As some of you know I have very high end speakers in the system with the DSS. So I would rather not cause harm to them.
I had the amp at 50DB. The DSS attenuator was on. I could not figure out why I was not getting any volume. I finally did. I turned it off. The speakers then blasted for literally 1 second or less before I hit power off for the amp on the same URC remote.
I was just wondering if that math, 50 DB plus the Attenuator off and 1 second or less was enough to cause harm to high end speakers. In my understanding usually either capacitors on the crossover or the tweeters. Did I risk damage here? Or was it not enough volume and/or not enough time? They sound the same. I just wonder if there is any hidden damage lurking?
Iâve had similar things happen to mine over time without any problems. (My daughter was staying with me for a while and she didnât really know how to use my system. She played with a lot of stuff and wasnât getting sound. I reached over and unmuted and WHAM. The cat jumped vertically about a foot and a half and his tail looked like a cattail about 3" around (like Bill the Cat.) I found the mute button. It turned out that she had added about 50dB to the normal sound level and that was loud.)
Thank you. That is reassuring. I kind of figured even though it startled a very old man(me) it was actually not that loud and 1 or less seconds was not enough. I really just wanted confirmation.
See, these are Somus Faber Ex3ma. You canât get them anymore for any price. When you could get them they were supposed to be like $30k but only sold to whos who at a dinner party in the audio paparazzi industry. I bought mine off an unmentioned magazine head editor for an obscene sum of money. To this day I feel it was worth it. I had enough and I love them. I just wanted confirmation of what I pretty much knew. Thank you
You know what is really scary Ted? We have cook staff, so professional kitchen. It is not like a regular kitchen. So some of our cats were in there one day. Luckily I was right there. They got startled and jumped over the burners. They turned on all the gas shuttlecocks! If I was not there and the staff did not catch it⌠eventually BOOM! Just to speak of cats. You know what curiosity did to them
I had a pair of Sonus Faber Extremas for years. My all time favorite speakers. I got mine directly from Italy in an even swap for a pair of high end tube amplifiers. I never should have sold themâŚ
I guess they lost their flare or I am a fool. That night I paid over 150,000 Euro! Now worth 1/3rd that. Pity me. Donât worry I have money to burn. I do not relish losing though. I usually gain on investments. Although audio gear I do not consider an investment. Like a car. Take it off the lot, you lose. Usually. My vintage European cars go way up. Oh, welcome to the forum!
thanks for the welcome - in the active (writing) part of the forum âŚ
For about 3 years with my PS gear: P15, DSs, BHK 300 (reading and learning - a lot).
150k ?? That is just 10k less than the MSRP of the Fenice (in 2010, only 30 pairs built, all sold out before the official presentation). One of this pairs is available on audiogon (https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9c4j2-sonus-faber-fenice-flagship-loudspeaker-pair-black-gloss-full-range) - they did start with 90k ⌠4 month ago - my one is in violin red.
I would like to get the Extremas - as surrounds - yes quite crazy (but for an other price ⌠)
I almost purchased that pair [the Fenice]. The dealer and I are ~$10k off on price and they wonât budge, if you take their word for it the offer they made me was âbreak evenâ for them. I may have ponied up if it was in a more desirable finish; [for me of course] beauty is in the eye of the beholder but piano black is too âsimpleâ.
I just donât see the value, especially in this climate with the US economy entering a recession. I am sure they sound fabulous but it always irked me that Sonus Faber uses off the shelf drivers, essentially you are paying uber money for them to build an enclosure. To add salt to the wound the Fenice isnât even limited anymore with âThe Sonus Faber SE17â available to purchase with more advanced drivers than the Fenice.
I am sure it sounds great but honestly tod(and secret:that is my name to with DR. in front of it ) Get the SE17 if you are playing that way. Surely if you have 60 grand you must have the rest, no? If I am out of touch with reality I apologize. I honestly have âtooâ much money.
Well, Dre, I got robbed on those because of the circumstances. They were only sold to magazine editors at a 1 night dinner party. I was there. I haggled on the spot. We were very drunk. Shooting crazy numbers. Shook on it. Opened my checkbook. Next morning, âwhat in the world did I just do?â. Pretty much how it went down. Either 12 Vodkaâs or he took advantage. I know he had paid $29,000USD!
I screwed up big time! So therefore, I plan to enjoy forever. I use them with a MJ Windsor sub.
Unfortunately I am not in a position to drop $250k right now on speakers. I would love a pair of SE17 but my rainy day fund is going to purchase one of the new [yet to be announced] Corvette C8 Z06 next year.
I am still [what I tell myself to be] young guy at 31, so I feel fortunate enough to be in a position to contemplate purchasing the Fenice. This hobby is really a sickness, I canât stop thinking about them. Who knows, maybe I will splurge but I think the dealerâs asking price is too high
My main concern is if I go ahead with the purchase it is a really poor investment. It will take a special buyer to purchase them from me (if I choose to sell down the road) given they weigh 700lb/ea. and as time goes on I think the landscape of hi-fi will significantly shift as the boomers reach end of life. I think I am an outlier and not much of the younger generation is interested in the high-end side of this hobby; they are happy with bluetooth speakers .
