@SudS You were the one complaining about being made to work for free 
1 Like
I complain about having to work FOR pay. It was just my poor attempt to persuade PS Audio to provide me compensation. I can even be bought to only offer fan-boi comments. An employee discount would be a great start.
5 Likes
I enjoy the view behind the curtain.
I also know it takes much longer to produce any new product than those uninvolved with the product would ever expect.
4 Likes
I admit that I did like those 50’s designs and couldn’t believe PS Audio changed the entire design concept at that point.
In hind sight they might have done it for the good.
Initially I was fascinated about Paul’s videos about active, servo driven large cone woofers, hybrid active speakers, acoustic suspension enclosures and many other design features that were inherited from Paul’s collaboration with Arnie Nudel.
Hack, in my childhood / youth Infinity speakers were the pinnacle of high end speakers. Even in Europe, they were leading the charts in the Audio and Stereo Magazines and each review seemed to be more raving than the other. So Paul’s stories about his work with Arnie Nudel were fascinating, especially because it was at a time I started to be interested in good quality Music listening again since a long time, as I was finally able to afford it.
But time apparently has moved on. Young designers like Chris Brunhaver, but also Mads Buchardt and his team and many more, come up with new ideas.
When the prospected sales price of the PS Audio speakers exceeded 15 k$, I realized that the speakers were not for me anymore at any time.
But I think Chris has pulled it off. These AN30 are good looking and have refreshing technology on board.
At our home we have settled on Buchardt S400 Signature Editions. Also passive radiator bass principle, like the current AN 30 design, just on a much smaller bookshelf size.
I would have never bought them till my wife and I heard them this summer at Buchardt Audio in Denmark. On paper the bass response does not go as low as the Canton floor standers. But the low frequency rating is not everything. The Buchardt’s are much more balanced sounding speakers which causes the entire frequency range to sound better to my ears, including the bass.
What I learned too is, that putting large very expensive speakers in our small living room would have been the biggest mistake I could have ever made.
Nevertheless I have no doubt that the AN30 with the same passive radiator bass principle have a huge potential to those that have the space and budget.
If you have that kind of budget, you should take the effort to listen to them. Take a vacation in the beautiful Rockies and go listen at PS Audio in Boulder. Although it’s not your own room, it will be a good indication.
3 Likes
Now that makes sense! Though being happily retired I enjoy seeing the working class work 
And being retired I am cheap—a discount here, free shipping there, and I’m content
2 Likes
Infinity speakers, Arnie Nudell, and Bascom King are what brought me to PS Audio. Reading your post, it’s scary, but it’s almost my story, except we part at the point where you went to Buchardt S400 Signature Edition speakers, and I stayed with classic Infinity’s, the Epsilon’s (although not Arnie’s design). In fact, I think Paul’s original speaker concept had much in common with the Epsilon’s, but with a bit more current tech. Quite frankly, where the FR-30’s ended up isn’t a tremendous departure from the Epsilon’s, primarily with an updated bass approach.
1 Like
I’ll be joining the ranks of the fixed income unemployed in a few months, and I’ve always been cheap…a good sale price can motivate me significantly.
1 Like
Congrats! And you can sit and listen to music all day, in your PJ’s and robe!
2 Likes
I’ve been 100% teleworking since March 2020, you just described my uniform.
3 Likes
I am in the same boat as Tim. The direct ONLY model simply doesn’t work well for speakers, specially now with no shows. Direct works for smaller, easy to return products, cheap throw away speaker, but NOT for massive $20-30K speakers!
I am quite excited about these speakers, all indications are, they’re great. However, without SEEING them in person, and HEARING them in person it’s an impossible task to purchase those, even smaller, less expensive models. Speakers LIVE in your living room, are part of your furniture, daily life, and must work for everyone in the family (WAF), so not being able to see them in person is simply a deal breaker.
I think you guys needs to look at some dealers to at least showcase the product to get the ball rolling on these.
