[Kevin Haskins]

I just wanted to put down my thoughts on CES and some of our new products in the works.

First off... we showed a multichannel set-up at Alexis Park using the new slim profile Silhouette Series loudspeakers.   Our room was the coolest demonstration of a HT setup (forget the loudspeakers for a moment) I've seen at a show with exception of the big boys who have put over $250,000 into the exhibit.   We basically built a shell inside the hotel room using 2'x4's and mounted curtains and an overhead projector/screen in the room.   We had all our room treatments tucked away behind the curtains and the room was completely blacked out.    The projector was a simple Optoma H31 with a 92" screen.

The Silhouette speakers are 5" deep and 14" tall and 8" wide.   During setup we measured their in-room frequency response to 27Hz.   There is no other loudspeaker of this size with this type of extension to my knowledge.   I played demo tracks with and without the sub to show off their capabilities.   Overall our press coverage was non-existent.   I'm stunned that we didn't even get a mention by anyone covering this event.   First off, our room alone warranted mention, second there is not another small format loudspeaker with anywhere near the capabilities of what we showed.   Third, the price range of the product was far below that of most of the 2-channel rooms.   Our entire HT room with projector, screen and all components cost less than $8500.   Next door there was a set of interconnects selling for $12,000 a 1M pair.  

It angers and frustrates me that we went through so much trouble to do this room and ended up with zero coverage by the press.    We have many many people say that we had the most exciting room at the event.   I had to almost chase people out of the room that took up residence watching/listening to the Eagles SACD.  

I understand that the press has a lot to cover.   I understand we are just one of many to cover.   I don't understand how we could be so completely overlooked when we had so much going on in our room.   Considering the hours I've worked the last six weeks to do this show I'm more than peeved that we ended up with zero coverage.   Instead people got to look at $50,000 & $100,000 turntables, $10,000 cables and $60,000 loudspeakers.    I'm sure that those items warrant time and space in the coverage but we have something that fits in people's rooms, delivers unheard of performance/size ratio and while not inexpensive, offers a lot more for the dollar spent than 99% of what was shown at CES.  

Anyway.. thanks for listening to me vent.   Next year I'll do more to make sure we get some sort of coverage.

[kfr01]

Kevin:

Don't be dismayed --- the word is getting out about the Exodos kits and amplifiers.  It was only last spring that you released the Kit 61.  You now have an entire line of great speaker designs, more in the works, and an up and coming electronics offering.  Keep your head up - those of us that already use your price/performance leading and innovative products will continue spreading the word.

That said, the coverage of CES -is- frustrating.  I enjoy looking at a few $100k rooms, but after that I want information about high value products.  My guess is that the majority of the audio world feels the same way.  (There simply aren't that many people who can afford the $100k rooms!). Those covering CES seem to be missing the boat by a wide margin.

[Charles Calkins]

You guys are right about the press coverage at the show.
Sure everybody wants to read about $100K rooms and how the gear sounded. But like kfr01 says who can afford a room like that.
 Too bad they couldn't break the show up into cost of rooms. $100K in one hotel $75K in another and so on and so forth. Just wondering. Probably never happen.

                       Cheers
                       Charlie

[Marbles]

Kevin, instead of going back to CES, why not put most of your eggs in the Rocky Mountain Audiofest?

The RMAF is really starting to get a lot of press, and this year it will be bigger and better.

[zybar]

Kevin, instead of going back to CES, why not put most of your eggs in the Rocky Mountain Audiofest?

The RMAF is really starting to get a lot of press, and this year it will be bigger and better.

You won't hit as big an audience with RMAF, but I think you will get more potential customers at that show.  

CES is a lot more than just audio while RMAF isn't.  I skipped CES again this year, but I will absolutely attend my third straight RMAF.

As for the press...they are going to cover the mega buck systems and the companies that they review and/or advertise with them.  I don't think this is radically different from other industries that host major conventions and shows.

Your best bet is to get a grass roots movement going on the various sites and let the participants talk about your room and setup.

George

[Charles Calkins]

zybar:
 This year I will see you at the RMAF. I wanted to go last year but instead I had cancer surgery. Okay now. The old saying is "Only the good die young". I'll probably live to be 1000.

                           Cheers
                          Charlie

[nai02fungoid]

I agree totally with the previous commenters.  I remember when the Stereophile shows were in New York.  I had a couple of good friends who were showing.  They both got a lot of coverage but what they did was link up a high volume dealership with some support from the big guys.  The people who were showing high value stuff without this Vandersteen or Audio Note support got nada for what they did even though many of their rooms were at least the equal of the big guys and at a much lower price.

I think what you have to do is take a look at your market and do the shows where your market will there to buy.  Once you have done that then the CES will be worth doing.  The RMAF and any others that attract their visitors will give you a whole hell of a lot more business than showing up at these big shows.  There are still too many people who equate quality to cost.  You will never sell to them unless you can show them they can brag to their friends that your products cost more than anyone else's.  The people who go to shows like the RMAF are there because they love music and good equipment and know what they are looking at.  That would be your natural market and you would do very well there for a whole lot less outlay.

