"Conservative sound": Talk Arslab and Penaudio

Floor speakers Arslab Classic 2

In the 34th issue of the Sound podcast, we are talking to Artyom Fairmark, the founder of Audiomania . During our conversation, we touch upon the history of Arslab acoustics, Audiomania’s collaboration with the Finnish brand Penaudio and the conservative approach to creating modern acoustics.
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• [ read ] [ listen ] "We are watching at home": Dolby Atmos and his friends;
• [ read ] [ listen ] How audio equipment falls on store shelves.

Alina: Today we will talk about the brands Arslab and Penaudio . Let's start in order. How did the Arslab brand appear and how did the idea of ​​creating your acoustics come about? Was there any certainty that they would buy and listen to her?

Artem: The idea itself appeared at the beginning of the 2000s, when I met Yury Fomin and his works in the field of Hi-Fi and High-End. However, at that moment the question of the start of production was not yet. We collected information, traveled to exhibitions, got acquainted with suppliers, manufacturers and studied the market.

Somewhere by 2008 we had an idea of ​​the model range, good suppliers were found. The most important thing is that the company "Audiomania" at this point has already grown strongly, because we could afford to produce the right amount of equipment and independently implement it. At that time it was the key to success.

Alina: In other words, you appreciated the market as a whole and understood which segment it lacks?

Artem: Yes, definitely. We have a complete understanding of the model range required by the consumer, pricing policy and the required quality. We also fully realized the possibilities of Audiomania for promoting this brand.

Alina: Tell me, please, how are management decisions taken on the Arslab brand? How is the development?

Artem: Development is ongoing. We are constantly researching new dynamics from our suppliers, considering current trends in the market from the point of view of building acoustic systems, psychoacoustics and other aspects.

Work is never worth it - rather it is an endless process. For example, examining the results of work for some recent period, we come to the conclusion that a certain model must leave the market so that it can be replaced by a new, more demanded one.

There are always some good things and solutions that we guessed, there are things that for some reason "did not go." But usually this is not a question of the sound that we create, but not falling into one of the requirements of the market.

Alina: To understand how the market will meet the model, that is, to evaluate the effect that the acoustic system will produce, do you release experimental samples in small batches? Or is it somehow different?

Artem: Its own factory, which includes woodworking production, gives unprecedented flexibility. We can carry out quite courageous experiments, releasing literally several units of one or another product in order to see how buyers, journalists, and sellers react to it.

Usually we show fully finished products. Only in this way can people feel the whole range of emotions. When we put forward the finished product, buyers evaluate it not only in terms of sound, but also from the point of view of design and all functional features. This is important both for us and for our customers.

Alina: It is clear that the work on new models is ongoing , but how is the decision made about what the product should be and what audience is aimed at?

Artem: Our sales practice shows that the Hi-Fi and High-End market is generally very conservative. He wants classic forms that are understandable - he needs simple rectangular boxes.

From an acoustic point of view, sometimes non-standard forms show themselves better, but when we show them to customers, they say that they will not deliver this to their home. They need a regular rectangular cube and, preferably, a black one.

Since the audience is conservative, the acoustics we produce are also conservative. Of course, we bring in certain design touches: beveled chamfers, original cuts, and slopes of the body, but they do not change the appearance of the acoustics drastically.

Alina: So this acoustics is designed for quite conservative people who are used to its particular appearance and, maybe, even to a certain sound, if they liked good classical systems before?

Artem: As I have already noted, Hi-Fi and High-End is a very conservative area. We can experiment a lot with the sound and its presentation, but the appearance of the speakers remains classic.

Less classic forms are more characteristic of the multimedia segment, which is designed for a young audience, and people come to Hi-Fi with age. People from 35 years old come to us for high-quality sound. They are counting on the purchase of some familiar form.

Models with "experimental" cases are often not the most "running." Customers say that the sound is good, but something is confusing, because they are choosing the already familiar Classic 3 .

Alina: But there was the same experiment with Arslab with bright orange columns Old School [ approx. Editor - Recently, the Old School line has been singled out as an independent brand ]. Many said and wrote that the system attracts attention at exhibitions. People come up, look, listen. How successful was he?

Artem: The model was preparing for an exhibition in Munich. Bright color was chosen to draw attention to this product. The exhibitions often show red or bright orange cars, red irons, kettles and refrigerators, but in fact black, white and silver ones are bought.

However, people are interested, bright color always attracts attention. Visitors to the exhibition did not depart from the column: taking pictures with her, because they liked the look and the bright design. Here, only 95% of this model is sold in black satin. Matte black is a classic.

