New Accuton automotive speakers

[Hillbilly SQ]

Oh, I'm sure of it. Accuton makes excellent stuff. But those prices are roughly 2x the home audio equivalent prices. I expected a markup but not a 100% + markup. I'm not saying they're not worth it. I'm just saying it's much more than I expected.

I know I really liked the Accuton home stuff in Bill's FJ. To be honest it was so detailed it was a little unnerving at times since I'm more used to a Scanspeak-ish sound. I have no doubt these Accutons will pop up in big builds across the U.S. because we have some very well-to-do people in our little niche group of the hobby. I really don't fault people for having gear that's unobtanium for most as long as they do the gear justice in the build and tune. I know I'll never spend that much on speakers with my blue collar paycheck. That's just being realistic and not overstepping my financial bounds and knowing I'd never do them justice in my hackleberry installs

[erinh]

To reiterate, I'm not saying they're not worth it. I'm just surprised by the price given other Accuton pricing. Having insight in to what Madisound dealer price is for their Accuton stuff, it's even more of a shock. That's all. But I'm sure the performance is there; whether or not you're paying for an extra 5% or 50% improvement over what is available now, though, is still TBD. If I were starting from scratch and looking, I'd certainly look in to these based on the name alone (Accuton has a history of making stellar products). But I would have to get hands on with them and test them to know if they're "worth" the MSRP associated with them for my needs.

[captainobvious]

It's pretty crazy money. But isn't this close to what Focal charges for their top level stuff? Either way, it's a little insane.
The home audio drivers work just fine in the automotive environment, provided you understand what you are doing. And they cost far, far less than these.

[erinh]

No doubt. Focal, Micro Precision, Sinfoni... at some point you have to think that unless you are using a driver outside of a typical passband, that you definitely run in to a point where the money spent doesn't net better performance (again, within a typical passband; outside of that, certainly some drivers warrant spending extra money).

It does all come down to need and applicability. I think the AudioFrog GB25 is a good example here: it costs a lot more than most 2-3 inch drivers but it can cover a couple extra octaves which, in my case at the time, was important and well worth the extra money to me. Or, if you need a small enclosure but also need performance on the low end without sacrificing high frequency extension then you're gonna have to pay. But if you're using a 4 inch midrange between 500 - 2khz then just about anything out there will do that task without issue.

[Hillbilly SQ]

Considering what you get I consider the gb25 a pretty good value. If the Accuton stuff is proven to be better than the competition in that crazy price bracket I see no reason why they won't take plenty of sales away from brands the high rollers are currently using already. Just my opinion. And I wonder if the price increase for the car stuff is assuming there will be warranty claims from irresponsible users that have more money than brains? And the car environment isn't exactly a nice area with daily temp swings.

[preston]

I'd never do them justice in my hackleberry installs

Ha ha great quote. That's how I feel about my stuff. Actually I think I do the "functional" part pretty well, its the other stuff where I'm not so good. When I see CNC'ed acrylic baffles with countersunk screw holes I'm like "wow that's really nice" and then
I'm back to using a jigsaw and hand held router without even a circle jig on plywood (albeit it birch).

To be honest it was so detailed it was a little unnerving at times

Ooh, love me some extreme detail.

[Hillbilly SQ]

Ha ha great quote. That's how I feel about my stuff. Actually I think I do the "functional" part pretty well, its the other stuff where I'm not so good. When I see CNC'ed acrylic baffles with countersunk screw holes I'm like "wow that's really nice" and then
I'm back to using a jigsaw and hand held router without even a circle jig on plywood (albeit it birch).



Ooh, love me some extreme detail.

Yeah, function over form is bred into me. As long as it's hid by seats, panels, etc all I care about is if it's reliable, safe, and works as good as possible considering the circumstances. I don't even remember how my amp rack is laid out behind the seats under the carpeted protective cover with crap on top of it

[dgage]

Are there any links to details and specs of the new drivers? Model #s of new drivers?

[preston]

I think Peter said that was the very first set available, so I doubt there is any information out there yet. Keep an eye on Madisound.

[naiku]

I am curious what the break even point is on a set of speakers costing this much, is it 10 pairs? 100 pairs? Curious as well what the business justification is, obviously there is a case of being able to sell enough of them, and with the crazy mark ups mentioned, maybe they don't need to sell that many, but I'd wonder at what point it makes them worthwhile. I would say AudioFrog is at the top end of the budget for 99% of users, so how many sets do you need to sell to that 1%, of which likely only 0.1% install aftermarket speakers into their expensive cars, for there to be a decent ROI.

This is all my opinion, no clue how any of this works. Maybe they just took designs from the home audio where they sell plenty of speakers to toss out a set of crazy expensive car audio speakers and hope for a couple bites.