[JohnR]

This might be of interest to anyone that is "on the fence" as it were. ACI have free shipping until Valentine's day. I only know this since I appear to be on their email list. No particular recommendations for their product from me, except that I'm bummed that they no longer sell drivers to the DIY market

http://www.audioc.com/sale/Vdaysale.htm

[nathanm]

I got the same one.  I'm the proud owner of 4 brass cones from them.  These are the cheapest spikes I've seen anywhere ($19.90 for 4), and the sad thing is that they're still obscenely overpriced.  What makes a piece of milled brass with a set screw in it cost any more than say a nut or bolt at the hardware store which may even have more machine operations required?  They sell these to audiophiles, that's the difference.  

[audioengr]

Nathanm - it's called MASS PRODUCTION or ECONOMY OF SCALE.  If you built a compaq PC in small numbers it would be $10K instead of $700.

[nathanm]

THANKS FOR THE HELPFUL EXPLANATION.  I FEEL MUCH BETTER NOW.

[Mike Dzurko]

This is my first post on this site. I actually just found out about it today. Looks interesting!

John, thanks for mentioning our 25th Valentine’s Day Celebration Sale. In the few days since we sent the notice a lot of people have been taking us up on the offer. We ask your patience as our order processing slows a bit because of the increased volume.  It’s still hard for me to believe I’ve been doing this for over 25 years. Time sure flies!

Nathan, the key here is that you are a “proud owner” of an ACI product and we’re proud to have you as an ACI customer

Are the brass points overpriced? In terms of material used, yes. In terms of profit margin, no. If we sell them as an “add on” to a speaker sale, we make a few bucks. When we sell them by themselves, we likely lose money. Why? Our cost of processing an order is very similar whether it is a $4000 pair of Talismans or a $20 set of points. The time to input the order, create packing slips, log with UPS, add to accounting ledgers etc. is all the same. Years ago I calculated that it cost us roughly $20-25 in overhead to process any order we took. I know this figure hasn’t gone down. IF we specialized in selling in high numbers, this of course would be very different. We see items like Brass Points, Passive Filters, etc. as a service we offer.

[nathanm]

Well, the good thing is that ACI's 20 buck cones are much more "real world" than the hundreds some companies charge for spikes.  Personally I think I'm gonna go with upside down acorn nuts if I ever get any future vibration audiophillia nervosa attacks.

[nature boy]

Mike,

A little off subject but I really like the spiffy new web cover page, at least I think it's new.  

Already talking to my Valentine about taking you up on the special shipping, maybe I'll wear her down by the 14th.

NB

[U4EA]

I have an original Titan sub woofer.  ACI is on the Titan 2 now.  I listened to many subs.  I don't think you can beat it.  I think ACI has an eval period of 30 days.  So if you don't like it send it back.

It is very musical.  It only comes alive and pounds you when it is supposed to.  It can rock or produce bass detail on acoustic music.

I do not work for ACI but I did put Mike's and all other subs through grueling listening tests.  I wanted a sub that could pound it out yet be musical in terms of acoustic jazz.  The Titan does it.

Every time some one hears my Titan that has some knowledge of audio they always ask "Where did you get that thing?"

It integrates seamlessly and just plays music as opposed to pounding you.  But, if you want it to pound you it will.  Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine will show you what the Titan can do in terms of just flat out producing bass.  If you like that sort of thing.  There is low frequency bass on there that you will swear moves the floor.

[nathanm]

How big is your room?

Is that avatar from Don Martin's MAD spoof of the orchestra?

[brotherman-5th floor]

Proud owner of 2 ACI Titan IIs here. Not the loudest HT sub you can find but boy, does it handle music well! About the only thing I'd ever trade my Titan IIs in for would be the Titan II LE's (same sub, different looks).

BTW, nice to see you here Mike D. This site is the logical evolution of Harmonic Discord. The usual suspects can be found lurking around more of less but this site actually works!!!

[Mike Dzurko]

Mike,

A little off subject but I really like the spiffy new web cover page, at least I think it's new.  

Already talking to my Valentine about taking you up on the special shipping, maybe I'll wear her down by the 14th.

NB

Nature Boy:

Thanks for noticing the newer frontpage. The credit for that goes to our talented Brenda. She's also working on cleaning up the rest of the site.
Let me know if there's any info you need to convince your Valentine to let you take advantage of the free shipping offer:)

[Mike Dzurko]

Well, the good thing is that ACI's 20 buck cones are much more "real world" than the hundreds some companies charge for spikes.  Personally I think I'm gonna go with upside down acorn nuts if I ever get any future vibration audiophillia nervosa attacks.

Nathan:

I see you're not real far from us. Maybe we can convince you to make a road trip up once the new showroom is up and going later this spring.

[Mike Dzurko]

Thanks for the kind Titan words Le4ea and Bro! Seems kind of funny to me but in some "circles" we're more known for our subs than the rest of the line. We'll have to make sure someone around these parts gets a listen to the Maestro once it's in production.

[audiojerry]

Welcome Mike,

I'm glad to hear you will have a showroom soon. but with free shipping, now might be a good time to try out the new Jaguar. As ACI's Statement product, have been contemplating it for awhile, although I have to admit to being very fond of GR Research new Criterion monitors.

I've corresponded with a few original Jaguar owners, and the one thing they seem to have in common is that they are not on the component merry-go-round, at least as far as speakers go. I guess the Jaguar gives them everything they want.

Does the new Jaguar surpass the original sonically, or is it more a cosmetic change? If it is superior sonically, in what ways and how did you accomplish this?    

