Posted by lon [ 209.103.193.198 ] on April 03, 2004 at 15:15:24:
In Reply to: Re: For Beginners posted by Bill Fitzmaurice on April 03, 2004 at 09:28:27:
Lots of talking points here and all well-taken. This rise/decline
thing of DIY has me a bit buffaloed. It was my impression with seeing the volumes at MAD, PE and other forums that the 'handcrafted audio' hobby and product were on the rise.
So like Theodore Sturgeon says in an essay, "always ask the next
question."
Since manufacturing is moving out and certain designs of speakers are played out, what's left and where's the market?
My take on this is Boutique Audio: handcrafted specialized product
which is sought by the discerning consumer but impractical to
produce by Polk or Bose(tm) or Klipsch.
To that end, the next phase of the audio hobby might very well be
cottage industry on a localized basis.
Also, since the designs we are seeing go considerably past the
golden ratio box with a hole in it, my notion was to take
the carefully considered and modelled designs we see from the
TL, front horn and back horn specialists and recruit art galleries
to display them. That or perhaps coffee houses become your
showroom... no retail space is secured. There is a constant flow
of viewers with an eye toward the same level of sophistication as an
art object which has the added benefit of making music. :-)
This sculptural, aural and tactile aspect of the newer designs is something which I have not really seen discussed much. As a non-
professional I have always been interested in design and
architecture. So I'm thinking that these designs could be displayed
in an exhibit fashion.
I believe this Think Tank approach is valuable and it is very early on in the discussion of what the next wave of American invention will be. We always have to ask the next question like Sturgeon says.
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