Random Stuff About Surround Sound

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Yes I agree they say betters the v2 in more ways than one. Let's see how Involve can substaniate that!

SW, I'm 'BIG' on improved power supplies. The reason I always invested in the more expensive '5' series OPPOs.....they did include 'beefier' power supplies..and that, is, IMO, the reason it has a cleaner audio path and probably cuts down on the heat!
 
SW, I'm 'BIG' on improved power supplies. The reason I always invested in the more expensive '5' series OPPOs.....they did include 'beefier' power supplies..and that, is, IMO, the reason it has a cleaner audio path and probably cuts down on the heat!
Totally agree. That's one of the reasons I have a rather humble 105. I have modified even my Adcom 555 power amps power supply. And other line level things. In the SM v2 there is a rather out of place TO-220 on the bottom of the board. Me thinks this was part of the power supply. No one asked me but I think the SM would be better off with a true bi-polar supply instead of a line inverter.
 
Eh, hoping to hear from Chucky on this....

Wow, $700 for a smallish sized component that has been on the market for awhile now. Meaning that they must have recouped most of their R&D costs by now. Far be it from me to tell them how to do business, but you would think that for that price it would incorporate more features and have a more appealing overall package. Not that I am necessarily in the market for such a device, but if I was I think I would pass or just look for a legacy equivalent. Just some constructive criticism from someone who wants to see their company succeed, as it is good for the hobby.
 
Totally agree. That's one of the reasons I have a rather humble 105. I have modified even my Adcom 555 power amps power supply. And other line level things. In the SM v2 there is a rather out of place TO-220 on the bottom of the board. Me thinks this was part of the power supply. No one asked me but I think the SM would be better off with a true bi-polar supply instead of a line inverter.

That 'humble' 105 is a true workhorse. I had ALL my Meridian 'toys' recently retrofitted with linear power supplies and they made a HUGE difference. And everything with a removable power cord has been retrofitted with Shunyata Research power cords ....even the 105. And EVERYTHING is plugged into Shunyata Research power conditioners. Yes, SW, I'm a fanatic: An unabashed PROUD TWEAKER .... IMO, the 'significantly' improved results speak for themselves!
 
Wow, $700 for a smallish sized component that has been on the market for awhile now. Meaning that they must have recouped most of their R&D costs by now.
How can you possibility know that? Do you run a similar sized engineering business in this sector? What %age return on investment do you consider reasonable?
 
Wow, $700 for a smallish sized component that has been on the market for awhile now. Meaning that they must have recouped most of their R&D costs by now. Far be it from me to tell them how to do business, but you would think that for that price it would incorporate more features and have a more appealing overall package. Not that I am necessarily in the market for such a device, but if I was I think I would pass or just look for a legacy equivalent. Just some constructive criticism from someone who wants to see their company succeed, as it is good for the hobby.
$700 wtf
There better be a significant QQ discount..
I would estimate the cost to have the PCBs made, boards manufactured (pick-&-place & solder), tested, shipped to Australia from China, metal work made, printed, unit assembled, tested & boxed to be ÂŁ300-ÂŁ350/US$417-US$486 if a 100 were made in a batch. They won't be making them in the 1000s. So US$695/ÂŁ500 seems fair for a bespoke piece of audio kit to decode obsolete formats.
 
I would estimate the cost to have the PCBs made, boards manufactured (pick-&-place & solder), tested, shipped to Australia from China, metal work made, printed, unit assembled, tested & boxed to be ÂŁ300-ÂŁ350/US$417-US$486 if a 100 were made in a batch. They won't be making them in the 1000s. So US$695/ÂŁ500 seems fair for a bespoke piece of audio kit to decode obsolete formats.

Another POV is look at the crazy prices it closest match, the Sansui QSD-1, is going for on Ebay & elsewhere. The SM excels in distortion free decoding & unlike vintage gear very reliable. And the SM has SQ thrown in as a bonus that the venerable D-1 does not. Yes for a retiree I have to take note the SM v2/3 cost means a new set of tires for me. So it's not cheap but still a fair dinkum value.
 
I would estimate the cost to have the PCBs made, boards manufactured (pick-&-place & solder), tested, shipped to Australia from China, metal work made, printed, unit assembled, tested & boxed to be ÂŁ300-ÂŁ350/US$417-US$486 if a 100 were made in a batch. They won't be making them in the 1000s. So US$695/ÂŁ500 seems fair for a bespoke piece of audio kit to decode obsolete formats.
Fair guess I'd imagine, but there's also the cost of hardware and software development (I imagine Dave alone don't come cheap!) and all the usual overheads of running a business. Not a lot of margin to be had I'd have thought (particularly if a large proportion of them are actually sold to us QQ lot at a significant discount!!)
 