When used with the LFM subwoofer module, do you use a high pass filter on the Jaguar, or does it run full range with or without the LFM?

Congratulations on 25 years. That is not an easy accomplishment in this business. You must be doing a lot of things right.

[MaxCast]

Welcome to AC, Mike.  Do you have plans on incorporating AWS into your subwoofers?  And what is this new product called the Maestro??  Could it be a sub with AWS???

[nathanm]

I see you're not real far from us. Maybe we can convince you to make a road trip up once the new showroom is up and going later this spring.

If the members of AudioCircle took up the collection plate for me to buy a pair of speakers I'd be convinced  HA!!!  LaCrosse is a lovely area of the state, lots of trees. (the ones that escaped being razed and rendered into ACI louspeakers that is) *Bararum!* Unfortunately it would not make sense for me to come listen to your fetching wood-cheeked  loudspeakers because the music I listen to is not good enough for any manner of high fidelity reproduction and sounds the same no matter what the system is.  It's sad but true, just ask Jerry!

But seriously folks...got any pictures of what your showroom looks like perhaps?  I ask because usually a dealer's room is a huge place with scads of delicious square footage matching or exceeding the size of my entire apartment had I knocked down all the internal walls.  

[brotherman-5th floor]

Thanks for the kind Titan words Le4ea and Bro! Seems kind of funny to me but in some "circles" we're more known for our subs than the rest of the line. We'll have to make sure someone around these parts gets a listen to the Maestro once it's in production.

Hey Mike, you have a picture of the Titan II LE as your avatar so what do you expect?  

[Mike Dzurko]

Welcome Mike,

I'm glad to hear you will have a showroom soon. but with free shipping, now might be a good time to try out the new Jaguar. As ACI's Statement product, have been contemplating it for awhile, although I have to admit to being very fond of GR Research new Criterion monitors.

I've corresponded with a few original Jaguar owners, and the one thing they seem to have in common is that they are not on the component merry-go-round, at least as far as speakers go. I guess the Jaguar gives them everything they want.

Does the new Jaguar surpass the original sonically, or is it more a cosmetic change? If it is superior sonically, in what ways and how did you accomplish this?    

When used with the LFM subwoofer module, do you use a high pass filter on the Jaguar, or does it run full range with or without the LFM?

Congratulations on 25 years. That is not an easy accomplishment in this business. You must be doing a lot of things right.

Jerry:

I'm very excited about the opportunities the showroom is going to offer. We haven't had a local demo facility in about 8 years.
I bet you'd really enjoy the Jaguars. You should definitely try them.Those who own them or have heard them love them. Your comment about ACI owners "not being on the component merry-go-round" is spot on. Most owners seem to want the satisfaction of an audio investment for the long haul. I think part of this stems from my own philosophy to only build and sell what I would want to own for a long time. To me it is a matter of total quality.

The latest Jaguar offers several significant sonic improvements while maintaining and enhancing the long-term musicality of the Jaguar line. The crossover is completely redesigned and the cabinet has even greater resonance control. These two changes yield improved transparency and dynamics. Midrange and lower treble detail is improved without becoming forward or hard.  The soundstage is now brought forward slightly to a more neutral position.

The LFM has an internal high-pass filter for the Jaguars. Connections from your amplifier(s) are routed through the Jaguar. A short connecting cable is supplied to connect from the LFM outputs to the Jaguar inputs. The result is a full range system with incredible dynamic ability and user control over the bass and tonal balance via the AWS system in the LFMs.

We really need to make sure you get a chance to experience the Jaguars:)

[Mike Dzurko]

Welcome to AC, Mike.  Do you have plans on incorporating AWS into your subwoofers?  And what is this new product called the Maestro??  Could it be a sub with AWS???

Thanks Max, looks like a fun place!

We don't plan to incorporate AWS into the Force or Titan. It would be a difficult and rather costly mod. We do plan to offer the AWS as a stand-alone, add-on box for use with virtually any sub. This is months away however. The Maestro is our "monster" sub which has been under develpment for quite awhile. 15" , approx. 400 watt all-discrete AB amp and the AWS system.  I'll try to post a pic and some further info on the Maestro tonight or tomorrow.  It will likely be formally announced within a month or so. Most of the first production run is already committed. I think availability around May is hopeful. It is a beast!

[Mike Dzurko]

If the members of AudioCircle took up the collection plate for me to buy a pair of speakers I'd be convinced  HA!!!  LaCrosse is a lovely area of the state, lots of trees. (the ones that escaped being razed and rendered into ACI louspeakers that is) *Bararum!* Unfortunately it would not make sense for me to come listen to your fetching wood-cheeked  loudspeakers because the music I listen to is not good enough for any manner of high fidelity reproduction and sounds the same no matter what the system is.  It's sad but true, just ask Jerry!

But seriously folks...got any pictures of what your showroom looks like perhaps?  I ask because usually a dealer's room is a huge place with scads of delicious square footage matching or exceeding the size of my entire apartment had I knocked down all the internal walls.  [/quote]

You have a way with words! "razed and rendered into ACI loudspeakers" "fetching wood-cheeked loudspeakers" Great stuff!
I took some quick shots of the showroom a couple of weeks ago when it was still being sheetrocked. If I can find them I'll post them later tonight when I get home. There are actually a number of rooms. The main entry-way and display room, the dedicated theater, a conference room, and utility and bathroom areas.  I can get to the showroom in about 3 minutes by car, or 5 minutes on bike. I love that!