The New Timepiece Mini - Studio Walnut Finish

Aether Audio · « **on:** 18 Jul 2007, 11:57 pm »

Friends,

Have you been wishing you could join the high performance SP Tech "club" but couldn't quite afford the price of admission? Or... were you struggling with finding room for their "considerable" size but just can't quite find the space?

Well...we've been working hard to make it possible for everyone to be included and below is the result. A Pair of Timepiece 3.0's were left "un-chaperoned" for a little too long and now look what happened.

I'm a Grand-daddy!

Below are a couple of pictures of our new "baby" standing next to Mom & Dad (respectively).

I'm still scratching my head

trying to figure out how "Junior" came out with the complexion he did. I hate to think that his mother may have been fooling around on his dad, but I guess that's their business. We still love him just the same!

On a more serious note, construction is the same as the Timepiece 3.0. Same SS9300 tweeter & same woofer construction - just the next model down in size (SEAS L18RNX/P). The waveguide is 6-inches instead of 10 as in the 3.0. The model comes with Cardas binding posts and Mundorf crossover components.

Just like all the other models, you have 5 species to choose from. They are:

American Cherry, American Walnut, Red Oak, Maple and English Beech.

The following specs are preliminary, but they'll get you started:

Impedance: 8-Ohms
Sensitivity: 87dB@1W/1M
Power Handling: 100 Watts
(Long Term)
Power Handling: 250 Watts
(Short Term)
Frequency Response: 42Hz-22KHz +/- 2dB
(anechoic)
-3dB Points: 40Hz & 24KHz
(anechoic)
Crossover Type 4th order L-R Acoustic/2nd order L-R Electrical
Dimensions: 16.5"H x 9.5"W x 12.75"D
Weight: 38 lbs. EACH !!!
MSRP: $997.50 Each

Ooops...I made a mistake.

I listed the wrong price - sorry.

The ACTUAL price is... $747.50 EACH !!!
And that's factory direct...from here on out until the cows come home. Sorry dealers...this one is ours.

Oh darn...I messed up again.

I'll get it right this time for sure. OK, if you place an order on or before July 31st, the price will be...

$674.50 Each!!!

EDIT:The above pricing is no longer valid. As of 10/01/07 the new price is $2,495.00 per pair.

We figured we'd give you a good baseline for comparing the competition at RMAF this year. Production won't begin until August 1st and delivery is based on first come-first serve. Soo...if you want a good reason to go to RMAF with a smug grin on your face, you'd better call or e-mail soon.

Oh...and at 72W/Ch, a pair of these puppies will belt out 109dB SPL at 1M AND not be excursion limited at any frequency from 30Hz on up. Add a little room gain and you'll hit hard into the solid 30's. You might not even want (let alone need) a sub.

We'll be standing by. aa

-Bob

(219) 393-1116
[email protected]

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #1 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 12:07 am »

Mini-TP's.....nice job Bob !!!

And at a very attractive price....excellent !!!!

They look great....and I can imagine how good they sound...best of luck....

Bigfish · « **Reply #2 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 12:37 am »

Bob:

The new Minis look great!

Ken

Nick B · « **Reply #3 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 12:48 am »

Bob
Those are good lookin'. Must be the genetics thing.....

Nick

brj · « **Reply #4 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 12:48 am »

Nice work, Bob!

Any chance of a demo tour for a pair?

By the way...

Quote

Frequency Response: 40Hz-22KHz +/- 2dB (anechoic)
-3dB Points: 40Hz & 24KHz (anechoic)

40 Hz is the -2 dB and the -3 dB point?

Aether Audio · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 01:08 am »

Brian,

Thanks for the vote and catching that. I've since fixed it. The -3dB point is 40Hz & -2 dB @ 42Hz.

Everyone,

Thanks!

-Bob

PeteG · « **Reply #6 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 01:13 am »

A nice looking speaker at a down to earth price

.
Great job Bob.

brj · « **Reply #7 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 01:34 am »

Quote from: SP Pres

Thanks for the vote and catching that.

No problem!

Just for the record, what are the other woods used for the baffles in the above pictures? As you said, Walnut for the mini, but Cherry and Rosewood for the parents, maybe?

Double Ugly · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 01:49 am »

Quote from: brj on 19 Jul 2007, 01:34 am

Just for the record, what are the other woods used for the baffles in the above pictures? As you said, Walnut for the mini, but Cherry and Rosewood for the parents, maybe?

The top picture is actually of the same Walnut mini. It was taken outdoors with natural sunlight whereas the other pics were taken indoors with a flash.

As you correctly surmised, the front baffle of pictured Timepiece 3.0 is Cherry.

-Jim

Bill Baker · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 02:09 am »

I cannot imagine how you wouldn't be on backorder with these within just a few weeks

Are you posting these anywhere besides AC for more exposure?

Quote

Sorry dealers...this one is ours.

Zero · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 02:41 am »

Wow - talk about sek-say!!!!!!

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #11 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 07:51 am »

Holy crap, Bob, this one is a super winner!!

I'd kill for a steady job right now.

JLM · « **Reply #12 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 08:55 am »

Very sweet!

How many watts would you recommend feeding them Bob?

Are other woods (everything in the house is Cherry) available at this price?

mcullinan · « **Reply #13 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 01:52 pm »

Bob,
Nice stuff baby.
Mike
Send pics to that web guy:)

Aether Audio · « **Reply #14 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 02:08 pm »

JLM,

Quote

How many watts would you recommend feeding them Bob?

Well...a stereo pair will achieve 84dB SPL at 1 watt/ch. (EDIT: at 2 meters -

) so...how loud do you like to listen? 84 dB isn't exactly "loud" but it's definitely a bit more than typical background music levels.

