This Ship Has Sailed!

[SoundSplinter 1]

Good mornin' to the good peeps of SSA!

It has been a long time coming, with glimmers of hope springing to light only to be dashed by the heavy reality of a struggling economy and a primary producer that declared bankruptcy only a few short months after my largest purchase order to date. I had sincerely hoped that there would have been a revival in the production process, however I can now say with confidence that I will not be receiving my order for the RL-i8's and RL-p18's that I had placed so many moons ago. On the upside, a partial debt resolution is in the works, so I should be able to recoup a portion of the losses stemming from my final purchase order. However, given my inability to source a reliable and timely supplier that will produce my drivers at a cost which would allow me to keep my retail rates consistent with their historical average, I am hanging up my hat and bidding farewell to SoundSplinter as a going concern.

Breakups are shitty, but rest assured... it's me, not you!

My most sincere thanks to denim, mrray13, oxsign and the rest of the SSA reg's. You guys have played no small part in this li'l art house drama of the online audio world. I plainly could not have done what I did with SoundSplinter, without the SSA community as my primary backing! Big ups to all the folks who have shared their installs with my drivers. It's been a helluva ride, and one that I won't forget!

Since I still have a stack of Orphan 8's lingering around, I would like to offer them to the SSA community at a firesale rate, so contact me for details. This is a TC2+ based 8" woofer that simply does not mess around. At $200 it's a good deal, at the rate I'm offering, you would be hard pressed to have this 15 pound USA built driver produced by an OEM in quantity! Don't let the single 6 ohm coil configuration scare you away, just snag a trio of 'em for a 2 ohm load, or better yet, a sextet for 1 ohm nominal! Best paired with 300 - 500 watts RMS per driver. Suitable for sealed, ported, and was in fact originally designed for Sunfire audio's "li'l" home theater cube with a passive radiator, but was rejected due to a magnet stack that was ever so slightly (1/4") thicker than anticipated. Lastly, anyone who posts in this thread is eligible (one entry per person) for a free Orphan 8, and a winner will be chosen at random during the week of November 14th. Shipping will be included for residents of the lower 48 United States, but if the winning shipment goes elsewhere, the winner will have to pony up the dough to make that happen!

• Qts - 0.405
  
• Qes - 0.442
  
• Qms - 4.778
  
• Fs - 34.289 Hz
  
• Re - 5.25 Ohm
  
• Ls - 12.16mH
  
• Lp - 4.053 mH
  
• Rp - 25.46 Ohm
  
• Vas - 5.031 L
  
• Mms - 214.1 g
  
• Cms - 100.6 m/N
  
• Bl - 23.39 T*m
  
• Sensitivity - 78.44 dB
  
• 17mm Xmax
  

Thanks again for your support, you guys are awesome!

Edited May 23, 2012 by SoundSplinter

[fuzzyping 0]

Mike, it was awesome being a customer of yours. You not only put out quality equipment but did so with unparalleled customer service at a very competitive price. I think I can speak for everyone here in thanking you for your years of service and wishing you well with your future endeavors.

Jason

[edouble101 314]

Really unfortunate that your compant had to end this way. I had my eyes on two RL-s 12

[Duran 387]

It pains me to see things end like this for you Mike, I wish you the best in all your future endeavors. I'll definitely try to snag a few of those Orphan's, as they deserve a home!

[Tmax98 3]

Sad to see such a great quality product go.

Best of luck!

[stovebolt6 3]

[bassahaulic 155]

Just texted my friend who in trying out some 8"s. He will probably pick some up.

I know I would if I had the need for 8"s.

[Godsmack 361]

Best of luck in all your future en devours Mike. You were one of (if not the) first SSA forum brands.

If you still have some Orphans around mid month I may pick some up. Right now the holidays are kicking my ass.

J

[ssh 924]

Orphan drivers look stellar, sad to see you go. I hope your debt collection goes smoothly.

[jcarter1885 995]

Looking forward to future business ventures from you Mike, I really was impressed with the Soundsplinter RL-p line and always heard good things about your company. Good luck and keep on trucking, if you had a successful business once you can again. If you ever bring SoundSplinter back we are hear waiting on you.

