SP Technology Price Increase

Aether Audio · « **on:** 30 Apr 2004, 12:40 am »

Dear Friends,

It is with somewhat mixed feelings that I am forced to announce, effective immediately, a price increase of our products. The new MSRP for the high finish (high gloss front panel and wood veneer) for the Timepiece 2.0 will be $4,295.00/pair and for the Continnum A.D. - $6,295.00/pair.

We have been reluctant to do this as we believe high-end should be affordable to the common man with sincere interests, but we also need to develope a dealer network and are doing so at an amazing rate. Unfortunately, the present MSRP leaves literally no margin for us when dealer discounts are factored in.

We want to especially thank the kind folks of AudioCircle and everyone that has been involved here at our circle. We would also especially like to thank those that have taken a chance on us and our products. We are somewhat sad though, that more of you didn't get a chance to own our products at their former and significantly greater price point value.

In light of this and to show our appreciation, we would like to extend the offer of our former pricing to those of you that may have been contemplating a purchase. Just mention AudioCircle in your correspondance and we will honor our previous MSRP from now until June 1st, 2004.

I appologize for the necessity of this increase but the demands of the business world have forced our hand. Even still, we are certain that at the new higher pricing, you will find our products to be of exceptional value. By the profession of some of our users, even the relatively small Timepiece 2.0 is outperforming other manufacturers products costing in excess of $20,000.00/pair.

Once again, thank you for your support and we hope we can serve you in the future.

Sincerely,

Robert A.Smith
SP Technology Loudspeakers, Inc.

reefrus · « **Reply #1 on:** 30 Apr 2004, 01:32 am »

Since owning the Timepiece 2.0 loudspeakers for the past 45 days, their performance remains far beyond my expectation of a two-way speaker. This is an incredible opportunity to own these amazing speakers or the Continnum AD at a remarkable pricepoint. Don't let this opportunity slip away. Although they are worth every penny at the new pricepoint, why not save a little along the way? You have absolutely nothing to lose!

infiniti driver · « **Reply #2 on:** 30 Apr 2004, 01:43 am »

Reefus, my setiments exactly. Right on! The performace value and the maticulous detail of the hand calibrated crossover networks, not to mention the sheer time it takes to produce a single pair, these are products at the new prices that provide exceptional value.

In my review, I stated:

I am dumbfounded to think you can have this level of performance at this price point. And that is even without considering the exquisite, glass-like front panel finish, real wood veneer side panels, and useful tweeter level switch and termination options! Several listeners including myself put a blind price of around $4,000 to $8,000 for the pair in comparison to other loudspeakers auditioned.

This was for the timepiece 2.0's which you have reefus.

Their is no doubt at all that this remains accurate and if the SP techonology group did not have a price increase, they would cease to exsist. Given the time, raw materials, production calibration and care, they are an exceptional value. I am saving for the day I can own the continuum A.D. Loudspeakers as well.

Truly an amazing product at a fair price.

JLM · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 May 2004, 11:32 am »

Wow, I didn't realize these speakers were THAT good!

Unfortunately I don't have a budget to support $4 - 6,000 power hungry speakers.

IMO this could be a real marketing challenge for a relatively unknown company selling "just" 2-way designs.

Realistically I never quite had a budget for SP speakers.

Instead I'm having mass loaded transmission line floorstanders built around Fostex F200A full range drivers for about $1,500.

infiniti driver · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 May 2004, 01:41 pm »

Key points of the timpieces are (that other speakers simply have trouble with that make SP products special)

30hz response. We are talking wall moving power down there..(Just like the great organ at Church)
Easy on the ears.
No spit or sizzel (no un-natural artificial treble response)
Small size.
No mass production.
Hand made crossovers indivigually calibrated.
Mojo factor in droves.
Natural sound (they don't sound like "speakers")
Least compromises I have encountered.
They will play very full and loud with 100w/ch, although 400w/ch will really up the antie (hit you hard in the chest)
Stress free reproduction.

I got a ton of hate mails right after my review stating that "no way" any loudspeaker could come up to my claims. (reviewers catch hell, then get fired

) I was proven correct by many here. I want to personally thank you for bringing the revierw to the attention of the audio circles. One thing I do wonder:

Other sites have all but ignored SP products. Reviews at audio asylum have gone unanswered and unnoticed. Why?

Perhaps it is class envy!!

Then you have, BOB! No one could ask for a more gracious owner to interact with. He has spent hours with folks on the phone. Something that just doesn't happen much today. I have not called him in a while, I know how busy he is.

jackman · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 May 2004, 02:01 pm »

Hey guys,

Any owners in the Chicago area? I'd like to hear these.

