It’s not easy to develop a speaker … maybe you just need to sell the old Infinity in self-built sets … Long live AN
well it’s another speaker now with different rules, I count this as peanuts 
From Germany I remember white bookshelf speakers from the 80s with top end ribbon and a large oval passive radiator covering the whole back, providing astonishingly strong, deep bass, just as Paul mentioned in today’s video. Don’t remember the make.
Passive radiators seem to exist quite long, I didn’t follow them anymore or take notice consciously, but probably they are also used in a lot of today’s speakers…at least the actual design story intrigued me to be more attentive about them.
It’s likely to come in around $15K. Fact is, if we can hit that mark it is because we didn’t include the active electronics. But, in the end, the decision to not include them was based solely on sound quality. I’ll tell the whole story some time but basically we had a shoot out and this configuration blew the skirt off of the active system. See? I am always learning.
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Great teaser!
@Paul: Looking forward to the story… maybe 99.9% true 
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I guess at the end each designer has to do HIS work of conviction and best skill. Probably if Arnie RIP was still around you could in theory have started the race of the century among the two
I think what we learned is „no one‘s work is so unique, special and outstanding, that it couldn’t be or even wasn’t already surpassed“. Not Arnie‘s, not Paul‘s and most probably not Chris‘ and the one of all others, too. Many roads lead to Rome.
Thinking further, I would argue that there wasn’t enough effort put into the active system with the original design ideas… it’s always easier to build a good/better system with what you know already… so did PS Audio convinced itself that the active system has enough time and engineering into it so that it could be a fair match?
Yah. There’s a minimum income level. Come on…
Now that the speaker doesn’t have powered subs, it makes more sense driving them with the BHK 250 stereo amp, or the 300 mono blocks. Before it seemed like over kill using the BHK amps to drive their own speaker.
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Great to see active development leading to better results and lower price point. Sounds like a “win win.”
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Having heard Chris’ last effort at the RMAF, I have no doubt they’ll sound very nice. What is worrying me is that the speakers are being developed in acoustically “perfect” (or as near perfect as PS Audio’s budget will allow) rooms.
No problems with that, but my room is far, far from perfect and would benefit mightily from room correction that is integral to the design. I suspect that I’m not alone. No matter how wonderful the FR80’s are from the midbass down, without correction I’ll still be listening to my room. One of the design goals stated for what became the FR30 was how well they could be adapted to “real” room settings and closer-to-wall placement.
I can’t help but wonder if that goal has been left behind.
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Warning - brain filter off.
Sorry Admin. But…
We had here a really interesting thread, a rarity in the industry, giving us the inside story as a product morphed from an idea towards a different product entirely.
Brilliant stuff
But now one or two folks pissin’ and whingin’ as if they had invested actual cash in the company based on the story we have been following mean we won’t find out any more now until it is ready to be released.
That’s a real loss.
By all means comment on the features you will miss, but it’s not a betrayal folks, just an interesting story to follow.
My most humblest apologies right now to anyone and everyone I may have offended with this post.
Sorry Admin.
Brain filter back on…
Edit - love and peace.
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It’s not easy to develop a speaker - I have long since stopped reading the nonsense that is written in this thread.
More love Michael
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Can’t wait to see, and eventually hear the speakers when PS Audio is ready. I have been ignoring and will continue to ignore all the distractions, second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacks. I admire PS Audio’s willingness to experiment and continue to develop and mold until “you” know the speaker(s) are ready. This is the fun part of product development and want to thank you for sharing this journey.
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I think you just described the cause of half of world’s problems.
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FWIW, Paul in the past went to great lengths to extoll how the PS Audio speakers would be differentiated by the ease of placement and integration in “real” rooms. They may yet achieve that, but it remains to be seen.
Optimizing bass performance requires (a) optimal room dimensions and configuration, (b) juggling speaker placement to minimize nodes and serious acoustic treatment - WAF be damned, or ( c) some sort of active bass system. Without the latter, the buyer is back to relying solely on choices a and/or b, which can be akin to unobtainium for some.
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Oh no! Things change! The world is not static! Quick - run for the hills.
Seriously though. How many here have heard all the iterations starting with Arnie’s speakers? No one? Ok, out of no one, how many know for a fact that this latest iteration doesn’t blow them all away? Not seeing any hands up.
But I’m sure there is more complaining to come. And thanks to the moaning, Paul’s not showing us the latest. Yay.
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That approach probably led to untenable compromises.
And it’s no longer the FR-30. Different name, different design goals.
No betrayal, no money invested.
Inconsequent the development is.
If you feel wetted by such comment I am sorry, but it is an objective observation.
The reporting on a development based on ever changing technology comes from PS Audio, it is not something that’s made up by the forum members.
I trust with the BHK behemoth sized amplifiers they’ll sound fine. But, the semi active principle attracted a lot of people. For the important midth’s and height’s they could have utilized their amplifier at choice including class A or tube amplifiers. Now they either have to buy an additional amp or a new behemoth sized current pump.
To me with a small living room these options are not feasible.
If people who don’t want to realize the consequences of the change in development just read on I am sure if you have the space and don’t mind lots of big boxes in the room that is fine too.
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