People ordered a certain number of orange columns, because it is bright and unusual, but they cannot always be placed in a regular apartment. Most likely, they were bought for lofts or design studios, where the acoustics are taken as an element of the interior.

Alina: For more industrial interiors, maybe?

Artem: Yes, most likely. Where there are already bright objects, and this thing fits in well there. Maybe they were taken by people with an unusual vision who want to have something bright in the room.

Alina: Nevertheless, this column attracts attention not only in color but also in appearance. It seems to me that a certain visual parallel can be drawn between this column and the “old school” systems.

Can we say that it was an interesting design decision, “sharpened” under the nostalgic audience of old times, or at a young audience who wants to see some new reading of the topic familiar to parents?

Artem: When we were developing this column, we wanted to communicate through it with the older audience, who are accustomed to these forms: the classic wide panel, large speakers, but we did not want to make this model too old-school.

Our goal was to make a transition, so that the speaker system would be interesting for those who like the old design and those who want an unusual thing in a modern guise. In my opinion, we succeeded in this, because at exhibitions with these columns everything “embraces”: both old and young. I think we “caught” the line between the old and the new.



Bookshelf speakers Arslab Old School Superb 90

Alina: How do you invent names for models? Are there any stories related to this?

Artem: Initially, we did not want to choose very complex names, so the models of our most popular line are called simply: Classic 1, Classic 2, Classic 3. We also had a line of Emotion .

Initially, these were small speakers on 4-inch speakers, so the series should have been called Compact, but when we assembled them at the factory and began to listen, we didn’t notice how they flew for almost 4 hours, so much the sound captured us! All this time we have been discussing exactly the emotional perception of the column, because we called the series Emotion.

As for the Old School series, it is a tribute to the past. Its other name is Superb-90. Here is a small pun. Skoda has a Superb model - it's a big, powerful, reliable car and at the same time relatively inexpensive. Our column should be just that. As for the number 90 in the title, this is a reference to the column S-90, acoustics, about which they talk a lot.

Alina: Great! You say that some creative search is constantly underway, the development of new solutions. Are existing models modernized, are changes made to them?

Artem: Of course. There are hidden changes that are not visible to the consumer: this is work with crossovers and cables inside the speaker. As for the hull, we are constantly working to improve stiffness and damping.

There are more noticeable improvements when Twitter models are replaced, woofer models change. This is an easy upgrade that we never tell the consumer about, because this is our regular work that we have to do. If we want to be at the forefront of engineering, then we must refine our products, constantly make them better.

Alina: So, if a potential buyer sees the Classic 1 or Classic 3, does this mean that it remains unchanged for several years?

Artem: I think in every acoustics about every six months, some small change is made. If the model has been on the market for 3 years, then it already contains at least 5–6 small modifications.

Alina: On the issue of permanent changes and experimental models: given that Riga has its own production and its own woodworking machines that allow you to build acoustics cabinets, can a client contact you and say, “I really like your acoustics, but I want Cabinet from some expensive wood or other color?

Artem: We have already made different colors to order, it is quite easy. There were bright acidic red speakers on order. But this service is not very popular. Any non-standard intervention in the production process increases the cost of the product one and a half to two.

I think that the consumer simply does not make sense to invest in the color design of the column. This is already some kind of deep individualization. The price of a custom product will be based on 2 prices for finishing, and not for sound. Most likely, the client for this money will be able to choose a more interesting acoustic solution, some other acoustics, which is already implemented in the color he needs.

But, again, we can make the body to order. The man in the apartment needed bright red speakers. No problem, we did it.

Alina: This is a story about visuals, rather than music lovers.

Artem: Yes, it is sometimes unwise to invest in the design.

Alina: Tell me, is it possible to wait for some new models in the near future?

Artem: Of course, we will not disclose all the cards, but by the New Year we will have both updates and new models.

Alina: Great! And now, maybe, let's talk about a slightly more expensive segment, so to speak, about the brand Penaudio , which is also produced in Riga at the Audimania factory. I know that Audiomania owns the Penaudio control package. Why did you decide to purchase this particular brand? What did he interest you with?

Artem: It is not entirely correct to say that Audiomania owns a controlling stake, we are only one of the companies in the group. And where did the idea to buy Penaudio come from? We have been friends with Sami Penttilla for a long time. I always admired his products, they seemed so unusual and so cool in all respects.

Our company has always been the best distributor of Penaudio - always in first place in sales. When we had our own factory, Sami personally invited us to participate in the process of creating speakers and take on part of the management.



