I wish I had the opertunity to silence the critics!

[fastslappy]

Mate,

Many times, in other forums, I've seen the comment, or similar, that "we" (being BFM users), are somewhat parochial in our support for these designs.
Why not? There's a bunch of other manufacturers out there that (quite rightly) place a value on their product, and let their marketing department go to town on pushing their designs. Apparently it's "wrong" for us to do the same. Apparently we are just biased users.

The most powerful type of marketing is when your customers self-evangelize your products and services. It's called "social proof."

+1

[bassmonster]

There's a difference between supporting BFM designs and nut-hugging. It gets tiring to go to a thread and see an argument between a BFM user and non-BFM user, and one user is proposing that BFM designs are indubitably better than another design, no matter the circumstance. Some will try to push the OP past the comfort threshold to try to get a horn design to work, eg. "you can fit the THT in that corner if you move the couch or break part of the drywall". The OP may think that rearranging the furniture or breaking the drywall isn't worth it to fit an awesome sub. There are circumstances where horn designs may not be the best solution, and not every user will want to build their own cabinets or pay a builder for them. They aren't exactly cheap to have built, as nothing custom-built is or should be due to the precision and quality these designs require.

It's sort of like a supporting vendor on another forum who responds to every thread, and while their advice may be helpful, there is always a subliminal advertising message hidden in the post. Something like "If you want to fix this problem, you can take the time to build this, but the process is hard. The process goes like this, be careful at this step, be sure to buy this product to do this, this is hard to find but we keep it in stock, this next step requires a steady hand that really aught to have machine precision, we sell this that has the needed precision. We also sell this product that will fix the whole problem if you don't want to take a lot of time and effort to do this yourself, and believe me, it takes a lot of time and effort."
Of course, this is an extreme case, but it's just to illustrate my point. Open-mindedness is key, and I'm not saying that I haven't nut-hugged before. I love my TT.

[Bruce Weldy]

I love my TT.

If one of my little grandsons said that, I'd be just a little worried.

[DJPhatman]

I don't try to "convert" anyone that doesn't believe my claims. My professional reputation and word of mouth advertisement speaks on my behalf. To the bashers, my final thought for them to ponder: I am getting Ferrari performance on a Yugo price tag... does your <insert brand name here> provide you with economical sound? The answer is always "NO!"

[Bruce Weldy]

Had a guy yesterday who told me how he plays professionally for a living and has done so for years....plus he knows about running sound. He then asked if my subs had 20 inch drivers.....not 18...not 21.... but the as of yet un-discovered 20 inch drivers.

Funny thing is that later, the owner of the place came and told me to ignore that guy because he doesn't know what he's talking about...

I'd kinda' already figured that out.

[bassmonster]

I am getting Ferrari performance on a Yugo price tag... does your <insert brand name here> provide you with economical sound?

"Direct radiator boxes are for people who can't build horns." - Bill Fitzmaurice


(in case you've never heard it, the original quote is "Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines" by Enzo Ferrari)

[camrynekai]

I LMAO at most of the magazine/WWW trained critics that know everything. 90% of the bashers have never heard a BFM system to begin with....just find it hilarious how they can make such statements sometimes. I have had a few critics hear my BFM rig over the years and after they experience it first hand...besides the "WOW thats impressive".....i get "your full of sh-t they are single 15's" or watch their faces when I say "Not bad for $0.99 tweeters" all I know is give me 100amp service and ill give you a 100 amp service...bring your PA and I will bring mine...toss in 2500 of your most critical listeners outside and lets see who gets the job done effortlessly and with a clarity unmatched by MANY of the leading manufactures. I am not trying to sell anyone anything...but I will stand behind something that has proven its self to be the real deal and not a bunch of marketing hype.

[Radian]

I am not trying to sell anyone anything...but I will stand behind something that has proven its self to be the real deal and not a bunch of marketing hype.

Big +1 there.

[hifibob]

Wow, Im glad this thread was noticed, and I'm happy that a lot of you feel the same way as myself.. I'll def be a deputy for Bill any day and anytime I see BS being slung.. Hats off to you Bill, you gave me a huge opportunity to have a BIG LEAGUE system on on a little league budget! Thank you..

[SoundInMotionDJ]

"I learnt a lot" brings me to the absolute bonus, this forum.
Here is where I have learnt the most. From people (some who I have no doubt have credentials I could only ever hope to achieve in terms of sound) who offer their time, advice and experience for free, including the designer. Where else does that happen when it comes to PA / HT/ Car audio?
I've been challenged, learnt new skills, taken and given advice, some of it maybe even good.

This.

The REAL bonus of this site is the no-BS solid information about the how's and why's of pro-sound. I have learned more here, and been inspired to go learn more elsewhere, than ALL other "chat boards" combined.

At this point, I can generally correct and improve the sound of ANY sound system...horn loaded or not. It still amazes me how much !@#% is out there masquerading as "reliable information" about sound and sound systems. I may only get the "basics"...but that still puts me 100 miles ahead of the pack. Now...if only I could figure out how to sell that for more than a $0.05...

--Stan Graves

[doncolga]

Hats off to you Bill, you gave me a huge opportunity to have a BIG LEAGUE system on on a little league budget! Thank you..

Huge +1 here. I'm SO proud of my little BFM rig. I don't remember my last tripped circuit breaker but I remember I've never had one since this rig. I hope to give it a new paint job before my next gig.

[hifibob]

Hats off to you Bill, you gave me a huge opportunity to have a BIG LEAGUE system on on a little league budget! Thank you..

Huge +1 here. I'm SO proud of my little BFM rig. I don't remember my last tripped circuit breaker but I remember I've never had one since this rig. I hope to give it a new paint job before my next gig.

Its funny you mention that.. I've been testing this rig in my garage off of 2 20amp circuits running 4 Macrotechs at deafening levels and it hasnt tripped a breaker yet! The 2 MA3600vz amps have 30 to 20 amp adapters on them and its still fine! The sensitivity of these cabs are unreal!

[fastslappy]

Just tonight ABC World News had a report of web shill that she would say anything you wanted if you paid her to promote your product or bash your competition , she even a had interview vid that showed her skills on being a reviewer on about anything
http://news.yahoo.com/study-estimates-p ... 57532.html

[Rickisan]

Makes you wonder why anyone would ever question the unending desire to learn as much about any and all fields of endeavor as possible.

If for no other reason... pursuing said knowledge helps us to tell the difference between the shills and the real deal, as needed.

[guitarkeys.com]

The short list of people who I've mixed through my BFM system with rave reviews:

Head East
Great White
Little River Band
Confederate Railroad
Stoney LaRue
+ many more...

Live sound is a tough business and sounding "ok" isn't an option. I see lots of posts on here about volume, mega-bass, and bang for buck. But the truth is no one cares how cheap it is if it sounds like crap. No one cares how loud it is if it sounds like crap. The national acts that I deal with are use to top of the line systems and I have to match those and have done so successfully.

Just my 2 cents...