General Information About Joseph Crowe Custom Audio Products

February 5, 2023

In this blog post I describe the type of services that I currently offer and some helpful information surrounding those services.

Contact:

Email: Joseph_crowe@josephcrowe.com

Phone: 613-920-5934 (please text in advance to schedule a call)

My social media links are posted below. Most discussions happen at my Facebook page.

General Company Details

Here are some details about my business that may be of interest.

My name is Troy Joseph Crowe and I'm 42 years old
I started my business full time in 2017
I am sole proprietor. I run my business from my workshop and I have one full time fine woodworker.
I am located in Ontario Canada and I ship globally
I design and build custom speakers for home audio
I focus on two channel music, specifically horn speakers
My shop is split into these areas of operation

Woodworking (manual and CNC)
Acoustical testing area
3D CAD computer workstation

Shopify Store

All projects are quoted up front in the form of a custom product page that I create on my website which is powered by Shopify, and E-Commerce website platform. I will detail out the project scope, lead time, and payment terms on the product page. An example of this can be found here. If you decide that you want to proceed you can complete the transaction right on the product page. An order confirmation is then emailed to you with your order number. This number also serves as the drawing number for any potential project drawings. This is where I get my product numbering scheme from (ie. Horn No.1670). The numbering also in in sequence, so bass cabinet No.1829 was developed before bass cabinet No.1830.

Most quotes that I provide are fixed and are not merely estimates. This gives the customer confidence and assurance that there will be no overruns or surprises.

Types of Projects

Here is a brief list of the types of projects I take on for either individuals or other businesses:

Complete speaker design (Cabinet, crossover, driver selection and horns/waveguide design) (for individuals or other businesses)
Driver testing and test reports (vintage and new drivers) (for individuals or other businesses)
Prototyping (for individuals or other businesses)
Custom turn-key builds or component builds (cabinets and/or horns)

Projects I typically avoid:

Refurbishing or upgrading existing speakers
Using old drivers and putting a finished speaker together.
Designing a system based on a customer's existing drivers.
Crossover upgrades for existing speakers

Commercial Licensing

Thinking of starting a speaker company?

The ES horn flare curvature is used in nearly all of my finished speaker design products. The ES curvature is the best performing curvature for sound quality. Most of my designs are available for commercial licensing allowing you to product the finished speaker on a royalty based agreement. Here is a short list on some example technologies that are available for licensing:

Co-Entrant horn technology No.1416
ES Horn for AMT tweeter technology No.1905
Speaker System No.1815 and No.1786
Speaker System No.1309

Non-Exclusive Licensing

This scenario allows you to produce a finished speaker product based on my design using the ES horn flare curvature. I require a 5% royalty payment on your speaker sales to your customer. I also offer custom design services to make your product unique in the market. There are certain conditions that are required. You must advertise in your marketing that the product uses "Joseph Crowe's ES Horn Flare Curvature".

Licensing Agreement Support

Often entrepreneurs don't have the manufacturing background to fully navigate supply procurement. I provide a procurement package consisting of 3D CAD files, Assembly and detail drawings along with suggested manufacturing methods (CNC machine setup images) to help support the RFQ process. I also can reach out to potential suppliers to obtain production quotes. I can also support estimates on production costs based on a certain annual volume.

Limitations

I only license to those looking to produce a finished speaker project. I currently do not license reproduction of my horn components. However I am always on the lookout for commercial shops that can supply CNC machined horns to me, as I tend to get quite busy at times.

Consultation Services (Home Audio Market)

More and more I am offering general consulting services. This is not something I was expecting however there is high demand for video chat where you can grill me with questions. Here is a summary of where I feel I can provide some value added guidance.

Business plan consultation for potential entrepreneurs

How to create a distinctive product in a competitive segment (Home audio)
Social media marketing strategy
Overall business viability assessment
Manufacturing feasibility study

Online Class (for individuals or businesses)

One on one teaching via Google Meet
Loudspeaker design and measurement
Software instruction

Loudspeaker Measurement (ARTA, DATS or other)
3D CAD modelling (Solidworks)
CNC CAM programming (BobCAM or other)

General audio Q&A and discussion

System Design Retainer

For the hobbyist designing their 'End Game' horn speaker system and are taking their time.
For the hobbyist that is on a journey and wants to understand and create something that is unique and special.
I answer technical questions on an ongoing basis
I provide relevant test data, or conduct custom testing based on the customer's request.

Speaker Plans and 3D CAD files

Speaker plans are available for the hobbyist in the form of complete speaker plans or 3D CAD files for components such as horns. The files are automatically emailed to you after purchase on my site. This is the main reason I went with Shopify for my website. Since it offers automatic fulfillment of digital products.

This is a great way of evaluating my products before larger design and build commissions. Please click HERE for help finding a local shop to build your project.

Please share your build photos with me by email me. Also, please feel free to share your project on the local forums and social media. Feel free to tag me so I get a chance to see.

If you don't see something that you need, please contact me. I might have a finished design that I simply have not published publicly, or I can create one for you.

Horns

I continue to custom make either biradial or circular horns on an order by order basis. I typically make the horns from either solid walnut or cherry. Please contact me before ordering to confirm lead time.

Limited Production Runs

Occasionally I will do a limited production run and offer them at discount. An example of this can be found HERE where the ES-600 Biradial is on offer for 25% off and ready to ship. Shipping is free for european countries and +$200 USD shipping for USA and CANADA customers (Western hemisphere). I also will include complete speaker plans to allow construction of a 15" 2-way speaker.

Asking for Quotes

Please send you questions or requests to the email address below.

Joseph_crowe@josephcrowe.com

When sending an email please include the following:

Is this project for personal use or do you have commercial interests? Either way it's fine, I just need to know up front.
What country you are from. This helps me know what is possible for shipping, and local supply. For example some countries can't get certain brands of drivers.
Please include website hyperlinks where applicable. This saves me time doing a google search for a particular driver model for example.
Please avoid writing a novel.

Normally I can provide a quote in my first response. This might be in the form of a design quote, or for some time to do a video chat where we can discuss your project in more detail. I do enjoy talking to fellow enthusiasts, and this seems to be a very affective way to understand quickly what the customer's specific needs are.

Special Thank You

I want to thank all of my existing customers for making my business viable. I am grateful for any work that comes in. The fact that they've chosen to come to me is very flattering and I don't take it for granted.

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