Bookshelf acoustics Penaudio Cenya

Alina: How does the division of labor occur in this bundle: Penaudio and Audiomania? I remind our listeners, Sami Penttilla - the ideologue, developer and author of the brand Penaudio, and he is engaged in the creation of new and refinement of existing models. And what does Audiomania do besides the production of speakers?

Artem: I wouldn’t call the designer themselves, he is an artist, a man of art. He listens to each of the speaker systems himself, he listens to his whole family of musicians. Moreover, with each model he travels with his friends and acquaintances, shows, listens to opinions, and only then makes final edits. All his products can be said to have been approved by a group of musicians, and by this they are interesting.

As a creative person, it has always been not very interesting to deal with issues related to production - this is logistics, the purchase of components, communication with suppliers: something is purchased in one country, something in another. We need to maintain contact with everyone, and this is a bit oppressive to him. Therefore, our alliance was very successful.

He deals only with development, auditions, communication with distributors, customers and his familiar customers in Finland, and we fully took over the entire production cycle and all issues related to delivery to the consumer. It suits him, us too.

Alina: It turns out that, freeing Yourselves from performing routine duties, you helped to improve the acoustics of Penaudio, because now its creator was able to direct all his creative energy in the right direction.

Artem: Of course. In just 2 years, he practically updated all model lines, reworked and refined them. Many new acoustic systems have been released. For us, part of the routine work, from which Sami was freed, is tied to common processes related to our other products. It does not take away from the company a lot of time and resources.

Alina: As far as I understand, before the production of acoustics Penaudio occurred in Finland. Now in Finland there is some kind of team that works with Sami, or is the whole production moved to Riga?

Artem: All production was finally transferred to Riga. It was a long process, as it was necessary to master quite unusual technologies. In order not to risk, we tested prototypes for a year, which we did under the guidance of Sami.

He needs the case to have a number of technical, tactile and visual features. For example, it is important to him that the veneer made of plywood is not smoothly polished, it must have a certain texture that is felt when touched.

While we were working on all the nuances, the corps continued to produce in Finland. It is worth noting that manual labor was often used there, and there are things that are best left to machine tools. For example, drilling precision holes for the speakers - for this we have German equipment. Automation of some processes has improved the quality of buildings and build quality.

I can definitely say that the corps have not lost anything, but, on the contrary, they have gained. From the point of view of external and tactile sensations, everything was worked out together with Sami, and of course we took upon ourselves the technical aspects. When Sami writes posts on Facebook, he always notes that now everything has become much better.

Alina: How often do you have to go to Riga yourself or do you go to Finland?

Artem: The interaction takes place as needed. We meet with ourselves once every 2–3 months. Or he comes to Riga in order to discuss something and see, or we to him. In general, this does not happen regularly. When a new model comes out or some kind of update is discussed, then the meeting naturally takes place.

I will add that the discussion of models and service is conducted every day. Every day we exchange 2-3 letters with ourselves. This mainly concerns issues related to the wishes of customers.



Bookshelf acoustics Penaudio Rebel

Alina: I don’t know how to correctly compare different brands and brands, but are the budget line Penaudio Rebel and Arslab competitors? Who might be in Penaudio's mind, and who better to look at Arslab?

Artem: First, these are different price categories. Not the fact that people who are ready to buy Arslab, will be able to buy Penaudio. Although everyone can try and choose to your taste. Secondly, there is always the author's handwriting. If it were not, in the world there would be only one column, the best, the only and unique.

Those people who like our approach with the Arslab design may not like the approach themselves. And vice versa. I do not think that Arslab and Penaudio are competitors. Different people will like something in one acoustics, and something in another.

Alina: That is, one cannot say that these are brands designed for different age categories or for some other specific segments. Rather, you need to come, listen and make your choice based on sensations and budget.

Artem: Yes, definitely. In Arslab we try to do neutral columns, more, let's say, “smooth”. Themselves always focuses more on their auditory sensations, his speakers are ideal for those who listen to classical music, vocals.

He pays a lot of attention to listening to musicians who play live instruments. Someone might like it, some - no. But to listen, I think it is worth both.

PS In our blog on GT, we discuss a variety of aspects of speaker systems and audio:

• Penaudio: True Finnish Sound
• "We look at home": Dolby Atmos and his friends
• How audio equipment gets on store shelves
• Audio Digest # 6: Do it Yourself, Interesting about Sound and Audio Technologies
• "Do not stop and try new": A little about the history of Lehmannaudio