Mark Schifter's latest design

ekovalsky · « **on:** 25 Oct 2003, 09:51 pm »

Sorry for being off topic but just saw these and thought they looked interesting. Figured other VMPS fans would too. Reminds be of the Genesis 350, a speaker I almost purchased before I decided on VMPS.

Drivers for the "Onix Strata" apparently include:

2 x 10" accelerometer controlled aluminum woofers powered by an internal 1000w with parametric EQ, sealed enclosure

2 x 6.5" VIFA midbass couplers in a dipolar array

1 x 28" BG Ribbon Midrange

4 x Tweeters - three in the front and one rear-firing

~55" Tall
~140lbs each
~ $6500/pr with special introductory pricing set for $5000 to $5500 dollars
Late 2003

TheeeChosenOne · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 12:25 am »

Gorgeous.

Brian, any word on the Schifter alliance?..........

Brian Cheney · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 12:29 am »

No word from Mark.

The BG 28" is fragile and unreliable, and I speak from experience. BG warrants their OEM products for 60 days. Their sensitivity is low, they have a nasty 6.5 kHz cavity resonance, and their LF extension is poor. Not my choice at all.

ekovalsky · « **Reply #3 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 02:05 am »

I'm not a big fan of the B&G ribbons either. It would be interesting to see this speaker with four VMPS neo ribbons instead of the B&G driver...

Cabinets do look very nice, but I'm suspicious about the sealed/equalized/servo bass system. I doubt it will compete with 12" drivers in with a slot loaded passive sub driven by a huge non-servo amp.

Andrikos · « **Reply #4 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 02:43 am »

I can just imagine Brian cringing when he reads workds like "accelerometer controlled" "Aluminum Drivers" "BG Ribbon" etc. all in one sentence!

Tyson · « **Reply #5 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 04:43 am »

They look interesting, and very cool from a visual aspect, but they are not monopoles, which would take them out of consideration for me to ever buy them.

Ravi · « **Reply #6 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 06:35 am »

Quote from: Brian Cheney

No word from Mark.

The BG 28" is fragile and unreliable, and I speak from experience. BG warrants their OEM products for 60 days. Their sensitivity is low, they have a nasty 6.5 kHz cavity resonance, and their LF extension is poor. Not my choice at all.

Its all in the way you use it. He doesn't need LF extension because he's using dual 6.5" for midbass. He can easily combat the cavity resonance by using a notch filter at 6.5khz on the BG, and also by bringing in the ribbon tweeters at 3khz. The reponse of the BG at 6.5khz will then be a moot point.

Ravi · « **Reply #7 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 06:42 am »

Quote from: ekovalsky

I'm not a big fan of the B&G ribbons either. It would be interesting to see this speaker with four VMPS neo ribbons instead of the B&G driver...

Cabinets do look very nice, but I'm suspicious about the sealed/equalized/servo bass system. I doubt it will compete with 12" drivers in with a slot loaded passive sub driven by a huge non-servo amp.

I would venture to guess that a sealed servo based bass system would be superior in transient response and control than a PR based system. Also, equalization is a definate bonus, as bass is very unpredictable in-room. This way you can customize the bass to your room and its nodes.

rosconey · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 12:34 pm »

like all av123 products they look great.
but in the past few weeks ive had a major change of mind about chinese made products.
they are closing the carrier plant in syracuse so they can pay nothing for labor and make the stuff in china.
ive seen to much of this in the last few years, too the point of wishing big b doesnt go thru with his av123 cabinets.

sorry for the political crap

meilankev · « **Reply #9 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 12:59 pm »

These speakers look very nice. Their design is not unlike the Infinity Reference Standard II speakers mention in another VMPS thread this past week. The Infinity bass enclosure was twice as large (and unpowered, of course), but the design philosophy of the mids/highs layout looks the same.

What's really strange is I haven't mentioned my old Infinity speakers in many years, and now here I am doing it twice inside of a week.

Kevin

Dunedain · « **Reply #10 on:** 26 Oct 2003, 11:55 pm »

rosconey: What you are saying is correct. There's nothing
political about it. It's hurting our country that so many
companies are sending american jobs overseas because all
they care about is maximizing their own short-term profits.

I like the fact that VMPS speaker cabinets are made right here
in the U.S. To me, that is one of their best selling points.
I want to buy things that support good paying jobs and
a high standard of living for my fellow countrymen.
Not shipped overseas so a guy making comparatively
nothing can make it and the guy back here loses his job.

A strong economy with high paying jobs and the resultant
high standard of living and wealth that it creates (and that
allows us to be able to afford to have the best equipped
military in the world) are essential to our national security.

