[Kevin Haskins]

I get occasional emails, phone calls etc... concerning various projects that I'm working on.    Rather than answer endless email, I've decided to do a blog-like entry in the forum here as a resource for people to follow.   I'll update it monthly (or there abouts).   

Exodus Driver Updates:   

Most of these changes will occur at different times as inventory empties and I replace it with new inventory.   There will also be some pricing adjustments as we deal with steel, aluminum, copper & energy price increases.   I'll also have Klippel measurements for all the documentation on the products.   

• Shiva-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, tinsel leads stitched into the spider and update to induction rings (implement CuAl technology), larger diameter voice coil for a little more BL & power handling.    Estimated Price Point:  $195
• Tempest-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, tinsel leads stitched into the spider and update to induction rings (implement CuAl technology), larger diameter voice coil for a little more BL & power handling.  Estimated Price Point:  $235
• Maelstrom-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, and tinsel leads stitched into the spider, improved glue area in triple joint.   Otherwise unchanged.    The Maelstrom already has the AlCu inductance rings and the voice coil/former size will not change.   Estimated Price Point: $425
  

New Products:

• Exodus Tweeter:   I'm getting final prototypes sometime in late October.   Assuming we don't need to do another revision I'll finally have the tweeter project done sometime next year.    Estimated Price Point $250 

Sicko 21":    This may not die on the vine but it is definitely going to take longer than expected.   The quotes I'm getting for production are much higher than our target price (around $3K).    We are still working this though and I'm hopeful we can redesign a couple parts, and work over our vendors a little to get the price down.   If not, I'll still move forward but in smaller expected quantities. 

Products that won't make it to development:

Woofer Widget:   This is going to die on the vine.   The cost of development, support headache vs. what I could sell it for just doesn't make business sense.      There is nothing wrong with the underlying technology, it just doesn't make sense for a business as small as mine to put all it's eggs in one basket.   



  

[dyohn]

Wow, sorry to hear you've been dealing with so much, err, ignorance concerning voice coils and tinsel leads.  I really like having DVC drivers available... but I do understand your position.  Just makes it more fun wiring two drivers... Hmm, I now get to use more amps!!    

Now let's get a look at that new tweeter, and maybe see some measurements.  Please?!   

[Kevin Haskins]

Wow, sorry to hear you've been dealing with so much, err, ignorance concerning voice coils and tinsel leads.  I really like having DVC drivers available... but I do understand your position.  Just makes it more fun wiring two drivers... Hmm, I now get to use more amps!!    

Now let's get a look at that new tweeter, and maybe see some measurements.  Please?!   

I don't know the exact number but I'd say 99% of them are just being wired in parallel and used as a 4-ohm driver.   It really doesn't change the price much but it slightly simplified the build.    I like using the KISS principle whenever possible. 

The tweeter is for my "special" projects.   It isn't going to really be marketed as a DIY device so you likely won't see measurements until the finished speakers are reviewed and my marketing numbers.    It won't really look like anything special until you see how much headroom is has in the distortion measurements.    We are CNC prototyping the first pair of horns so I don't have anything but simulated FR data at this point and the FR off the horn (with a different dome).   The raw tweeter alone is a beast but once it has another 10dB of acoustic gain centered on 1.5K then we should really be getting somewhere.   

[Voodoo Rufus]

Why mess with the voice coil lengths just to satisfy measurement systems? People smart enough to interpret Klippel data shouldn't care. Unless the change is small enough not to affect the overall performance of the system.

[Kevin Haskins]

Why mess with the voice coil lengths just to satisfy measurement systems? People smart enough to interpret Klippel data shouldn't care. Unless the change is small enough not to affect the overall performance of the system.

It is a small change, certainly not enough to introduce audible distortion.    The way the Klippel measures, the easiest data to gather is going to be in the center.   You have to power the driver out past the corners of the BL curve to get data out there.   In some of these designs, that is a LOT of power.   You start to hit thermal and suspension limits to get a good BL curve fit so the corner measurements can be unreliable data.    The hump in the middle gives us a quick & easy center point without needing to slice up the spider (destructive testing) to loosen it up for a good BL measurement.   

The data, both simulations and measurements are just there to corroborate our specifications.   

[fackamato]

Thanks for the update; so this means that the Maelstrom-X you receive in November has the single 4 ohm coil?

