The Japanese maker/reseller G.I.P:

http://www.gip-laboratory.com/

http://blog.audio-life.nl/2011/01/western-electric-gip-laboratory_16.html

… looks like came up with a new loudspeaker. I do not know a lot about the company. They did a lot of WE replica and it is all that they were famous for. What kind sound they advocate is unknown to me.

The new speakers that they have looks like 3 ways. The bottom is the most interesting. It looks like they have throat with two 15 inchers with a short W-like horn. This configuration never worked; in fact it is more or less a direct radiator. However, it looks like G.I.P did something with back exit of the bass horn. I do not know what it is but it might interest. It looks like they are trying to manage the coupling that speaker has with back wall. That is very cool idea. I personably would not explore it as I do feel that a loudspeaker must stay far from a wall, still the fact that somebody is looking into it I find it as a good sign.

Sure it is impossible do not mention the elephant in the room - the new G.I.P speaker is insultingly gorgeous.  It is arguably the prettiest loudspeaker I have seen with very high balance between functionality and attractiveness. The G.I.P folks might be congratulated. If they use good MF and LF drivers in the thing then it might be very good package. Sure for full sound the LF section will be needed but even as is it might be “enough”.

I hope he G.I.P will not set absurd price for the thing as it become fashionable nowadays. If they are smart then they would set a “moderate” price of let say $20K and if the thing sounds reputable then it might become the most popular and the most saleable horn loudspeaker-package in the world. I am not kidding. In my estimation this product has many features that would very much distinct it from anything else. The G.I.P folks need to find a good sales pimp and if they do then you will see this devise in many homes.

Rgs, Romy the Cat

I have seen that people online react surprisingly to my post above.  Hey are accustom that I am hyper-demanding and tough for production of DIY speaker attempts but above I suddenly proposed to  relatively mediocre speaker to become the become the most popular horn speaker in the world. In particular the speaker of the company that never did anything but imitating others.

Still, I feel that GIP did hit the jackpot in here. You see, it is not about the good speaker but a good package and I think the package the GIP offer has many properties of very winning configuration. Again, of course it will not be any Super Sound from this devise but it might be very a very good Hi-Fi package that might get more popular then Altec 7/16 and Klipsh horns combined.

I am not sure that GIP is the company that might have interest mass production. It appears to me that they are a shop that breeds own style of kinky vintage devotees and that they are not looking to move 50-70 speakers per month. For this model it feels it is unfortunate as in GOOD marketing hands this new GIP speaker might be a phenomenally successful product.

Let take a look what GIP might do. The speaker has a very none-expensive box, the box that very cheap to do. The retail of the pair of the boxes would be around $700-$800. If those boxes are mass produced in China or Russia then it would be under 100 per of boxer, the shipping will be more expensive. So, the manufacturing need to deal with pre-car and pre-drilled making of the thing in China, shipment disassembled and then assembled by US or European or Asian reps. So, I think the wholesale of boxed will be in vicinity of $120-$150.

The Midrange horns are expansive to make. Rattail they are around $1500, in wholesale 60% off. With mass production and cutting the horn with CNC Machines the cost of those horns will be negligible. If to cut 1000 horn then I think it will be $80-$90 per horn – the chunk wood for the horn will be more expensive.

4 drivers. The bass drivers they use looks like Altec 515B or ceramic version 515E. Those low resonance drivers in W-horn configuration have very idiosyncratically-unfortunate sound but it is not a conversation about sound.  Altec 515 retail now around $3000-$3500 for 4 drivers but I think in wholesale and with order by large party then can get 300-400 per driver. So let consider that bass driver will be $1500.

The MF is the bitch.  There is nothing better and secure then default JBL 2440, there is a shit loaded of them and they are chip. I am sure that in wholesale then can get $500 per pair of them.

The tweeter, I do not know what they use, let call it $1000 tweeter.

