loudspeakers on the market compared to the Polymer Logic (the driver pricing is shown in retail pricing as these units would be sold on the DIY market, however, manufacturers generally pay much less and purchase in wholesale quantitites). The pricing breakdown below does not include cost of cabinets, labour, engineering, etc. but does represent the cost of one of the most important facets of the loudspeaker.
As you can see below, the Polymer Logic is such an extraordinary value that even if you are a very experienced hobbyist who builds his own DIY loudspeakers, it would cost you more to build it yourself as the individual parts add up to more than the cost of the complete loudspeaker.
*Driver pricing is for demonstration purposes only. Most manufacturers are supplied with slightly modified versions of these drivers but this generally does not affect pricing.
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Tweeter - ScanSpeak Soft Dome with SD-2 magnet - approximately $200
Midrange - AudioTechnology 5" midrange - approximately $275
Woofer - AudioTechnology 7” woofer - approximately $500 each x 2 Total cost of drivers per pair = $2950 |
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Tweeter – Seas Millennium - approximately $185
Midrange – Seas Excel 7” Magnesium Cone w/Copper Phase Plug - approximately $165
Woofer – Seas Excel 8” Magnesium Cone w/Copper Phase Plug – approximately $190 x 2
Total cost of drivers per pair = $1460
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Tweeter – Focal Tioxid Dome - approximately $100
Midrange - Scan Speak Carbon Fiber 6.5” – approximately $150
Woofers – Dynaudio 9” (21W-54)* - approximately $150 each x 2
Total cost of drivers per pair = $1100
*(Dynaudio no longer supplies drivers to the loudspeaker industry; however, they continue to supply a few manufacturers with whom they had a previous relationship)
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Tweeter – Dyaudio Esotar – approximately $325
Midrange – Morel 6” MW166 - approximately $105 each x 2
Woofer – Dynaudio 12” – approximately $200 each x 2
Total cost of drivers per pair = $1870
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Tweeter – Accuton 1” C12 Ceramic Dome – approximately $190
Midrange – Accuton 3.5” C90 Ceramic – approximately $280
Woofer – Eton 11” Hexacone – approximately $275
Total cost of drivers per pair = $1490
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Tweeter – Raven R1 – approximately $250
Midrange – AudioTechnology 6” midrange – approximately $390
Woofer – AudioTechnology 11” woofer – approximately $550
Total cost of drivers per pair = $2380
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Tweeter – Supravox TG1 - $430
Midrange – Thiel & Partner Diamond Code Midrange - $12,350
Woofer – Hand made vapor deposited titanium cone - $595 each x 2
Total cost of drivers per pair = $27,940
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From this brief driver cost analysis - ignoring the cost of enclosures, special damping compounds, electronics, labor, etc. – it is easy to see that the total cost of transducers in the Polymer Logic exceeds the cost of any of the above well known products by at least 10 times. What’s even more astonishing is that the cost to purchase a pair of the Polymer Logic loudspeakers is lower that what it would cost if you purchased the parts individually and tried to assemble it yourself. Without question, this establishes a new benchmark in audio that has previously never been possible.
Not to be forgotten is also the exorbitant cost of the other parts necessary to manufacture the Polymer Logic. For instance, the cross-overs feature the most exotic ultra-high voltage film capacitors bypassed in multiple stacks to create the most reliable and distortion-less signal transfer. This is very expensive. Whereas an average Solen capacitor used in high-end loudspeakers costs $5, each of the capacitors in the Polymer Logic circuit is made from a stack of several exotic film caps costing several hundred dollars each.
What does all this mean to you? Essentially, it is a rare opportunity for serious audio enthusiasts to own the most satisfying and rewarding pair of loudspeakers that would normally be out of reach for all but the world’s wealthiest audiophiles. |
