How a $300,000 Speaker is Made

Oswalds Mill Audio makes $300,000 speakers from wood like ash, cherry, and walnut-plus slate and special cast iron. The sound quality is as good as the materials.
Made is a series of simple, gorgeous short films that demonstrate how everyday luxury objects are made, and honor the process and artisans behind them.
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[@BonsonPylon]

"We're the only company in the world that does this" yeah man, I wonder if there's a reason for that

[@keithmarlowe5569]

I just saw a clip from "Ford VS Ferrari" movie. Someone talked about how Enzo Ferrari had sought and achieved perfection, but went broke doing it.

[@SoylentGamer]

It hurts my head.

[@ctr289]

There are a lot of better ones. The "aerospace technology" says it all, it's just marketing garbage. They work with primitive methods and materials compared with other expensive manufacturers.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

he says they use solid wood and thew video shows a laminate cylinder hahahaha classic self hype ..

[@corners3755]

@@ctr289 Exactly. They are just finding a way to mark up already expensive materials

[@Siile_]

You could literally build a professional mixing studio for this price, including an insane pair of speakers like ATC's and a wall of analog gear. Crazy.

[@wizedo]

and that would be really "hi fi", in the literal sense of high fidelity. Fidelity to the recorded, mixed, processed material. Especially if using ATC's

[@vfavereau]

But that would require skills right ? I mean anything beyond a purchase transaction

[@amazin7006]

@@vfavereau Well no, you could hire a team to do it for you.

[@coop3014]

This guy 😂. I’m sure the speakers sound great and I’m sure they depreciate around 90% within the first 24 hours.

[@TheAlexhotz]

Facts

[@pedrosantos6183]

"we have a foundry, where the metal is put solid and then It becames molten" Yes that's How foundries work.

[@Rafabasu]

Beskar

[@LTV746]

We use planted trees which start from seeds and end up as hardwoods

[@Atelierul29]

@@LTV746 no one in the world does that! :))

[@Winters506]

@@LTV746 😂😂😂 I’m dying laughing. This is the best comment. 😂😂😂

[@thepandadan]

Just like Terminator

[@steveracer1985]

"we use aerospace grade stuff" shows PCB with AMETEK and Ohmite components, not to say the 10$ Sprague Atom Caps, yeah right.... :D Aerospace grade, really high level cheap components :)

[@winstonzeb2842]

He's used to saying all this BS to his rich clients, not KZbin people who have knowledge of these kind of things and can call him out 😂

[@cactuscoolest4564]

@@winstonzeb2842 exactly! I can tell you know what’s up

[@T00DEEPBLUE]

The even better joke is calling TUBE AMPLIFIERS, "aerospace grade". Was this video digitised footage from the 19th century? 😂😂😂

[@SushilKumar-dw1hf]

That's how you make business in USA 😂

[@MouthVisuals]

"Aerospace level stuff!" Hilarious.

[@danedewaard8215]

I think he meant Aerosmith!!!!!

[@Wordsalad69420]

I know, right? If NASA was doing the same solder jobs as this guy, heads would be rolling.

[@davidperry4013]

Aerospace technology would be the Devialet Phantom speakers which are a far better value.

[@stmsaiya]

Apollo microchips maybe?

[@astorothcr]

"The same capacitors they used on challenger II, micro chips with 32k memories and all that.""

[@LucasPereiradaSilva]

Spent 300 grand in the sound system Plays .mp3 64kbps.

[@daviddavidsonn3578]

in mono ! please !

[@iawindowss4061]

Hahahaha I swear people are actually like that though.

[@NemorisInferioris]

You could've stopped at .mp3

[@theseriousaccount]

Or vinyl for that matter. People who actually cares about “sound reproduction” moved on from that as soon as newer tech came out lol

[@rafaelmarques1314]

Also known as the sound of gravel

[@jillianangell2570]

Him: "Soundwaves can't be miniaturized" Me listening on headphones:

[@RS-po7ne]

That`s a false claim, sound is "miniaturized" by reducing the dynamics

[@charleshadden2937]

It is all about relativity. These folks seem to like Horns and it all starts at the APEX. So is it really miniaturized? Yes and No. A short distance away from the apex, as in headphones the size of the cone is small but the listening distance is also small. Looking at newer higher end headphones thy have gotten larger and larger drivers to better and more faithfully reproduce a particular note. Looking at the speakers in this video they are just farther from the Apex and the listening sweet spot is further away. In theory it is all the same horn, only taken to it's ultimate end. Now comes a problem. The small headphone driver can't move the same volume of air, so it will be weak and useless as a speaker at distance. These guys are all alike, they ignore facts or just toss out words like they know what they mean, to make a sales point.

[@michaellampson7085]

I like how he talks about everything like it isn’t industry standards for halfway decent speakers

[@MrRay3801]

Even the wood glue was made from an almost extinct truffle growing only in one far fetched corner of the world. It is then ground up by the Budweiser clydesdales to start the glue making process. Gives the glue a very regal sound.

[@jdeshetlerII]

The glue IS the Budweiser Clydesdales.

[@lewgoogle5530]

@jdeshetlerII You get the best one-liner in KZbin history award. Congrats.

[@pawelm5165]

"Gives the glue a very regal sound." yeah sure buddy, trying to justify the 300k$ with 99% markup LOL

[@AdamsOlympia]

​@@pawelm5165 Sarcasm has defeated you.

[@ImNotADeeJay]

for 300 grand, I could dig up Elvis and make him sing to me

[@TheLuismaBeaTle]

Hal nicely put, Patrón

[@29namnori]

😅😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cardboardboxification]

Hal you can fly to Vegas for $150 and see Elvis live

[@ImNotADeeJay]

hill billy I live in Spain, so I'm afraid the fare will be a bit more expensive ;)

[@BIGGELATO]

Lol

[@Automobiliana]

I got to stop reading the comments here in the middle of the night or risk waking up the entire family, so much comedy gold!

