AudiocRaver
Loved and Remembered Emeritus Reviewer
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After the recent AXPONA audio show at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois, fellow AV NIRVANA reporter Dennis Young and I accepted an invitation to pop into the shop that serves Mark Seaton of Seaton Sound. Only a few miles from Rosemont, the industrial facility was easy to find.
A visit like this will usually end up either really boring or really interesting to me. This one was the latter, very informative, bordering on fun, especially as a follow-up to the massive demos that Mark tends to put on at a show like AXPONA.
Driver test, product assembly, final test, packing, and shipping are the central business themes one would expect to find in a facility like this. We saw all of these in evidence there, including water-jet-cut foam shipping spacers. The fixtures that hold projection equipment and surround speakers for a trade show home theater demo are also stored on the shelves in this room.
We saw drivers that failed their preliminary test even though they met the supplier’s specs. Mark’s standards can be pretty tight and he sometimes plays the yield with a particular driver, especially in some of his sub designs, to end up with drivers ready for final assembly. We saw prototypes that went no further, prototypes that evolved into current products, and prototypes for upcoming products. We saw crossover boards and DSP/amplifier assemblies and cabinet internal bracing. We saw the smaller labs where assemblies are tested and product designs are verified.
But seeing half-finished rooms and cartons of components and shipping materials is not all that great a time in and of itself. It is a conversation with Mark that ties it all together and makes for an interesting hour-long visit. Every component, DSP/amp, prototype, even the water-jet-cut foam spacers each had a story and some interesting background associated with it. And if you have ever had a conversation with Mark, you will remember that it is wise to mostly listen - even to take notes. In an hour, you will have received the informational equivalent of a minor in acoustics, electro-mechanics, electronics, speaker design, cabinet making, and small business, and you will have enjoyed the process of ingesting it.
Dennis and I have agreed that the sound Mark gets from his powered 3-way Catalyst 8C speakers, and from the new Spark, the same 2-way 8-inch driver with dual passive radiators, is something to be witnessed. We enjoyed seeing and hearing about their background and development, and recent driver design mods that helped lead to the current design point.
Out of the visit came a plan for reviews of the revised Catalyst 8C and new Spark designs. Mark is generous with his time and with his experience and knowledge. Our visit to his facility was a fitting and educational conclusion to a successful AXPONA show weekend.
Mark Seaton.
Rejected drivers. They meet manufacturer specs but not Seaton Sound specs.
Driver test fixture.
Shipping materials.
Dennis with a crossover board.
Crossover boards.
Upgraded 8-inch driver (left) for the Spark and Catalyst 8C models.
A visit like this will usually end up either really boring or really interesting to me. This one was the latter, very informative, bordering on fun, especially as a follow-up to the massive demos that Mark tends to put on at a show like AXPONA.
Driver test, product assembly, final test, packing, and shipping are the central business themes one would expect to find in a facility like this. We saw all of these in evidence there, including water-jet-cut foam shipping spacers. The fixtures that hold projection equipment and surround speakers for a trade show home theater demo are also stored on the shelves in this room.
We saw drivers that failed their preliminary test even though they met the supplier’s specs. Mark’s standards can be pretty tight and he sometimes plays the yield with a particular driver, especially in some of his sub designs, to end up with drivers ready for final assembly. We saw prototypes that went no further, prototypes that evolved into current products, and prototypes for upcoming products. We saw crossover boards and DSP/amplifier assemblies and cabinet internal bracing. We saw the smaller labs where assemblies are tested and product designs are verified.
But seeing half-finished rooms and cartons of components and shipping materials is not all that great a time in and of itself. It is a conversation with Mark that ties it all together and makes for an interesting hour-long visit. Every component, DSP/amp, prototype, even the water-jet-cut foam spacers each had a story and some interesting background associated with it. And if you have ever had a conversation with Mark, you will remember that it is wise to mostly listen - even to take notes. In an hour, you will have received the informational equivalent of a minor in acoustics, electro-mechanics, electronics, speaker design, cabinet making, and small business, and you will have enjoyed the process of ingesting it.
Dennis and I have agreed that the sound Mark gets from his powered 3-way Catalyst 8C speakers, and from the new Spark, the same 2-way 8-inch driver with dual passive radiators, is something to be witnessed. We enjoyed seeing and hearing about their background and development, and recent driver design mods that helped lead to the current design point.
Out of the visit came a plan for reviews of the revised Catalyst 8C and new Spark designs. Mark is generous with his time and with his experience and knowledge. Our visit to his facility was a fitting and educational conclusion to a successful AXPONA show weekend.
Mark Seaton.
Rejected drivers. They meet manufacturer specs but not Seaton Sound specs.
Driver test fixture.
Shipping materials.
Dennis with a crossover board.
Crossover boards.
Upgraded 8-inch driver (left) for the Spark and Catalyst 8C models.
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