Kevin, with your access to granite, I think it would be a mistake not to try to make a full blown pair for your use and testing (or for sale), to see what could be done with inert cabinets, if for no other reason.
See what difference it makes (if any). Go full bore on the Xover parts, do every little aphile thing you can think of.
In fact a sub with a granite cabinet might be pretty cool too.
Michael Barnes (nOrh) said he could tell a difference in his subs when he went from well braced wood to granite. I could tell a difference between the nOrh wood 9.0 and the marble version and preferred the marble.
Shipping wouldn't necessarily have to be done on pallets, nOrh wrapped their speakers in plastic, then shot that "Good Stuff" foam all over them and put them in big boxes. It worked for them...
What do you think?
I think it would have to be very expensive and I'm not sure how many I'd sell.
I'll probably build a pair since I have access to the granite shop. I've played with overkill enclosure construction before and my experience, and the research shows, that you can get beyond what is generally audible with traditional construction and good design. I'm not a good salesman for things I don't believe in so I'd probably not be good at "hyping" the benefits, unless I convinced myself of the audibility. I'll have to build one though just for comparisons sake. aa
In terms of crossover parts, I'm looking at eliminating them. I've been working on a PCB that can be generally used for my entire lineup. It would still be in a chassis at the equipment rack, but it would be a fully active design. There are a lot of advantages to going active and since cost savings is not my object, why not?
I tell you what I'd like to find... is a business partner with a warehouse, CNC woodshop, paint booth, and finishing skills, centrally located in the midwest that has clients in the industry. I'd like to have an entire finished lineup of product, sold direct, with what I consider state-of-the-art design from the drivers up. I'd keep it simple, with a few different matching models and relatively small number of finish options. They would just have to build cabinets, bolt drivers in place and pack the speaker and do a quick Q/C measurement before packing. It would all have to be very professional, I'm not interested in dealing with problem companies.
