I have now seen it alll ... my live is complete.. I can happily leave this mortal coil

[Philbo King]

Man, that thing puts the ug in ugly

 

[antcollinet]

A cool million gets you a piece of artwork that makes sounds, not a great loudspeaker.

Which would be 100% true if the design had any artistic merit besides pandering to our inner 6 year old.

Look at the shiney, and it's a rocket ship!

 

[Mr. Widget]

Man.... everyone's a critic.

We all have our dreams. The most energy efficient, coolest running, lowest distortion amp. The coolest looking chrome plated tube mono blocks with 2% second order harmonic distortion. A home theater styled after the bridge on the starship Enterprise... as we said back in the '70s, "different strokes".

Thank you fatoldgit for sharing. I am not sure that it is more than a very well done 3D rendering, but I for one am glad to have seen it. I don't feel the need to actually hear it... but it is a unique vision.

Edit: I just clicked on the link. I guess at least one pair does exist. That is a lot of polishing!

 

[JSmith]

It is rather phallic in it's design... I'm not seeing the "art" either. Let's face it, it's a massive and copiously expensive metal speaker posing as a rocket ship.


JSmith

 

[fatoldgit]

Thank you fatoldgit for sharing. I am not sure that it is more than a very well done 3D rendering, but I for one am glad to have seen it. I don't feel the need to actually hear it... but it is a unique vision.

I am sure someone will buy a pair but if you really wanted to blow your money on something expensive then it makes sense to buy a high end Wilson... at least they have some credentials in that space.

But to blow a million quid on something whose design (relative to being a good speaker) would appear to have some issues AND to also buy it from a startup company whose founders are, to quote "a publicity-shy pair, known only as WW and M."

Their web site states "WW and M, who conceived, designed and built the Cosmotron speakers, had one objective: To create, in all respects, the most beautiful and best engineered loudspeakers on Earth." Note not the best SOUNDING but engineered... obviously two distinct end goals.

So lets assume WW and M have excellent metal working skills (which it appears they do), you would also expect that they would tout their loudspeaker design skills/history/accomplishments given the cost of the speakers. But their website (basically 4 simple web pages) provides no background to their loudspeaker design skills/history/accomplishments.

At least if you blow a million quad on a Bugatti Veron, you know they have the skills to design, develop and manufacture a decent car... but to spend a million quad on something like this from a no-name company... you have to not your average rich but stupid audiophool (in the sense of above average rich but at the really stupid end of stupid).


Peter

PS. I read lots of audiophile content, helps fill in my retirement as I wait for the Reaper to knock on my door, and I regularly see such a such a startup selling their first product for much mulla. Recently read of a married couple (both with some kinda of engineering degree) flogging their first product, a $30k equipment rack.

 

[Hiten]

final frontier...
...to explore strange new sounds, to seek out new pace, rhythm and timing,
to boldly go where no audiophile has gone before.

 

[kemmler3D]

They're clearly made well, but I'd hate to see the decor that these properly fit into. They look like a kids' toy overdone to the maximum extent conceivable before you start a SpaceX competitor...

 

[Madlop26]

Yes yes yes, 1/3 ton silliness, not even art, who came with this idea?.....well, they have to sell just one to prove us all wrong.....scary

 

[Dal1as]

Definately a Fallout vibe.

 

[Mart68]

I think they are pretty cool but then I am a big fan of the 1930s Flash Gordon serials.

Can't condemn them on sound quality until we see some measurements. I don't see anything to indicate that they would not at least be competent.

Not just a loudspeaker but art, so asking price cannot be judged within the usual confines. Clearly they are not cheap to manufacture.

 

[Inner Space]

Their web site states "WW and M, who conceived, designed and built the Cosmotron speakers, had one objective: To create, in all respects, the most beautiful and best engineered loudspeakers on Earth." Note not the best SOUNDING but engineered...

Isn't that the kind of intention we prefer here? Engineered implies a measurement base, and sounding implies a marketing base. We must think what we will of the appearance, but underneath the metalwork could be a decent loudspeaker. Probably bought in, from someone competent.

 

[charleski]

Personally I think the've been watching too much Wallace and Gromit.

