Paul, in my opinion if half loved the previous design and half hated it, it was perfect! Eager to see the latest when ready.
And yet, Arnie’s IRS Killer outward design resembled nothing he had ever created. Quite contemporary in my amateur design opinion. It was actually Arnie Nudell that brought me to PS Audio in the first place, he and Bascom King, both of whom I’ve admired since the early 80’s.
I do not recall anyone stating anything like this. I assume this means the speakers’ appearance is critical.
What speakers do you like which combine good sound with appearance?
What ideally would you like to see when looking at a speaker?
How do you express yourself as a visual artist?
I’d not heard of BHK either. I checked a while back and Genesis and Infinity never got to the UK. I don’t know if anything designed by BHK ever did, probably because I have no idea what BHK has designed beyond three products for PS Audio.
My current speakers are Vandersteen Treo Ct speakers which I consider to be the most attractive speakers in their line. I am considering their Quatro Wood CT speakers which are competitively priced with the new PS audio speakers and I also find them attractive. I am hopeful that the new PS Audio speakers will be irresistible in both their appearance and their performance.
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Portions of the speaker he worked on for PS Audio do have elements of his designs throughout the years. The vertical array of tweeters and the vertical array of ribbon midranges is one of his trademarks, and is the main design element of the benchmark speaker that Paul has shown in several videos. That speaker also has servo-controlled powered subwoofers, also part of his legendary designs. He put all of this into one left speaker cabinet and one right speaker cabinet, which is reminiscent of the Infinity IRS Sigma, Gamma and Epsilon speakers. I think that speaker looks quite nice
Absolutely correct, which is why I specifically separated the design concept (drivers, mid base coupler, servo woofer), and commented only from the purely aesthetic aspects of styling.
Bascom? He’s designed a few of the Conrad Johnson pieces, all the Infinity electronics from their amps and preamps to woofer and crossover products, and more recently he was the principal designer for the Constellation designs.
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Many folks liked very much the first version of the speaker. I have kept the pair because I too liked it very much - those big wooden slabs on the sides were cool.
Speaker aesthetics are crazy polarizing. You may well hate the new look or maybe love it. The few I have shared it with have at first said they were not thrilled, but then the longer they looked at it the more they liked it.
We shall see. I love the new design: modern, clean, simple, elegant.
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Audiophiles tend to be a conservative bunch in many ways. Getting the balance just right would be tricky.
I am eager to see the new design.
I was raised in a house since birth with contemporary furniture. First Paul McCobb designs, then Scandinavian teak. My first speakers (Infinity RSiia) were the same as Bascom used for his equipment reviews for Audio magazine back in the early 80’s. Sleek lines, real wood…I agree, those first designs of your speakers really got my attention, in a good way. Each iteration after that, not as much.
Bascom King may have designed for companies that never got distributed in UK/EU or got very little traction. Conrad Johnson are available in the UK if you search hard enough, but very rare. I am not aware that Infinity ever got to the UK. I’ve never heard of Constellation Audio, but do see that it is sold in the UK. It’s very, very expensive, so I may not have noticed.
Paul, if you liked it,and other liked it as well… not not stick to it and maybe just improve it in a subtle ways? Seems like you already have a blue print for a winner with that earlier first version. I curious why the change?
But just scroll back and read the reactions on the thread that showed the pictures (people mocked and generally hated the wood bases), and then realize that’s from a population that includes a lot of fanboys (no disrespect intended), ie, those already here on the PSA forums who are already huge PSA fans and owners and fervent defenders of other PSA gear and thus likely predisposed to be more favorable than an average consumer. That reception by their own wouldn’t bode well for general widespread acceptance among new customers, most likely, especially for a completely new-to-market and unproven player in hi-end speaker development.
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I thought the modular two box approach was a great idea from a design that would ship well. To me, the best approach would be the two stacked box approach and side panels of exotic wood and a front grill that would integrate everything together, appearing as a single floor standing speaker. Shipped in three boxes (two separate speaker sections, one box for side panels and front grill). I’m curious now what the pro’s come up with.
Guys, please take it to PMs if you want to continue this discussion.
Thanks
Edit: Off-topic economic policy discussion deleted as some of you were not listening.
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In the end it felt too much like an “old man’s” speaker. The design was nice, but kind of tired. A bit too staid for the long run. Plus, making lower cost versions was almost impossible. The look of it depended upon those big slabs of wood on the sides. These were silly expensive and would have meant that either the lower cost models didn’t carry forward the same look or they would have to be super expensive. Just not something that in the end we could support and switch with our standards of value/performance.
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Ha, I agree with the old man’s speaker look! I thought the wood sides always looked like a tribute to the IRS speakers and a carryover from the wood top’s used on your electronics. Without that, there is an opportunity for a fresh and perhaps more cohesive look. Especially for the line of speakers you plan to offer. I have always been appreciative of your emphasis on value/performance. That is why my systems are all by PS Audio.
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I had not thought of this, but they did have a bit an old man’s aesthetic.
There are many enthusiast pursuits which are currently working on surviving while their traditional customers age out. But one still needs to appeal to the superannuated. A tricky business.
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I wonder if the wish to not let them look like „normal speakers“ (although probably many tend to say this about their own designs) remained or if another design rule was chosen. In any case the passive design will ensure the need of the PSA amp series, a new BHK amp etc.
One thing aside of sound quality considerations under the currently given alternatives might also be a reason against an active design: in case of technical problems a hole speaker would have to be sent around.