Why do SSA subwoofers cost what they do?

[SGunnem 51]

I love the look of the SSA subwoofers but I wonder....

Why are they priced the way they are?

 

I don't doubt the pricing but I want to know what it is about them that makes them worth it?

 

Please try to be specific/technical in your answer.  Thanks!

 

[DanP 19]

I'm not going to be very specific but, I'll list a few reasons for the pricing.

 

Price of parts, labor, overhead, tools, then you have to also consider they're a business and if a business isn't making money they wont stay around too long.

 

*Edit: just wanted to also state these are from my viewpoint and I could be 100% wrong.

Edited May 4, 2013 by DanP

[pmureika 31]

You look at all the USA built brands like AA, Fi, ect. They are't over priced for the best built subs in the world.

[DanP 19]

You look at all the USA built brands like AA, Fi, ect. They are't over priced for the best built subs in the world.

Don't think hes saying they're overpriced, I think hes just wondering what % of the money goes where.

[pmureika 31]

You look at all the USA built brands like AA, Fi, ect. They are't over priced for the best built subs in the world.

Don't think hes saying they're overpriced, I think hes just wondering what % of the money goes where.

I would have to say Aaron or Mark need to answer that.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

LEt me ask you this. . . .   Why are the subs made in china so high?  LEt me put it this way.  Say an SSA/Fi/AA sub costs $200.  It costs $100 to make, $30 to package and ship, and another $30 for overhead.  So, the profit at best is $40.  The chinese subs cost $20 to make, $20 to package and ship, let's figure in the same for overhead even though it's probably half that, so that driver that is $200 from the guy who had his shit made in china only actually cost him $70, yet he's selling it to you for $200turning a $130 profit.  Add in to that, the products are often inferior to the US (my own personal opinion here) counterparts and take away from our economy and jobs. 

[Tirefryr 1,742]

US quality, labor, and parts are expensive, but Americans are cheap and want cheap shit.  Why do you think everything is made in china now?

[SGunnem 51]

I am looking for technical or specific answers please

Like the quality of magnet, specific grade of steel used ect.

 

I never said they were over priced....

[SGunnem 51]

I'm not going to be very specific but, I'll list a few reasons for the pricing.

 

Price of parts, labor, overhead, tools, then you have to also consider they're a business and if a business isn't making money they wont stay around too long.

 

*Edit: just wanted to also state these are from my viewpoint and I could be 100% wrong.

 

You look at all the USA built brands like AA, Fi, ect. They are't over priced for the best built subs in the world.

 

WOW.

[pmureika 31]

I am looking for technical or specific answers please

Like the quality of magnet, specific grade of steel used ect.

 

I never said they were over priced....

You need to talk to Aaron or Mark the owners.These are also sq subs for the most part.

Maybe one of the mods can help ?

Edited May 4, 2013 by pmureika

[Duran 387]

We aren't involved with the SSA business, only the forum.

[jonbearsmt 919]

mark and or aaron should respond to this one...

 

 i can tell you this.. there is NO WHERE NEAR as much profit margen on the SSA subs as say some SKARed peice of shit

[Tirefryr 1,742]

I am looking for technical or specific answers please

Like the quality of magnet, specific grade of steel used ect.

 

I never said they were over priced....

Nobody ever said you stated they were over-priced and I answered your question in my both of my previous posts.

[SGunnem 51]

US quality, labor, and parts are expensive, but Americans are cheap and want cheap shit.  Why do you think everything is made in china now?

 

LEt me ask you this. . . .   Why are the subs made in china so high?  LEt me put it this way.  Say an SSA/Fi/AA sub costs $200.  It costs $100 to make, $30 to package and ship, and another $30 for overhead.  So, the profit at best is $40.  The chinese subs cost $20 to make, $20 to package and ship, let's figure in the same for overhead even though it's probably half that, so that driver that is $200 from the guy who had his shit made in china only actually cost him $70, yet he's selling it to you for $200turning a $130 profit.  Add in to that, the products are often inferior to the US (my own personal opinion here) counterparts and take away from our economy and jobs. 

 

So your answer is USA labor and quality.  Yea that is exactly what the OP asks for.... 

 

How about what specifically with the quality?  Is the basket machined a certain way with special coatings?  Is the surround made of some high quality super rubber that most subs do not use?  Is it because of the way the voice coil is put together?  does that take more time?

Those would be better questions to answer instead of "because things cost more in the USA". 

 

And if you guys think Mark and AAron should answer this, then why are you posting?

 

 

 

We aren't involved with the SSA business, only the forum.

 

Nobody is asking about the business, I am asking about the materials in the SSA woofer that makes it worth the price.

[Duran 387]

We aren't involved with the SSA business, only the forum.

Nobody is asking about the business, I am asking about the materials in the SSA woofer that makes it worth the price.

I was replying to pmureika.

[altoncustomtech 773]

US quality, labor, and parts are expensive, but Americans are cheap and want cheap shit.  Why do you think everything is made in china now?