Maybe it’s because I’m old, but I think it’s a ripoff of Tintin:

 

[Cars-N-Cans]

Funnily enough, I had a thought yesterday as I was rummaging around for some interconnects in the hi-fi junk pile about what audiophile speakers would look like if acoustics did not matter. Like, you don't have to worry about pesky things like having to use a wimpy looking 1" dome tweeter for reproducing high frequencies. Can just use a manly 100" full range woofer with a 1,000 lb. magnet and voice coil with 000 AWG magnet wire. Total gigachad setup. And today? I see this thread. Question: Answered!!!

PEW PEW PEW!!!

 

[Cars-N-Cans]

I am sure they could fly under their own power to Amir for testing.

He would need to borrow a landing pad from SpaceX first.

 

[JSmith]

to Amir for testing

I don't think Amir would be overly keen on having to lift a 325kg speaker... one may need a winch.


JSmith

 

[kchap]

Not much to say.. 325kg each, £1,000,000 a pair.

Obviously our previous obsession with whether we should leave our gossamer thin speaker driver covers on or off has been solved... it obviously doesnt matter...any about of heavy metal slots is acoustically transparent.

Cosmotron 130 And Cosmotron 50 Bronze Loudspeakers | Hifi Pig

HiFi News - The Cosmotron 130 bronze Loudspeakers are a million-pound, ultra high-end loudspeaker, made in Wales like their £100k Cosmotron 50 little sister

www.hifipig.com

You also need a very big orange. Juicy Squeezer

 

[Waxx]

I thought that was the rocket that would lift all the veils...

No serious, it's a typical blingy rich people thing, it looks expensive, it is (ridiculous) expensive and it blings and for many that is all that matters. That it makes sound is a nice extra. It will probally end up on superyachts and in fancy castles and palaces in the mediterranean and the Arab peninsula...

 

[fatoldgit]

Isn't that the kind of intention we prefer here? Engineered implies a measurement base, and sounding implies a marketing base. We must think what we will of the appearance, but underneath the metalwork could be a decent loudspeaker. Probably bought in, from someone competent.

Maybe I was putting my own spin on it but at the end of the day, the point of an engineering approach is to achieve some other goal. (i.e. We engineered this car to go really fast with excellent acceleration, to corner and handle well and to brake well and not fade under repeated hard braking etc etc).

Their state the goal is to be the best engineered speaker in the world but that could be engineering in the mechanical/structural integrity sense (which is a major play for them...so lots of nice construction photos) but speaker response curves ala Amir and others is totally missing.

Wouldnt have been to hard for them to expand/clarify the end goal of all this engineering.

Peter

 

[fatoldgit]

Can't condemn them on sound quality until we see some measurements. I don't see anything to indicate that they would not at least be competent.

I think it will be very hard for them to get this reviewed and/or measured by anyone with any industry creed (i.e. something this serious needs an industry heavy weigh to bless it, not [and no disrespect intended] say The Part Time Audiophile or Audio Bacon

(1) I dont know but I would predict that the pair we see in the photos is it... the only ones in existence **

(2) based on the above and their weight, shipping these to anyone with any industry creed will be expensive/risky and they would need to fund it

(3) Most magazines that promote this level of stuff (stereophile***, TAS and their local British press) would likely not consider reviewing something so bespoke




Maybe I am wrong but I am sure if they were serious about their product they would have got reviews done already

Peter

** To quote "Thousands of hours go into the casting, engineering, construction and finishing of the Cosmotrons. The mirror finish on the speakers takes several months"

*** I know stereophile have rules around only reviewing gear where XXX numbers of dealers exist or if online only, some degree of financial history/stability/service behind the online presence

 

[fatoldgit]

wow

I missed this bit in the spec:

Midwoofer 3 x 8” (22cm) Nextel Coated
Subwoofer 2 x 10” (25.4cm) High excursion
Tweeter 1 x 1.2” (28mm) Beryllium dome

Only three large speakers are visible in any of the pictures (maybe 2 mids and 1 sub) so lurking somewhere else are two others.

The tweeter appears to be at the top but maybe obscured by the grill?

Peter