I don’t think that PSA needs dealers. I believe that the speakers will be a big success, and this is how I think that it will happen:
1/ PSA is one of the biggest advertisers in the most respected magazines, i.e. Hi Fi News, Stereophile and TAS. It’s a very smart strategy. So you can be sure that at least one of those magazines will review them. And knowing Paul and PSA, I am sure that the speakers are very good, so it will be a positive, perhaps even rave review. That will create the buzz and marketing pull.
2/ Simultaneously, a few beta testers or early buyers from this forum will create the buzz here and on other forums.
Don’t forget that people will be able to try them in their own system, which is the best and only way to judge speakers at this level.
And voilà, success without dealers, who would take a big slice of the profits.
I hope they will be success at their price range but I don´t expect them to sell a lot. I have seen “somewhere” their forthcoming overseas listprice 
My happiness with my current speakers just keep growing when I look what possible upgrading of speakers cost. Ouch.
2 Likes
Well it obviously requires a tremendous leap of faith, as the CEO now acknowledges in his recent post (“It is a leap of faith…”)
The funny thing is: a year ago I pointed out in conjunction with the decision to go dealer-less that any purchase from PSA requires buying on faith because you can’t hear or compare them against other current competition before cash outlay. I was shouted down at the time for saying it was buying on faith.
Now even the CEO agrees with my assessment. The question will be, how much faith do you all have?
1 Like
Well I have faith and believe that they will perform really well. I just can´t afford them 
Been passively watching the FR30 saga unfold. I will assert there is a certain MSRP limit above which the market is highly reluctant to fork out the cash to purchase on faith. Especially without the benefit of a dealer network to audition before the huge outlay. Of course the wealthy end of the market will still likely buy on faith. As for me, I have zero doubt the FR30 will knock the socks off the few who can afford it. It darned well better. But … until and if PSA expands its’ offerings to more affordable models (a monitor?) I won’t be one of those purchasing on faith. Never mind the concern I always have about the logistics of safely shipping large, bulky, heavy loudspeakers. That too is another hurdle that would have me taking a pass on the FR30s even if had the scratch. Been there, done that, don’t want to contend with the risk.
I would have to say if your not buying the fr30 then one does not need any faith…otherwise…buy,try and return if it doesn’t float your boat.And if it does make all of your audio dreams come true…let us all know!
4 Likes
Well, I respectfully disagree with you (and Paul, so it seems). 
It is not a leap of faith if you get to hear them in your home before making a non-refundable commitment. IME, it would be a leap of faith if you purchased them sight unseen (and unheard) and had no recourse to send them back and get a full refund.
I hazard to guess that folks that can actually afford the speakers at the asking price are not going to be all that worried about paying first on condition of a full refund if the speakers are not to their liking.
The only rub I, personally, see in terms of the planned sales model is how reasonable PSA is going/willing to be wrt shipping costs (freight and insurance). If they keep these cost at a minimum for prospective purchasers (and/or offer some sort of “in store credit” against future purchases equal to any costs folks who decide not to keep the speakers incurred), there is no risk or need for faith.
The only hassle is dealing with the return process.
5 Likes
As already said, you have the option for an in home trial before buying.
1 Like
Are you sure about this?
Well in that case if PSA will pay for shipping the speakers to us for the home trial without requiring a cash outlay and will pay return shipping if we decide not to buy then sign me up. Everyone would probably try them and I’d agree that wouldn’t require a leap of faith but I doubt that is the plan (zero cash outlay required, as you suggest).
If I recall correctly, you cannot listen to or demo the Holo DAC, and you cannot return it once purchased.
I have not seen any negative outcry on how one must buy a Holo DAC on faith. People are falling over themselves to purchase one.
Buy the speakers if you want a pair. Pass them by if you are uninterested and/or dislike the business model. Easy. Either is much better for your teeth than the continual unproductive gnashing.
17 Likes