[@___Ian____]

5:51 just saw a $1 chinese power switch.

[@frazler]

i got one from radio shack :-)

[@kevinmorrice]

the company will claim its hand beaten pure silver from the mines on mars. there a sucker company, you have to be a sucker to pay that much for all the bullshit there hosing out

[@kenam4285]

@@kevinmorrice Lmaooooo I'm dying

[@UberAlphaSirus]

Nope, made in house, solid platinuim.

[@CorentinLeman]

And it's scratched...

[@LocoFaux]

I did electrical engineering in my studies and I can say that soldering job is quite shitty. My practical lab teacher would not have been amused.

[@CapApollo]

aerospace technology from the 20s. "Quality can't be miniaturized" cuz they cant solder a giant resistor well.

[@TheMightyKinkle]

Spagg Trait Lead free is slightly more difficult to solder I admit. I use the stuff everyday and I can do a much better job than that. It's pretty bad. That is a class 1 or class 2 IPC standard level. It should be a 3

[@brentwalker3300]

Nothing in this video shows the quality of soldering in OMA amplifiers. You can only see a guy soldering using point to point wiring, a method still widely employed today.

[@teddymills1]

I 100% agree. For 300K USD that speaker needs to be world class. And it most definitely is not. Your better off getting a $200 speaker at Walmart.

[@huyphamuc6372]

5:25 It's not perfectly done, like a mess from a freshman

[@Jack-ny7kn]

I love how he talks about powder coating like it's some kind of lost artform or something. LMAO

[@neykodimov2786]

And also how they use a diamond blade to cut the stone slab... haha what other blade would you use other than a diamond bladejajaja.

[@TheArtificiallyIntelligent]

Even the joinery work. Maybe there aren't other people out there doing that with speakers, but people use dovetail joinery all the time.

[@Robo-xk4jm]

Especially with melting metal and pouring it into a mold

[@bolttracks]

Yea a lot of their techniques and materials have been put in speakers way less expensive yet equally amazing.

[@holyravioli5795]

@@neykodimov2786 If you want a really clean cut you kind of have to use diamond blades.

[@seb250cr]

"we make everything, so we have total control on the bullshitery " 😂

[@stevezzzful]

My IKEA wood chair contracts and expands in my home, so it's a living object.

[@rhvc2734]

@@stevezzzful Its cursed

[@osl5686]

It plays but stops when you turn your head...It. is. Sentient.

[@stephenr80]

jajajaja

[@raphohai7423]

@Jimmy Dean it's not even a word

[@Tethysmeer]

Molten iron! I didn't know that anyone on earth masters this difficult process. That steel joint alone is worth 50k. I'm ordering now.

[@abyde]

But are they gluten free?

[@TreeBeardNero]

Perfect.

[@edgeofsins]

They are free-range. No GMO's

[@MariosPlumberFriend]

Rain forest alliance certified non conflict fair trade slate.

[@distantcreation]

abyde 100% vegan now with 20g's of Protein.

[@NealPageNPPHOTO]

Looking at his minimum wage, "overly excited" employee shutting the oven door, I would say.. full of gluten an other unwanted toxins.

[@CameronCrosby2468]

Those solder joints are absolutely horrific, a cold iron was used, not enough flux, and the board was not cleaned after soldering. Look at all that residue! "Like aerospace level stuff" Lmao please!

[@wolfi1078]

Cameron Crosby Wow! I had to look twice, but you are right! The soldering at the PCB is really poor. It looks like they soldered from the upper side?! Anyway, people spending 300k for an audio system will probably never open the case. Who cares?

[@CameronCrosby2468]

@50flamingbottles You imbecile. Anyone with an average knowledge in hobby electronics can agree on that pathetic soldering job!

[@wisdomdigital]

I had to look twice too, but you're right. What a shoddy soldering job.

[@joe6096]

And the hard wiring from the board to the pots and switches is amateur hour. I've seen the hard wiring in equipment costing half has much made in Japan that is done cleaner and more neatly organized.

[@bixy9347]

I took a screenshot and zoomed in. They must be joking, honestly it’s absolutely terrible. What a fricken disgrace 🤨

[@kurtkaster5666]

That guy is an amazing salesman. Period. Who else could sell someone $30,000 worth of hardware and labor for $300,000!

[@Spsz6000]

I noticed that too, while the quality is unmatched, the price is also unmatched. That is the earnings from each product, almost a 10x investment.

[@starofcctv94]

​@@Spsz6000 there are a surprising number of speaker brands that sell in the 250k+ price bracket

[@magicmulder]

I’ve had three major acoustic revelations in my life: 1. When my dad’s four-way Dynaudio speakers made Whitney Houston stand right inside the room with “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. 2. When I first heard the Stax Lambda Signature in 1991 with a Benny Goodman recording and felt like sitting within the orchestra. 3. When I finally bought my first own Lambda and could hear Anthony Kiedis in “Under The Bridge” with the full resonance of his chest, not just his voice. All super expensive speakers have left me unimpressed though.

[@jonathandavis9507]

There have been no major advancements in audio since the CD. Most ‘advancements’ today are in the direction of smaller and cheaper.

[@bryanbassett2110]

​@@jonathandavis9507that's not true lol

[@gclip9883]

@@jonathandavis9507 As a consumer who has a certain budget, there very much is still a lot of innovation. Today, you can get far better speakers at any price point than 20 years ago. Many manufacturers are experimenting with driver design, cabinets, crossovers and room correction. Modern hifi speakers are so much more than a box with some driver units in it.

