Anybody have any experience with Pipedream speakers?

[67baja]

My daughter just sent me a picture of her standing by her friend's Pipedream line array speakers. I am not familiar with them, but did a quick google check and this is what I found. They appear to be the Reference 21 model with 21 4" woofers and 42 1" silk dome speakers. The Reference 21s are 7 1/2 feet tall and sound like they are on the list of "cost is not a concern" speakers. Like in the $50,000-100,00 range. They look pretty dang nice. My little TLAHs don't look as impressive to me now, but I sure would rather not sell everything I own to buy a pair of the Pipedreams.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Nothing special there, just overgrown SLAs. Considering the state of the Pipedreams website I'd say successfully selling these for such a ridiculous price was indeed a pipedream.

[el_ingeniero]

Ha. Pipedreams is a division of High Emotion Audio, a Minneapolis outfit not to far from where I live.

They did the installed sound at Nick & Eddies Cafe, across the alley from the studio where I take tango lessons.

There's not a lick of sound treatment in a space with 20+ foot high ceilings and acres of plaster. The RT60 in there is at least 2 seconds.

They have 4 or 5, 6 to 8 foot long arrays of mids set up horizontally across one side of the room, with 15" drivers stacked 6 high in sealed vertical columns in between. Backwards to say the least.

Of course, they have the background drone that all highly reverberant spaces have when they get crowded, but at least they have 6 Crown Xti 4000 amps racked up in the closet, which do a decent job of overpowering it.

Of course, Nick & Eddie's can't decide what kind of place they are. When they opened, they wanted to be a fancy joint charging $30 a seat and turning over every 75 minutes or so. Now I see live bands in there in every weekend, and the house system can't be used because of feedback.

I'm told they paid $80K for that syste. Sad. Anyone could have done the job for live sound cheaper and better with a T48 or 2, a couple of TLAH-Pros and some sound treatment, and it would still sound fantastic for piped background music.

[67baja]

Now the question is would you like to have the original prototypes of the Nearfield Acoustics Reference 21s? It has been suggested to me that I may be able to get them for what seems like a great deal (for me). There is surprisingly little information about them online. From what I have found they were made 1999-2001, the tweeters are $149 each for a total of almost $7k in just tweeters per tower! I have found them listed by individuals as being on their personal top 10 best speakers ever made (cost being no object). Of course the retail price of $85k per pair seems laughable to me, but a deal may be struck. If I had them wtf would I do with them??? Sell them? Set them up in my theater? Not hardly - too many drunken UFC parties in my theater. I will keep you all informed as to the sound quality of them and if they become mine - but it will have to be a fabulous deal for me and a complete loss for him!

A side note - I don't think they come with the original subwoofers. If only I knew of a good forum to suggest a good sub to complement them
Here is a link to an old ebay ad with some: http://cgi.ebay.com/Nearfield-Pipedream ... 0527461936

[67baja]

Oh, I also read that Nearfield Acoustics became the Scaena (sp?) company. Not that I have any info on them yet, but maybe youse guys do.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

the tweeters are $149 each for a total of almost $7k in just tweeters per tower!

If you believe that I'd like to interest you in buying oil futures...from drilling on the moon.

[67baja]

Right you are Bill. Further research reveals the tweets are Audax tm025c1 - about $20 each, not the $149 I read in another article. "Only" $840 in tweeters per tower. The woofers are 4" Audax. If nothing else, these Pipedreams might be good to disassemble for their parts. Oh, the audiophiles would scream and cry about that! And really, I won't be in them much money if the deal comes together.

I do want to hear them though.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I do want to hear them though.

Stack three SLA and you've got it.