Jay

[steveo50 3]

That's to bad man your products looked great. Good luck

[///M5 2,833]

Sorry this is how it had to end. I've seriously enjoyed my SS drivers and your support and interaction on the board.

[ulrisa 26]

It's sad to see such a great company go, but good luck on your future endeavors!

[dem beats 1,223]

I really wish I would have purchased from you long ago when working out HT subs for my home. I hope you can square your money issues favorably for you.

It's sad to see this product finally be confirmed as the end.

[Dan208 23]

I just might have to try and snag one of those Orphans. Could be fun to play around with.

[trod2902 26]

Sucks to hear man, hopefully the money lost will not prevent any future endeavors you have planned

[S.DeYoung 968]

Good luck with The future! Even though I had limited experience with sound splinter products, they were top notch.

[jonbearsmt 919]

good lord. this makes me sad,i hope all works out for you.. and you come back 2x as strong.

i always enjoyed seeing your subs on youtube, i was always shocked at the ouput,

hope to see you around once more.

did i read that right.. you placed and paid for an order and never for your stuff?

[209native 2]

it's to bad! this kind of crap happens far to often to the small business guy good luck.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

I am declaring myself intelligible for the prize, but I feel I should add my peace. This is a very sad day that I knew was coming for a while, but did not want to admit to it. Mike was and still is, one of the best people in the internet based, high end audio business. He is one of the very scant few that puts honesty and service first while realizing that it is not about massive margins made from mediocre product under over promised pretenses and fanboy hype.

So let me back up a moment, Kent (mrray13), one of our very valuable long time members of SSA as was a part of how we shaped this place in the beginning, shot me a PM back in 2004 I believe. That PM essentially brought my attention to this great little brand that I knew where it was being built and I had been very familiar with what had come out of that factory. We got a hold of Mike, and come to find out he is super laid back and a great guy that was not trying to make a quick buck or push product. Once I had the chance to use Soundsplinter in my own install, I was always supportive of the great product. It is a dark day in audio when someone like Mike, has to bow out, and slimy product pushing grease ball predators are thriving. One positive piece of car audio is no longer.

During a transitional stage of the SSA forums, bringing on manufacturers to the forum, (something only SoundDomain and SIN were doing at the time and look how active they are now ) Mike and SoundSplinter was a no-brainer addition. Mike was excellent at providing great info and communication even when his personal affairs were far more important. I strive to get us (SSA) to follow the standard Mike has set. Mike would never settle for a less then top end product with his logo on it. For a good while, the RL-i and RL-p was the educated choice of many, the RL-s was the choice of the nutty in the head types, but in a good way. To this day RL-i 8's fetch great money used, nearly 2 years IIRC after the last one was sold.

There are some things in my audio collection that will never get sold, even in the worst of times. A signed, limited run RL-p triple slug and a BNIB RL-i 8 are apart of that going to the grave category. One last personal note, through a few rough patches in my life, Mike was always there, and that means a great deal to me.

I hope people snatch up these Orphan 8's as Mike is giving them away, seriously, at this price. Mike, we wish you the best of luck and health in your future adventures, and SoundSplinter content will always remain on SSA as a reference, PM me if you would like to discuss how. Soundsplinter will always have one of the coolest logo's:

[Tony Nelson 8]

I had the pleasure of hearing a RL-p18 in a HT setup. It was the sub bass I have heard so far. That set the benchmark for me and I always have wanted one since then. I should give a few of the orphans a new home. It is sad to see this great company go, and I wish you luck moving foward!!

SoundSplinter FTW!!!!

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Another little man screwed. This sucks! Good luck in all future endeavors Mike! SS will be missed!

[teambrownnote 2]

I hope all goes well for you. Maybe you can find another reliable source, and spring back stronger than before!

[lithium 358]

Terrible news! good luck in the future Mike!

[orlando144 20]

Never got to mess with a SS sub but i heard alot of good things about them. Best wishes for you man.