[Rick Craig]

I'm in the process of replacing our website with new software and hosting. It may not be available for a few days so feel free to email or post here if you need any help. This is long overdue and I thank a few of you who volunteered to help and encouraged me to make the change. The new site will be optimized for mobile devices as well! Thanks for your patience during the transition.

[Rick Craig]

Good news - the site is now up and running as well as the email link. I still have quite a bit of information to add so if anyone has a specific question feel free to ask here or email me. 

[davecar]

Congratulations Rick on your new site.  Looks like it has the makings of a good one. I really like some of the new pictures you are adding.
Dave

[rlee8394]

The Speakers section only has photos. How long before specs and pricing are added?

Thanks,
Ron

[Rick Craig]

The Speakers section only has photos. How long before specs and pricing are added?

Thanks,
Ron

Yes - I will add information as time permits. I hope to have that up in a day or two.

[krustykat]

Hi Rick,
The new web site appears to be coming along quite nicely.  Congrats btw on your 10 year anniversary!!!   I was looking at all of the speaker pics, it's quite nice to have all of the models and pics in one place!    If this thread could be a wish list area, I could ask for a couple things on your website?  Will you be adding  component descriptions and other speaker info to the speaker picture page as well?  Another page with your veneer and finishing options would be quite nice too. 

Todd

[xsilverjag]

Looks good cant wait

[Rick Craig]

Hi Rick,
The new web site appears to be coming along quite nicely.  Congrats btw on your 10 year anniversary!!!   I was looking at all of the speaker pics, it's quite nice to have all of the models and pics in one place!    If this thread could be a wish list area, I could ask for a couple things on your website?  Will you be adding  component descriptions and other speaker info to the speaker picture page as well?  Another page with your veneer and finishing options would be quite nice too. 

Todd

What type of component information would you like to see? Due to the amount of pictures on each page I will probably add links for the current models that include specifications, measurement graphs, and additional pictures.

[krustykat]

My thought was to identify the woofer, midrange and tweeter manufacturer and models in your speaker specifications .  I think that one of the reasons the average potential Selah customer is probably looking at your speakers is because of the quality components used, and this would just help confirm it.  Just a thought, and of course I understand why you might not want to be too liberal with that info.   

[maxboy00]

Hi Rick,

Nice improvements on your web site.

After looking over your floor standing speakers, I saw two that look very interesting, the Riferimento and the RC5, and wanted to know how they compare to the new Ottavo.  Interested to know what the drivers are used as well as the dimensions. 

Thanks,

[xsilverjag]

My thought was to identify the woofer, midrange and tweeter manufacturer and models in your speaker specifications .  I think that one of the reasons the average potential Selah customer is probably looking at your speakers is because of the quality components used, and this would just help confirm it.  Just a thought, and of course I understand why you might not want to be too liberal with that info.

I agree, it would be easier to match components that way. I also think size, dimensions and frequency response graphs are helpful as well.

[Rick Craig]

My thought was to identify the woofer, midrange and tweeter manufacturer and models in your speaker specifications .  I think that one of the reasons the average potential Selah customer is probably looking at your speakers is because of the quality components used, and this would just help confirm it.  Just a thought, and of course I understand why you might not want to be too liberal with that info.

Well this is very much a loaded subject. 

I'll try to respond as best as I can. At one time most of the high end speaker manufacturers sourced their drivers from the European suppliers (Dynaudio, Seas, Vifa, Peerless, and Scan-Speak). That made it a little easier for buyers to compare. Now most of the drivers are being sourced from China and the larger speaker companies often have drivers that are unique to their own brand. For proprietary parts like that it's very difficult to determine the real value of the system that they are used in unless you have a good deal of knowledge about driver design and materials cost. Some of these drivers are very good and others mediocre to average at best.

For the majority of time that I've been in business I have been very open about what parts I am using. A portion of that is due to also supplying kits; in fact, DIY customers are probably the best informed on drivers because they have more interest concerning the inner workings of the design. On the other end of the spectrum are audiophiles who don't care what parts are used - they just want it to sound good.

