I have a pair of Coincident Troubass. They serve as the stands for my Digital Masters, kind of like the Wilson Puppies sitting under the WATTs. The Troubass perfectly match both the Troubador and Digital Master, and make the appropriate stand for either Coincident satellite.
Personally, I like them a great deal, even though they're not nearly as efficient as Israel claims. I can say they're down a few dB from the satellites. With my Digital Masters, they're not exactly necessary, but having that last octave on the bottom provides the music with its foundation, which adds a nice bit to the end result. I don't always have them hooked up, and when I don't, I can't say I couldn't live with the sound as is, it's good enough. They definitely fall into the camp of "a good sub is only noticed in its absence" type of subwoofer, as opposed to the wowie zowie, look at me type.
They mate well enough with moderate power tubes, though the 10" Peerless drivers in the large vented cabinets provide close to blow you back kind of bass with the right solid state amplification. I definitely feel the matching satellites are best served with transformer coupled tube amplifiers.
I don't mean to seem like the negative type, but you're going to be extraordinarily hard pressed to find a pair for sale (I wouldn't sell mine for 10X what I paid for them), let alone in whatever finish matches your Troubadors. I don't ever remember a pair of Troubass coming up for sale here on Audiogon. A person or two has told me they approached Israel about having a pair made, and they were refused, though I have no first hand experience with that. Should be an easy buck for him to make, unlike the Troubador or Digital Master, each of which have no parallel sides, as the cabinets are very simple and straightforward.
Good luck! |
Thanks, but the statment I wouldn't sell them for 10X what I paid for them just means they're not for sale.
Apart from matching the veneer, building a Troubass would be relatively straightforward and simplistic for any cabinetmaker of moderate ability. The crossover is a simple cap/coil network, the driver is a 10" Peerless 1727XL (I believe it's the 1727 of the XL subwoofer driver line - I bought 4 of the driver which replaced them for a project of my own design), the wiring is off the shelf 12 AWG OFC, and a vent is obviously nothing exotic.
Unfortunately, Israel not getting back to you seems to be par for the course. He does himself more harm than help by doing little to support second, third, etc. owners of the product. I used to firmly believe that Coincident was going to become one of the legacy companies in this industry. The products and marque once had everything going for them - good construction, good looks, good sound, easily driven by low-moderately powered tube amplification in the early days of what was to become an enormous tube renaissance. All things considered, Coincident should have perhaps become the most successful loudspeaker company for the type of dedicated audiophile that you find on Audiogon, AudioAsylum, and AudioCircle. It's sad on a certain level, but he completely squandered the fortunes of the company by his dealings with both customers and dealers alike. Human nature is such that people are often their own worst enemies, and do more to sabotage their own success than any/every other factor combined. |
Israel Blume, "I have a folder which contains every email sent to me within the last 3 years with my replies to them. There is not a single one that did not receive a timely response to an inquiry."
Based on Horsnit not getting a reply to his Troubass inquiry, the streak of EVERY single e-mail being replied to has been broken. Darn, I hate when that happens! |
Israel Blume, "Your glib final sentence is uncalled for."
If you look up the definition of "uncalled for" in the dictionary, you'll find the entry references using my name and opinion in the advertising on your website without my permisssion. I'm formally asking you here and now to remove it. |
I'm going to stand right up here and call you a liar, Israel Blume.
The fact is I've received several e-mails since last night that refute your claim about answering every e-mail that you receive. Beyond that, even before receiving them, Horsnit's probably the fifth person I've encountered over the years who've mentioned Coincident's selective communication.
No one would have a problem with an entity not producing a product that was discontinued 10 years ago. Ignoring folks who inquire about them is another kettle of fish.
I'll thank you for removing my name and words from your website. With as many fans of the product you've had over the years, including me, why you would feel the need to resort to post comments of people on your website without first having asked permission of the person or offering any compensation is something that I question. |
Israel Blume, "Coincident has grown tremendously over the years."
TOTAL BS. A company which sells direct should offer pricing more attractive than one with a dealer network, which only adds another layer of cost into the equation. However, as the Coincident dealer network collapsed (ask any former dealer why), and the company went to a direct sales model, the loudspeaker prices, have not only increased, but substantially so. Inherently, a more expensive product line will sell less in terms of quantity, forget about the fact that we're dealing with the shrinking market of high-end audio.