[@lachezarkrastev7123]

poor soldering ...

[@davidjereb]

The first thing that popped into my head when I saw the close up shots of the circuit board.

[@RussellGilder]

Seriously though. That was bad. I was curious if anybody else noticed how crap that was.

[@rhadoob]

Aerospace soldering bro.

[@cbrazy2263]

i cried a little bit when I saw it

[@MaxskiSynths]

They solder it badly so it breaks and you have to spend another $300,000

[@uuulaalaa]

Wish I could listen to that sound quality in person to judge for my self

[@TheArfdog]

Agree. Then one can place a value on it. Hell, with a $5000 system, I expect to jump out of my skin for that money. Every day.

[@jettechristensen4014]

probably won't, diminishing return is strong in the audio world

[@torguy5763]

sharemymood It's more so about the hand made and work that goes into as opposed to just sound, it's one of those collectors rich people like to keep as master peice

[@Oneness100]

I'm sure they sound great. They are using a very efficient speaker design and amp designs so you don't need lots of power to drive them. Some people prefer horn based speakers some don't. Some prefer tube electronics some don't. Some prefer to deal with listening to vinyl vs digital. It's all about convenience, personal preference and then exclusivity.

[@douwee.855]

sharemymood You're paying for the design.

[@chunkymilk1288]

The dialogue is literally flavor text on the back of a "Signature" bag of chips

[@nickparkin8527]

“Martin guitar uses the same wood we do” No, YOU use the same wood Martin guitars does.

[@tbmuse]

and why would you want the wood to put it's sonic qualities into a tone ... you want the recorded music to do that, not the part that is supposed to be inert.

[@elonmust7470]

This guy weiss is a toolbag.

[@theodorepaul2610]

@@tbmuse Love this. Do you know if any double-blind sound tests or laboratory type tests have been done to determine the best kind of wood to use? If these tests don't exists than it sounds like this company is simply trading on the "Martin" brand recognition to assure folks that their systems will produce awesome sound.

[@theodorepaul2610]

@@elonmust7470 No joke... are you right or left handed?

[@tbmuse]

@@theodorepaul2610 I don't know of any tests offhand, but I've worked with a high end speaker manufacturer (and others) and the upper end designs use hard wood plywood. I've used MDF and solid woods for a few of my own designs, and so far I like Maple Plywood, the more layers the better. JMHO

[@danopo]

Listening to this on a cheap bluetooth speaker. Sounds great.

[@andrewkoontz01]

Making a huge deal out of powder coating made me laugh

[@williamminyard8508]

Shity but hurt people.. Knowing they ...can't afford. Great Success!!!

[@michelbesedin7081]

and the same about all other process in this video. 300k? this man is mad.

[@Eggnog1001]

Yeah, when you add up powder coating (super cheap), slate tiles between 20 and 40mm thick, some high end speakers + amplifier and some expensive hardwood your still 295,000 short of the price tag. What nonsense.

[@Camz316]

You can buy everything you need to powder coat from harbor freight!

[@peterpan9516]

don't forget the trees that need to grow up in Pennsylvania.

[@theseriousaccount]

This is why audiophiles are one of the oldest and most enduring memes.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

as they say - a fool and his money are easily parted.

[@gfrizzleshizzlemanizzle]

@@Johnnybananass-_ I certainly am a shining example of this.

[@brentwalker3300]

I wonder if you've ever attended a high end audio show or listened to gear of this quality. I agree that this video is filled with PR and hype. But most people have never experienced great audio systems so can't make any judgments on sound quality.

[@theseriousaccount]

@@brentwalker3300 i have and it have made me realize that 99% of audiophile products are fraudulent

[@brentwalker3300]

@@theseriousaccount That "99%" figure is quite the bold statement and extremely difficult to quantify. It's really hard to define "audiophile products". And "fraudulent"? Wow, you should really start suing manufacturers if there is 99% of these products are fraudulent. Have at it Hoss.

[@LillyPadPwnz]

9 Things I learned from Jonathan Weiss, owner and embellisher of Oswald Mill Audio: 1. Oswald's research found soft slate is 10,000x tonally accurate than hard slate 2. Oswald's foundries have furnaces that literally make solid metal into liquid 3. Oswald Audio discovered the process of powder coating, utilizing it's hardness over paint 4. Martin guitars stole Oswald Audio idea for using their hardwoods, 100% because Jonathan Weiss knows that they're tonally great woods 5. Oswald Audio was forced to create the meticulous dovetail joint due to wood expanding and contracting in your home 6. Oswald Audio is literally the only company, in HISTORY, that creates solid wood joinery due to the difficulty, time constraints, and expense 7. Oswald Audio equipment is big because it has to be big because soundwaves can't be small because physics 8. Oswald Audio uses aerospace level stuff 9. Beware of experiencing fright after realizing audio recordings from someone that's been dead a long time can still be heard

[@Unkraut]

strung together in a nice list like that it sounds even funnier

[@AO-bl7cc]

Also this: 1. Oswald Audio is the only company that mills wood and stone to flatness, no other company flattens wood and stone cause it would be "too costly." 2. Soft slate is perfect cause its soft and not hard, that means its desirable for speakers, much more so than hard wood, cause hard wood is harder than soft slate which is softer. 3. Oswald Audio is the only company that makes loud speakers shaped like cones.

[@Offsecwrkr]

Actually no for your #4 it is wrong oswald had learned that the hardwood was great because martin guitars was using the same hardwood.

[@Gdgaiennie]

That was so funny bro. I laughed the entire time reading your comment. Yea, I think that about sums it up!