Most of the parts I use can be identified in the pictures if you're familiar with the suppliers and the distributors that carry them. In some cases you could be wrong though since there are variations on the inner parts that are not visible from the front (magnet structures, ribbon transformers, impedance,etc). These differences can sometimes increase the overall performance or they might simply be done to do things like to achieve an impedance or reduce a cabinet size. Most of the time I have found the standard models to do exactly what I need; however, I have recently started working with a few manufacturers to customize some drivers for new designs I'm working on. I did this a few times with Raal and it's enjoyable to be part of the process.

One caveat - if you can correctly recognize a driver and find the retail price from a distributor that might not really help you that much. Some of the manufacturers have very high distributor prices which can make an informed comparison difficult. There are also others that have very reasonable prices that might make you underestimate the quality and value of the driver.

[Rick Craig]

Hi Rick,

Nice improvements on your web site.

After looking over your floor standing speakers, I saw two that look very interesting, the Riferimento and the RC5, and wanted to know how they compare to the new Ottavo.  Interested to know what the drivers are used as well as the dimensions. 

Thanks,

Thanks - I'm adding more information as I have the time. I finished all of the pricing late last night. The Riferimento and RC5 are similar in size, both 45" tall, 15" wide at the bottom, 9.5" at the top, 14" deep (Riferimento) and 16" for the RC5. The RC5 is rear ported and the Riferimento has a sealed bass section that is driven with a plate amp on the rear of the cabinet. The main difference versus the Ottavo is output capability due to the larger 10" woofers and extra midbass driver. MTM's also have greater vertical directivity.

I have some ideas for an updated design for both. The RC5's woofers are no longer available and the Accuton mid has been replaced with a newer version (though the original Seas Nextel mids are still available for that option). The Riferimento's plate amp manufacturer exited the business so I would update that to a Hypex unit. The Accuton midbass also has changed in the Riferimento. The original dome tweeters are available for both but I also have a new ribbon tweeter that would be perfect.

The RC5 was designed for a beefy solid-state amp whereas the Riferimento's powered bass section allowed for tubes or solid state for the MTM section. Either format could easily be done today depending on what your needs are.

[Rick Craig]

I agree, it would be easier to match components that way. I also think size, dimensions and frequency response graphs are helpful as well.

The specifications and other information are the next thing I'm tackling.

[Rick Craig]

I've made some changes and added a sample page for the Tempesta. Let me know what you think.

[Phil A]

I've made some changes and added a sample page for the Tempesta. Let me know what you think.

Much better.  Gives a nice summary of the speaker specs and a gallery of images. When one goes to the other pages there is just a picture and a price.  This gives more information.  A comparison function, if it is doable is nice too even if it is just a table of specs/pricing for all the models.

[will mac]

Just want to say that I've just noticed your site recently and really like the look of your speakers. You also come across well on the forums, such as Tech Talk i.e. non pedantic or go into genius mode like a few on there. I'm always interested in what you have to say, and also Jeff Bagby, Look forward to the new models with that mystery ribbon tweeter.

Also, would like your opinion on the AST 2560 if you have one

cheers

Will

[Rick Craig]

Just want to say that I've just noticed your site recently and really like the look of your speakers. You also come across well on the forums, such as Tech Talk i.e. non pedantic or go into genius mode like a few on there. I'm always interested in what you have to say, and also Jeff Bagby, Look forward to the new models with that mystery ribbon tweeter.

Also, would like your opinion on the AST 2560 if you have one

cheers

Will

Thanks for your kind words. I would post more on the forums but don't really have the extra time. Jeff is a great guy and one of the few people I fully trust when he posts opinions. I've not tested the Aurum Cantus AMT but have noticed problems with many AMT drivers in terms of horizontal dispersion and frequency response. I don't have those problems with the RAAL or new ribbon so there's no reason to switch. There's also the issue of how to implement the AMT if you want to use the tweeter as a monopole. Even with dipole use there are other possible problems.

[Zero the Hero]

Love the new website! One suggestion - the section for Kits might be easier for the newbie if it was split up into categories, with links if possible. Hard to remember what speakers are associated with all those names

[Rick Craig]

Love the new website! One suggestion - the section for Kits might be easier for the newbie if it was split up into categories, with links if possible. Hard to remember what speakers are associated with all those names

Thanks for your input - I do need to add the links.