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Success of the Model 2


nrenter

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This is primarily a question for @Richard Vandersteen, but perhaps others can give their opinion beforehand...

Do you think the Model 2 series would have been as successful without the sock? 

The sock (and the poles) give the Model 2 series (and the Model 3 series...and I guess we should throw in the 1 series) a physical presence and a certain aesthetic, but serves no aural purpose. It makes the speaker look bigger. It masks the uniqueness of the enclosure. It makes the lines look more visually similar to other box speaker offerings. But none of these factors change the sound.

I'm not talking about offering exotic wood veneers, the addition of grills, or the option of automotive finishes. Just no sock, no poles, and MAYBE an extra coat of flat black paint.

Just curious.

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11 minutes ago, nrenter said:

,,,

Do you think the Model 2 series would have been as successful without the sock? 

,,,

 

No, I don’t.

From boxing and shipping, to damage from kids and animals, the sock makes sense.

They’re a bit imposing… but without the sock, I am not sure people in the 70’s/80’s would have abided that look.

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1 hour ago, nrenter said:

This is primarily a question for @Richard Vandersteen, but perhaps others can give their opinion beforehand...

Do you think the Model 2 series would have been as successful without the sock? 

The sock (and the poles) give the Model 2 series (and the Model 3 series...and I guess we should throw in the 1 series) a physical presence and a certain aesthetic, but serves no aural purpose. It makes the speaker look bigger. It masks the uniqueness of the enclosure. It makes the lines look more visually similar to other box speaker offerings. But none of these factors change the sound.

I'm not talking about offering exotic wood veneers, the addition of grills, or the option of automotive finishes. Just no sock, no poles, and MAYBE an extra coat of flat black paint.

Just curious.

The minimum baffle staggered structure is very much part of the design but very difficult (expensive) to make cosmetically presentable.  The poles and socks were a low cost way to make them presentable which left most of the money for better crossovers and drivers.  Years ago we had a lot of pressure to have a display so people could see the inside.  I cautioned the dealers that it was ugly with staple holes and slight mismatches of parts that had no effect on the sound but was ugly.  I told them people would focus on the unfinished look, not the novelty.  They insisted so we made a few and what I suspected would happen happened!  They were sent back and I had one of our best guys spend better than a week making them pretty so we could take pictures of the inside.  This is what it would have required to make them saleable without the poles and socks but double the price!  Those pictures are what we use still today.  RV 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 4/16/2022 at 6:29 PM, nrenter said:

This is primarily a question for @Richard Vandersteen, but perhaps others can give their opinion beforehand...

Do you think the Model 2 series would have been as successful without the sock? 

The sock (and the poles) give the Model 2 series (and the Model 3 series...and I guess we should throw in the 1 series) a physical presence and a certain aesthetic, but serves no aural purpose. It makes the speaker look bigger. It masks the uniqueness of the enclosure. It makes the lines look more visually similar to other box speaker offerings. But none of these factors change the sound.

I'm not talking about offering exotic wood veneers, the addition of grills, or the option of automotive finishes. Just no sock, no poles, and MAYBE an extra coat of flat black paint.

Just curious.

Actually, I prefer the unpretentious appearance of the 2's to automotive finishes. The 2's sound character is very similar to my old and beloved AR-11's, except bigger. Many of us have assumed an extra bedroom as our listening space, thus, I'd assume 2Ce's would be a perfect speaker for most of those rooms.

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They would have had to cost a ton more than he was charging.  they were butt ugly and a mess underneath.  No way a coat of anything would have fixed that, lol.  I don't think he would have sold nearly as many and quite honestly it could have bombed as no one would have wanted them in their house, lol....  I'm sure if he could have made them at teh same price point without the socks, he would have. The Treo is the model 2 with no sock.  It's a lot more expensive in basic veneer, but it also sounds better as he had to offer much better sounds for the extra cost he has to charge.  

That's a question that has been asked throughout his career.  

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