Well, if ppl expected a final product to blow away every other speaker, then that was misplaced as it was clearly stated “prototype”, plus all discussions here on forum explained things were just being finished before it was shipped out to AXPONA.
I didn’t have those expectation and if the size was right and fit my space would have had to audition them in their final config before purchase. So for me, the prototype, met my expectations.
Although I love them at home, I wouldn’t dare to hear my speakers in such a room. No idea what comes…but without intensive positioning and a limited sweet spot probably nothing good. So I admire the courage of any manufacturer to present his works in such an environment without many days of extensive optimisation.
@jmeniche, @kcleveland123 Thanks for the kind words. Emotional day for sure.
So sorry for your loss.
Sorry for your loss man. May he Rest In Peace!
Thanks to both of you.
My wife recently lost her Mom. It was pretty ugly. The toll on my wife was big. I hope your dad died with dignity. Condolences!
He did and thanks. He was in hospice care for the last 6 weeks or so. Those people are angels on earth. There is a good story to tell but it is for another time.
Excellent!
Please keep in mind someone disagreeing with you is not a personal attack; they are merely disagreeing.
All the opinions on this thread kinda makes me wish I was at Axpona, but Boulder is 50 minutes away for me and I’ll hopefully get a chance to hear a more developed prototype at the PS Audio mothership at some point in the future.
We’ve were moving around a bit before settling in CO and I’ve had the “opportunity” to set up the same system in four different rooms. The sonic results were akin to four different sets of speakers so, with that experience, how they sounded at the show is irrelevant to me. I’ll need a more “up close and personal” evaluation.
Lastly, I feel it appropriate to inject a bit of Nelson Pass’ incomparable wisdom:
“I am centrally aware that all this is just entertainment, mine and yours.”
…
“Our taste in sound may not appeal to everyone, but it’s what we have to work with, and we only need a small segment of the market to be successful.”
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Please know that I was not at the show and therefore didn’t hear the AN3s. My comments are purely based on whether a manufacturer should bring a prototype of ‘whatever’ to an industry show.
My belief is “Of Course”. As long as the manufacturer isn’t selling his prototypes and makes it clear they are prototypes, then there is no harm. Furthermore, a designer/builder can never have a better opportunity to learn than by putting their prototype out for consumers to see, hear, feel, smell, etc. As a builder you want that feedback. As Paul has noted many times, they’re still voicing the AN3s. Well what a great opportunity to get a thousand views and feedback. He could never get that back in the shop at Boulder. I’d argue he’d being doing himself a disservice by not bringing the prototypes to the show and collecting that feedback.
I suspect possibly your real argument is with Paul’s sometimes over the top enthusiasm. Here again I would argue that any designer/builder has to have unbelievable enthusiasm for their inventions. If they didn’t then they wouldn’t get very far. We just need to keep that inventor enthusiasm in mind, put it to the side and provide the feedback PS Audio needs to help move their speaker from prototype to product.
As for the consumer sampling the prototype, you have every right in the world to say you didn’t like it. That is absolutely fair. But what I believe is unfair is to say the designer had no right to bring it to the show.
@Paul - I appreciate the sense of grounded reality PSA seems to have with the new speakers. Rarely will a manufacturer acknowledge how their upcoming flagship speaker will be very expensive and won’t be for the majority of the PSA customer base.
We would NEVER hear a sense of humor about top tier products from most manufacturers.
As someone who tests prototypes professionally, I wholeheartedly endorse the process of eliciting consumer feedback. There is a reason companies hire neutral third party researchers to do this. You can’t get good feedback when you are simultaneously cheerleader and defender of product and also wanting any and all feedback.
Designers are too close to the baby and the reactions above bely that.
I’ve experienced countless times when the engineer gets in front of end user during research and starts arguing with the customer. “Can’t they just see what we are doing here?” Problems, dislikes, misunderstands are an opportunity to learn. The road is paved with those who had ears to hear, but didn’t.
The speakers are called AN, but they should really be called PM. These are Paul’s signature model.
Merely a reminder, as well as good advice for all.
How do you qualify the consumers? That is, how do you know to whom to listen?
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Very good, glad to hear it.
Good luck moving forward.
Many, if not most, companies do research to determine their customer “segments.” This research is predicated on finding key variables that classify the customers into these distinct clusters. Once the segments are identified, it is a matter of selecting which segments to “target.” Targets should represent particular strategic objectives: the largest customer base, the most profitable or highest value customers, customers who represent a new opportunity, etc.
Thus, who to listen to is a systematic process based on business goals and market research.
The hi-fi audio industry is miles behind other sectors in adopting these practices.
Makes perfect sense. Thanks.