[Danny Richie]

Click the link: https://youtu.be/sUt55YpTzAw?si=ompJSTfxL8fZzC-9

[Rusty Jefferson]

Interesting company. Are they 3d printing with a concrete mixture? Many things on their website appear to be printed with a composite (plastic) of some sort? That egg speaker should be his best performing down to 200hz and used in a 3 way.

[Early B.]

This is very cool. I'm looking forward to an open baffle kit with a Neo3 tweeter in a waveguide and a 12" midwoofer in ultra black concrete with shimmering dust particles throughout.

Concrete cabinets won't be cheap. The weight will be a significant barrier, and the shipping costs will be outrageous!! Most audiophiles are old guys, so super heavy components aren't enticing. These factors will severely limit the market, especially since MDF of the same speaker will sound 99% as good. 

[g3rain1]

Are they 3d printing with a concrete mixture?

No, it's a 3d printed mold that it then filled with concrete.

[walkern]

The first thought that came to my mind was regarding the teardrop shaped cabinet. I am wondering if staggering the tweeter back a bit (relative to the woofer) would make it more 'time aligned', which would probably change the crossover components or layout or both.

The tear drop shaped cabinet looks like it would still sit nicely on a typical set of stands, and the reduced weight would definitely help reduce shipping costs (although boxing them up for safe transport might be a bigger challenge.

All in all, looks to me like a terrific collaboration product that (hopefully) could continue the GR tradition of exceptional 'bang for the buck' speakers.

[nrenter]

This is similar to what Green Mountain Audio did 20+ years ago. However, they used a mixture of resin and granite dust. One of Roy’s biggest challenges with this approach was cabinet design. 3D printing takes care of that.

It’s amazing what a cabinet design can do for relatively inexpensive drivers (and how cabinet design can compromise extremely well-performing drivers). When you remove baffle reflections and can place drivers in extremely close proximity, you’re a couple iterations from physically time aligning the drivers…and if your drivers are pistonic through the band pass, simple first order crossovers are an option.

This reiterates that cabinet geometry and material is an important part of speaker design.

Pretty soon it will look like the top of the B&W 800 series.

[mick wolfe]

This is very cool. I'm looking forward to an open baffle kit with a Neo3 tweeter in a waveguide and a 12" midwoofer in ultra black concrete with shimmering dust particles throughout.

Concrete cabinets won't be cheap. The weight will be a significant barrier, and the shipping costs will be outrageous!! Most audiophiles are old guys, so super heavy components aren't enticing. These factors will severely limit the market, especially since MDF of the same speaker will sound 99% as good.

I guess we could say the elephant in the room is indeed shipping costs these days. Even composite formulas like the late Roy Johnson's Green Mountain Audio designs were quite heavy. Another example would the Fischer & Fischer slate cabinets. But then of again, any of the big flagship offerings regardless of the material used end up weighing in the hundreds of lbs.

[ketchup]

This is similar to what Green Mountain Audio did 20+ years ago. However, they used a mixture of resin and granite dust. One of Roy’s biggest challenges with this approach was cabinet design. 3D printing takes care of that.

It’s amazing what a cabinet design can do for relatively inexpensive drivers (and how cabinet design can compromise extremely well-performing drivers). When you remove baffle reflections and can place drivers in extremely close proximity, you’re a couple iterations from physically time aligning the drivers…and if your drivers are pistonic through the band pass, simple first order crossovers are an option.

This reiterates that cabinet geometry and material is an important part of speaker design.

Pretty soon it will look like the top of the B&W 800 series.

Thiel had a couple models with a concrete front baffle. The CS6 and maybe the CS7 or 7.2. Can't remember exactly.

[corndog71]

I really like the rounded version but I’d be more interested when there’s an open baffle Neo3 tweeter. 

Danny, is that new tweeter considered better than the Encore tweeter?

[Danny Richie]

I really like the rounded version but I’d be more interested when there’s an open baffle Neo3 tweeter. 

Danny, is that new tweeter considered better than the Encore tweeter?

The new D27 is a similar tweeter, but with a Neo motor. It does not play as low nor does it have sensitivity as high as the D26. It sounds really good though.

[nrenter]

These factors will severely limit the market, especially since MDF of the same speaker will sound 99% as good.

Eh, I would argue that cabinet material and design contributes more than 1%, but even if it is only 1%, isn’t that the 1% we all chase? Personally, I’ll accept elevated shipping costs for 1%.

[Tyson]

You can see in the measurements it makes a difference.  Substantially more than 1%.

[Early B.]

You can see in the measurements it makes a difference.  Substantially more than 1%.

I have no doubts that concrete enclosures can improve the sound, and maybe it's more than 1% (whatever that means). Several years ago, I owned speakers with concrete baffles. It was pretty cool. 

[twitch54]

Concrete cabinets won't be cheap.

it's only money, they print the stuff every day .....

 

The weight will be a significant barrier, and the shipping costs will be outrageous!!

heck my Revel Studio 2's aren't exactly light, regardless and IMO the 'weight' will only be a deterrent to those who let it be.

Most audiophiles are old guys, so super heavy components aren't enticing.

I'm 72, is that old ?   

These factors will severely limit the market, especially since MDF of the same speaker will sound 99% as good.

interesting, where did you come up with the 99% figure ?

[Early B.]

I'm 72, is that old ?   

Geeez, that's not old, that's ancient!

[nrenter]

The most compelling aspect of using concrete (or resin / granite dust) - particularly with a 3D printed mold - is that you can create cabinets that are mathematically interesting. Minimum baffle designs. Physically time aligned drivers. Curves to eliminate reflections. Tapered behind drivers to absorb the rear wave.

I’m not sure about concrete, but the resin / granite dust approach produced an extremely smooth surface that was begging for automotive paint. I think GMA didn’t take this approach due to 1) costs, and 2) since the molds were hand made, slight imperfections existed that were masked by a textured paint.

[Cut-Throat]

Click the link: https://youtu.be/sUt55YpTzAw?si=ompJSTfxL8fZzC-9

I had a pair of Rauna Tyr speakers that were made in Sweden in the 1980s...... They were about the size of the Paradox 1s that I owned.  (Yes, they sounded better than the Paradox 1's) I could not find a pair of Monitor Speakers that sounded better, despite trying and throwing $5 Grand at the problem. I gave them away to a good (poor) friend of mine when I got into Large Horn Speakers. They were made of Concrete and Had a Rosewood top veneer. I found them used at a stereo shop for $200 in 2003.