Kind regards,

Mathias

[2gumby2]

I'm disappointed about the Sicko being delayed or near death. I was really looking forward to building a couple of those. Hopefully, it will get revived at some point in the near future. I had planned on building a couple of subwoofers using the 18" Acoupower drivers until I heard about the Sicko. I was interested in getting below 20Hz with authority and the Sicko seemed like the right tool for the job.

[Kevin Haskins]

Thanks for the update; so this means that the Maelstrom-X you receive in November has the single 4 ohm coil?

Kind regards,

Mathias

I don't know yet.    It depends on inventory.   

[Kevin Haskins]

I'm disappointed about the Sicko being delayed or near death. I was really looking forward to building a couple of those. Hopefully, it will get revived at some point in the near future. I had planned on building a couple of subwoofers using the 18" Acoupower drivers until I heard about the Sicko. I was interested in getting below 20Hz with authority and the Sicko seemed like the right tool for the job.

Revival price is looking at $2K-3K per unit.    It isn't that we couldn't do it.   It is the price that is the issue. 

[2gumby2]

Yes, I understand the economics of bringing the Sicko to market at that price point. May not be a big seller for that reason, but they certainly are inspiring.

Do you know if Modwright will be using your Kepler speakers at RMAF? I will be at RMAF and I'd love to hear those speakers.

[Kevin Haskins]

Yes, I understand the economics of bringing the Sicko to market at that price point. May not be a big seller for that reason, but they certainly are inspiring.

Do you know if Modwright will be using your Kepler speakers at RMAF? I will be at RMAF and I'd love to hear those speakers.

I think Dan has other plans.   He had talked to me at VSAC about using a pair for Rocky Mountain but I've not talked to him about it since then.   

[Kevin Haskins]

Thanks for the update; so this means that the Maelstrom-X you receive in November has the single 4 ohm coil?

Kind regards,

Mathias

It is looking like the new ones will be a single 4-ohm and have the tinsel stitched into the spider.   

[DragooNArT]

Okay now i'm a bit confused about the Shiva-X now.There's been a recent update of the shiva's parameters in your site.Is this update already on the drivers(135$ ones) or will it be in the new ones(etc. when you empty your inventory)?
What i'm concerned about is that i've finally decided to use a shiva-x and a PR-15 in order to make the sub lighter without sacraficing low-freq but since i saw these updates i got concerned because i'm planning on ordering the driver+PR+Oaudio amp and that's about as much as i can spend on this project.What i mean is if the shiva got from 135 to 180 i wouldn't be able to afford the PR.
I need to know if i have to order the shiva-x sooner as i was planning to do it in january,but if the driver's getting more expensive(although it's going to be better)i will consider buying it as soon is i'm able to.

lol sorry if there's any confusing sentences got my english all messed up 

[Kevin Haskins]

First, all of the prices are estimated prices.    I won't know the exact prices until I order.   When I order depends on inventory levels and the economic climate.   

The current regular price of the Shiva-X is $172 and it's on sale for $135 until the end of October.   The small adjustments I made on the T/S where made on the production run I just received.   They are not representative of the changes above.   

I'm estimating a 15-20% price increase in my cost across the board on the next production run.   Some of that price increase I'm eating, and some of it I'm passing on to customers.   

I have pretty good stock of the Shiva currently.   I'm almost out of stock of the Tempest and I'm completely out of stock of the Maelstrom.    I expect to have Maelstrom's in stock in November but the Tempest-X will be out of stock for some time.    I'll probably have more at the beginning of next year.

I have plenty of stock of everything else.   It is just the Tempest & Maelstrom where stock levels are low.   

[Aaron Gilbert]

...
I'm almost out of stock of the Tempest and I'm completely out of stock of the Maelstrom.    I expect to have Maelstrom's in stock in November but the Tempest-X will be out of stock for some time.    I'll probably have more at the beginning of next year.

I have plenty of stock of everything else.   It is just the Tempest & Maelstrom where stock levels are low.   

Cool, I'm glad I ordered when I did, then! I got my Tempest-X on Monday and had it installed by last night, thanks Kevin! It dropped right into the hole vacated by a Dayton Quatro, with no modifications whatsoever. I haven't really had time or opportunity to give it a thorough test yet, but initial impressions are that it's just insane! Our house is going to fall apart, and I only have about 400 watts available. I could use some bigger ports, but in actual use it probably won't be much of a problem.

[Kevin Haskins]

...
I'm almost out of stock of the Tempest and I'm completely out of stock of the Maelstrom.    I expect to have Maelstrom's in stock in November but the Tempest-X will be out of stock for some time.    I'll probably have more at the beginning of next year.

