Planar Speaker Asylum

Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences.

Return to Planar Speaker Asylum

Planar Speaker Asylum

factory Video

68.118.162.249

66mgb

found this video on Face book of a factory tour its 2 parts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JdKi2uQQ0c

Follow Ups:

RE: factory Video - Norman M 10:51:19 12/17/22 (0)
Joe Schmoe writes "I think most of us here really respect what Magnepan represents and the products they produce."

I think we should all respect all manufacturer's products. None more or less than those of Magnepan. It's like stating that you wouldn't rob CHASE bank (assuming that you could). Or that I'd be willing to steal from MartinLogan, but not Magnepan simply because I enjoy listening to their speakers.

Edits: 12/17/22
RE: factory Video - pictureguy 16:06:46 12/16/22 (0)
I'm not sure they know ANYTHING about quality management.
I saw NO means to check dimensions or computers to enter data.
Would they let me see their quality plan?
Is the CNC machine periodically maintained to prevent out of spec parts being made? How often is that tooling changed / measured / adjusted?
finding stuff AFTER THE FACT that is out of spec or otherwise Incorrect is NOT value added.....
You don't 'control' quality....you Build It In....from the first step to last with proper people, trained and with the right tools and materials.......
Too much is never enough

Edits: 12/16/22
they gave out a lot of trade secrets ,,,,, - trioderob 20:44:25 12/14/22 (5)
as a Mechanical Engineer and designer I can tell you that the videos gave out an enormous amount of information.

the tooling designs are completely given out

the test criteria is given out

the material processes are given out

you could literally reverse engineer the video down to the piece parts.

they are nuts for allowing a video like that to be on youtube
- RE: they gave out a lot of trade secrets ,,,,, - Davey 06:26:00 12/15/22 (0)
  What trade secret in particular did you see divulged??
  
  Dave.
- RE: they gave out a lot of trade secrets ,,,,, - 13th Duke of Wymbourne 20:50:07 12/14/22 (3)
  In an interview Bruno Putzeys said that he was very open about his class-D amplifier designs because no one believed him and everyone wanted to do it their way so he didn't fear competition!
  
  Even if you reversed engineered Maggies there is decades of practical knowledge and work force experience necessary to make both a consistent product and a profit. Starting up it will be hard to do both.
  - RE: they gave out a lot of trade secrets ,,,,, - Roger Gustavsson 04:23:35 12/15/22 (2)
    There is no new information in that video! I do not see it would hurt Magnepan that some of you fear. From an engineering standpoint it is simple, a perforated sheet of steel with some rubber magnets, in front of that a tensioned plastic diaphragm with a conductor adhered to it. The difficult part is to get this working in a desired way, less so the manufactoring process.
    - not as difficult as you think ...... - trioderob 07:48:12 12/15/22 (1)
      the testing is not as hard as you think - the video explains how they use the tie down buttons and also explains that the cross overs are very loose first order affairs - its inherently in the design that things can be sloppy and still work.
      the video gives out details on the tooling design, process order, materials , adhesives , cross over component deign, etc ,,,,,,
      there is also another magnepan video that goes into the layout of the aluminum strips, it details the entire process of laying and stretching the mylar , ,,,,,etc
      these 3 videos all together give out a lot of the proprietary process information for any over sea company that wanted to clone a maggie
      the cross over can easily be purchased and reverse engineered
      
      Edits: 12/15/22
      - RE: not as difficult as you think ...... - Roger Gustavsson 08:41:34 12/15/22 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: not as difficult as you think ...... posted by trioderob on December 15, 2022 at 07:48:12
        
        Still, you need to evaluate these adjustments of several factors. What they say in the video may not be all true... I think the story behind the tiedowns is a bit more complicated. Originally they spread the resonant behaviour and the low bass drivers did not have any tiedowns at all, the resonances were set by tension alone.
are we seeing - Green Lantern 09:48:13 12/14/22 (4)
a glimpse of the secret "I" designate with that 'popcorn' like texture?
-at the 15:40 mark

