[World Leader Pretend]

Alright, so I finally place an order for the AV-3s, and the kit shows up in good shape.  I'm not sure how everything got packed into that small box but it did.    I opted for the Sonocap upgrade as well.

Now I'm finishing up construction of the cabs, and working on getting everything seamless since the top section will be painted.  I am planning on sealing aluminum sheet metal to the bottom 2 feet of the cab, then paint the upper half with the drivers piano-gloss black. 

The workshop I'm using in the pictures is my grandpa's, and it is really nice.  A real nice radial arm saw that is built into a 20 foot counter, a planer thing, a router table, a drill press, band saw, belt sander, and a ventilated paint booth.  Plus he has all the tools you would ever need so yeah, it is nice. 

All the tolerances are cut down to around a 64th of an inch, so it fits pretty snugly.  I still will need to do some patching along some seams to make sure the paint coat is even. 

I also hate routers, those are dangerous mofos. 

Pics!



These are going to be the first speakers sold by Rosenow Sound Authority, my startup company.  I plan to do local install business and speaker building.  Visit it here:

Rosenow Sound Authority

[Blaine_M]

Looked at your web site...the RSA-1,3, sure look a lot like the A/V 1 and A/V 3.

[World Leader Pretend]

Looked at your web site...the RSA-1,3, sure look a lot like the A/V 1 and A/V 3.

They are, I just changed the prefixes. 
RSA-1  -- AV-1
RSA-3  -- AV-3
RSA-5  -- OB-5

If Danny has problems with renaming his speaker lines then I can scrap the names... 

[S Clark]

Danny has spent many years developing his line of speakers and his reputation in the industry.  I really don't think it is ethical to use his design, rename it and sell it as your own.  Perhaps you might sell your services as a cabinet maker without treading on Danny's intellectual property.  I suspect that what you currently have in mind is illegal, but I am not an expert.  Give Danny a call and see how he regards your business idea.

[Danny Richie]

That's okay Scott. I have e-mailed him about this earlier. So long as he gives me credit for the design (and he did on his site) I am fine with it. I hope he sells a ton of them.

Re-naming them can be a two edged sword. It can conceal from some people that it is a commercially available kit that he is building out and offering as his own product. What he really is offering the customer is his service, labor, and cabinetry and likely to people not interested in a kit.

However he might find that leaving the GR Research designations and being open that it is a GR Research model, then it adds credibility to his offerings as it is a proven and well reviewed design.

[Hank]

Future world leader, I'd do what Danny suggests in his last paragraph.  I've been building speakers for years and the last couple of years, all have been Danny's designs.  I didn't rename them and I haven't taken credit for the designs. AAMOF, I believe that telling people that a full-time experienced professional who designs for large companies actually did the designs, gives the designs credibility.
Something to ponder.  Good luck with your business.  I think you'll find that installations will be much more profitable than building speakers.    

[Loftprojection]

If I wanted to buy built speakers I would certainly prefer that they are named what they really are, specially for speakers with such a great reputation as the A/V and OB series... 

[World Leader Pretend]

Alright, I changed the names back to the GR Research names.  To be honest I changed the names so I could have a simplified product line. 

I realized that having their real names can only help me, since a) people I'm selling to don't want to build their own and b) tons of excellent reviews out there (as loftprojection mentioned) 

I want to be as honest as possible, since it is pretty much what my service is about. 

BTW how does my site look?  Any typos or anything?

[Hank]

Good decision - honesty is best. 
A couple of suggestions:
In the first paragraph in the Store and Services page where you state that visual systems can "...rival anything near the cost.", you might consider that your products, including speakers not just visual systems, rival products that sell for much higher cost, or that sell in stores at much higher cost.  Emphasize the value your prices represent. (IF they actually do )
In the soft-focus photo, the perspective makes the TV look like its a 20-incher.  When you can, you might want to shoot a photo of your finished A/V-3's with a large widescreen TV.
Sorry, must be my 100-yeara-old Marketing degree bursting forth.
Best of luck in your venture!

[World Leader Pretend]

Thanks for the tips Hank! 

I'll likely be re-editing that site for a while, so minor tweaks that I perform on my end might have to wait until I feel like uploading the entire site again.  That usually takes a little bit. 

As for the TV looking like it is 20"s, that is actually a complement!  The TV is actually 13" so yeah, I need to upgrade.  I think I'll shoot the AV-3 photos without a TV there, since I don't have a fancy LCD at my disposal.  I hooked up that TV for using the OSD on the Harman Kardon.  So next time you guys sit there feeling sorry for yourself that you only have a 32" TV or whatever, keep me in mind!   

On a less related note I put up a bunch of assorted homemade acoustic panels in my room today, and it made a pretty nice improvement in the sound.  The bass is much smoother and level, and the highs aren't ringing like they sometimes did.  I'll have to take a few pics sometime. 

[World Leader Pretend]

Quick update, I've installed the networks and glued the back panel on, now I am just layering it with paint and sanding out the seams.  Here is a pic after I installed the network and before I stuck the drivers in for testing. 


I took the drivers back out for the painting.  The bottom half will be wrapped in aluminum sheet metal and the top is going to be gloss black. 

I decided to use floor tiles and foam for the dampening, since it was much cheaper than no-rez and from the knocking tests it dampens very nicely.  I'm sure no-rez works better, but this was a case where I couldn't justify the extra cost.  I obviously stuffed loose fill in after this pic. 

[World Leader Pretend]

Quick question.  I am to the point where I have everything painted and sanded, and have about 5 coats of lacquer on it.  I am sanding out the imperfections and I still have very small scuff marks that wet sanding can't get out (I assume it is caused by sanding)  Anyway, I have heard that "cutting compound" will remove that cloudiness and really make the finish shine, but I don't know where I can find it.  I have a hobby lobby, wal-mart, various auto stores, and a handful of other retailers that I have yet to check.  I have already checked at my hardware stores and they didn't know what it was. 

Does it go by other names?  Can you make some DIY style? 

Please help!   

[mpauly]

Automotive paint polish or polishing compound?  Pick up at almost any auto parts store.  Depending on how severe the scratches are would determine how aggressive a polish you will need.

[World Leader Pretend]

Automotive paint polish or polishing compound?  Pick up at almost any auto parts store.  Depending on how severe the scratches are would determine how aggressive a polish you will need.

Thanks, I'll try looking for products under those names.   

Here is a little teaser for anyone who cares, I just snapped a shot with after a bit of wet-sanding.  The ugly white sheets at the bottom are actually the protective film over the stainless steel, which will look very sexy. 


 

[World Leader Pretend]

I must say they turned out very nice, and they sound awesome too!  I need to give them a bit more break-in time before the real testing begins but they are so accurate and fast.  Very neutral as well, which makes them easy to listen to.