I have plenty of stock of everything else.   It is just the Tempest & Maelstrom where stock levels are low.   

Cool, I'm glad I ordered when I did, then! I got my Tempest-X on Monday and had it installed by last night, thanks Kevin! It dropped right into the hole vacated by a Dayton Quatro, with no modifications whatsoever. I haven't really had time or opportunity to give it a thorough test yet, but initial impressions are that it's just insane! Our house is going to fall apart, and I only have about 400 watts available. I could use some bigger ports, but in actual use it probably won't be much of a problem.

No problem Aaron, thank you for the business!

If the ports don't chuff and complain under your use, they are big enough.       

[Kevin Haskins]

Ok... just to bring this back to the top.

Updates:

The Maelstroms are now shipping.   I'm currently in the process of catching up on orders so new orders will take a couple weeks to ship.   I'm building this production run on site so it isn't as easy as slapping labels on a box. 

The Tempest-X is still out of stock.   It is looking like inventory will come back on line by March.

Exodus Speaker project is moving forward.   I should have the entire lineup of speakers in stock by 3rd quarter 2009.    These are finished loudspeaker designs and I'll be releasing more information over time.   The drivers are world-class with significant amounts of development time and resources poured into their design.   These where 100% developed in-house (including Wiggins & my ODM engineering partners that are technically NOT in my house) and represent what I consider significant improvements over what I've done in the past.    Both the tweeter and the midwoofer are cost is not an object type of designs with some pretty cool features that you will see nowhere else and developed from a fresh napkin.   The enclosures are pretty cool, the finish is top drawer, along with having a couple unique design choices.    I'm also doing an active version that has some in-house designed electronics for the signal processing.   I'm using Hypex developed amplification for those projects because I'm ready to admit that Bruno is a much better amplifier designer than I'll ever be.     

I have bought some new toys for the DIYCable warehouse too!   I treated myself to a new CNC milling machine & CNC lathe so that I can have a better handle the prototype work and turnaround design ideas a little faster.   I also might make some changes to the Exodus amplifiers using new milled aluminum enclosures manufactured by yours truly.   

Lots of fun stuff!   This should be a busy year.

[Pete Basel]

Exodus Driver Updates:   

Most of these changes will occur at different times as inventory empties and I replace it with new inventory.   There will also be some pricing adjustments as we deal with steel, aluminum, copper & energy price increases.   I'll also have Klippel measurements for all the documentation on the products.   

• Shiva-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, tinsel leads stitched into the spider and update to induction rings (implement CuAl technology), larger diameter voice coil for a little more BL & power handling.    Estimated Price Point:  $195
• Tempest-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, tinsel leads stitched into the spider and update to induction rings (implement CuAl technology), larger diameter voice coil for a little more BL & power handling.  Estimated Price Point:  $235

[li]Maelstrom-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, and tinsel leads stitched into the spider, improved glue area in triple joint.   Otherwise unchanged.    The Maelstrom already has the AlCu inductance rings and the voice coil/former size will not change.   Estimated Price Point: $425
[/li][/list] 
 

Hi Kevin, wondering if your current Shiva-X has the above features, or will they be in the next shipment only?


Thanks,
Pete B.

[Kevin Haskins]

Exodus Driver Updates:   

Most of these changes will occur at different times as inventory empties and I replace it with new inventory.   There will also be some pricing adjustments as we deal with steel, aluminum, copper & energy price increases.   I'll also have Klippel measurements for all the documentation on the products.   

• Shiva-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, tinsel leads stitched into the spider and update to induction rings (implement CuAl technology), larger diameter voice coil for a little more BL & power handling.    Estimated Price Point:  $195
• Tempest-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, tinsel leads stitched into the spider and update to induction rings (implement CuAl technology), larger diameter voice coil for a little more BL & power handling.  Estimated Price Point:  $235

[li]Maelstrom-X:   Dual 2-ohm coil, and tinsel leads stitched into the spider, improved glue area in triple joint.   Otherwise unchanged.    The Maelstrom already has the AlCu inductance rings and the voice coil/former size will not change.   Estimated Price Point: $425
[/li][/list] 
 

Hi Kevin, wondering if your current Shiva-X has the above features, or will they be in the next shipment only?


Thanks,
Pete B.

Pete,

The product described above is coming in the next shipment.   I should  have them sometime in September.