Want to gauge interest in this...

[Haoleb]

So here's my situation. To put it plainly I am tired of working for other people. I want to be successful on my own.. And I love the audio hobby. I also love building and fabricating things. Which leads me to wanting to gauge the interest there is for people for a couple ideas.

First, would be more for those in the 2 channel audio field who have multiple sources and have a preamp without as many inputs or want to use something like a little passive preamp without many inputs. It would be a source switching device. Much like a preamp only without the volume control. Something like 6 or 8 (or custom amount) of inputs all switched internally by high quality reed relays. I mean this thing would have every feature available for keeping the signal as perfect as possible. a very well sheilded chassis, L and R channels switched by seperate relays to avoid crosstalk. All sheilded miniature coaxial cable internally.

Picture a high quality chassis, possibly some parts made of wood and a faceplate with a large centrally located knob for source switching (rotary) and two knobs flanking it for on/off and mute along with a row of LED's to indicate which source is currently on. It would be externally powered by a simple wallwart. the mute switch being for those people who leave their power amplifiers on all the time and want to switch off other equipment without any pops.

pricing?... maybe $300ish? probabbly not a real interest for such a device for the folks around here i know.



second being a power distribution component. Not a power conditioner but something with high quality parts and switched outlets with time delays that can be adjusted to fit the users preferences. Internally it would have industrial relays and could even be fitted with larger motor starters for people with very large amplifiers who think they need such a thing.


Im really just looking for feedback if people would want something like this. There are products on the market that will do the same thing but not really in the same way. My current profession has me building UL certified industrial control panels and I cant help but imagine the things I could do if I put my mind to it.

 

[highfigh]

So here's my situation. To put it plainly I am tired of working for other people. I want to be successful on my own.. And I love the audio hobby. I also love building and fabricating things. Which leads me to wanting to gauge the interest there is for people for a couple ideas.

First, would be more for those in the 2 channel audio field who have multiple sources and have a preamp without as many inputs or want to use something like a little passive preamp without many inputs. It would be a source switching device. Much like a preamp only without the volume control. Something like 6 or 8 (or custom amount) of inputs all switched internally by high quality reed relays. I mean this thing would have every feature available for keeping the signal as perfect as possible. a very well sheilded chassis, L and R channels switched by seperate relays to avoid crosstalk. All sheilded miniature coaxial cable internally.

Picture a high quality chassis, possibly some parts made of wood and a faceplate with a large centrally located knob for source switching (rotary) and two knobs flanking it for on/off and mute along with a row of LED's to indicate which source is currently on. It would be externally powered by a simple wallwart. the mute switch being for those people who leave their power amplifiers on all the time and want to switch off other equipment without any pops.

pricing?... maybe $300ish? probabbly not a real interest for such a device for the folks around here i know.

second being a power distribution component. Not a power conditioner but something with high quality parts and switched outlets with time delays that can be adjusted to fit the users preferences. Internally it would have industrial relays and could even be fitted with larger motor starters for people with very large amplifiers who think they need such a thing.

Im really just looking for feedback if people would want something like this. There are products on the market that will do the same thing but not really in the same way. My current profession has me building UL certified industrial control panels and I cant help but imagine the things I could do if I put my mind to it.

You need to look into how much it costs to manufacturer things, how much inventory you'll need, insurance, the time lag between the idea and your first design, testing, validation and roll-out.

There's a saying that can apply to any industry-

Q- How do you make a small fortune in the xxxxx Industry?"
A- Start with a large fortune.

 

[KEW]

This is purely my opinion without much to back it up, but I'm always game for brainstorming new ideas.
I think you'd have a difficult time selling enough of either of those to quit your day job.
The second idea does exist in the form of mass produced power conditioner. I know you said yours would not be a power conditioner, but could you be price competitive against mass produced power conditioners with time delays? If not what extra value are you offering.
Last, I'll offer an idea for another product. It would be an A-B switching unit (you'll have to evaluate how feasible it is). It would need to have the ability to operate using a remote. And have both line level and speaker level switching capability and volume controls so you could level match. The objective is to be able to level match and switch between two speakers or any two sources, subwoofers, or preamps. I'm not sure if you could work it so you could A-B two amps with the same source and speakers, but that would be nice if it is possible.

In any case, I think you'd need to build some first units to test, photograph (for your website), and see what sales you can scare up.
I'm assuming you plan to construct these yourself as opposed to mass production?
If so, you may want to offer a standard unit which you keep in inventory and also have some custom options (were it would make sense) with a 2-3 week lead time.

Last, I think there is a market for working with the MiniDSP and integrating it into a hardware package. This device seems to have some great flexibility and I'm not sure the scope of uses for it have really been determined yet. If you could establish yourself as someone who could custom program it and/or interface with other hardware There could be a market for this.
Here are a couple of reviews and descriptions from AH members if you missed them.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65313
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71464
I really haven't looked at this item, but the general sense I get is that it is very capable, but also a bit complex for the "average Joe". I believe if someone could reliably program it for the desired application and give the customer a simple way to "re-flash" or otherwise reset that programming if it gets corrupted, you may be able to come up with a viable business model for a one man operation.
HTH and best of luck!