Hi from Kaustubh and a few questions from a layman

[kausstubh]

Hello All,

I am Kaustubh Ghotikar from Mumbai and I am happy to be here as part of hifivision and as a layman I have a few questions for the experts of our group

a) When it comes to speakers and amp manufacturers of Indian origin I only find four names such as Sonodyne, Norge, Lithos Audio and Cadence Audio. Why there are just four speaker and amplifier companies from India and What are they recognised for?

b) How are branded players such as JBL, Sony, Genelec amongst many others are different in sound than our Indian Peers?

C) And if any one of us have to start manufacturing speakers and amplifier systems from scratch what kind of expertise and investment are we looking at?

Thanks in advance and apologies for my limited knowledge of the sound systems. I will stay in touch

 

[magma]

HI Kaustubh

All four companies do work in thier niche fields
Norge and Sonodyne make most of thier money with Pro Audio
SInce imported pro audio is not cost effective
i.e restaurants , offices hotels - just want a functioning music ambiance
Norge and sonodyne offer these solutions at a lower price as compared to imported counterparts
Plus since they are in India - sales service ( which is very important in hotel/commercial installations etc ) is taken care of easier and cheaper
I salute and look up to these guys for being in this difficult market and making their own segment
Though both these guys have also managed to make some really nice 2 channel stereo gear as well
theri build quality and finishing may not be as good as their imported peers - but then they are not as expensive too

Norge is a pretty decent entry into two channel stereo for an enthusisast



NOW
lithos on the other hand does make HT and stero stuff diretly in compettition t to the foreign brands
Though his stuff is good
he probably does face competition
since we are a brand crazy nation - " imported hai" - that commands a price

CADENCE
on the other hand works , functions and markets itself as an international company
their products are not budget placed - but are more positioned to mid and high fi
their finishing is as good
SInce Mr shirke also owns international brands like Siltech im sure know how percolates downwards
this guy is differnt - his products are world class - and can be considewred an international "foreign" brand though they are made in India
the above is also the case with rethum audio

But see , following cadence and rethum is very differnt - both these guys have serious capital ,know how and most importantly audio - for them is a passion turned into business - not their main livelihood or breadwinner



Though i myself am partly down the same road.
Im just a DIY - jugaad wala
nothing compared to the stalwarts above
( i have toyed with the idea of going pro and manufacturing amplifiers on the lines of norge but the indian fasciantion to the "foreign" brand always ensures i drop my plans)

 

[kausstubh]

Dear Magma (SoundFoundations),

That is some insights you gave me. I am glad you replied and that too at length. I think there is so much potential here for audio systems manufacturers in India. In fact, if you give the customers a quality product at a reasonable right price with nice packaging finish. They would be ready to buy it...

I remember dealers selling home theatre systems and audio systems by just saying...'aapko to malum hai Sony hai to koi tension hi nahi' and they would just raise the volume of the music saying 'dekho kya awaaz hai sir' and we used to like oh wow...lets buy it...We never questioned him on the quality of the tweeters, woofers and what makes them different...

In fact Sir i have been listening to multi media speakers Creative ke for many years now. Though they are good i still feel my ears and so do the people who love music deserve better than the mass market products available in the market everywhere...

By the way i recently bought a Norge 2060AMP and Norge New Millenium MK II and I must say my ears are at peace...

In fact I was talking to Mr Bajaj more on how he built his business than the speakers... .

Thank you Magma for taking time out and replying to me...

Unfeigned Regards

Kaustubh G