I would estimate the cost to have the PCBs made, boards manufactured (pick-&-place & solder), tested, shipped to Australia from China, metal work made, printed, unit assembled, tested & boxed to be ÂŁ300-ÂŁ350/US$417-US$486 if a 100 were made in a batch. They won't be making them in the 1000s. So US$695/ÂŁ500 seems fair for a bespoke piece of audio kit to decode obsolete formats.

I looked up an article that quoted $10-$50 per PCB. And that was the highest quote that I found by far. Add on top that they are not paying any special licensing fees, unless CBS or whoever owns the patent for SQ even still holds the patents which I doubt. And then maybe $150 tops for parts. Then add overhead like labor and other business costs such as printing and packaging.

Since they carried over the same basic design of the box and the changes seemed to be somewhat minor, the extra $100 is quite a jump in price for something that is a niche product. For the hardcore the price might not seem like much, but to others who might want to dabble or to those who want to upgrade, the price could be a hindrance. In my opinion at least. Also, I tend to think the “Audiophile” crowd would likely be turned off by the basic look of the unit and the small footprint. Again just my opinion and I could be wrong about all of this I admit.
 
I looked up an article that quoted $10-$50 per PCB. And that was the highest quote that I found by far. Add on top that they are not paying any special licensing fees, unless CBS or whoever owns the patent for SQ even still holds the patents which I doubt. And then maybe $150 tops for parts. Then add overhead like labor and other business costs such as printing and packaging.

Since they carried over the same basic design of the box and the changes seemed to be somewhat minor, the extra $100 is quite a jump in price for something that is a niche product. For the hardcore the price might not seem like much, but to others who might want to dabble or to those who want to upgrade, the price could be a hindrance. In my opinion at least. Also, I tend to think the “Audiophile” crowd would likely be turned off by the basic look of the unit and the small footprint. Again just my opinion and I could be wrong about all of this I admit.
That's for a bare PCB. The amount discussed earlier was specified as including pick & place, and solder, components. When talking about PCB cost it has to be specified bare board, or a complete assembly (stuffed). (There's the labor and parts.)
Two very different things.
The programming doesn't become a "part" because it is loaded into a physical part. It is intellectual property, and that is huge. Its value doesn't go away, it's not like paying off a mortgage. The item has more intrinsic value because of it. In fact one might say that is the core value of an item like this, the physical parts are merely support for the design (which holds the real value).
 
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Another POV is look at the crazy prices it closest match, the Sansui QSD-1, is going for on Ebay & elsewhere. The SM excels in distortion free decoding & unlike vintage gear very reliable. And the SM has SQ thrown in as a bonus that the venerable D-1 does not. Yes for a retiree I have to take note the SM v2/3 cost means a new set of tires for me. So it's not cheap but still a fair dinkum value.

NOT to mention the 'upgraded' power supply which results in a 'clearer signal path .....' And since AFAIK, NO OTHER COMPANY in 2021 is manufacturing state of the art SQ/QS decoders which also decode out of phase stereo material so effectively, I'd say Chucky/Involve have a 'unique' corner on this very niche market!
 
Then add overhead like labor and other business costs
I suspect you have no idea how very large those things are (rent, power, insurance, taxes, safety registration, transport, etc., etc.) for a business the size of Involve. You might not like the impact these cost recoveries have on the selling price of a small production run of something you think should be cheap but it doesn't mean its not realistic.
 
I suspect you have no idea how very large those things are (rent, power, insurance, taxes, safety registration, transport, etc., etc.) for a business the size of Involve. You might not like the impact these cost recoveries have on the selling price of a small production run of something you think should be cheap but it doesn't mean its not realistic.
Elsewhere Chucky has said "audio don't pay the bills". At least not yet but I hope the brightest future for them. He's also mentioned that the real $$ comes from their sister company producing solar energy systems. I think he has refereed to them as solar generators. Perhaps there's some shared staff & business space or maybe Involve is a subsidiary. But if Chucky took the route of, say, Dan D’Agostino, the decoder would be the size of a Buick & cost $6k. Now I think there's room for improvement, the SM lacks a few features I would want, but we're very lucky to have what we do.
 
I'm surprised that people are complaining about the proposed price of the the SMv3. Firstly I purchased the original evaluation boards some time ago a real value at $150 each. One for Involve QS and one for SQ. I don't know if they have any left but that was a real bargain IMHO even without a power supply. The only alternative to the SM is vintage equipement which usually runs at much higher prices, and may not perform nearly as well. With the proposed upgrades and additions to the basic unit as well as a hard case a much higher price is to be expected.

I suppose that they could/should offer a stripped down version like the evaluation board for us cheapskates or us DIY'ers who just don't need all the bells and whistles or who can add them ourselves.
 
I suspect you have no idea how very large those things are (rent, power, insurance, taxes, safety registration, transport, etc., etc.) for a business the size of Involve. You might not like the impact these cost recoveries have on the selling price of a small production run of something you think should be cheap but it doesn't mean its not realistic.

Yeah but the SM is not their only product.
 
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