[@C-man553]

Nauseating

[@jeroenverbeeck7925]

for $300.000 i'd expect better soldering and cable management

[@MadMax-yq9ix]

Jeroen Verbeeck You did 300$ with a extra 0 in the cents, $300,000.00 is what you were going for.

[@jeroenverbeeck7925]

Well if we're going to be a smartass; the dollar sign should be before the number. Also, in my country we actually do write it like I did.. What are we even talking about.. The fact still is that this absurdly overpriced speaker has some awful soldering. Even I did better soldering my first time

[@Johnnycyan]

I always find the ignorance of a lot of Americans to other countries. Like I live in America and I know a lot of countries use periods and not commas for thousands places.

[@rudymeow]

I guess he is intended to imply "come on we don't even accepts that if it is $300"

[@patstaysuckafreeboss8006]

Eddi Kimball Oh wow you are dumb.

[@MrTruth111]

''we melt steel in fire, just like in the Termintaro movie' HAHAHAHAHAHA omg humans have done that for about 6000 years bro...

[@amosbackstrom5366]

Not steel buddy. Steel's pretty hard to melt

[@aes30006]

Stop saying Bro, makes you look dumb.

[@MrTruth111]

@@aes30006 ok bro

[@kwando472]

@@aes30006 You not a bro?

[@aes30006]

@@kwando472 not your bro

[@Ermelious]

I'll believe him if he had said: "we're the only company that marks up the price of our speakers by 300 times of what it actually costs."

[@greggb681]

Have you seen the price of the compression drivers they have to buy for their products?

[@JAFO.]

You shouldn't exaggerate - actually, only about 4-5 times. Labor ain't cheap.

[@SignatureDrum]

6:06 I could be wrong but that seriously looks like a B&C Woofer. BTW as someone who works in audio engineering/studio environments, this video seriously cracks me up.

[@HarshdeepMusic]

i thought the same mannnnn

[@phononerd6947]

You're correct, they use pro sound components. One of their systems (i think the museum speaker) uses a coaxial compression driver. These are only made by B&C or BMS, so it's apparent they source from those manufacturers. Even though this might sound a bit weird, those companies actually make stellar motors (much of which is better than a lot of hifi transducers) and eventually it's all about how they're implemented. Budget transducers in a properly designed cabinet can sound better than high end components in a badly designed one.

[@Trentstone121]

"We make everything, so we have total control of the sound". You don't make your own tubes....do you?

[@SoapinTrucker]

I am terrifcally inspired! I'm starting my own company immediately, PlaceboSonic! ;)

[@suzesiviter6083]

Can you hire me, I can produce silver loaded quantum tunneling low dielectric mains cable and low-order harmonic high-Q super bandpass mains filters ).

[@friedmule5403]

Oh oh and hire me, I can develop cabinets of special hydroponic grown, bidirectional biodynamic wood that only sounds perfect when the growths rings are aligned with the gamma rays from the full moon. Suzy Siviter: Remember to design those cables so that there are left side and right side cables. :-)

[@liamkenny100]

and i will clone your product with the name slaceboponic :o

[@maycrydevil9374]

and hire me too , i can do nothing

[@friedmule5403]

Maycry Devil then you have to get on of the leading posts. :-)

[@grantbrown7594]

"aerospace-grade circuitry" lol

[@deano72]

I made some tall speakers from used car speakers and they sound incredible when played in my music shed where elvis truly lives.

[@rickhalverson2014]

Wow, he could sell ice to an Eskimo.

[@outsiderfive9584]

Lol! Only an Eskimo prick would buy his stuff. 🤪

[@tadeojavier473]

And he could sell sand to Arabs in the desert 🤣🤣

[@deegeeooh]

Only to eskimos with a self image issue looking to buy ridiculously overpriced regular ice with the hope others lift their ego up in admiration

[@taxicamel]

Judging by the majority of the responses, you might be insulting most of the Eskimos. I don't believe an Eskimo could be conned by this guy ....none of the responses have been conned.

[@jaxnean2663]

Totally!

[@the135joker3]

"Like elvis is really there" But the soundwaves being read are still only recorded on standard quality vinyl from 50 years ago. An expensive speaker and record player cant drastically enhance the sound if the sound being read is still on a regular old disc.

[@Stewi1014]

I believe that's the point - 50 years ago they would have been doing everything in analogue. It feels silly to say analogue as if it's a magical word that means perfect audio quality, but it's simply the case that an analogue signal is a far more simple and accurate way to produce sound. It just isn't at all convenient, and is more susceptible to interference. There is lossless digital audio out there, but once it's gone through a ADC and a DAC on the other end, you do lose quality. Just ask any electrical engineer about it. The specifics of ADCs and DACs are pretty interesting.

[@monetize_this8330]

coming to you live and direct.. "Help, get me out of this box!"

[@djosearth3618]

Right! That's just common sense, also Transcoding 101 from the Introductory Internet Pirating Manual ;]

[@danedewaard8215]

I seem to recall "His Masters Voice" was RCA's dog, NOT ELVIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Margarinetaylorgrease]

@@Stewi1014 Agree, listing to 192khz compared to44.1khz and even 94khz (to me) is night and day on some old recordings

[@greghowdy5501]

Looks like the idea is more about buying artwork than a high quality speaker

[@crackflush]

I’m not impressed by the artwork

[@thehoarsewhisperer1929]

Something tells me the story and theatre behind the build is more impressive than how they actually sound

[@RickyLee53]

80% of your 300k, goes into R & D, in this case, a fat guy, sat in a red chair, in some elaborately decorated over priced mill, listening to Elvis.

[@Kyle17206]

Ricky Lee probably more like 95%

[@ct5006360]

Where is his RD lab ? I'm guessing there are no spc sheets also.