Kind of a sad but likely accurate assessment of the state of things. Super high value audio products are likely to be poorer investments as the demographics change and income disparity widens.
Iâve experienced this first hand with the toy train hobby. My father recently passed away, he was very passionate about collecting model trains. He had over $300k invested, the majority of the collection was new in box.
After speaking to several dealers about selling it, the majority came in with offers around $10-15k! It was a godsend when we had an offer for $30k. The story was the same from every dealer: âthere just isnât a market for this stuff anymoreâ and âwith the boomers passing away the market that already has little demand is already saturatedâ. We could have parted out the collection piece by piece and sold it our self but even then at most we were looking at $50k with significant time/overhead.
I think the writing is on the wall for hi-fi which really does make me sad as I enjoy this hobby. It will be interesting to see what happens to all these companies in 10-15 years when the dust settles [think: Magico hi-end for a few grand or will they just close up shop?]. To some degree I think the manufacturers did this to themselves with ridiculous margins/pricing, but hey, capitalism is a real thing so if there is demand good for them i.e. in the case of the Fenice there is no way in hell that that speakers raw material/assembly cost with R&D factored in was more than 10k yet the sticker price was ~200k? It is even more egregious when you look at the electronics end of hi-fi.
Well I am a Boomer. I do not plan on passing soon but of course I canât just say that. you are right though. the millennials or whatever are not into this stuff. Our house has ancient Persian rugs worth millions each, Vases from Ming era ETC. they have no interest in substance. They eat fast food. We have a cook staff. I understand not everyone lived like that anyhow but now no one has any interest regardless. You are correct it is Blu tooth speakers. Monster, DR. DRE. I have the WAMM Chronosonic. Then we have a theater. Not a home theater. An actual theater. Imax. I am not bragging. I am just saying money or not it is the end of an era. There will be no more $5,000 stereos let alone Million dollar ones. It is sad to me but I will be gone. My grandchildren or greatgrandchildren will sell it all for nothing Our estate probably worth 1/3rd what it once was. No one lives in a 48 room home anymore. I know, pity the rich guy but it makes me sad. Not me personally but the end of substance.
I say get the speakers. I am sure they sound wonderful. I would not be so caught up on the finish. Lacquer is actually always a good choice. If I saw a deal I would take whatever it was. Many times I took something. Believe it or not I am a miser! I go to flea markets! You never know what you will find. The thing is I know what I am looking for. I might find a pocket watch for $10 that is worth 10 grand! In fact it really happened. I use PS Audioâs trade in. I did not know a Z06 is that expensive? You mean to say it is a quarter of a million? I drive a GT-R Nismo It just has a tune because I lease it. I put down $20,000 and the payment is $3,400 a month. I do not like to purchase a car.2 years and give it back. could you please show me this Z06? It is better than the ZR1? Maybe I will get it in October when my lease is up.
I hope I did not offend anyone. I am just running my mouth. The main thing I was trying to say is that the young people today have effectively abolished entire industries. I find it sad. I really was not trying to brag. I was just making a reference point. I truly mean no offence. If I hurt anyoneâs feelings go ahead and let me know. I did not mean it that way. I just realized it could be taken that way. If so my sincere apologies.
A general comment here regarding what something is âworthâ. It all depends on whatever arbitrary market decides something is worth subject to change at any time / whim of the super wealthy in this case. Blaming this issue on younger people makes no sense to me. They arenât the ones driving the silly prices on rare objects that no one needs.
Rant over.
Purely speculation since it hasnât been announced but I expect a fully loaded hardtop convertible to be around $130k and it should be one of the best performing sports cars available independent of price.
I honestly did not mean to be a jerk. I really apologize if I hurt anyoneâs feelings.
It is in my humble opinion younger folks today are losing the art. We never had Blu tooth speakers or I-phones before. It is not their fault though. Just the way the world is moving. No one wants Persian rugs anymore. Soon few will want these cars I bet. They will hop up Toyotaâs.I bet they go fast too.
I may very well be interested in the Z06. Save me a lot of money. What about the ZR1?
I would honestly buy those Fenice. You are lucky to have that at 31. 31 to me of course is a youngster. I know it is not really.
I appreciate that no one flamed me. I embrace all walks of life. I often invite homeless folks to eat. My wife does not like it but it is the right thing to do. I know I came off as a jerk but I am actually very humble. We were just discussing expensive things. Burger King is just fine too. Look, my days are numbered and I can take none of it with me. Truthfully I prefer Burger King. Any time I can get out of here. 25 year old girls like my car but I am not stupid.
You didnât hurt my feelings, but I think youâre way off base. Anyway, this thread is so far off topic it should probably correct course or be locked.
.