Do Physicists Or Musicians Design Better Speakers?

The Thors with upgrade xover cost me...$2K includes ship if I recall. $2K for the pair

The Thor design is free for the diy community.
Also, disabuse yourself: it's not the drive units alone that make the spkr. There are good units from many manufacturers -- it all depends on the application.

Sure the design is free. But how many here can read a schematic and have the necessary time and tools to do it. ?
The kit comes preassembled and takes about 8 hours/less with help from a friend.

"its not the drive units...that ULTIMATELY make or break a speaker"
"there are excellent drivers offered from many manufactures from all over the world that equal Seas' Excel"

"all depends on how they are wired and boxed, anyone can do what D'Appolito did, its nothing special about this man"

Care to explain and make specific mention of these "equally good drivers"

Name me one design under $3K that matches Thors
Other than The Tylers?

Paul

Would anyone buy a musical instrument from an instrument builder who wasn't also a musician?

The original question assumes that the skill sets are incompatible or mutually exclusive. I really don't believe that to be the case. Skilled engineers can be wonderful musicians and great musicians can have advanced degrees in engineering.

Name me one design under $3K that matches Thors
Other than The Tylers?

Eton 11.2 (it)

Dynaudio Twynn---long gone but a very good one (kit)

North Creek---many

Accuton, Skaaning, Scanspeak, Vifa, morel, Visaton, Focal
all make comparable drivers.

Name me one design under $3K that matches Thors
Other than The Tylers?

Now you're talking yourself into a corner, Paul. I'm sure your speakers are excellent, but this has nada to do with the topic at hand. First, you say the SEAS are the best drivers out there. Then, you claim they are "the best drivers for the $". Now, your challenge is for anyone to find a better speaker in the $3K range? Sorry, but "best anywhere" and "best speaker kit for the money" have no correlation with one another OR with this topic.

There is ALWAYS a "better" out there, no matter what you now have. If you're satisfied, great. If you're not--and it appears by your need to vehemently defend your choice that you're not--then listen to other options. Your attempts to discredit components that you have never heard does not negate their performance, nor does it make them disappear.