 

>LEt me ask you this. . . .   Why are the subs made in china so high?  LEt me put it this way.  Say an SSA/Fi/AA sub costs $200.  It costs $100 to make, $30 to package and ship, and another $30 for overhead.  So, the profit at best is $40.  The chinese subs cost $20 to make, $20 to package and ship, let's figure in the same for overhead even though it's probably half that, so that driver that is $200 from the guy who had his shit made in china only actually cost him $70, yet he's selling it to you for $200turning a $130 profit.  Add in to that, the products are often inferior to the US (my own personal opinion here) counterparts and take away from our economy and jobs. 

 

So your answer is USA labor and quality.  Yea that is exactly what the OP asks for.... 

 

How about what specifically with the quality?  Is the basket machined a certain way with special coatings?  Is the surround made of some high quality super rubber that most subs do not use?  Is it because of the way the voice coil is put together?  does that take more time?

Those would be better questions to answer instead of "because things cost more in the USA". 

 

And if you guys think Mark and AAron should answer this, then why are you posting?

 

 

 

We aren't involved with the SSA business, only the forum.

 

Nobody is asking about the business, I am asking about the materials in the SSA woofer that makes it worth the price.

 

 

 

While they do use the higher (maybe highest, I can't say for certain because I just don't know) quality parts in the cone, surround, spiders, etc. the real money is in the labor and the fact that each and every motor is machined from a blank slug of steel, assembled and the magnet is charged at that point.  I'm also fairly certain the coils are each custom wound as well then all of the parts assembled by hand.  That process happens over and over again for each and every driver that is built in the build house.  There's a great deal of cost in building things in that manner but it helps ensure the process produces some of the highest quality, most robust and trustworthy drivers on the market.

 

Mark and Aaron may or may not have more to add, but that's the reasons in a nutshell that they're a little spendy compared to other brands with similar specifications.  At least how I see it and how it's been explained in the past.

 

 

Aside from that, why do you ask?  I can't see any good coming from asking such a personal question about one brand in particular without giving (actual) good cause.  Everyone has their preferences and favorite brands and it's no secret that many of the members of this forum has used, liked, and will defend the SSA brand but I also believe it's for a very good reason.  If this is to start any kind of trouble I'm certain it won't and this will be put to bed in a hurry.

[SGunnem 51]

Thanks Alton, that helps me understand somewhat. 

 

There are many other brands I could ask this same question.  I understand the DDZ is expensive as hell because of the neo magnets.  It is good to know what you are buying, so with any product, research should be done on why it is worth the amount it is, no matter the cost. 

 

My intentions are purely educational.  You guys are so dramatic. I was hoping for a machinist point of view to say the materials are this and we do this which takes an extra week.  Instead theres two pages of nonsense, yet I made this thread this morning so the big wigs haven't had a chance to put in yet. 

[altoncustomtech 773]

My answers, as well the others are pretty much our opinions based on the few facts we know. Like I said before many of the members of this forum will defend the brand, the question seems like a bit of a jab rather than educational which is where the defensive posts are coming from. That aside, I highly doubt you'll get much more of a detailed answer than what's been provided so far since going into very much more detail will likely begin to reveal trade secrets or other information that the owners or the build house may not want public. That will be up to them though and this would probably have been better done as a PM to Mark and Aaron.

I have wondered much the same thing as you as I'm a technically curious person and love to know the how's and why's of the inner workings of everything I take interest in along with what makes the cost what it is. In this case I look at it from a relative standpoint, being that anytime you have custom machine work done such as at a local machine shop, it's never cheap. The company I work for has a lot of specialty equipment to operate the engines, valves, and stations as a whole and we have had to have some of these things repaired or replaced that aren't manufactured anymore (built and installed in the late 50's). From that experience I have seen the time and what it can cost to have custom machining work done so when it comes to applying that knowledge to this particular aspect I don't really question why the costs are what they are. I would imagine anyone with that experience wouldn't so I can understand your curiosity if you don't have that experience. At the same time you could wonder why Lamborghini's are so expensive, or a space shuttle. Custom built items are just always going to be more expensive than items that are mass produced.

[///M5 2,833]

Lord. You should really ask why the are so cheap.<br /><br />There is ALWAYS a simple answer for how anything is priced. It is what the market will bear. Cost should never have anything to do with price. Value does. The SSA subs are a ridiculous value and IMO should be priced a lot higher.<br /><br />And yes, that is a technical answer. Any other thought on pricing is jacked.

[///M5 2,833]

SGunnem, on 04 May 2013 - 14:57, said:

There are many other brands I could ask this same question. I understand the DDZ is expensive as hell because of the neo magnets.

Umm, not at all. DD overprices their things because they can, that is it. The actual build cost of the DDZ is probably less than an Icon considering where they source their labor.

[smashedz28 110]

Good questions OP. this info should be posted if available. Nothing wrong with knowing as much as possible about a brand you like.

[Adrian_D 520]

US quality, labor, and parts are expensive, but Americans are cheap and want cheap shit.  Why do you think everything is made in china now?