View YouTube Video

Edits: 12/14/22 12/14/22
- RE: are we seeing - josh358 07:10:14 12/15/22 (3)
  Nope. :-)
  
  I did eventually figure it out, and for once I agree with Wendell about the need to keep something secret -- they really can't talk about this.
  - then what is it.. - Green Lantern 12:48:02 12/15/22 (2)
    if it isn't secret and what's the purpose of it being there?
    - RE: then what is it.. - josh358 06:50:13 12/16/22 (1)
      It is secret, it's just that I figured it out. The reason I didn't mention it here is that they really are right about this one -- it's a trade secret and I can understand why they don't want to make it public. I don't want to harm the company, a sentiment I'm sure most people here share.
      
      It's of little interest to anyone but a planar manufacturer anyway. I thought they should have just said what it does, which would have satisfied everyone, but he felt it was too sensitive to do that. IIRC, though, the reviews described the sonic effects of the upgrade.
      - RE: then what is it.. - Davey 09:33:26 12/16/22 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: then what is it.. posted by josh358 on December 16, 2022 at 06:50:13
        
        Josh, you big tease. :)
        
        Dave.
Why is it so difficult for some - E-Stat 06:53:11 12/12/22 (0)
to place the link in the box below?
- Click here for video (Open in New Window)
RE: factory Video - Joe Schmo 05:52:34 12/12/22 (7)
Interesting videos. Thanks for posting.
I seriously doubt that Mark Winey would authorize the public release of a detailed video showing many of Magnepan's proprietary production processes. That intellectual property is the most valuable asset of their company and literally took decades to accumulate. I'd be having a serious talk with the employees that conducted that tour.
I'm sure it was all done with good intentions, but seriously if it was my company I would protect my trade secrets with a little more vigor. Don't think for a minute that even a low volume, niche product like Magnepan speakers won't show up in some form our another on the next ship by the container load and be on Amazon the next day for three hundred bucks. Why hand out a process manual and make it so easy?

-Joe

They're not that big!

Edits: 12/12/22
- RE: factory Video - Davey 08:11:35 12/12/22 (6)
  People might have been amused at the primitiveness of the ribbon corrugator, but I didn't see any state secrets that were divulged.
  
  No harm, no foul here probably.
  
  Dave.
  - RE: factory Video - Joe Schmo 11:01:30 12/12/22 (5)
    I hope you're right, and you most likely are Dave.
    
    With your comment I'm reminded of the number of times a colleague would come to me asking about my business processes. I would often share what I did, even to the point of providing detailed documentation and they still didn't have the motivation to implement any of it. They seemed to gain more reward from complaining about all the external negative factors they could do nothing about that kept them from succeeding.
    
    I think most of us here really respect what Magnepan represents and the products they produce. I just hate to see someone exploit their hard work and most likely produce something terrible in the process.
    -Joe
    
    They're not that big!
    - You have to be careful - jimbill 14:27:46 12/13/22 (4)
      I had a agent in our group benefits shop make a handshake partnership with a property/casualty agent. He allowed the PC guy to go with him on his presentations. I told him it was a bad idea...
      
      The other guy learned his shtick and cut him out.
      - RE: You have to be careful - Joe Schmo 10:06:24 12/14/22 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: You have to be careful posted by jimbill on December 13, 2022 at 14:27:46
        
        Ha! One of the businesses we owned for 35+ years was a captive insurance agency.
        -Joe
        
        They're not that big!
      - RE: You have to be careful - Roger Gustavsson 05:36:37 12/14/22 (2)
        
        In Reply to: RE: You have to be careful posted by jimbill on December 13, 2022 at 14:27:46
        
        I see no secrets divulged either. The patents are there for everyone to read and give you an idea of the work behind it. Like the placement of "tiedowns" is a matter of trial and error. There is a combination of many factors that go into where to place these and that is not talked about in detail. In the end, for the 3.7i it is rather complicated compared to the first Tympani. I do not see a large market for speakers like the Magnepan, it would not be something like a ship load going anywhere. Of course, there are already other speakers like Magnepan around for several years, the demand is low, nothing for a large scale production anywhere.
        