Israel Blume, "Our policy is that we post customer comments as we receive them."
Again, TOTAL BS. You didn't "receive" them. Let's be clear, you cut and pasted them from a post right here on Audiogon way back. Receiving something infers permission was granted; taking them in the manner you did implies nothing of the sort. That's a not so subtle difference.
Once again, I restate my earlier post, Coincident WAS ONCE an ascendent company, one I felt would have joined the likes of the truly successful loudspeaker companies like B&W, Totem, and Vandersteen. With the tube renaissance, combined with the high (though not as high as claimed) sensitivity of the loudspeakers, the stars were truly aligned for that to happen. Many dealers, three of which being the local dealers in my area (Philadelphia, PA) came close to taking on the line for obvious reasons (Coincident makes a damn good speaker), but decided not to for things unrelated to the actual product. Again, what dealer network that was built has completely faded. |
The pity party aside, if you cannot get the specs on the Troubass, Horsnit, just let me know. I'll post the details so you can put a pair together. |
Thanks for your encouragement, Montejay, I appreciate it.
I was involved with Fried before Bud passed away a few years ago, and in my opinion, Bud and I had some really exciting ideas we wanted to move forward with. While the Troubass is sure enough a marketable design, would probably would fill a void in the marketplace, I think that there are other strategies also worthy of a serious look were I going to market it - for example a Line Tunnel (pseudo TL), which I also have in a pair of floorstanders as well as a matching sub can offer superior transient response and articulation of the notes without adding additional strain on amplification. Also, another pair of subs I have which feature a sealed box with on-board power (Class A/B amplification) using a more recent Peerless subwoofer driver design are also worthy and interesting in that the matching sat I have with true TL and series crossover presents probably the finest combination of musicality, imaging, and ease on the partnering amplifier I have encountered, and allows me to run very low power tubes without issue or compromise.
But, upon reflection, I think that North American companies are underrepresented in terms of electronics, as opposed to loudspeakers. So, now I'm about to launch a line of amplification with our partner, AtmaSphere. |
Israel Blume, "Not only is it totally classless for any manufacturer to comment negatively about any competing product in a public forum, to do so covertly and under the guise of being an objective audiophile with no vested interest, falls under the category of fraud or at a minimum devoid of ethics."
Thank you for this! That was the best laugh I've had in quite a while. Akin to Jeffrey Dahmer complaining about how it's no longer safe to go outside because of all the serial killers.
Before I move on, please allow me to address the accusation of being covert. I've been one of the more visible members of this site for a decade. Apart from being away on vacation here or there, there hasn't been a week that's gone by that I have not posted something here on Audiogon. People here know EVERYTHING about me. I was the first person to request Audiogon develop the means to have a person's moniker in the threads designate them as "audiophile", "reviewer", "dealer", or "manufacturer/distibutor". You can call me a lot of things, but covert is one that won't stick. And your competing product statement - what competing product do I offer??? You keep forgetting that I talk your speakers up, it's you I talk down.
Seriously, folks, as some of you have pointed out - I honestly like the Coincident product. I also strongly dislike the owner. The two things are not mutually exclusive. I'm not sure why that's so hard to reconcile. Just as good people can turn out good products, good people can turn out bad products. Conversely, bad people can make bad products, and bad people can make good products - as in the case of Coincident.
Why do I feel this animosity? Because Israel Blume has seriously screwed over several very close friends of mine, professionally. Which is why he no longer has a dealer network. As an awful lot of people inside the industry will tell you, Israel is truly one of the biggest sleazebags in the high-end audio business. One of his former dealers wrote me over the weekend in regards to this thread put it, "Did you know Israel was a lawyer before he started making loudspeakers - enough said." It kind of came as a surprise to me, as I had no idea of that being the case. He's done such an awful job defending himself here, God help anyone who had him representing them.
Of course he's now forced to try to provide some semblance of customer service. If he messes up the direct sales, he'd actually need to go out and find himself a real job. |
I'd like to personally thank everyone who both participated in this thread, and have contacted me offline for their perspective and support. It's been encouraging to say the least. |