[@Pynenberg3]

puff puff

[@danedewaard8215]

Yachts and gold toilets, that's where it goes!

[@michaelrhodes9178]

Wow😂

[@jareds8729]

no info on the actual speaker? i was curious about magnet size and other specs, not the box

[@AdlaiNewson]

same... whole lot of talk about powdercoating, nothing about the driver

[@avairal5936]

thats aerospace level stuff, its probably classified according to the owner

[@gervaiscurrie6675]

audiophile goes to a concert: - his review: "it was almost like being there".

[@TheSakzzz]

"Sound waves can't be miniaturised.. it's physics." .. Hahahah

[@relicboxing]

Its even funnier Because right after he says this they show an amp enclosure that is barely filled with components & can literally be 30% of the size if the designers felt like not wasting tons of space.

[@twistieman1078]

Extremely low frequency sound waves can be 30m long, way larger than the length of a room in a house with the speaker system in it. You can still hear the sound though, because since sound travels 343m/s, it wouldn't be a problem to hear the fast moving longer waves.

[@passerby4507]

@@twistieman1078 Your understanding of physics is as appalling as the guy in the video.

[@TheCao2289]

Are those speakers so expensive because the people who are making them really move that slow as depicted in the video?

[@blueissocool]

Geshtal302 It's the american way. Juice the clock.

[@mwlnyc]

well its powder coated. like my washer. and has slate, like my backyard. wow how amazing!

[@AzoXoza]

This is the best comment i have read in a long time XD

[@indonesiaamerica7050]

It's a "boutique halo product" marketing strategy. Honestly, the designs are not that impressive to me. It's for wealthy hippies that buy things like Alembic guitars once used by the Grateful Dead or whatever. It's not that these speakers are crap but they spend way too much money on things that don't affect performance and then even make some design compromises. The ideal speakers can be used for any kind of sound reproduction controlled by the electronics. These speakers are designed to have "character" and "panache" that people get excited over, and yet they 're introducing dispersion flaws that limit the ultimate performance of the speaker systems. I'm guessing there are some peaks and valleys in the frequency response any time you move the test mic from their idealized position. They also treat the speakers like instruments (with their own organic character), as if all of these design elements help it reproduce the sound of natural instruments and that just is not how it works. Putting a speaker in a mahogany and ebony cabinet is totally different than stretching strings across the same lumber. I mean totally different. But even if their ideas did work in reality that would mean you need special speaker cabinets every time you change the programming from whatever signal you're feeding the speaker. The speakers must be neutral and transparent as a platform for the signal to reproduce the programming faithfully. Almost everything from the narrators of this video is bullshit.

[@nukemanmd]

Really, wealthy hippies? An oxymoron if ever I heard one. No, I suspect that this equipment is for those who value style over functionality. Perhaps some trust fund babies, or corporate execs who have too much money and too little sense of perspective. If Apple made high end audio equipment - this would be it.

[@djstr0b3]

I was expecting vacuum tubes to amplify sound, but instead found cheap circuits soldered together by hand. $300 - Electronic parts $1500 - Wood, stone, etc $298200 - For this utter bullshit story abut bringing back Elvis

[@danedewaard8215]

Poor Elvis, he would have rolled over a few times if he'd known his name was used to promote this stuff!!!!

[@lbochtler]

highest quality components my arse. I use some of the absolute best components money can by on a regular basis, including custom made parts, and those parts are mid tier at best. the wiring is also a joke. Welp, time to build a pair of speakers to blow those shown here out of the water, running off one of the most powerful tube amps every created, just because i feel like it.

[@michaelrhodes9178]

😂😂😂

[@MAGGOT_VOMIT]

I rather reinforce my floor joists and find a 1.25 ton Genesis system and connect it into my cheap HK AVR-7200. xD It's about time to heft that 70lb beast out of the cabinet and give it it's once a year or 2 cleaning.

[@frydac]

the trick is to find ppl with money that fall for it, you only have to find a few with that kind of margin.

[@ThaFinn]

"Sound waves can't be miniaturized. It's physics." Tell that to my ear buds right now!

[@allydea]

There are not a lot of idiots with $300,000 lying around, but for those few, there is OMA! Thank you for the video!

[@fredfungalspore]

This is a very special slate made personally by Fred and Barney Rubble...😀

[@vindicari]

lol

[@ammomug5843]

Don't forget Joe Rockhead ... LMAO !!!

[@rubenacevedo2484]

More expensive than the equipment in which the music was recorded in the first place.

[@jeffoakley100]

great point

[@ts4gv]

Jeff Oakley agreed

[@coreyfellows9420]

THATS WHAT I DONT UNDERSTAND

[@paulf1071]

Who knows, maybe sound reproduction is more complicated than the raw recording???

[@vdochev]

@@paulf1071 It's really not.

[@derSkedda]

Every few months I come back to this video to just laugh out loud.

[@DrGrafenberg]

Get some acoustic ceiling tiles and some exciters all for under £100...job done

[@0AlphaAndOmega0]

For 300k I can hire the Foo Fighters!

[@doctorfuzzzdirtbox]

"Nobody else makes loudspeakers using solid wood joinery construction. Not today. Not that I know ever." He REALLY didn't look very hard.

[@TempoDrift1480]

Joseph Keys I make speakers out of solid wood and joinery... In my driveway. Cat doesn't know what he's talking about.

[@arilschultzen3017]

I'm also having a hard time understanding their decision to use solid wood in the first place. MDF is not just cheaper, it's also superior in this application. Martin uses hardwood in their guitars BECAUSE they want the tone of it, in speakers you don't.

