[ferenc_k]

http://www.mother-of-tone.com/speakersystem.htm

http://www.mother-of-tone.com/phonostage.htm

[richidoo]

Wow! That is very exciting, thanks ferenc. I feel the need to hear the speakers in an all-Altmann rig.  aa   I just put my BYOB amp on sale because I could not find suitable speaker for it. Either too low efficiency, or efficient but too high impedance. Custom designed speakers for the amp should be awesome.

There is a lot of new info on the website too, like acoustics, Time or Band, etc.  Website was down for a few weeks - I feared the worst, but now glad to see some new innovation.

Congrats on the "new baby" Charles!
Rich

[pardales]

I wandered by the Altmann site just today for the first time in several months and what a surprise. Having owned both the BYOB amp and Attraction DAC I must say this piqued my curiosity. I bet the speakers sound great and can only imagine the phono preamp is outstanding. Great fun! 

[ferenc_k]

Sometime in March, when I was in Frankfurt at the Music Messe, I drove to Solingen to meet the maestro. I had a chance to briefly hear the prototype speakers with some blues music. It was definitely like the Attraction DAC. Very fluid, engaging and sweet. In a quite large empty room where the echo was a problem it sounded full and filled the room very nicely and you just forgot about the echo and listened to the music, strange.

Regarding the BYOB amp, after I sold the Avantgarde Trio speakers I had the best experience with the  Danley  PA speakers and the BYOB combination. The SH 100, SH 100B and SH 50 are close to 100 dB sensitive (real sensitivity, not marketing playing with the numbers) and impedance somewhere between 4-6 ohm, the SH-100B with 3 ohm some point below 100 Hz. Beside their size and WAF factor, I have nothing against them.

So congratulations to Charles, again having new products and the bravery making something unuasual and hopefully something as fine as the other products from him. 3 inch paper tweeter  and 6.5 inch paper mid speaker - this guy knows something 

[miklorsmith]

The DAC is a work of frickin' genious.  Charles is the *real* deal.  I'd love to hear these some time.

[sts9fan]

too bad for the Dollar > Euro exchange rate. 

[anubisgrau]

I like this, sounds  like a acoustic cult:))




What is the Ideal Reflection ?
The ideal reflection is that which exactly matches the Mother-of-Tone character.

A room that is constructed or retrofitted to give the ideal reflection actually is a place of well-being.

Any sound source will be reflected with the highest possible transparence and the best possible sound quality.

There is no physical resistance against the Mother-of-Tone character, as it is the vibrational yardstick of our ears and bodies, against which all sounds are perceived and evaluated.

Joy is the absence of physical resistance, a room with a vibrational character that matches the Mother-of-Tone character actually is a place of ecstasy.

[jrebman]

I'd love to know where this guy gets all his spruce.  Other than tonewood for guitar tops, it's getting really hard to find the kind of spruce one would want to use for spealker building.

And where does he get his attitude?   I love people who know everything, especially what I like to hear, -- that makes it just that much easier for me ::.

-- Jim

[planet10]

I'd love to know where this guy gets all his spruce.  Other than tonewood for guitar tops, it's getting really hard to find the kind of spruce one would want to use for spealker building.

Lots of spruce round here ... alot of it still stuck into the ground.



dave

[Folsom]

too bad for the Dollar > Euro exchange rate. 

That and his RIDICULOUSLY high prices for the components with the equipment. That POT on the amp is a piece of crap. Wima's are dirt cheap, the DAC chip and OPAMPS are dirt cheap.

I would love to try his stuff out but for $750 at good exchange rate to $1200 with bad exchange rate, good god, there is $100 worth of stuff in each device. I mean think about it, the speakers are as much as all the other devices, and there is a lot more in that package. Through on $100 for assembly that takes less than an hour per thing, and then mark it up 100%, you got $400, then $100 for shipping and handling anywhere for a tiny piece of equipment $500. Then exchange rate, $750. That is still over priced for the amount he could sell with better pricing or semi kits.

[pardales]

too bad for the Dollar > Euro exchange rate. 

That and his RIDICULOUSLY high prices for the components with the equipment. That POT on the amp is a piece of crap. Wima's are dirt cheap, the DAC chip and OPAMPS are dirt cheap.

I would love to try his stuff out but for $750 at good exchange rate to $1200 with bad exchange rate, good god, there is $100 worth of stuff in each device. I mean think about it, the speakers are as much as all the other devices, and there is a lot more in that package. Through on $100 for assembly that takes less than an hour per thing, and then mark it up 100%, you got $400, then $100 for shipping and handling anywhere for a tiny piece of equipment $500. Then exchange rate, $750. That is still over priced for the amount he could sell with better pricing or semi kits.

Is the design and ingenuity worth nothing?

[jrebman]

DoS,

As circle facilitator I want to let you know right up front that I'm going to have very limited tolerance for your contrarian, often short-sighted rants and diatribes.

Be civil, stay on topic, post constructive comments and you're as welcome as anybody else.