So, what we have?  Adding let say $500 for hardware, posts, labels, crossover and the rest of the thing we have the self-cost of around $3K.  Include into this paying off the bribes and extortions to media advertisers, given up a dozen of speakers free to each industry whore who would like to and performing many other industry ballets, recover the shipping damans and so on we still have a speaker that is ready to do under $5K.

Then the wonderful thing about the new GIP will happen. The configuration of the package that GIP offers is very scalable. For $20K a person would have a basic Volkswagen package. If a person would like to pay more for finish then no problems. If a person would like to have more sophisticated sound then JBL 2440 then GIP might put in this WE replicas (presumable they sound more sophisticated) and whatever else they might imagine. A person might add for a dedicated LF section or for back end adjustability package. The electromagnets are fashionable among the Morosn nowadays, so GIP might add the electromagnet options.

I mend the speaker is very small, very attractive looking in my view and will deliver result much better than typical Hi-end crap that industry sell for $100K. In a good marketing hand the new GIP might ignite some kind of “little horn revolution” in the industry. The industry need to reinvent “fake revolutions” each 18 month, to keep the Morons milkable. I do not follow what industry do nowadays but I do not think that they have the “revolutionary package” in their disposal. In right marketing hands the  new GIP might become suck a package.

Markus wrote:

Interesting take on the Altec 820. No way can this be done for 20k. Looks like dipole bass with some attenuation for mid frequencies.

Wojtek wrote:

WTF Roman , you trumpeted this as a very nice and sensible solution and now you suddenly don't like "LA Profile" ?.

Stitch wrote:

Silbatone made a Demo with those Horns (the big ones) They said, it is one of three existing WE Horns, made 1935/36 (only mod is the addition of the tweeter you can see there). One Horn is made for 3500 Visitors, so we got a 7000 People Demo with them. Driven with a 300B amp from Silbatone. The smile factor from the visitors was big, but most didn't know how to handle that experience (the rest of the High End Systems produced Head ache but most did like that, you know, review winners, Class A++ ratings, pics in mags ..). An american guy came from the back and shouted "That's real music !" and went to the back again. His name was Robarts or so. A lot of german DIY guys were around also, they hugged each other and looked VERY important (this "we know more than you view"...). Maybe it was their holy grail meeting point.... I asked about the price when someone is interested to go for those. They smiled. But they offer copies with refurbished drivers (when I understood it right, my Korean / English is not really up to date), their smallest model (it is the one above in the first post from Romy I think) starts at 145.000,-- Euros ( $ 190.000,--).... That made the Magico's, Ypsilon, Avant-Gardes, NOLAs etc. really cheap :-) Anyway, the woodwork can't be so expensive, are these Drivers really so outstanding expensive??they had a few to show but always with 2 bodyguards left and right of them...

Here is the Portuguese sire with HD sound of the rooms in the German show.

http://www.hificlube.net/pt/artigos/eventos/highend-2013-munique/highend-2013-audi%C3%A7%C3%B5es-%28live-sound%29-parte-3.aspx

For sure it is hard to judge anything based  upon what armature camera record but in this case it is surprisingly indicative and the same camera record different rooms and you can clearly hear differences.

A few observations that struck me.

The cretins plays incredibly horrible music and they do not even understand how much idiots they are. Any person who willing to play this crap in public to demonstrate “sound quality” shall be instantaneously and permanently banned from any public audio position.  I personally prefer death penalty but Amy teaches me that I need to be kind to unfortunates. The exception is only that Greek Horn company with that wonderful, Albinoni adagio ….

The celebrated WE installation sounds incredibly honky with predictably puffy bass. Perhaps those guys instead of drooling saliva brainlessly about Mirrophonic  glory need to study the audio basics and to learn how to make horns inhalations at least do not have that horrible honk?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Zja3iAkeE

Wojtek wrote:

... If it was really that bad Stitch would be first to give his honest opinion , instead he only remarked that it was interesting but different. I was surprised how pleasant...

Upgrade ya :-)