[@monetize_this8330]

Concrete would be preferable to solid wood. At least then, you can be sure that cabinet resonance isn't a factor.

[@justingriffin2546]

he meant in the room he was sitting

[@ct5006360]

@@arilschultzen3017 the best speakers are made of plywood Tannoy .

[@towmky]

5:33 "The components we use are simply the highest grade" While displaying corroding thin stamped steel speaker baskets.

[@Deathrape2001]

His joy is in seeing how far he can push the envelope of lies = the cutting edge of absolute $cam =))

[@irondome7334]

@@Deathrape2001 he was probably a lawyer his past life

[@Clobercow1]

$300,000 speaker and plays vinyl that has half the dynamic range of anything digital.

[@eben9233]

vinyl does sound better though

[@GeorgeCarlin88]

vinyl sound much much better and accurate digital sound. it's simple. because its analogue.

[@GeorgeCarlin88]

@@zerotickpulse i hate ignorant people like you.

[@StCreed]

Horrible filtering on vinyl. But it changes the sound, and some people like it better.

[@bathynomusgiganteus2916]

Vinyl fans are such idiots. Even lossy digital formats have surpassed it in every conceivable way. The only way vinyl sounds better is with the odd vinyl-only master or excessive amounts of placebo.

[@DalisYn]

does it even have an aux port

[@CallumCarmicheal]

No sorry, at this pricepoint we have moved on from mere means such as AUX and evolved to telepathically auditorial eXperience (TAX).

[@asganawayaway]

Best comment i've ever read

[@suzesiviter6083]

Our company can supply an Aux port for just $5K, the port is hand turned out of finest Indian birch grown on sacred burial grounds connected to the main board via wires using African Gold collected by albino miners.

[@MrBronsonNY]

Suzy Siviter Lmfao!

[@nkosinathimlenzane3044]

Hahaha.

[@theodorewinston7625]

For that much money you could just go to all the concerts

[@darealestwon]

im tellin ya!

[@CustodioLugo]

Agreed!

[@arijit9]

the concert should have these speakers thou :P

[@pearl571]

BECAUSE COLTRANE IS STILL PLAYING...... some are dead dipshit. its about perfect reproduction of the music...

[@tietoliikenne]

Did you know these people are trying to achieve how it hears in a real concert in their home. Using the money to go to concerts with a comfortable seating is probably actually what they should be doing.

[@DavidHartley88]

Just prior to watching this I was listening to Speak No Evil on my iPhone. No headphones...just out of the speaker. The presence of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock was deep in my heart . OMG,despite the lack of OMA.

[@GB-go6gp]

Beautiful art. I want to get my hands on that red barbershop chair

[@Hue_Nery]

The speakers that were used to record, mix and master the music we listen to probably don't amount to $40,000 combined. A pair of Bowers & Wilkins can be had for around $20,000. Common to many mastering studios. The cost of these is ludicrous.

[@wolfyklip]

So are B&W speaker!!!! A sucker born every second....

[@davidperry4013]

B&W speakers is the most expensive you can get without be a sucker.

[@SoulArtSound]

For 2000-3000e u can buy Dynaudio studio monitors, top class...

[@Wordsalad69420]

Yep. Somehow these retards buying this stuff think they can magically make it sound better than the components it was recorded on. I guarantee that Elvis's voice was recorded on some POS microphone from the 50s.

[@Juan-jw5tf]

@@SoulArtSound You can buy a Genelec that are a much better.

[@HBC101TVStudios]

Two words i would say: *Snake oil*

[@Diax1324]

Yep. Wooden speaker box may actually sound kind of interesting... But really, a set of $1000 speakers with a nice, dense particleboard cabinet would sound practically identical, if not better.

[@monetize_this8330]

Just one word will suffice. *deluded*

[@rudybigboote3883]

The most unbelievable part is that this company exists so someone must be buying these speakers!

[@blackwingmaster141]

I guess that in this case we could even speak aboud slate oil... :P

[@glennbeck9496]

@Diax1324 Only if you're listening to some shitty 128k mp3 from your iPhone.

[@nois3535]

5:26 aerospace level suff ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@imranward4092]

The passion here is like an apple ad

[@Michael-fi5rd]

I know enough about high quality audio design and manufacturing processes to tell you that there's no way the stuff he's building costs more than $10k to produce. And that's probably on the high end. He's really good at blowing smoke. Notice how he makes powder coat (paint) sound like some revolutionary process. And "aerospace level" components? No, more like expensive boutique components. Aerospace wouldn't use tube amps because they distort the signal. They distort it in a pleasing way to your ears, but still distorted nonetheless. But he's not selling these speakers to people who know anything about speakers, he's selling them to very rich people who associate a high price tag with high quality, which it is high quality. edit: truth be told, I'm jealous of this guy. I'd like to do exactly what he's doing someday. If he can sell enough to stay profitable, good for him. These speakers are art.

[@Oneness100]

Michael, he was referring to the cables they use. They use cables from a company called Analysis Plus and their customers include NASA and Boeing, so that's what he was referring to. plus, they are using Mundorf Caps which can cost as high as $750 for one cap. There are certain applications that still use tubes. But yes, audio is the most prolific. But do you know how much a high quality Field Coil driver costs? Lowther charges $6K for one. Some of these drivers they are using a VERY rare, very expensive. I think you are more misleading that the owner of OMA. He's at least been in business for 10 years, so he must be doing something right. I'm sure they sell a respectible amount of product and their customers probably love their products, which is what it's all about. and yes, if they can make a profit in doing so, even better. But these small boutique audio companies aren't profit first quality second. They are quality first, profit second. Go ahead and really find out what they are doing before spouting bullshit that they only cost $10K to make a pair. That's probably more bullshit than anything the guy in the video is saying.