And it allows americans to have the disposable income to
buy wonderful products like VMPS speakers in the first place.

So three cheers for Big B. and his U.S. made speaker cabinets
(and any other parts that are made here)!

Brian Cheney · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 Oct 2003, 01:41 am »

95% of each VMPS speaker and part is made in the USA.

Andrikos · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 Oct 2003, 06:21 am »

Right on Big B!

doug s. · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 Oct 2003, 03:16 pm »

i also have problems w/american companies that close usa plants to open offshore plants to take adwantage of cheap labor, tax incentives & no human rights/pollution controls/etc. but, the real problem is the govt, which encourages companies to do this thru poor regulations. there is a difference between *free* trade & *fair* trade...

also, this issue should be separated from chinese-based companies such as radii audio & hi-vi research, to name a couple... if china made a quality car, i'd be happy to buy it, if for no other reason than to force the a**holes in detroit to stop their outsourcing, which only benefits the stockholders, not the american workers, who lose decent yobs; *or* the consumers, as no benefits are shown to them with reduced prices. the cost savings, taken from the hides of american workers, goes directly into the pockets of the extremely wealthy - those who need it the least...

brian, i respect your attempts to resist cheap offshore manufacturing.

doug s.

rosconey · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 Oct 2003, 03:37 pm »

audio is one of the only things left that you can find a made in the USA label.
so for me from here on out i will try to buy american made audio.
dont know if i can buy a american made cd player though

have a vmps large ,4 odyssey monos so far, next a tempest pre,

Dunedain · « **Reply #15 on:** 27 Oct 2003, 11:55 pm »

Wow, 95%, that's excellent! One more reason to buy VMPS.

James Romeyn · « **Reply #16 on:** 1 Nov 2003, 05:30 am »

Quote from: rosconey

like all av123 products they look great.
but in the past few weeks ive had a major change of mind about chinese made products.
they are closing the carrier plant in syracuse so they can pay nothing for labor and make the stuff in china.
ive seen to much of this in the last few years, too the point of wishing big b doesnt go thru with his av123 cabinets.

sorry for the political crap

Yes, the Carrier plant is closing. More proof that Hillary failed in her promise to improve the financial conditions upstate. Just like her plan to improve Arkansas schools: they rocketed from 49th to 49th in the US, & her federal health plan that was so bad they considered it in Kazakstan & decided they liked their leeches better. So far for public policy successes Hillary is batting a big fat zero. But tell that to democratic idealoge (in particular a feminist) & get ready for personal attacks: "You people are just filled with so much hate.....blah blah blah"

Hey, why is it that a woman so very smart could not remember how on earth that subpeonead Rose Law Firm box of papers walked into her private bedroom? I wonderrrrrrr...............

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #17 on:** 2 Nov 2003, 07:01 am »

Hillary.... ha.... what a joke !! Remember her on election day !!

And don't forget to buy her book ! ! !

johnr_in_la · « **Reply #18 on:** 2 Nov 2003, 08:27 am »

Quote from: Dunedain

rosconey: What you are saying is correct. There's nothing
political about it. It's hurting our country that so many
companies are sending american jobs overseas

Your right, its not political, its economic. When Bush signed new steel tarriffs, to keep steel workers jobs in the US, the result was catastrophobic, it drove up to cost of steel for American carmakers and other American companies that sold steel products overseas were suddenly at a huge disadvantage, because they were paying more for steel. Americans still lost their jobs...

If VMPS sells many more units WORLDWIDE, by using chinese labor to make superior looking speakers, then that throws a loop in your calculations doesnt it? Because more accountants and computer aided design specialists (stuff America is actually good at) will be employed by them.. If you guys think America can compete in smokestack manufacturing industries longterm, without lots of foriegn made parts, your in for a big suprise...

flintstone · « **Reply #19 on:** 2 Nov 2003, 04:16 pm »

Screw economics, these companys are loyal to no flag and there are politics that come into play in every case. The countries they out source to are run by dictators of one form or another in every case. The companys and the dictators pocket all the money.

If Ford makes brand (X) in Mexico and Detroit..with the Mexican worker paid a dollar or two an hour and the Detroit worker makes ten times that, how come both cars cost you and I the same amount of money? The playing field is not level, these out source bandits want us all to beleave that we must get in step with the rest of the world..Let the rest of the world get in step with us.

Companies that out source should be hit with a heavy tax on the way out and another heavy tax on the way back in. Of course to be fair, we could give all this money to the Mexican and other exploited peoples who build these products.

Dave