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Should we (I) get into speaker testing & measurement

Should we get into proper speaker measurements?

  • Yes

    Votes: 247 76.5%
  • Yes, but do it later.

    Votes: 30 9.3%
  • No. Stay with Electronics.

    Votes: 46 14.2%

  • Total voters
    323

Vintage57

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Vintage57

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Wombat

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"75% of the site said they want it."

Pretty easy to say that. I have always wanted a helicopter as Father's Day gift....

Not if they have to foot the substantial cost, it seems.
 

Blumlein 88

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Amir just needs a very quiet place outdoors to test. I looked and #3 on the list is near Amir.
https://www.cirrusresearch.co.uk/blog/2017/12/top-ten-quietest-places-earth/

Olympic National Park in Washington.
1572746162726.png

Amir just needs to rig up the camper van with test gear and go do some testing there.

Or delegate the job to Thomas who can go to #5, Northumberland’s Kielder Mires in England.
1572746184835.png


Looks like both are loaded with natures own sound absorbing fir trees. (also good at absorbing 5 ghz wifi signals).
 
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amirm

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Aprude51

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I think we should start discussing funding schemes that will allow ASR to raise the requisite funds for a Klippel system.

Ideas
  • Write to companies whose devices have measured well on this site (e.g. Topping, SMSL, Benchmark, etc.,) to see if they have any interest in sponsoring this project. You could have a sponsor message at the top of each set of speaker measurements posted (brought to you by...).
  • Offer sponsorship only of the speaker testing section of the site
  • Consider a kickstarter campaign to pre-sell a report with the first x set of measurements. Creating a period of exclusivity for the initial measurements could be a good way to encourage backers without preventing the broader community from benefiting in the long run.
  • This is a long-shot, but I wonder if it‘s possible to strike up a partnership with online publications that want to add measurements to their speaker reviews.
 

MediumRare

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There is no shame in accepting ads; but excluding audio equipment ads is the high ground, ethically. Seems like a reasonable position.

Music streaming, travel, cars, etc., would all want to reach your audience.

You can turn it off the moment you’re not happy with how it’s going.

Here’s a rough guide to how much revenue you might be able to earn.
https://www.rankxl.com/100-day-traffic/

YouTube is also highly relevant as a revenue generator and perhaps ethically clean as you aren’t responsible for the ads.
 

Aprude51

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There is no shame in accepting ads; but excluding audio equipment ads is the high ground, ethically. Seems like a reasonable position.

Music streaming, travel, cars, etc., would all want to reach your audience.

You can turn it off the moment you’re not happy with how it’s going.

Here’s a rough guide to how much revenue you might be able to earn.
https://www.rankxl.com/100-day-traffic/

YouTube is also highly relevant as a revenue generator and perhaps ethically clean as you aren’t responsible for the ads.

For a niche site like ASR that has relatively low traffic, Adsense is never going to generate the kind of revenue necessary to fund a project like this. YouTube is also part of Adsense and CPMs are extremely low - nearly all professional YouTube content creators make the majority of their income from alternative sources like merchandise, sponsorship, and Patreon.
 
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amirm

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For a niche site like ASR that has relatively low traffic, Adsense is never going to generate the kind of revenue necessary to fund a project like this.
Our traffic level is quite healthy -- certainly higher than a number of other sites that are the main source of income for their owners. But still, I don't really know the reality until I try it.

So I am thinking maybe I should run a one month trial with Adsense and see what the potential is.
 

MediumRare

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Our traffic level is quite healthy -- certainly higher than a number of other sites that are the main source of income for their owners. But still, I don't really know the reality until I try it.

So I am thinking maybe I should run a one month trial with Adsense and see what the potential is.
Yes, why not! You may need more than a month because you’ll want to try different combinations of ad sizes and placements to see what draws the most clicks without compromising usability of the site either.
 

Aprude51

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Our traffic level is quite healthy -- certainly higher than a number of other sites that are the main source of income for their owners. But still, I don't really know the reality until I try it.

So I am thinking maybe I should run a one month trial with Adsense and see what the potential is.

I didn’t mean to imply that traffic wasn’t healthy, and I do think it’s something you should try.

That said, my hunch is that because this is a very topic specific website, you could likely earn better ad revenues through targeted deals than through AdSense and that AdSense revenue alone is unlikely to generate the revenue required for this project. I’m not sure how many pages views ASR sees every month, but AdSense will likely earn around $1 for every thousand impressions.

You also have to take into account the % of users here that are using ad-blocking software. That number can run pretty high on sites that have a tech-savvy user base.
 

aarons915

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I think this is a great idea and I also agree that the Klippel system is the best option to get meaningful measurements of speakers. I have no problems with ads personally but if you decide not to do that, I think the better option for the members to pay is to maybe commit to a monthly payment for a year. Either way, with most manufacturers giving no measurements or very basic ones, I think many people would love to see this project happen.
 

watchnerd

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I think this is a great idea and I also agree that the Klippel system is the best option to get meaningful measurements of speakers. I have no problems with ads personally but if you decide not to do that, I think the better option for the members to pay is to maybe commit to a monthly payment for a year. Either way, with most manufacturers giving no measurements or very basic ones, I think many people would love to see this project happen.

$70,000 / (465 members * .25 conversion rate) = $602.15 per member / how many years to pay off / 12 months

If

years = 1 year, then that's $50/month.

years = 5 years, then that's $10/month

[NOTE: not advocating for anything one way or the other, just figured someone should do some math on the concept.]
 
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Wombat

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Advertising captures non-member visits. I don't know how their 'hits' compare to member visits.
 

Rja4000

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You also have to take into account the % of users here that are using ad-blocking software.
Or the number that will just leave because of "no, please, not still another add-based site, with cookies spying you and so on...."
 

Wombat

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An option is to use both methods to raise money.
 

Rja4000

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raise the requisite funds for a Klippel system.
I understand the Audio precision, since that's market standard.
But does the Klippel have that level of recognition (x2.5) ?
And for how long will they keep it?

Isn't your use of their tool the best way they'd have to start being a really accepted standard?
So why should they not sponsor you? At least by leasing you the device, for a start, for a (really) low price?
(Or do you think they'd fear it's the opposite?)
 
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