[@BigDonkMongo]

You really have bought one, havn't you? hahahaha

[@solortus]

My guess is people buy his speakers for the same reason why people buy sportscars, iPhones, and starbuckls coffee, it makes them look rich and cool.

[@SpineShank7]

You don't have to be honest to be in business for a long time... It's very obvious that the markup on items like this is astronomical. There is a customer base of people that just want the most expensive things they can get. He takes minutes to explain things as plebeian as powder coating and metal casting. If that doesn't make things clear enough, look at the internal build quality. At $300,000 for a set of speakers, he can't even match the build quality of a $150 Corsair PSU... Buy into it if you want, but Michael isn't wrong by any means.

[@MrDmoney622]

Reason people buy sports cars because of their performance. Of course, you know that you will be gaining attention and look rich with an expensive sports car. But if you are a car person, you are buying it for your enjoymeny

[@godu1111]

Wow. Solid hardwood. Such an amazing and rare material...

[@diebackmischung503]

they look nice tho

[@dr_gus2111]

Solid wood is not a smart choice for loudspeakers cabinet...

[@robgardner1951]

Sound can’t be shrunk down. Love this

[@Arctic_silverstreak]

I am surprised someone somewhere in this world or universe for that matter is willing to buy this

[@iceho6460]

The Emperor's New Clothes

[@truthseekingtroll3575]

Can someone please tell where can I find an audiophile so I can sell him magic beans?

[@45asunder1]

The pretentious meter is off the charts on this video!

[@ericjohnson4091]

My thoughts exactly. Snake oil salesman for sure

[@RobertBartlettBaron]

sold to hipsters.

[@jelletje8]

@@TruthTortoise81 i wouldnt

[@daviddavidsonn3578]

I'd rather buy a new ferrari

[@georgetraver3672]

"aerospace grade stuff" He had me on this one

[@Monsux]

For this kind of listening space, I would like to hear all the best speakers in the world in the same space and then make a decision if 300k speakers are really a better choice.

[@theseptimel]

I love how he emphasizes basic production technologies as if it was something special, sandform is simply the cheapest for their production rate, a simple coating can also be cheaper than paintjob and work just as well, but in which terms would it be better, I honestly don't know...

[@leochen4891]

$1000 for the speakers, and $299000 for the hand making process.

[@johnbaptist5622]

Lei Chen: Hahahaha. All about the manual labor. Why are HyperCars so expensive? Not because of material "carbon fiber maybe". Not because of the speed. But because of the manual labor. If I wanted a fast car I'd get a Tesla.

[@P1xel_bandit]

John Baptist the only fast thing about a tesla is the 0-60 anything else and its slow

[@Sevendogtags]

Not even a thousand I bet.

[@suzesiviter6083]

Some people will pay anything for an hand job.

[@tankusfred]

Actually, let's say it takes 2 weeks to produce with all the materials bought, you're looking at maybe $8k. Up that number by 30% to make a profit, and you're looking at $10k speakers. Still $290k to go.

[@programagor]

5:24 That's some shitty soldering...

[@creativeresearch8203]

Jiří Bednář first thing I noticed what the hackjob soldering. what the fuck

[@voidofspaceandtime4684]

3 0 0 k

[@DevilDead13820]

It's because it's old school, you obviously wouldn't know that a bad soldering job is to keep a more "pure" sound

[@oliverstreet7704]

I don't know how you formed a relevant opinion based on the few seconds of video at close range that showed what looked like an engineering prototype PWB. The areas that hadn't been reworked looked good. That the rework was done by a frustrated engineer trying to solve a design problem is obvious, I recognize the style. My guess is the response curve of the tube amplifier but whether it was for accommodating tube supply variations or for output matching transformer experiments or for the integrated response with a particular set of speakers (etc.) isn't obvious.

[@programagor]

You don't pay 300k for a prototype.

[@andrewbalan8144]

In my day, back in Berlin, there was a company doing something like this...Burmester something...their audio products were out of this world!

[@HELIXGHOST]

For 300k it better make me coffee in the morning.

[@competetodefeat4610]

"How somebody rips off audiophiles because so many of them are morons who will overspend on anything as long as you hype it well enough" would be more accurate. We're talking about the types that will spend a thousand dollars on speaker wire and wouldn't even be able to tell the difference in an ABX test... but they'll sure swear they can hear a difference.

[@Deathrape2001]

LOL nobody buys this $hit. It's 2 help promote their lower end trash.

[@juanbaclavab]

You took the words out of my mind! I have a 1500$ sound system and won't spend a penny more. It's perfect for me as it is

[@ralphlouismendoza1977]

Aerospace stuff , simply BS!

[@SSHitMan]

NASA is going to build their next rocket out of wood and load it with 1940s technology, it's the only way to go!

[@ejRecording]

@@SSHitMan lmao, well makes sense cause our 1960s tech that supposedly took us to the moon was extremely pathetic..

[@apocaloptigon9988]

audiophools

[@moriart13]

those are medium lv,l components

[@Grooverski]

If we’ve used this guy’s aerospace definition of quality? We would have never reached the Moon.

[@Deathrape2001]

Nobody went 2 the moon. It was a corporate welfare scam.

[@barney6888]

Even more powerful than the laws of physics is the proverb "A fool and his money are soon departed."

[@rwlnd1542]

so what about the speakers, how are they made.

[@PATISHAH]

ahahaha...

[@kalumprasannaHW]

yes how the speakers are made!!!

[@starbacks]

imported from china :)

[@SP-df1nm]

cashmere alloy

[@orkhepaj]

they order one from china and stich a label on it , and voila done

[@jeebusmcfries8114]

where the gold flakes and truffle shavings at?