[JoshK]

zybar hit the nail on the head. small companies = small ad dollars = small coverage.   Grass roots is your best bet, but also most of your client base.

[Kevin Haskins]

Kevin, instead of going back to CES, why not put most of your eggs in the Rocky Mountain Audiofest?

The RMAF is really starting to get a lot of press, and this year it will be bigger and better.

I'm actually thinking of Cedia next.   Many of the products we are focusing on are multichannel in nature.   We are also looking for dealers for them so CES & Cedia are the two where you get exposure to dealers.

I'm not at all unhappy with CES in terms of exposure to the primary people we where looking to reach.   I have a dozen dealers who want to be contacted as soon as we have product ready for consumption.   The response from dealers was overwhelmingly positive because they recognized it as something that consumers want, small size without a sacrifice in performance.

Its the press I'm moaning about.  

[jermmd]

The media coverage is meant to attract readers who are interested in the hobby and not necessarily looking to buy equipment. It's like auto shows. Everyone wants to here about the latest race cars and super luxury models like Bentley and Aston Martin yet everyone drives the Camry and Accord. Many peoiple reading CES coverage are simply fantasizing about what's out there. The coverage meets this need.

That doesn't mean bang for the buck, exciting new products shouldn't be mentioned. It's really a shame when a quality product that people have worked very hard on doesn't get public recognition. Especially when people at the show were impressed by it.

[Kevin Haskins]

You won't hit as big an audience with RMAF, but I think you will get more potential customers at that show.  

CES is a lot more than just audio while RMAF isn't.  I skipped CES again this year, but I will absolutely attend my third straight RMAF.

As for the press...they are going to cover the mega buck systems and the companies that they review and/or advertise with them.  I don't think this is radically different from other industries that host major conventions and shows.

Your best bet is to get  ...

For most consumers HT or multichannel set-ups are beyond their ability to assemble without some sort of help.   This is a consumer based enthusiast site which isn't at all representative of 99.9% of the market.   Almost everyone here is capable of doing it themselves and don't need a dealer.  

For us to ever be successful in any meaningful way I feel we need to reach the mainstream market.    As much as I dislike adding in the additional margins, it's necessary.   Dealers provide value because people who know little or nothing about setting up a HT system need someone to guide and help them.    

The other thing that a lot of people who advocate direct sales only usually forget that customer service isn't free.   Just because we no longer have a dealer the interface with the customer still has to be done.   It requires an investment in capital and you cannot just subtract the normal dealer margin from your business model to determine a price.

[Kevin Haskins]

zybar hit the nail on the head. small companies = small ad dollars = small coverage.   Grass roots is your best bet, but also most of your client base.

There is some truth to this.   It's natural that the magazines cover what is going to pay the bills.   I don't blame them.   But hey... I will advertise eventually.   I've already designed the ads.  

In terms of why individuals cover what they cover I think it's mainly due to personal interest.   Most of the reviewers cover what excites them.   There isn't some kind of conspiracy.   You just get kind of warped after covering a bunch of these shows and the coverage of this one exemplifies it.

[Kevin Haskins]

The media coverage is meant to attract readers who are interested in the hobby and not necessarily looking to buy equipment. It's like auto shows. Everyone wants to here about the latest race cars and super luxury models like Bentley and Aston Martin yet everyone drives the Camry and Accord. Many peoiple reading CES coverage are simply fantasizing about what's out there. The coverage meets this need.

That doesn't mean bang for the buck, exciting new products shouldn't be mentioned. It's really a shame w ...

That is a great observation.   You gain a different perspective after going to a bunch of these shows though.   After you have done enough of them the $100,000 loudspeakers and the $10,000 cables become mundane.   The hyper-expensive items bore me.   Even if I had the time I wouldn't bother to go around looking at most of them.   They are boring.

It's like trying to maintain a diet of Caviar and Filet Minion.   It may be great for a time but after awhile you start craving a normal meal.

Our product wasn't exactly McDonalds or Taco Bell.   I'd say we where in the upscale restraunt catagory.       The product is revolutionary in many ways.   It's a small slim form factor that doesn't give up bass extension.   It is actively amplified by the Hypex UCD amplifiers which offer incredible performance and efficiency.   It has a dedicated single band of parametric EQ for EACH loudspeaker in the system.   It is set-up not only to fit in a normal living space, and deliver great performance it has the extra control features to allow users to take care of at least one room node in the 40-200 Hz range.      Add up the features, capability and form factor and I'm more jazzed about this product than anything I've ever done.

[Voodoo Rufus]

Our product wasn't exactly McDonalds or Taco Bell. I'd say we where in the upscale restraunt catagory.

I would have put it in the Mom and Pop Burger joint. Something hidden that doesn't cost so much, but is something worth finding and is definitely a good meal.  

There's something to be said about word of mouth as a good way to get more attention. It worked with Adire/Avatar's Shiva/Tempest didn't it (if my history is right, not sure)?

