniture doesn't make them sound better and the additional cost can be excessive but the extremely expensive ones are made for people with more money than brains.

I prefer furniture grade cabinets but it's the speaker components and sound that always of first priority. I look a speakers from the likes of Revel and don't see furniture grade just high gloss. What I do see is far too many companies purchasing the exact same cabinet finishes from China, including Sonus Faber, Monitor Audio, Perlisten, and many others with high gloss ebony being one of those finishes.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

People buy sound bars as they simply plug into the TV with one cable, and a mains plug...
Active speakers...have the potential to give far better results, and even at less cost then some sound bars.

Most of the soundbars I've seen people buy are $500 or less.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022SRC20A/Yamaha-SR-C20A.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022SRB20A/Yamaha-SR-B20A.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022SRX40AB/Yamaha-True-X-Bar-40A.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_109B300MK2/JBL-Bar-300MK2.html

Yes, they like it because it's simple, but mostly because most soundbars ($100-$500) are MUCH CHEAPER than even a good $700 pair of small active speakers. If all soundbars cost $3K, most people would NOT buy them; they would buy $200/pr passive bookshelf + $300 AVR (total of $500). The point is that the biggest driving force is the COST. I've seen people spend $3,000 on a TV and $300 on a Soundbar.

People who buy soundbars are more interested in the VIDEO than the AUDIO.

Passive speaker system can be simple. TV + AVR + 2 Towers. Just turn on the TV. Even my wife can do that. She can even sing YouTube karaoke all by herself without my help. It's THAT simple.

Bottom line is, both passive and active systems can work well, be extremely simple and cost effective.

 

[everettT]

Most of the soundbars I've seen people buy are $500 or less. Yes, they like it because it's simple, but mostly because most soundbars ($100-$500) are MUCH CHEAPER than even a good $700 pair of small active speakers. If all soundbars cost $3K, most people would NOT buy them; they would buy $200/pr passive bookshelf + $300 AVR (total of $500). The point is that the biggest driving force is the COST. My brother spent $3,000 on a TV and $300 on a Soundbar.

People who buy soundbars are more interested in the VIDEO than the AUDIO.

Passive speaker system can be simple. TV + AVR + 2 Towers. Just turn on the TV. Even my wife can do that. She can even sing YouTube karaoke all by herself without my help. It's THAT simple.

Bottom line is, both passive and active systems can work well, be extremely simple and cost effective. There's no need to stuff one's ideas down people's throats. Both types of systems can work. And that's all I'm going to say about this. No point going back and forth.

There plenty of low priced studio monitors and lifestyle powered speakers that blow away soundbars, especially the far east big box retailers. In this category, currently, there many more hifi options than soundbars.

 

[highfigh]

I prefer furniture grade cabinets but it's the speaker components and sound that always of first priority. I look a speakers from the likes of Revel and don't see furniture grade just high gloss. What I do see is far too many companies purchasing the exact same cabinet finishes from China, including Sonus Faber, Monitor Audio, Perlisten, and many others with high gloss ebony being one of those finishes.

Have you thought about the cost for the wood, alone? Then, there's the setup and custom shaping and finishing. Once that's done, they have to make sure no damage occurs while handling them. Even catalyzed finishes take time to fully harden and I have opened plenty of speakers with their finish still a bit soft. Ebony is one of the most expensive species, although some suppliers have species that are very similar without having to deal with C.I.T.E.S treaty costs and restrictions. C.I.T.E.S. has placed many species on lists that forbid shipping from one country to others, too.

If you don't like the cabinets being built and finished in China, good luck changing that- too many brands are now Chinese-owned.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I prefer furniture grade cabinets but it's the speaker components and sound that always of first priority. I look a speakers from the likes of Revel and don't see furniture grade just high gloss. What I do see is far too many companies purchasing the exact same cabinet finishes from China, including Sonus Faber, Monitor Audio, Perlisten, and many others with high gloss ebony being one of those finishes.

Not just the cabinets from China, but the cabinets + drivers and just about everything else are made in China or Asia. Still looks good and sounds good.

Whichever costs less for them and makes the most profit. Yeah, those Perlisten speakers that cost $20K+ are all made in China. Probably costs Perlisten $3K/pair, sell them to dealers for $10K and still make a huge profit.

 

[everettT]

Have you thought about the cost for the wood, alone? Then, there's the setup and custom shaping and finishing. Once that's done, they have to make sure no damage occurs while handling them. Even catalyzed finishes take time to fully harden and I have opened plenty of speakers with their finish still a bit soft. Ebony is one of the most expensive species, although some suppliers have species that are very similar without having to deal with C.I.T.E.S treaty costs and restrictions. C.I.T.E.S. has placed many species on lists that forbid shipping from one country to others, too.

If you don't like the cabinets being built and finished in China, good luck changing that- too many brands are now Chinese-owned.

I completely agree with your China statement, wholeheartedly. I haven't purchased speakers with exotic woods that aren't reforested and my current speakers are all MDF with hardwood baffles, and none are on the list. I still prefer a natural veneer and hardwood vs gloss finishes over MDF or plywood.

 

[everettT]

Not just the cabinets from China, but the cabinets + drivers and just about everything else are made in China or Asia. Still looks good and sounds good.

Whichever costs less for them and makes the most profit. Yeah, those Perlisten speakers that cost $20K+ are all made in China. Probably costs Perlisten $3K/pair, sell them to dealers for $10K and still make a huge profit.

I have a mixed bag of drivers, some from Europe, some from the far east. If SB Acoustics made their Satori drivers elsewhere I'd be pleased.