Hey guys
im finalizing a deal to get sponsored by brax!
im sooo excited!

did you know brax makes component speakers now?
take a look!

Brax Component Set

they retail for $2500

Percy, have you had a chance to demo these?

they look very sexy

Erick G

 

WOW thats expensive stuff!!! ur a lucky man!

 

Erick,

CONGRATS on the sponsorship! I think you're the first one to have the Brax lineup in the car...and be sponsored by it.

Now for the critical evaluation of the advertisements. I'll start with the good stuff first.

AWESOME crossovers. Looks like they're using a version of Alpha Core/Goertz air core inductors. These are arguably the best of the best in the industry. Scott Buwalda messed around with these sometime back and has liked them alot. I also have these in my Dynaudio custom home speaker setup. Very low ESR and absolutely top notch for an inductor. The only thing they can use that would be even better is their silver foil edition which costs THOUSANDS of dollars for one inductor. Good start on the crossover.

The caps look like film polypropylenes. Very good resolution. Wish they used either Auricap or Hovland though. But, VERY NICE.

Resistors. Looks like metal film type, but not any of the high end that I'll usually recognize. Wish they used Caddock or Vishay VSRJ type. The Vishay's will run 10 dollars EACH resistor, but are known for their ultimate in transparency. Still, it's a good start.

Now for the bad stuff. They're not showing any REAL response graphs, 2nd order or 3rd order distortion. This is usually a good indication of the REAL transparency with the speaker system. There's another company that does this also that's associated with the high end. Rainbow Audio Reference speakers. They're charging 8 grand for a pair of speakers but with no real data. Makes me VERY cautious. Dynaudio has nothing to hide (and they prove it with the graphs). If these guys are SO "reference" caliber (Brax and Rainbow) then where are the graphs? It just trips the BS meter a bit.

The tweeter has a resonant frequency of 720hz according to the advertisement. Brax claims a range of 650 to 25,000 hz. Something isn't right. Even the most basic speakerbuilder WILL NOT run their speakers at resonant frequency. It will sound too "peaky" at that point and not level with the response of the tweeter beyond the resonant point. NOTE...They're using this as an advertising HYPE. If you look at the crossover specs, they're running the tweeter at 2000 to 25,000 hz. Anyone trying to run the Brax tweeter at close to 720hz, I'll personally have a chat with. 1500 hz is a good SAFE point to run them if you're using an active crossover. So, MARKETING HYPE ALERT.

The midwoofer. Ok...here they're touting "amazing stiffness to mass ratio". Hmmm...sound alot like MB Quart and their titanium tweeter marketing. Remember that high stiffness to mass ratio DOES NOT automatically mean good sound. A speaker has to be properly damped, otherwise irregular frequency response WILL occur. This will either sound harsh, shrill or some other form of nasties. But I suspect they're not publishing the distortion graphs for these (above) reasons.

Bottom line...Crossovers are excellent. I have yet to see any better, including Dynaudio. Now if that isn't high praise, I don't know what is. The speakers...they have to prove themselves with REAL graphs with certified Bruel and Kjaer equipment.

I may have to audition these, just out of curiousity sake.

Percy

 

Congrats man, great looking stuff!

 

thanks guys

cant wait to get it all installed
cant wait to hear the component speakers!

for now its a 50/50 sponsorship and as time goes by it becomes free on my end.

so its definetly a good start!

I would love for percy to hear these speakers
I will keep you guys posted and post some pics when my install is done, wont be for another month or so.

Erick G

 

Congrats man. That is really something I would do although I hate sponsorships. Brax does have amazing products!

 

congrats dude, brax does have some real good stuff

 

thanks

retrodrive i9m not a fan of sponsorship
im not too fond of putting stickers up
so i might incorporate my sponsors in my trunk install
with some custom backlit wording

if i didnt get the sponsorship i would of whent mcintosh/dyn
so its a win win situation, i get to save a little more $$ now

Erick G

 

Eric,
Congrats...you car surely deserves this....email me when you get a chance to continue our discussion on your trunk and my trunk and your installer....

Peace.

 

Congrats bro! That's quite a sponsorship!

 

Congrats on the sponsorship!!

Don't sweat the sticker thing. If you can incorporate their logo into the install, great. Their marketing dept. should be able to give you ideas on display stands and literature. Remember when talking to them that you still have $1,250.00 coming out of your pocket. With the mark up on audio, don't think they are giving anything up. They will work with you.

Todd

PS...I was looking forward to beating you...I mean, MEETING you. But now, as a sponsored vehicle, you'll be in Pro...a step I don't want to take.

 

Erick - At least U get to keep the equipment after it's all over. U should also get access to prototypes & also excellent installation help as well. I'm with Percy & Retro concerning sponsorships. I've been onboard with RF & Kicker before & while their assistance was nice ( & the prices impossible to beat!! ), I didn't like being told when & where my vehicle was to be on certain weekends. I realize that's part of the tradeoff, though. I just wasn't ready to be a full time competitor. I gave up competing when it became impossible to use a true daily driver in the contests. If that sounds like sour grapes it's not but let's see Steve Brown throw 6-8 bags of groceries into HIS trunk!! :eek: I still wish U well & know that U'll represent the Lexus marque to the best of your ability!! Perhaps I'll see ya around some shows as I still frequent them.

 

mene gene I totally agree
I dont compete in sound I do mostly big car shows.
and im only driving so far
I might do SEMA if they need me for the booth but im not about to drive to CALI for a show every other weekend lol
btw I would trailer my car to SEMA I aint driving THAT far

Erick G

 

I was sponsored by a local car audio shop a few years ago, overall it wasnt a bad experience. Just make sure you know exactly whats expected and they know what you're willing to do before you get into everything. We drew up a little schedule, we decided to do around 15 events a year, which wasnt too bad. Anyway, good luck and great company to get in with.

PS, I think there was a thread about sponsorships awhile back..

 

I changed my mind about getting sponsored
they want me to do 25 shows a year
they want me to attend SEMA and WCES
I got better things to do with my time then to be forced to put extra miles on my car so that someone else can tell me my car sounds good or bad to them.

So my backup plan is mcintosh amps (if i can find a dealer)
and dynaudio components.. not sure on subs yet

thanks

Erick G