I looked over some of the press coverage, and while there was a lot of cool stuff, and a lot of ridiculous stuff ($10K cables? Heck, $10K gets a lot of motorcycle   ), I don't think there was much small company coverage either, which is disappointing.

[macnewma]

Kevin,

You might have some luck at Cedia with this multichannel setup.  I attended last years Cedia for a short time as I live in Indy.  I am not really a HT buff at all, but it was interesting.  There were a number of side rooms, but I don't know that there was a great deal of demo space.  The RCA Dome section was mainly the middle to small companies and there were a few demos there (including a CRT projection setup that bested the Sony and Sim2 projectors, but sold for about 100k!!!).

On the other hand, I saw PS Audio there with their new line of GC amps and nobody paid any attention to them.  They also didn't have a demo and pretty much just had a stack of equipment.

That show is all about the custom installers and they have different needs than the audiophile world.  They want ease of integration combined with performance.  If you can provide that I think you might have a chance.  It is a different world and they probably won't be wooed by amazing sound.

[cOz]

Kevin,

CES sounds awsome.  I wish I could have been there to see your setup.  How about a press release with some pictures?  Can someone who attended do a write up of their impressions?  Maybe they can post it to a few of the forums for audio?

I have no doubt your hard work will pay off.  The time is right for your product.

My speaker choice was heavily influenced by AVS.  I went there to learn about projectors and branched out into speakers.    

However, I have recognized that your current designs had some inherent advantages over my current speakers.  Now moving onto your latest project, it is trully revolutionary.  This combination of nice parts equalls a sum that is very exciting.  The last thing to consider is looks.  Make them pretty.  Something with high WAF.   Give an option to blend in or stand out.  Your form factor lends well to both standing out and blending in.  

Good Luck!

[PhilNYC]

IMHO, it's less about ad dollars than it is about relationships and doing some pre-show prep work to get the media folks to know you.  For example, if you have any kind of relationship with a reviewer or columnist in this industry, send them an invitation to visit the room a few weeks before the show.  Even if you don't have those relationships, if you can identify a reviewer or columnist who focuses on your particular market segment (a particular price range, a known fan of a type of speaker, a tube nut, etc), send them an invite with a (short) description of what you'll be showing and why they might be interested.  This will get them to the room in most cases.  After that, they're going to write about the stuff that (a) looks interesting (eg. Avant Garde), (b) has a unique design characteristic, or (c) the writer has a great discussion with the designer.  

Unfortunately (or for some exhibitors, its fortunate   ), it's not about the sound...it's about what makes interesting reading, and its a rare case where a writer is going to spend a paragraph discussing the specifics of the sound he heard, because he's going to listen to 1000 rooms and his ears are going to be shot after 3 days of it.

Just my opinion...

[Kevin Haskins]

IMHO, it's less about ad dollars than it is about relationships and doing some pre-show prep work to get the media folks to know you.  For example, if you have any kind of relationship with a reviewer or columnist in this industry, send them an invitation to visit the room a few weeks before the show.  Even if you don't have those relationships, if you can identify a reviewer or columnist who focuses on your particular market segment (a particular price range, a known fan of a type of speaker, a tube nut, e ...

I think you are right on.  I'll take the blame for not spending more of my time networking with the right people before the show.

[Kevin Haskins]

Kevin,

You might have some luck at Cedia with this multichannel setup.  I attended last years Cedia for a short time as I live in Indy.  I am not really a HT buff at all, but it was interesting.  There were a number of side rooms, but I don't know that there was a great deal of demo space.  The RCA Dome section was mainly the middle to small companies and there were a few demos there (including a CRT projection setup that bested the Sony and Sim2 projectors, but sold for about 100k!!!).

On the other h ...

Yes... Cedia is a different kind of show.   I'd say 99% of the people would not be interested in our setup because in the install business it's about price and ease of install.   Our product is going to be a niche product.   There is no way we can compete on price due to our size and sales volume.

[Kevin Haskins]

Kevin,

CES sounds awsome.  I wish I could have been there to see your setup.  How about a press release with some pictures?  Can someone who attended do a write up of their impressions?  Maybe they can post it to a few of the forums for audio?

I have no doubt your hard work will pay off.  The time is right for your product.

My speaker choice was heavily influenced by AVS.  I went there to learn about projectors and branched out into speakers.    

However, I have recognized that your current des ...

I'll get some pictures up on the forum.   The CES product was an engineering sample to show what we are doing.   The production versions are going to be slightly different.   Same size and form factor but I'm still working on the signal processing done in the amplifier (the parametric EQ still has to be built).

One engineering change we are going to make on the center channel is we are moving to a longer BG Neo 8 for the tweeter midrange.   All MTM centers suffer from off-axis problems due to the arrangement of drivers.   We are planning on using a longer planer that can crossover below the response problems and we will have one of the few MTM arrangements on the market with good off-axis response.

We also are using a new driver that is slightly different than the Extremis including a 4 Ohm version for the MTs so I can get more power into them for the equilization.    We are also increasing the cooling capacity in the amplifier and working on a new multichannel power supply developed by Hypex for us.