Remember: You're asking a power freak this question. I guess if it were for my own use in a den or office, I'd like to have at least 10 W/ch. - especially if its a SS amp. With tubes I suppose you could get by with 4 or 5 W/ch.

Quote

Are other woods (everything in the house is Cherry) available at this price?

Yeah...sorry about that. I'm gonna go back and edit the post. I should have included that info too.

Just like all the other models, you have 5 species to choose from. They are:

American Cherry, American Walnut, Red Oak, Maple and English Beech.

We can also do any species you like (pretty much anyway), as long as the wood is available. There will be an additional charge though and depending on the species, that could be pretty significant. Even more common woods might cost more than you would think because we are forced to buy the sticks (boards) "onesy-twosy." We get a decent price when we purchase the standard species because they are commonly available domestically and we buy in quantity. When we have to order just a couple of boards to do just one order, the vendors nail us pretty good. But...if you want it and are willing to pay for it, we'll be glad to do it for you. As such, those would be special orders and will have to be quoted individually after we get a quote for the wood.

As you can see from the pictures I posted, the color of a species can change fairly radically under different lighting conditions. The top picture was taken outdoors in direct sunlight and it really brought out the "red" in the Walnut. Indoors and under florescent lighting you don't see the red at all. The Cherry looks pretty different under different lighting as well and with similar effects. You have to have longer wavelengths (reds) in the light source if your going to reflect them off of an object. Sunlight makes all of the woods look the nicest but if you don't have any windows, that's not how the woods will look. Solution? Put in a skylight!

Bill,

Quote

Are you posting these anywhere besides AC for more exposure?

I'm going to give it another day or so for our AC friends, then Audiogon will be next. Sorry about the "no dealer" rule. But...we need wider exposure and nothing sells product like word-of-mouth. We want to get these puppies into as many homes as possible...as fast as possible. You dealers just aren't able to do that. We cut the price to the bone in order to do so, which leaves virtually no margin for the small "middle man." Well...you wanna buy a lot of 5 pair or more at one time? We'll talk.

-Bob

Robert57 · « **Reply #15 on:** 19 Jul 2007, 03:58 pm »

Fabulous looking speakers, Bob! Can they be ordered with the same black SEAS woofer and brass plugs as the senior TP shown in your lead?

Aether Audio · « **Reply #16 on:** 20 Jul 2007, 12:28 am »

Robert57,

Thanks for the vote!

Sorry though...the Mini's won't be available with the black-cone woofers. Those we had custom made...and at a price. Right now we don't have an extra $10K laying around to purchase 100 of them - which is what you have to do to get them made.

Although...we may offer them as a Special Edition using the stock Excel woofer. It has a metallic magnesium cone still (not black), but it does come with the copper phase plug. If there's a call for such, I guess we could do them now even...but there is a catch.

The Excel woofer doesn't offer the bass extension that the aluminum-cone standard driver does. If you ask anybody that knows my design philosophy, they'll tell you I won't ever tune a reflex enclosure up near 45 Hz or higher. Doing so just creates speakers with woofer cones that almost jump out of the box when you pump any real bass into them. Might as well build a sealed enclosure and be done with it. If you want deeper base...then buy a sub.

So...the Mini SE would be a sealed box design. Computer models show that the -3dB point would be about 57Hz...so you might want to use a sub with it. Do I hear "Infra-Wave please?" Even without a sub the bass wouldn't be bad though. Since it would be sealed, the roll off would be at 12dB/octave instead of 24 like in a reflex design. Add a little room gain and it might not be bad at all. Add our Infra-Wave and bass will never be an issue again - ever.

I haven't worked out pricing yet because I don't know what those woofers cost. I do know they're not cheap though. If anybody is interested, just let me know.

-Bob

JLM · « **Reply #17 on:** 20 Jul 2007, 01:09 am »

Thanks for the reply Bob,

Glad to read that Cherry is still on the menu.

I own a RS spl meter and so have a good idea how loud 84 dB is. While not a headbanger by any means, I am of the opinion that to provide the necessary commanding grip, preserve dynamics, avoid any possible clipping, and reach symphonic concert peaks the amp/speaker/room must be capable of reaching 105 dB. By my calculations roughly 80 wpc would be needed for 2 channels with your speakers in my 13 x 21 x 8 room.

But I as there was much discussion about having plenty of power available for the Timepieces way back, I was wondering what your opinion would be.

Aether Audio · « **Reply #18 on:** 20 Jul 2007, 02:23 am »

JLM,

Looks like you nailed it on the SPL specs. I guess if they were mine, I'd like to have 3dB minimum headroom for those very short-lived, mean spirited little transients that like to drive amps into clipping for a millisecond or two. That would call for about 150 W/Ch. Actually, that would be more important if the amp were solid-state. Tubes? They don't create square waves like SS does when they're clipped, so...100 Watts?

But...that's an "ultimate fidelity" scenario. I guarantee these little "birds" will sing real pretty-like on 50 watts per - on tubes. I heard a Cary 50 Watt Integrated once on the Timepieces and it was awesome...breathtaking female voices. The Mini's are 2 dB more efficient so I'll bet that Cary (EDIT: Try one of Bill's moded Jolidas or his Bellas!) or any other 50 watter would be the cat's meow.

Combine that with the Mini's smaller size and you'd have one of the worlds few "invisible" speakers. Get outa my recliner, turn out the lights and keep the Cabernet at arm's length... 'cause I'm floating away tonight! Wake me up for breakfast in the morning, Honey.

-Bob

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #19 on:** 20 Jul 2007, 02:29 am »

Bob....

Would it be possible for you to take a photo of the back and side of the speaker ?
Thanks............

Chris

PS......I hope you can get your website up-to-date soon....