Blumenstein Orcas

Custom built to order, 3+ month lead time, $5,000 to start for the Feastrex: http://www.blumensteinaudio.com/ultra-fi/

 

Holy shit, did you just activate my trap card?

 

Careful, this is the cabinet alone. Be prepared to spend another $10,000 on drivers. Feastrex is the one of the few times you'll spend more on drivers.

 

Holy cow, I'd never heard of Feastrex before, those drivers are no f'ing joke...

 

wow Feastrex look like my kettlebell at home..lol

How come Blumenstein charge $875 for a speaker with $35 driver?
Wouldn't Omega Super 3 or 3i be better value? http://omegaloudspeakers.com/super3desktop.html Seems similar in design, although different drivers looks like.

 

I've seen a lot of people (not here specifically but in general) make a similar argument about many different products. "Well the parts cost X, why are they charging so much more??" If companies sold all their products at slightly over cost, most would go out of business really fast, because there are more considerations of time and money than just how much the parts cost.

 

Think about how many DAC's that cost over $5K use DAC chips that cost less than $100.

 

I think Marv gave a good concrete answer.

I do understand there are other things I am paying for. For example, for BMR I can easily look up how much the components would roughly cost and I am paying more for his years of experience, work, complex 3 way crossover design. Also Salk offers beautiful cabinet that is visible to the eyes and extra cost in my eyes are justified.

Orcas being single full-range I couldn't see where other cost comes from except the a very nice woodwork and years of tweaking and testing. I just thought Phils offer better value and probably wanted to find out how Orcas are good value as well. Sorry my question was a bit unclear in retrospect.

 

That's if you make it yourself and you only make one. If you are a manufacturer the price of tools gets spread out amongst your products and wood cost go down paying in bulk and experience reduces the screw ups. Larger floor standing models might have that much wood but no way Orcas have $300 in wood even if they use bamboo plywood.

The real price goes into labor costs. Turning wood into a cabinet isn't as easily automated as making stamped metal baskets, voicecoils and paper cones. Plus speakers are a bigger product and you can't stock as much, which leads to higher prices per unit storage.

Unless you are super dedicated to making this a lifelong hobby I don't advise you to buy $500 in tools either. Go to a makerspace with the tools already. I have made 2 speakers plus amp enclosures with a combo of hand tools, makerspaces and online laser cutting services.

 

These are not being produced in large batches. There's a 4 week wait for them.

 

I've spent way too money on soldering tools and components and other junk over the years. It has taken a lot of willpower to not buy drill presses and bandsaws when I've seen them on sale, because then I'd start stocking up on woodworking materials and then building speakers is just one step away from the madness.

 

You don't know how bad I want a drill press! I have a dremel that I can convert into a press in the meantime, plus the fablab I am a part of has a press.

 

Pretty much everything I've read about single drivers and low power amps is that it's for smaller spaces and/or lower volume listening. Which makes sense, given the limitations of the amps and single drivers. The tradeoff is that the imaging and resolution with those pairings should present a lot of information at lower volumes.

 

Cmon guys. Hi SPL and single drivers don't really work together. If one wants composure and high SPL, best to look at 2 way and 3 ways.
But for total purity of sound, hard to beat a quality single driver.

Also, I wouldn't use the mindset of breaking up part cost to evaluate how much something should cost. Not really the proper mentality at all. You are paying for the whole packaged sound...all the years of experience in knowing what works and doesn't work. If you have the time to do that, buy the parts and make something.

For example, the screw tension on the Orca's is very exact and tuned by ear for each speaker. Also, there are no nails used in the box. It is all wood glue and unstressed wood. It all contributes to the sound and each piece is lovingly made by Clark Blumenstein.

I have so much respect for his work, I feel awkward just breaking down his offering to the pure cost of parts....just seems wrong.

Compared to the pricing structure of commercial offerings out there, Blumenstein Audio is SUPERB VALUE for the money.

 

Perfectly stated, as far as I'm concerned. Same philosophy, just on a smaller scale regarding the Orca's