 

LEt me ask you this. . . .   Why are the subs made in china so high?  LEt me put it this way.  Say an SSA/Fi/AA sub costs $200.  It costs $100 to make, $30 to package and ship, and another $30 for overhead.  So, the profit at best is $40.  The chinese subs cost $20 to make, $20 to package and ship, let's figure in the same for overhead even though it's probably half that, so that driver that is $200 from the guy who had his shit made in china only actually cost him $70, yet he's selling it to you for $200turning a $130 profit.  Add in to that, the products are often inferior to the US (my own personal opinion here) counterparts and take away from our economy and jobs. 

 

So your answer is USA labor and quality.  Yea that is exactly what the OP asks for.... 

 

How about what specifically with the quality?  Is the basket machined a certain way with special coatings?  Is the surround made of some high quality super rubber that most subs do not use?  Is it because of the way the voice coil is put together?  does that take more time?

Those would be better questions to answer instead of "because things cost more in the USA". 

 

And if you guys think Mark and AAron should answer this, then why are you posting?

 

 

 

We aren't involved with the SSA business, only the forum.

 

Nobody is asking about the business, I am asking about the materials in the SSA woofer that makes it worth the price.

 

 

 

It's not the material, its the tooling. Ask for prices in a machine shop, how much is an hour on the CNC. You more than likely get tighter tolerances, better assembled parts, better consistency in a batch of motors tooled in the US. 

 

One good example is a batch of subs made in China and sold here all had the spiders come off at some point, needing a new dustcap, shimming the coil and re-gluing the spider if no damage was done to the coil. Why? Because chinese baskets weren't prepped for glue right. I have a basket from FI sitting next to me. All the glue surfaces are sanded to bare aluminum. The devil is in the details  

[Sencheezy 689]

My answers, as well the others are pretty much our opinions based on the few facts we know. Like I said before many of the members of this forum will defend the brand, the question seems like a bit of a jab rather than educational which is where the defensive posts are coming from. That aside, I highly doubt you'll get much more of a detailed answer than what's been provided so far since going into very much more detail will likely begin to reveal trade secrets or other information that the owners or the build house may not want public. That will be up to them though and this would probably have been better done as a PM to Mark and Aaron.

I have wondered much the same thing as you as I'm a technically curious person and love to know the how's and why's of the inner workings of everything I take interest in along with what makes the cost what it is. In this case I look at it from a relative standpoint, being that anytime you have custom machine work done such as at a local machine shop, it's never cheap. The company I work for has a lot of specialty equipment to operate the engines, valves, and stations as a whole and we have had to have some of these things repaired or replaced that aren't manufactured anymore (built and installed in the late 50's). From that experience I have seen the time and what it can cost to have custom machining work done so when it comes to applying that knowledge to this particular aspect I don't really question why the costs are what they are. I would imagine anyone with that experience wouldn't so I can understand your curiosity if you don't have that experience. At the same time you could wonder why Lamborghini's are so expensive, or a space shuttle. Custom built items are just always going to be more expensive than items that are mass produced.

 

This will probably be the best response you'll come across.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Thanks Alton, that helps me understand somewhat. 

 

There are many other brands I could ask this same question.  I understand the DDZ is expensive as hell because of the neo magnets.  It is good to know what you are buying, so with any product, research should be done on why it is worth the amount it is, no matter the cost. 

 

My intentions are purely educational.  You guys are so dramatic. I was hoping for a machinist point of view to say the materials are this and we do this which takes an extra week.  Instead theres two pages of nonsense, yet I made this thread this morning so the big wigs haven't had a chance to put in yet. 

 

 

The only one being dramatic is you.  Your questions were answered, however, not to your liking.  If you want specifics, then state that.  Most people want a simple answer which was provided.  I won't even bother with your nonsense comment.

[SGunnem 51]

Thanks Alton, that helps me understand somewhat. 

 

There are many other brands I could ask this same question.  I understand the DDZ is expensive as hell because of the neo magnets.  It is good to know what you are buying, so with any product, research should be done on why it is worth the amount it is, no matter the cost. 

 

My intentions are purely educational.  You guys are so dramatic. I was hoping for a machinist point of view to say the materials are this and we do this which takes an extra week.  Instead theres two pages of nonsense, yet I made this thread this morning so the big wigs haven't had a chance to put in yet. 

 

 

The only one being dramatic is you.  Your questions were answered, however, not to your liking.  If you want specifics, then state that.  Most people want a simple answer which was provided.  I won't even bother with your nonsense comment.

 

Are you blind?  The OP says PLEASE TRY TO BE SPECIFIC/TECHNICAL IN YOUR ANSWER

 

If I wanted a simple answer I would not have typed, PLEASE TRY TO BE SPECIFIC/TECHNICAL IN YOUR ANSWER

 

And the dramatic people are those defending SSA when noone is attacking SSA, and why are you guys so defensive anyways, is there something not being said?

 

90% of the answers I got were from people who do not know what they are talking about like yourself tire, saying because it is made in USA.  Real good input and helpful to boot.....

 

So don't get butthurt and go banning me or something.  There is what, 1 new thread here a week, and I now see why.