Why do components cost so much money?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=46051
Printed Date: May 17, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Topic: Why do components cost so much money?
Posted By: Poormanq45
Subject: Why do components cost so much money?
Date Posted: December 26, 2004 at 1:54 PM
Why do components cost so much money? I am helping out a friend with his stereo install right now, and he decided on a Nakamichi 6.5in component set for the front. Those components cost about $200~$400! I can not understand why they cost so much.
It seems to me that all they are is seperate drivers for the lows, some times a driver for the mids, a tweeter for the highs, and a "tuned" crossover network.
The problem I see is that I can purchase the drivers seperately, and build a crossover network for about $100. So what makes Components cost so much?
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Replies:
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: December 26, 2004 at 4:24 PM
Is your time, labor and expertise worth nothing? Of course you can build them and save some money. Go for it.
Posted By: Poormanq45
Date Posted: December 26, 2004 at 4:31 PM
Don't be rude. I'm just asking, Is there anything special about component speakers that makes them cost so much?
Time and labor costs? Um... I can purchase the drivers, and required electronics online and have them in a week. Install the drivers in about an hour, including customization. And build the crossover in about 1~6 hours.
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Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: December 26, 2004 at 4:33 PM
Plus unless you have the proper equipment and lots of experience I doubt you will be able to voice match your drivers and crossovers the way a manufacturer can. That being said, I love building my own crossovers and tweaking them to get the sound I want. It can be very challenging and a lot of fun. But don't do it just because you think it might turn out to be cheaper. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: 04MDX4SQ
Date Posted: December 26, 2004 at 11:26 PM
DYohn, that sums it up very well. Most people take for granted the crossover network. This is a very important part of the component system. If the crossover is wrong, even good drivers can sound awful. Crossover design is something better left to the experienced. This brings me to a question for the experienced, which car audio manufacturers make the better off the shelf crossovers in your opinion?
Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: December 26, 2004 at 11:43 PM
There is no such thing as an "off-the-shelf" crossover. What kind of mid-bass are you using? What kind of tweeter? What kind of slope, how steep? 8, 6, or 4 ohms? Any of these questions will change the way a crossover will behave in any situation.
If you are talking about buying a SET of drivers, with matched crossover modules, then I would look into the Focal stuff, especially the Polyglass systems. Focal is one of the finest audio manufacturers in the world (and I say that with little hesitation) and they spend GREAT deals of time and money in the design of their crossovers.
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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
Posted By: kfr01
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 12:24 AM
First, not all drivers are equal. Second, not all crossovers are equal. Third, Stevdart wasn't being rude - he was simply pointing out one reason commercial components cost more than a DIY solution. His point was good. You can ALWAYS find a lower price in a broadly defined product market. i.e. in the broad product market "cars" I can always drop down to geo metro from BMW and save a buck. Commercial products will always cost more than the sum of the parts. Even crap products cost more than the sum of their parts. This happens in every single market in the entire world. Diet Coke, Burgers, Cars, Homes, Computers, etc. If manufacturers don't price above total costs they go out of business. Period. Why do some similar items cost more than others? First, manufacturers must meet their costs (advertising, research, development, production). Some firms use higher quality products, spend more on advertising, don't have the advantage of economies of scale, etc. Second, manufacturers charge what the market will bear to make a profit. You don't think they're going to give you the components for no profit, do you? How can they do this? Because consumers demand these products. How can they continue to charge these prices? Because the consumers pay them. I could go on and on. It might be more fruitful, if you REALLY want to know more about cost and pricing, to buy a few economics books with some pricing chapters. I suspect you don't really want to know and were simply pointing out that the some raw parts cost less than some complete commercial products. If this is the justification for DIY you need, I echo stevdart when I say, "go for it!" ------------- New Project: 2003 Pathfinder
Posted By: uthinkuknoaudio
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 9:56 AM
Well consider what you are getting. I assume if your going Nakamichi for component sets you're going to get the SP-S6500 comps, and they are great for SQ applications. The reason they are so pricy is observe what you are getting. SP-S6500
COMPONENT SPEAKER SYSTEM |
These things will crank, the bass might be a little on the weak side, but Nak is not renown for the bass to tell you the truth, unless you get those beast SPW1200D woofers that spawned from hell... But overall get a good woofer in the back and those comps will do you major justice as they are great comps. Loud with plenty of SQ = Wonderful sound. Pricing on them might be a little up there but i got the hookup if you wanna get two pairs of them for $400-$420 Maximum. Just PM me if you are interested. I do everything Nak really, or at least try to if i can (budget talks to me)... I once considered a system with the CD-700ii, 2 sets of SP-S6500, 2 SPW-1200D, and 2 of those beast PA-2004 (one bridged, one running all 4 channels to support the comps), but the only thing was I was up around $5000 before i considered install materials. Oh well, what can you do... So i settled with completely different: Nakamichi CD-45Z and the MF-51 5 CD changer, 2 sets of Cadence CVL-6K components, 1 ZRS-4 amp running all four channels and comps at 125Wx4@4 ohms and 1 ZRS-9 monoblock amp running (2) Adire Brahma 12''s at 2 ohms running 1000+@2ohms . I'm around $2600 for this system, a little over half of the other one, and it still will crank like no tomorrow. Let me know what you decide on those comps. ------------- "I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.
Posted By: 04MDX4SQ
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 10:54 AM
haemphyst, let me rephrase my question: Which company do you think puts the most emphasis and highest quality componentry into the crossover networks that come with the component sets?
Posted By: uthinkuknoaudio
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 12:13 PM
I'm not haemphyst but i think Nakamichi does just that. Another company is CDT and Cadence do the same. Focal Utopia's are great too. But overall the best circuitry i would have to give to Nakamichi.
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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 12:41 PM
Forget the crossovers that come with the set. Bi-amp them. 
Paul
Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 12:58 PM
I think the Focal stuff is phenomenal... Personally, though, I would build my own crossovers, using the manufacturers specifications, ideally, removing the components from their supplied crossover, and replacing them with my own... Solen caps, Vishay resistors, etc...
Francious70 hit it on the head, though... Bi-amping is ALWAYS the best way to go, provided you have flexibility enough in your electronic crossovers to match the desired (or required) crossover points or slopes... If I were not FORCED into passive crossovers (and thank goodness I am not) I would always choose bi-amping.
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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
Posted By: 04MDX4SQ
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 4:56 PM
What slope do you generally use for the mid / tweeter when bi-amping (for example a 6.5" and 1")? I have heard many different opinions on this. Just wondering what you guys do. In my next system I am not going to be able to bi-amp unfortunately. I will be using MB Quart QSD216, and will only have 2 channels available to drive them. Is there any improvement I can make to the crossover that will make a big improvement in sound?
Posted By: kfr01
Date Posted: December 27, 2004 at 7:24 PM
I personally like 24db. I'd probably go steeper if I had the option.
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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder
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