Only Me, Too

Many audio tasks can be looked at as problems for which must be solved in a way that meets the need and budget of the end user. If we look for solutions in the audio products available to us, we find two basic forms - the common and the unique. The common approach offers a solution that is available from a number of different manufacturers and has only minor variations between each device. The unique devices offer an approach that are focused on a more specific solution or even a different perspective on the problem you need to solve. As many of the latest audio products have become a box of DSP with connectors on the rear panel, it may not be easy to determine which products fit which category.

The common approach to a typical application, such as the generic loudspeaker processor, has a number of advantages. The methods and features have been tested through a wider implementation than just this single product. Users of other manufacturers products can also provide valuable feedback on the approach and this eventually generates an industry-wide consensus on the requirements for the product. Using a common-approach product will enable you to find an equivalent when your usual supplier is out of stock. You won't have to spend as much time learning the alternate, as they share the same concepts. The cost can be easily compared between competing units and this (should) lead to more competitive pricing from the manufacturers and distributors. You may even find that the upgraded units are compatible, as broader user base adds inertia to the innovation engine inside each manufacturers R&D department.

There is a down side to making use of the more common product types. For instance, if the focus of all the manufacturers has been the touring market and you are using this product in a fixed installation; there may be aspects of the product that are unsuitable. The corollary is also important, trying to make a device roadworthy can be frustrating when it was originally designed to work in an equipment room rack and not bounce around in the back of a truck between shows. You may find that any unusual application (and for some, this is every application) will lead you to compromising on specific requirements or paying for unnecessary features. In addition, using the same types of devices as everyone else can make your services seem less distinctive.

The unique product offers features that are not available or awkward to access in other products. In the best situations, this unique approach will provide just the right set of features, meeting the needs of the end user in the most efficient manner. This efficiency may be a great user interface with just the right controls in exactly the right relationship (this could happen…); or it may be getting the most functionality in the smallest box with the lowest price. Sometimes the unique product is so well adapted to what you need that a lot of time is saved setting it up and making follow-up adjustments. There are even devices that are so unique that you simply can't achieve the function any other way.

However, the unique approach also has other qualities to consider. You may need to spend extra time learning the specifics of the device in order to implement it. This can range from deciphering installation and operating manuals to traveling to the manufacturer's training facility. The unique qualities of the device will not be widely known and may be difficult to gather from other users. That perfect match between the unique product and an application can be broken by new needs or constraints. The training and potential redesign aspects of the unique product may make it more expensive to use than the base cost of the unit indicates. Of course, the fact that fewer people will buy a product designed for very specific applications may cause the unit price to be relatively high.

These days, perhaps the most feared aspect of a unique product is the possibility you are being enlisted in the product development team when you buy the device. A smaller base of users is likely to make it more difficult for the manufacturer to spend the time testing the unit before placing it in production. However, we all know that this is not an absolute, as we have all used mass-market (non-audio) products that didn't appear to be fully functional before going on sale. Then there is also the possibility that when you need the next unit (or a replacement) that the unique product is no longer available.

You must decide which approach best suits your application and be prepared to determine which category products currently fit within. Sometimes the most unique product becomes the most common, when the market recognizes a universal need has been addressed by it.

United Entertainment Media Inc.
460 Park Avenue South, 9th Floor
New York, NY, 10016
Ph. 212-378-0400
FAX 212-378-2160

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