Hello Audio Karma! I am a former lurker/new member from California. Compared to other hi-fi forums I've been a member of in the past, I have been impressed by what appears to be a relative lack of audio snobbishness in these forums. For that reason, I thought I'd come to you guys first with something I've been considering for a while now.
A bit of background:
Amongst full-range speaker aficionados, the venerable Goodman's Axiom 80 has long been considered the holy grail; absolute audio nirvana. Two things keep these drivers from attaining greater use amongst those who find their home in the full-range/high-efficiency crowd: Scarcity and cost.
As a former owner (and very regretful seller) of a marvelous pair of Axiom 80's many years ago, there is no doubt in my mind that the Axiom 80's can equal or better any modern full-range design on the market today.
For that reason, I have heard grumblings for years from like-minded enthusiasts that someone ought to "re-introduce" the old Axiom 80's. Some of you may know that the speakers were in fact re-introduced for a short time in the 1980's. However, even these supposedly "sonically inferior" drivers often fetch $3,000+/pr., and appear to be no less scarce than the originals.
The issue:
After long consideration, careful research, and contact with multiple potential suppliers, machinists, and local foundries, I have determined that initial investment in *tooling costs alone* would easily run into the 5-figure range to re-manufacture the Axiom 80's to their original design and specifications, not to mention $3k+ to track down and procure an original pair in excellent condition from which tooling can be created, and against which any prototypes can be tested/compared to.
Before moving forward, however, I am trying to determine how big the market for such a speaker really is. Many people wax lyrical about the legendary old Axiom 80's, but I wonder how many of them would actually be willing to invest in a pair. There is no doubt that this would be a niche product; *truly* hi-fi audio is, these days, sadly just a niche in and of itself.
The other issue is how much people would be willing to pay for such a speaker. This would not by any means be an inexpensive diver to manufacture. Each frame would require extensive machine work (and anyone who has ever had anything machined knows how expensive machine work is), and the drivers would require very high-spec materials (massive alnico magnets, high quality, custom made paper/fiber cones, etc). In order to sell the drivers at a reasonable price--at least some amount less than the incredible high price of a pair of vintage originals--I would need to sell them in respectable quantities in order to re-coup the hefty tooling costs.
Might any Audio Karman's out there have any insights? I figure I would need to sell at least 30 pair just to break even; could the demand possibly be even this high for such an esoteric old speaker? Anyone who has ever tried to land a pair of Axiom 80's on eBay knows that they can generate a massive bidding war--but for all I know, it could be the same dozen or so people bidding every time a pair comes up for sale (and what a rare occurrence that is). And, for that matter, the bulk of those out there interested in obtaining these speakers may well be interested only in originals.
In which case, maybe I should restate the issue: I need to determine approximately how much demand exists for reproductions of the Axiom 80's. Even suggestions on how best to gauge potential demand would be much welcomed (short of trolling every hi-fi forum in cyberspace and polling members!) Any thoughts at all on the matter would be greatly appreciated; and thank you in advance taking the time to read this.
A bit of background:
Amongst full-range speaker aficionados, the venerable Goodman's Axiom 80 has long been considered the holy grail; absolute audio nirvana. Two things keep these drivers from attaining greater use amongst those who find their home in the full-range/high-efficiency crowd: Scarcity and cost.
As a former owner (and very regretful seller) of a marvelous pair of Axiom 80's many years ago, there is no doubt in my mind that the Axiom 80's can equal or better any modern full-range design on the market today.
For that reason, I have heard grumblings for years from like-minded enthusiasts that someone ought to "re-introduce" the old Axiom 80's. Some of you may know that the speakers were in fact re-introduced for a short time in the 1980's. However, even these supposedly "sonically inferior" drivers often fetch $3,000+/pr., and appear to be no less scarce than the originals.
The issue:
After long consideration, careful research, and contact with multiple potential suppliers, machinists, and local foundries, I have determined that initial investment in *tooling costs alone* would easily run into the 5-figure range to re-manufacture the Axiom 80's to their original design and specifications, not to mention $3k+ to track down and procure an original pair in excellent condition from which tooling can be created, and against which any prototypes can be tested/compared to.
Before moving forward, however, I am trying to determine how big the market for such a speaker really is. Many people wax lyrical about the legendary old Axiom 80's, but I wonder how many of them would actually be willing to invest in a pair. There is no doubt that this would be a niche product; *truly* hi-fi audio is, these days, sadly just a niche in and of itself.
The other issue is how much people would be willing to pay for such a speaker. This would not by any means be an inexpensive diver to manufacture. Each frame would require extensive machine work (and anyone who has ever had anything machined knows how expensive machine work is), and the drivers would require very high-spec materials (massive alnico magnets, high quality, custom made paper/fiber cones, etc). In order to sell the drivers at a reasonable price--at least some amount less than the incredible high price of a pair of vintage originals--I would need to sell them in respectable quantities in order to re-coup the hefty tooling costs.
Might any Audio Karman's out there have any insights? I figure I would need to sell at least 30 pair just to break even; could the demand possibly be even this high for such an esoteric old speaker? Anyone who has ever tried to land a pair of Axiom 80's on eBay knows that they can generate a massive bidding war--but for all I know, it could be the same dozen or so people bidding every time a pair comes up for sale (and what a rare occurrence that is). And, for that matter, the bulk of those out there interested in obtaining these speakers may well be interested only in originals.
In which case, maybe I should restate the issue: I need to determine approximately how much demand exists for reproductions of the Axiom 80's. Even suggestions on how best to gauge potential demand would be much welcomed (short of trolling every hi-fi forum in cyberspace and polling members!) Any thoughts at all on the matter would be greatly appreciated; and thank you in advance taking the time to read this.
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