-- Jim

[Folsom]

too bad for the Dollar > Euro exchange rate. 

That and his RIDICULOUSLY high prices for the components with the equipment. That POT on the amp is a piece of crap. Wima's are dirt cheap, the DAC chip and OPAMPS are dirt cheap.

I would love to try his stuff out but for $750 at good exchange rate to $1200 with bad exchange rate, good god, there is $100 worth of stuff in each device. I mean think about it, the speakers are as much as all the other devices, and there is a lot more in that package. Through on $100 for assembly that takes less than an hour per thing, and then mark it up 100%, you got $400, then $100 for shipping and handling anywhere for a tiny piece of equipment $500. Then exchange rate, $750. That is still over priced for the amount he could sell with better pricing or semi kits.

Is the design and ingenuity worth nothing?

Perhaps, but then again there are a lot of individuals out there that do that for the love of audio.

I would like to apply a lot of thoughts of his, to my own stuff, and appreciate that he posts them on his website.

[sts9fan]

Perhaps?  Design is EVERYTHING.  Even a expensive DAC is not that $$$$

[jrebman]

DoS,

Apologies -- seems this is not my circle after all ::.  Somehow I thought this was in the single driver circle.

-- Jim (the other one)

[Double Ugly]

DoS,

Apologies -- seems this is not my circle after all ::.  Somehow I thought this was in the single driver circle.

-- Jim (the other one)

No need for an apology, Jim.  You comments were dead on as DoS's post was "RIDICULOUSLY" over the top.

Making posts which are "civil" and "constructive" is something to which we should all strive.  Repeated failures to do so may result in being asked to stop posting in Audio Central.

Double Ugly
Facilitator/Audio Central

[Folsom]

No problem Jim.

Design everything, yes well to some extent. Some of the very best designs out there are free, and many sound like nothing without the right components. Then again sometimes you are looking at design vs. patients to sit down and try every capacitor and value there is, burned in, to decide what works best.

If the Altmann had fifty million parts on it the design would be worth a lot more to me because of all the variables dealt with. It just seems that there are so few things, it was more like some choices where made and tested. Very nice of him to do that for us, but maybe not at a four hundred percent markup, is my opinion.

Designs are good but you got to wonder how all you got was a board with a couple IC's and four capacitors, and how much food or piles of cables, or sweet huge floor standing speakers, you could of acquired for the same amount.

In all honesty I would really like to hear the speakers. I however do feel if I do not like something I should be free to express why. You can not force me to be friends with anyone and support their products if I do not want too.

[Double Ugly]

I however do feel if I do not like something I should be free to express why. You can not force me to be friends with anyone and support their products if I do not want too.

No one is asking (much less forcing) you to like, support or otherwise acknowledge anyone or anything.  What jrebman and now I am asking is that you think through your post before hitting the "Post" button.

Coming off as an overly reactive adolescent does not make people take you more seriously.

[ferenc_k]

No problem Jim.

Design everything, yes well to some extent. Some of the very best designs out there are free, and many sound like nothing without the right components. Then again sometimes you are looking at design vs. patients to sit down and try every capacitor and value there is, burned in, to decide what works best.

If the Altmann had fifty million parts on it the design would be worth a lot more to me because of all the variables dealt with. It just seems that there are so few things, it was more like some choices where made and tested. Very nice of him to do that for us, but maybe not at a four hundred percent markup, is my opinion.

Designs are good but you got to wonder how all you got was a board with a couple IC's and four capacitors, and how much food or piles of cables, or sweet huge floor standing speakers, you could of acquired for the same amount.

In all honesty I would really like to hear the speakers. I however do feel if I do not like something I should be free to express why. You can not force me to be friends with anyone and support their products if I do not want too.

As an owner and daily user of all available Altmann products (except the newest ones of course, but hope to have them soon) since 2006, I can assure you, I do not mind how much profit he is making. I really do not care. I am so selfish so if I am happy with the music I listen and do  not want to change anything in my system, it is enough for me, only this counts for me. I do not have time and energy to think about his profit. I hope he can make nice money on his products and it keeps him thinking about audio and inventing new products in the future.

His products give me pleasure and I can pay the price of it without too much problem.  So his pricing is fair - at least for me, YMMV. I changed from 20-30 times more expensive equipments to his products and do not miss what I had earlier. What do I need more?

[JDUBS]

I however do feel if I do not like something I should be free to express why. You can not force me to be friends with anyone and support their products if I do not want too.

No one is asking (much less forcing) you to like, support or otherwise acknowledge anyone or anything.  What jrebman and now I am asking is that you think through your post before hitting the "Post" button.

Coming off as an overly reactive adolescent does not make people take you more seriously.

This is standard for DOS (5.0??).  Why (try to) denigrate someone's products?  Just don't buy it!  Its that simple.  You are "saving" no one with your negativity.

The comments on price are great, though.  Econ 101 (the basics of supply and demand) might help there.