        RE: You have to be careful - Joe Schmo 10:30:51 12/14/22 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: You have to be careful posted by Roger Gustavsson on December 14, 2022 at 05:36:37
        
        Like I said in my original comment, I was primarily referring to manufacturing processes that were shown, not specific design metrics. Design would be pretty simple to reverse engineer with say, something simple like an LRS+. It's those shop floor processes that can take years to optimize. A lot of those little assembly jigs, facility layout, kitting, etc. - the empirical side of the assembly that can take years to optimize. There's quite a bit of that demonstrated in the videos. Like I also said, why make it easy for someone to copy? Magnepan gains absolutely nothing by showing it all off.
        
        As for the demand for a Maersk container bound for Amazon and packed to the brim with $300/pair LRS+ knock-offs? I think the waiting list of the real deal speaks for it self. There's decent demand.
        
        -Joe
        
        They're not that big!
        
        RE: You have to be careful - Norman M 11:56:26 12/14/22 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: You have to be careful posted by Joe Schmo on December 14, 2022 at 10:30:51
        
        "Design would be pretty simple to reverse engineer with say, something simple like an LRS+. It's those shop floor processes that can take years to optimize. A lot of those little assembly jigs, facility layout, kitting, etc. - the empirical side of the assembly that can take years to optimize. There's quite a bit of that demonstrated in the videos. Like I also said, why make it easy for someone to copy?"
        
        Yup, Musk.
RE: factory Video - emailtim 11:26:00 12/11/22 (0)
Thanks for posting the videos. A lot of factory driver and parts images not displayed before.
.

2022/03/30 Historical Records CENSORED
RE: factory Video - Davey 08:18:23 12/11/22 (7)
Mike Powell is a clown.

Decent tour of the Magnepan facility though.
Thank you for posting the links.

Dave.
- RE: factory Video - emailtim 11:23:30 12/11/22 (4)
  Clown isn't the term I was thinking of.
  Funny he talks about snake oil at the end of the 2nd part when he is the king of opportunistic $nake oil kit$.
  He will gladly charge naive Maggie customers $75 for some magical bypass fuse bus bars instead of telling the person they can just wire around the entire fuse holder fixture, FOR FREE in @ 5 minutes.
  .
  
  2022/03/30 Historical Records CENSORED
  
  Edits: 12/11/22 12/11/22
  - RE: factory Video - josh358 14:39:17 12/11/22 (2)
    I'm in the wrong business, I tell ya.
    - RE: factory Video - Davey 18:23:04 12/11/22 (1)
      The audiophile fleecing business is fertile territory Josh.
      However, I think I know you well enough to know you'd not be able to sleep at night.
      
      Dave.
      - RE: factory Video - josh358 15:10:03 12/16/22 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: factory Video posted by Davey on December 11, 2022 at 18:23:04
        
        A shame, isn't it? In my next life, I want to be born without a conscience. :-)
  - RE: factory Video - Davey 12:10:48 12/11/22 (0)
    I gather the Magnepan guys didn't know who he was.
    I guess they can be forgiven for that, but this isn't the type of publicity avenue they need. Lesson learned, hopefully.
    
    Dave.
- RE: factory Video - Roger Gustavsson 10:03:27 12/11/22 (1)
  I did a factory tour with my brother a while ago. I knew this stuff before I came there, how the tuning works, the crossovers, foil vs. round wire etc. I would have liked to spend more time there, Ken was kind of pushing us through. Would have liked a chat with Diller and Mark. maybe on how they do
  development. If you are satisfied with a speaker, how do get from there? A good point was that there was work being done there, you could see how things were being done. Most impressive was the foil to Mylar process. I cannot remember seeing 3M 30 NF being used for foil but for sure the Super 77 was used. The Tympani TVa seen in the video, is it ttviper1400's on this forum?
  - RE: factory Video - josh358 14:37:55 12/11/22 (0)
    I gather Ken has been busy! Probably just short on time. Also, Wendell told me that he wished he'd been able to spend some time with you.

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Parts Connexion