he has become a very good friend of mine and we have a few surprises coming out soon...

i spoke with him tonight and he informed me his new model almost ready for audition. He has invited me to Nebraska to enjoy this new audio machine....I just can't wait to hear it....

I think I was the first one to post information about the Planot speakers on the AV123 forum after I read about it. It was April 1st and I wondered if it was an April Fool's joke because several of the ezines and forums were posting silly stuff -- impossible speakers, V8 powered subwoofers, etc. The gentleman responded to the doubtful AV123 banter and said he was the designer of the speaker and would answer any questions. So I stuck my foot in my mouth and felt really bad about that. I was fascinated by the idea and followed the thread for as long as it lasted. As enthusiasm peaked I even made a suggestion that we should get together and pool our small investments and help him get his revolutionary speaker produced and working so he could show it to manufacturers.

Since then I haven't kept abreast of development so I am very excited to see you include it in your forum, and I can't wait to read what you can share with us when you return. I mentioned it to the owner of the company when I bought one of his record cleaning machines. He used to be big in high-end audio and had HiFi shops and used to repair and modify AR turntables and helped design a very esoteric high-end turntable which is still be sold... it was $30,000 but I read in Stereophile the price was dropped to half that in response to a suggestion in their review. I can't think of the name of it right now. I had read somewhere that he and his partner specialized in extremly close tolerance metal work, you know, bearings for the turntable and all those specialized parts. From what I read the Planot speaker required this type of specialized close tolerance machinging. Anyway he asked for more information. I don't think I ever followed up on that because this was about the time my wife had her hip replacment surgery.

I'd love to hear the speaker. I still have the original model Infinity Servp-Static Speakers. They're much too big for the rooms in our hundred plus year old farmhouse. They look like new setting along the wall in the hallway. I also have the big 15" subwoofer. I use it as a table in the living room to set equipment on! I wonder if the speaker can be made affordable or if it would be aimed solely at the deep pocket state-of-the-art cost-is-no-object high-end crowd?

First,
I hope your wife's surgery went well and is still able to chase you around the kitchen.....

I sent John a couple of diaphragms for him to try but the weight and density of the material was too heavy. He is now working with a new, lighter material, which, I really can not say at this point out of respect to him as the creator, but hopefully the P4 will be finished soon. I will contact him and see if he would like to join our forum, even though it is "primitive" at this point, but that also might help in adding members.

Have a great weekend,
Robert

I just checked out the website, and I am intrigued. It would seem there are a number of technical obstacles to overcome, but not a ton of discussion about what they were and how they were countered on the website. I would think that to move enough air to create any real bass response would require a model larger than the one pictured, and that the mass involved would then make it mechanically difficult to keep things moving accurately at the speed they need to. Have you heard this device? Any idea what some of it's stats are?

I have not yet heard them. He is in Nebraska and at the time we were talking about getting together, his prototype malfunctioned. I will be going as soon as his P4 has been completed. Precision is definitely the key. It's more like a high end machine than an a piece ofaudio gear as we know it...

The web site emphasizes it is simple and inexpensive. I wonder if that will be reflected in the market place? I looked at those drawings for a long time. I still don't understand how it works. If precision is the key, I wonder how fragile it will be? If the tolerances are so critical I wonder if the Planots will require a lot of maintenance? Like a turntable. I enjoy some hands on involvement when I listen to records -- in fact, that to me is one of the most enduring aspects of listening to vinyl, but some people each time check every adjustment of their turntable, arm and cartridge each listening session. I know people who write notes on each album cover telling them which cartridge to use (of several), plus the adjustment tweaks they've found that works best for that particular record. Some people who are into tubes have been known to do some tube rolling to match up their tubes to individual performances, records or CDs. I read one reviewer who said he even changes the interconnects and speaker cables depending on what he's listening to. I wonder what would happen if a child bumped into the Planot? You always hear about things like that on the AV123 forum. Me, I was helping my wife sweep and I bent over with the dust pan and my butt knocked one of my new speakers off the stand and broke the tweeter off -- it has the tweeter up on top, not inside. Well, it did anyway. Now it's in a box in the drawer. I was reading an article in The Absolute Sound just this week about getting into vinyl. It compared four affordable systems. He compared the systems performance but emphasized that this was not a "shoot out", just an evaluation of what you can expect from each very good system in different price ranges -- turntables from $450 up to $2000. He said all of them were listened to setting on his very sturdy rack... and emphasized that sturdiness and isolation from floor vibrations is critical. I live in an 1880 farmhouse and it has big hand hewn beams underneath... but if you're not directly over one of those beams when you walk you can hear the china rattling in the display cabinet my wife has. I wonder if the Planot would have to be on a very stury surface?

As I mentioned, I talked to someone who has been into high end turntables for years (designing and manufacturing and sales) and he knows a lot and has excellent experience and contacts for very precision parts making. Would you ask John if he would be interested in talking to this guy. I remember several months ago he was mentioned he needed some very precision metal working. This man would have contacts and know where to get that done and who to talk to that is already experienced in audio precision metal work and parts manufacturer. This man was interested when I told him about the speaker, but I never followed up because we had to go to the hospital and my wife was there for a couple of weeks and then several weeks in a nursing home while I drove back and forth several times a day. I could provide the introduction if John is interested. I can give him the name and phone number and in the meantime call the guy up myself and tell him to check the website for information and to expect a call. After that I'm out of the picture. I'd be glad to help. I love to see people succeed with their ideas.

I got to go. We're under an unusual Tornado Watch tonight. There have already been tornados from this storm on the ground in Oklahoma. It's supposed to be here with Severe Thunderstorms and possible tornados after 10 p.m. I don't know if we should just go out and sit it out in the underground shelter, or not. I hate rushing out there in the rain with lightening all around. And it's so muddy now after the snow and ice melted and it rained all day yesterday. It's not easy for my wife or I to slosh though the mud and climb down those steep steps.

Larry,
Please be safe. I will call John and ask him.
Take care,
Robert

It would be neat if he were willing to join in here and answer our questions. Not a giant crowd that would be a massive hassle, but a few people intrigued by new gear. I don't know if he's interested in such a thing, but it might be worth mentioning.

I actually spoke to him today and he told me of some exciting interview news with one of the top magazines. I will ask him if he would join in for a few sessions .

Great idea!
Thanks

at John's request, any further discussion on the P4 will be canceled at this time. Once his prototype is up and running, we will then continue the discussion.

the DIY site is really stirring up alot of interest. I spoke with John this weekend and he assured me when the P4 is up and running, we will have a "live" question and answer dialogue session.....can't wait!