Blumenstein Ultra Fi

[BNAL]

Also, I'm comfortable with the size, because the important thing is how you use it.

[pdxgrampa]

Hi Clark,
The stands where a bit of an odyssey.I had some Purpleheart that I had milled as spares for the stands I built for my daughter.I mocked them up but the Purpleheart was just overwhelming, I tried some Maple accents but they were still too much.So in the end Clark knows best, I laminated "Almost grain matched " Caramelized Bamboo stands. I did get a jump on factory issue the bases are 1 inch laminated Bamboo with spikes,same for the Subs.
While i was building the stands the Orcas were sitting on the Subs. There was a noticeable improvement when mounted on stands everything was just more "there".

Thanks to You and Molly for a wonderful product.

[Grainger49]

I just got my Orcas and can't believe how small the drivers are. The finish is fantastic. ...

Brad, I sat here and just chuckled.  I had the same reactions.  I knew it was a 3" driver, but looking at I was just astonished.  Then the soundstage! ! ! !  Blows everyone away when they see then hear them.

[Molly B]

Bottlehead announced similar news earlier today so it's fitting that today is the day for us Blumensteins to say that we have a number of items in stock!

-Caramel & Natural Orcas
-Natural Subwoofers
-Caramel Shelf-style Subwoofer
-Natural Floor Stands
-Caramel Desktop Stands
-Natural Center Channel

For the 7 years we've been in business, sales have always outpaced our production capacity, and with the Orca line in particular, we have never been fully caught up on delivery. But with the large increase in our business earlier this year we knew that if we worked very hard to adjust our inventory forecasting while getting caught up that we might get slightly ahead of the curve. Well, today is that monumental day that we are able to list several items in stock, ready to ship in a week once we give the linseed oil/beeswax finish a final coat, cure, and polishing once ordered.

Each item in the store now has a 'Current Availability' listing that we'll update weekly so you can see what's in stock or what gets ordered on a pre-order basis and how long it will take to ship.

There are also quite a few new discounted items listed in the Sale section, like the pair of Caramel Orcas that Clark "improvised" drilling the binding posts on without using the aligning jig (collector's item?).

http://blumensteinaudio.com/sale-items/caramel-orcas

As always, thanks to everyone for your support, encouragement, and involvement.

[Clark B.]

A new chapter in the Cain and Cain saga:

http://blumensteinaudio.com/cain-cain/

We've got a bunch of cabients for sale.  Some of the ones we didn't even get a chance to list have sold already, so if you're interested, move fast.  Most of them are in pretty darned good shape, and will come with brand new drivers.

[Paul Birkeland]

It is a sweet stash of cabinets!

[Molly B]

For all the locals:

Clark will be teaching a speaker building class at a new space in Fremont called Makerhaus.

Teaching a class is something we've been wanting to do for awhile but just don't have the facilities for yet. Makerhaus is like the YMCA of woodworkers and builders; you can pay for a membership or a use-as-you-go fee to use all the machines and tools you could ever want--they have a fully equipped wood shop, not to mention 3D printers, laser cutter, you name it...

This will be a six-week course that begins with an overview of acoustics and the nuances of full range audio drivers.  From there, we'll guide you through the wood shop and give hands-on training to build your own speaker cabinets. You'll even be able to apply your own custom graphics with a 150 watt laser engraver if you want to get all fancy. We'll be using birch ply (not bamboo) to keep the materials cost down.

The class is $499 for non-Makerhaus members, which includes the $100 materials fee.

Hope to see some of you there!

Molly

[tsingle999]

Wow sounds like a fun class! Would do that in an instant if i was in that area.
How bout a nyc weekend workshop??
Just put together my bedroom system with speakers that i built sort of. Parts Express cabs i cut up.
Im getting 96db of Modest Mouse out of them now:)
The rear firing tweeters sound so much better. They need to make them double faced with a faux face on one side.

[vrgard]

Very cool sounding class, Molly.  Would love to participate if I lived close by.  Here's wishing you and Clark a very successful and fun class.

-Randy

[rif]

Very cool indeed. There's a similar woodworking "co-op" in Philadelphia. I'd definitely attend.

[fullheadofnothing]

Couple of questions,

Is the speaker project essentially an Orca (i.e. same cabinet dimensions, driver, building process, et cetera), or is it more a "B.Y.O. Driver and we'll help you with math and logistics" type deal?

The picture shown looks like old school Orcas with the recessed drivers, would the completed project be closer to current iteration Orcas, as in surface mount?

Will there be after class sessions at http://outlanderbrewing.com/ ?

Will Bruce be the T.A.?

[Molly B]

Couple of questions,

Is the speaker project essentially an Orca (i.e. same cabinet dimensions, driver, building process, et cetera), or is it more a "B.Y.O. Driver and we'll help you with math and logistics" type deal?

More the latter, except the price of the class includes a pair of Fostex FF85wk drivers.

The picture shown looks like old school Orcas with the recessed drivers, would the completed project be closer to current iteration Orcas, as in surface mount?

Whatever students want for their design.

Will there be after class sessions at http://outlanderbrewing.com/ ?

That's a great idea. The last class on August 1, which is optional, will be a chance for everyone to come back in with their finished speakers and we'll have a listening session. Maybe a celebratory drink afterward!

Will Bruce be the T.A.?

No, I'll be the T.A.  Bruce has been in early retirement since he was 10 months old.

[Clark B.]

I've updated the listings for the Cain and Cains to show real prices.  There was some confusion as to whether or not I was using the old Cain and Cain prices or the newer Lovecraft prices for my "percentages off retail."  I was actually using the old cain and cain prices... so they've come out to be cheaper than alot of people thought!

The new prices are over 50% off Lovecraft retail, and I can guarantee that these speakers are gonna sound better than anything you buy in the used market... I'll be performing my tweaking magic on them via driver mounting, crossover components, wiring, damping, and bracing tricks I've learned over the years (many of which go into the Orca).

http://blumensteinaudio.com/cain-cain-speakers/

And an updated discussion here:

http://blumensteinaudio.com/cain-cain/

[Clark B.]

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder this memorial day that we give veterans a 10% discount.  (gotta contact us to get a coupon code). 

-Clark

P.S. 

The 18 pcs... wow!

[Grainger49]

I must ask, really!  What do you play when you run in the drivers?