THanks!

Jack

Aether Audio · « **Reply #6 on:** 9 May 2004, 02:11 pm »

JLM,

As I mentioned in the above announcement, we regret having to raise our prices. If we could maintain solid growth through direct sales then we could have kept our prices where they were for a while. The fact is though, that even with the "No Risk" deal orders are sporadic at best. I suppose its the nature of the internet. People are leary of dealing with a small company that does not have the name recognition that imparts a sense of security when contemplating a purchase.

Most folks would rather walk into a store and hear for themselves without having to invest the time and trouble of dealing with parcel couriors and paying up front. There's always the risk that the company will go "belly up" before you get your money back or, worse yet, just plain rip you off.

To be honest, that's how I feel about internet based companies. I probably wouldn't buy our speakers or any others that way if I was an "outsider." Being small though, that was about the only way we had to reach people since we haven't been to a show yet and didn't have any dealers.

It also appears most US dealers feel that way too. They want to go to the shows and be "convinced" before they'll even consider a new company. I guess when there's so many small companies out there, they can afford that luxury. I guess I can't blame them either.

On the other hand, it appears that dealers in foreign countries are used to having to "reach out" and take a chance. Almost all of our dealer inquiries are coming from over seas. These folks are willing to take a chance and even make a substantial purchase - sound unheard - just based on reviews. The only thing is, they can't make much profit on low cost items, especially considering the shipping costs and duties they must pay. They are forced to import higher priced items that offer a larger profit margin. I can't blame them either. If you don't make money, you don't stay in business.

If you think about it, if every company only sold their products via direct sales, we could all save a bunch of money. But then, there would be no dealers and you'd be forced to take the risks I mentioned above. In lieu of this, that's the price everyone pays for the convenience and security of purchasing from a dealer - the dealer takes the risk instead.

Seeing that our largest quantity orders are coming from dealers and they are, by default, committed to future purchases, we are forced to accommodate them. I wanted everybody to have a chance to purchase our products at lower prices but there's only been a handful of you folks that have been willing to take the plunge and we can't survive on that low of a volume. On the other hand, when we have to provide dealers (who are purchasing in quantity) with a substantial discount, we were actually loosing money on the Timepiece.

As far as our products being "that good" all you have to do is read the reviews. The lowly little Timepiece has been claimed to out-perform $20,000.00 Sound Labs for Pete's sake. Then Horsehead's review of the Continuums pretty much settles the score with regards to the VMPS RM40's - at least as far as he and we are concerned. If one can even begin to compare a speaker with what - 8 drivers I think - to one with only three and weighs 1/3 the weight, yeah I think our pricing is just about right.

Concerning our "just 2-way speakers," if you really do your research and go back to the engineering text books that were written by the founding fathers of audio, you'll find that most of them felt that the only acceptable compromise to the "one driver for all frequencies concept" (which has severe limitations with regards to bass and high frequency extension, dynamics and distortion) was a high accuracy 2-way design. Of course, you may consider them a bunch of "Neanderthals," but I wouldn't suggest saying that to a real engineer. Maybe one of these days, through a friend, a dealer or at a show, you'll get a chance to compare one of our products to your $1,500.00 t-lines. Hearing is believing.

Take care,

-Bob

Smeggy · « **Reply #7 on:** 9 May 2004, 05:57 pm »

Hi Bob

Now please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to ruffle feathers or dent anyones ego but frankly however good your speakers may sound I'd be hard pressed to get past the Babylon 5 fanboy look of your website. The site looks very amateurish with poor color choices, blurry pictures, cheesy logo effects and poor layout. It doesn't present a very professional face to the world, especially given the price point of your products.

You owe it to yourself and your business to have your site professionally remade. First impressions are incredibly important and radiating an air of class and professionalism is psychologically soothing to prospective buyers. Have a look around various high end speaker Mfg's sites to see what I mean. It may seem like an expense you can't afford but can you really afford not to when things are proving tight. Your site, though informative left me cold due to the overall feel of it, it just looks 'cheap'. Not the impression you want visitors to leave with.

I want to see (large) good quality pics of the products, professionally photographed, easy to find information in a summary with detailed info when I choose to look. Anyone who has seen Babylon 5 will instantly recognise the roots of the site, complete with the classic lightwave lens flares and 'ISN' style logo. Please, do yourself a favor and get this done properly, people are much more likely to take the site seriously.

This isn't a slam on you or your company, just observations which will hopefully help your current situation. It's hard enough to make it in the world as it is without self-inflicted disasters like your website which is, in essence the worlds window to your business. Window dressing is what catches the eye.. make sure it catches it for the right reason.