[@RyanSmith-wo2pi]

.

[@CanadianWoodworks]

Love the chairs

[@jazz-agora]

In my humble opinion, OSSWALD MILL AUDIO is not the only reference. For several decades, GERMAN PHYSIKS from Frankfurt/Main (Germany, Europe) has been producing extremely high-quality omnidirectinal loudspeakers, equipped with their exclusivly developed 3 gr "heavy" and 0,15mmm "thick" carbon WAVE BENDING CONVERTER driver(s), who is extremly fast in all acoustic pitches. GP proposes this high performing driver element in loudspeaker of different sizes, from living room loudspeakers to the masterpieces GAUDI MKIII, which goes soon into series production and costs an estimated plus 300k€. German Physiks also builds suitable high-end amplifier stages. Not a matter of course either.

[@socksumi]

This company has literally gone back to 1920s and 30s technology. Single ended tube amps, 1928 style horns and wood cabinets. Surprised they don't make a cylinder player.

[@frankyfranke5085]

U should here their Morse code players!!!

[@stevenbiars6212]

It's $214,000.

[@TribeWars1]

Horn speakers are fine, the whole vinyl thing and outdated distorting tube amp business is just retarded.

[@gonzadiazsola]

TribeWars1 fck off tube amps sound great

[@mogshade66]

socksumi Is there anything you have to wind up? 😊

[@phuang3]

Full of marketing hypes. The quality of sound will not solely depend on materials.

[@leandrogerardo9521]

Immediately came to the comments, was not disappointed.

[@rickarrieta1921]

If aerospace stuff were made like this the airplains will fall down lol

[@gerdemannfpv5113]

How a $300,000 Speaker is Made : 1. Make a random speaker. 2. sell it for $300,000

[@Deathrape2001]

HAHA @ pretending N E 1 buys them =)) They R a '$how piece' 2 $ell much lower priced, but equally bad trash =))

[@I_leave_mean_comments]

some people have more money than brains.

[@alapekuttaja7222]

NathanWilson Yeah, but not these.

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

Sounds like you have neither

[@steelheart4148]

BINGO!!!!!!!!

[@addicz2]

My brain and my moneys. Both are broken 😫

[@AB-80X]

NathanWilson What are you on about? Do you even know the first thing about pro audio and studios? These are not built for music producers. What you find in a lot of mastering studios are either complete custom jobs often costing between 5-20 grand usd, If not that, it will be Wilson Audio W/P(highest number of high end speakers sold ever!) or Dynaudio speakers. If you are talking near field monitors for recording and mixing, you will often see Genelec or Adam Audio these days. If you want to be the laughing stock of the whole pro audio world, you buy something like what they show here in this video. Most of what they do, goes against the basic principles of what makes a speaker work well, especially if you need something analytical. These speakers are the equivalent of an overly expensive kit car that does not work very well, compared to a Ferrari.

[@laurits285]

I have my Grado SR60e and they sound great just plugged into my pc. It is not just how much it cost every time, but how it is made regardless og cost.

[@firecatfly]

I would give anything to experience this sort of sound perfection.

[@LaGataNegra3073]

You could give 300,000 dollars.

[@maximeb6662]

Is it surprising that my next recommended video is about fraud?

[@GaIvatr0n]

looooooooool

[@CyberdyneSystemsSkynet]

Mine is about somali pirates.

[@coreyfellows9420]

Mine is ..Bear Grills breaks down (some movie scene)

[@shaunlagassa234]

😂

[@jamescollins6085]

My recommendation is DIY speakers under $300 lmao

[@brandonGCHACHU]

aerospace technology, special Pennsylvania hardwood, especially soft slate, special load of horse crap

[@guitarfoundry]

that actually made me laugh..

[@jurascipakre9200]

I mean the guy has a point, what part about that do you not agree with ?

[@jervill1]

Try and sit down at a Bentley's to hear your interiors options once you flash the cash... ostrich leather from a 200 head albino herd, endangered hardwood veneers from a private collection, Persian rug floor mats... etc. etc. Welcome to the high end where exclusivity is top priority.

[@pedrocols]

High my azz...lol

[@bFix]

essentially: how to make designer furniture

[@jackaustin9561]

All these components are available for well under 100,000 dollars. This man is just dressing it up nice and marking it up 400%

[@arvindramesh2283]

lol m deaf. put a price on that

[@ps3guy22]

Boi 😂

[@Infinite-Thoughts]

I'll give you tree fiddy

[@ChrisLesmerises]

::hands outstretched::

[@DC...]

A R price: invaluable you miss out on things but the amount of crap you get to avoid is a blessing too

[@ChrisLesmerises]

Dust Cloud mmmmhmm it is what you make of it. Is there crap background noise that matters not to you? Perception lies not with the senses but with the mind. You have the most control to appreciate, dislike, or ignore where all your physical senses meet to be deciphered by that wonderful thing in our heads. I love how you've pointed out the duality of things here. :) To press a metaphor, Through audiophile grade sound reproduction equipment, you may hear nuances of the reproduction that, indeed, are hard on the ears, but that is the fault of the artist, not the reproduction. Through our experiences we are always the artist, we paint it as we see it because of bias... yet many of us sit and only listen placing the uncomfortable tones in a place out of our control.

[@rodnyg7952]

It's like we're taking Elvis and shoving him through our components & right into your living room. That's what amazing sound quality is.

[@jarls5890]

00:55 correction: "...so we have total control of your wallet".

[@coolkid9422]

Well with all of these speakers u could make the ultimate home theater!

[@BlindGuardian050]

their speakers sound just like my computer speakers, no deal!

[@jOoomOooo]

lol