Cheers, denim. Very good points. For the record, while I am a total PG brand whore, I run an SSA sub... they are very good. And I think the generic basket looks great so nyaaa
I do agree with Jim though, that PG should be taking a different approach than you guys do. They have the resources with AAMP that they could have their own unique speaker designs. A small, fun, performance oriented niche brand like yours should by all means use off the shelf baskets, so that the money can be spent in making the important parts better. But in PG's case, if they want to build speakers, then proprietary designs may make people think they are not just another build house sub. Why are brands like JL and Hertz still so popular? Maybe because they seem to be the only ones building their own stuff these days. Then again, do Joe Average consumers know what is a build house sub, and what is proprietary? Probably not. It's too hard for me to say what makes the big difference in this end.
The RSD line of speakers is absolutely fantastic bang for the buck, I would say. I have seen the RSD baskets on other subs, like those fake Nakamichis that were being whored on eBay not too long ago. Clearly they are not built in Portland, but no doubt Glenn has done some fantastic work with them. Regardless of where they made, they have stood out from the flock, and become the de-facto standard for budget drop in speakers. The RSD comp subwoofer takes the already good RSD line and improves on it in spades... so all we need is a component set with similar improvements!
Morgan, you might want to have a fireside chat with Larry Frederick, and figure out what Elettromedia are doing that made Audison and Hertz so goddamn popular! The Hertz brand literally came out of nowhere only a year or two ago, but it seems to be doing extremely well. I think that PG is the price-conscious option for people who want top-tier gear like Elettromedia offers, without the Armani suit markup.
Now regarding what to sell... what makes PG famous in the first place? I know PG started making the best of the best wires. But is that why people know the brand? While I think PG had a lot to offer with its wiring and accessories, it was obviously the amps that really made the brand, so I would make that the main focus. Especially considering that Stinger already does it's own wiring, do they need another brand to make wires under? I don't think so. Maybe only repackage their absolute top-tier cables as PG, which would be consistent with the new audiophile brand image I would like to see. There should be no need for entry level wiring kits... boring! You can get that shit from any brand. If you follow the sales section, people are still looking for the old top of the line Zeropoint wires, but nobody is looking for the cheap stuff.
First and foremost, for PG's revival as an audiophile brand, I think they need a new top line. Since the Phoenix rose from the ashes, I would call the new line "Ash"
. It gives me a marketing boner just thinking of the possibilities with that name.
The RSD comp sub could be rebranded to fit the Ash line. It's got a nice black appearance, so it already fits in with what I was thinking for the amps. Maybe tone down the bulges a bit, and find a higher quality finish for the cone that really sticks out (look at Hertz subs for example... totally different than anything the market has put out!).
If you want to make a big sub, then I would focus on a single size like the Ti Elite 12D, instead of trying to cover the whole spectrum. The amount of engineering put into maximizing the efficiency of it ensures you get the best of the best. And you can score a few points with the SPL crowd like you did back with Mo Sabourin. I don't think you need to make a full SPL line however, nor do you need to market to them at all. PG is, was, and always should be an audiophile brand. Multi kilowatt class-D amplifers I think have no place in PG's image. Stick to A/B audiophile gear, and use the single monster sub as an outlier to score some scene cred, without having to shift the whole brand image.
I know PG was working on RSD competition speakers, so you could use those as well, or even get an audiophile brand like Morel to build them again. What is most important is a consistent theme... RSD amps and subs look completely different. The cosmetics of your speaker/amp lines should be cohesive, and look like they belong together. They will be side by side in the trunk, and on the rack at the dealership.
As for the amp design, look no further than the Roadster 66. Clean dark looks and a square shape. I would like to see all the wires on one side, but the pots on the top like the Xenon line. As for performance, I would really like to see another Xenon line personally, but far more reliable
. Xe.Load was a terribly good (but misunderstood) feature, that no other brand could do nearly as well (JL's version is nowhere near as good in practice). Triple-darlington is an absolute must, as well as the things we have come to expect from PG, like the extremely versatile bandpassable X10 24dB/oct crossover. Bonus points if you make them take an HDMI input, and make a matching HDMI "line driver" like you used to do with the old TBATs. HDMI is the perfect way to get noiseless digital sound in a car, without the hassle of running fiber optics. You guys should be pioneering this like you did Balanced back in the day... only I think HDMI would be a much quicker standard to get picked up by the headunit manufacturers The only problem I foresee with HDMI is the stupid HDCP bullshit you are forced to put up with... which might make it a game-ender. Fortunately CDs aren't protected under HDCP standard so it may be a non-issue as long as you aren't trying to play blu-ray audio data.
The RSD line will serve as a good middle line. Then again, do we even need a lower line like Ryval? The price difference is so small it's hard to justify the lower line, when you can get the WAYYY better RSD stuff for only a bit more moolah. If you want to revive PG as an audiophile brand, doing away with the lower level stuff might give you more credibility. Do Audison or Tru or any other audiophile brands offer such an entry level line? No way! For example, when PG first started with amps it was M and MS... which would be like RSD (M) and Ash (MS) in my mind. Both amps were triple-darlington, both sounded great, both have a cult following, but the MS line was just a bit more overbuilt. RSD could use a new name though, IMO. WTF does "Radial SD" stand for? What does it have to do with Phoenixes, or the brand in any way? I would stick to a phoenix mythology theme.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_%28mythology%29
For accessories... I don't really care. There's another Portland brand that does those just as well. Maybe AAMP can buy them out too
. If any accessories, I would focus on the things that other brands DON'T do, like Equalizers and DD10's instead of wiring distribution blocks.
To summarize my post... cut out the bottom line. No need to dip your fingers into every pot. Stick to the amps and circuit designs that made you the best. Keep it professional, keep it simple, but most of all, keep it PG.