Peace.

WEEZ · « **Reply #8 on:** 9 May 2004, 07:36 pm »

IMHO, the website is very good. There are others that might fit Smeggys' description, though.

best of luck to SP Tech in building their dealer network.

Sincerely,

WEEZ

nathanm · « **Reply #9 on:** 9 May 2004, 07:36 pm »

Amen brother! What Smeggy said is the absolute unvarnished truth. The site is a shining example of every possible mistake one could make with web design. I can only assume its intent is to eject the web surfin' audiophile back out into cyberspace without a moment's hesitation and never even think of returning!

However, I suggest that good design is NOT necessarily a 1:1 ratio with money. It does not necessarily take more money to make a usable website, just someone who knows how to do it right. If anything a good website would take LESS time to construct than one with all sorts of superfluous junk on it.

infiniti driver · « **Reply #10 on:** 9 May 2004, 07:37 pm »

I agree it is too "flashy" and is a bandwidth "hog". When I was on dialup, with the pop-up, 3 mins to load. Many folks would simply "give-up"

Anyone seen the Sonus Faber site? What the hell was that?

They had to change that one.

They still sell speakers though..

rosconey · « **Reply #11 on:** 9 May 2004, 07:41 pm »

Many folks would simply "give-up"

i just did

the only way ill ever have enough money for nice speakers-cheap internet service

zybar · « **Reply #12 on:** 9 May 2004, 07:43 pm »

Sonus Faber has a name, reputation and lots of dealers and press.

Other than having a bad website, there aren't many similarities.

George

pjchappy · « **Reply #13 on:** 10 May 2004, 12:30 am »

Websites can be easy and look good. For my MBA MIS class last year, a group of 3 of us did a website. It was my first (and only) time doing HTML and I ended up doing about 70% of the work. I think it turned out well.

http://p.students.umkc.edu/pjcf35/index.htm

I'm just using this as an example b/c it looks clean and is relatively simple. . .probably could be done on the cheap. Pretty basic. . .w/ a good color scheme, etc.

p

infiniti driver · « **Reply #14 on:** 10 May 2004, 12:46 am »

Good move on my post deletion. I was going to come back and edit my post. No need to comment on other loudspeaker sites here.

Thanks!!!!

JLM · « **Reply #15 on:** 10 May 2004, 12:57 am »

Bob:

I'm not doubting that your speakers are as good as reviewed or promoted, they're just out of my price range.

As I'm going single driver speakers (and aware a many of the pitfalls/limitations) I DO appreciate what is possible with a good two-way design. I'm not sure that the mass market accepts it at your proposed prices. It will definitely take more marketing than the internet can provide.

I.D.:

I first heard about S.P. Tech on AA and am glad to have stirred up interest here. (How about a pair of Continums as a finder's fee?

)

infiniti driver · « **Reply #16 on:** 10 May 2004, 02:05 am »

JLM, If and when I have the cash flow, I would be happy to buy you a pair out of sincere gratitude for your postings of "here are some loudspeakers that sound promising"

That you trusted my review and other here took the leap makes the review "worthwhile" Of my Many reviews, it was always nice to hear from purchasers that "took the plunge" and had gratification in writing or telephone calls saying "no shit dude" (sorry, but these are exact words from many...or "holy shit")

All too often I see reviews for snake oil. I wish I could afford the entry fee to see what "some" of the hoopla is all about. Only Bob was willing to give a full and unconditional full refund trial and I have never seen that in this industry of " too many variables"

I can name 3 products right now I would love to review and give my honest opinion. I will need to start my own review magazine in order to accomplish this. Some of them are so pricy that you can buy a nice house for the goods for little to no real improvement (physics is a stable study)...since it is the mastering that can make or break a performance.

We all have horrible recordings on our shelves. Someone, somewhere (really now) thought it was the "best" they could do at the time. This is how hard it is to get things "right"

I will be happy to send you at no charge a reference CD. PM your info for me to mail it. You need one. You will enjoy it. I am very familiar with the FX200 Fostex drivers and "most" the different ways it can be employed. It is rather formidable for what it is and can give "big tone" as long as you are happy with an f3@30hz of -7dB which is not that bad. The mids get slightly honky above 100dB as well. My best enclosures were 14 foot transmission lines and I had to use an audax tw60 xed at 12K to make things sparkle when sparkle was there (windchimes get lost behind a chrome dome)

Hats off to you my Man!

Tbadder1 · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 Jul 2004, 04:14 pm »

And I so wanted to own a pair of these.

But best of luck. Cest La Vie!

Horsehead · « **Reply #18 on:** 14 Jul 2004, 07:35 pm »

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=11517