August 10, 2011. A year past my Sep. 2010 review of Voxativ's original Ampeggio then €16'900/pr, Art Dudley's Stereophile review leading to a Product of 2011 win had it at $29'750/pr. This presumably reflected unforeseen international distribution margins on a product first priced for German sales only; and/or being held hostage by Schimmel Piano insisting on a far higher cut for carrying their name; or else. Fast forward to 2023. According to this Stereophile post, the company's just released 15th anniversary Ampeggio re-issue now costs a deflationary €12'900/pr yet implements a new horn geometry "optimized for less coloration and a bigger horn mouth for extra punch; stronger back legs; and the AC-1.9 ferrite driver with underhung voice coil and either Washi paper or wood diaphragm". The enclosure is MDF and its black-gloss lacquer no longer outsourced to Schimmel. These two factors suggest significant savings on the manufacturing side. Yet 2023's Berlin-made Ampeggio still sells through dealers to give customers critical audition privileges whilst implying the same distribution math which made the original so much pricier. And that makes the new sticker extra sexy. I felt that new low deserved a shout-out amidst the generally escalating pricing trend in our high-end sector. According to the Voxativ press release, these savings were enabled by accumulated experience and grown scale of manufacturing. Kudos for letting our wallets not profit margins be primary beneficiaries. Most companies figuring out how to lower manufacturing costs silently pocket the difference and laugh all the way to the bank.
Voxativ's website
