They are still around- a lot of E Bay and Craigs List Postings- Love the Albany Story-here is my EBay Guide on this crap:
Kirsch, Theatre Research, DiVinci & White Van Speakers
by: jimdaskal19( 63Feedback score is 50 to 99) Top 5000 Reviewer Edit this guide
31 out of 35 people found this guide helpful.
Guide viewed: 2487 times Tags: Kirsch | Theatre reserach | DiVinci Speakers
I've been involved in the audio industry for over 25 years, and have to say that these speakers have the worst components I've ever seen. As someone who has built and repaired speakers, and written published audio reviews well before the Internet came around, I am appalled at the chutzpah shown by manufacturers and sellers of this junk. The 'reviews' and 'guides' that speak positively of these things have to be posted by those who stand to profit from the sale of these inferior items. Take the Kirsch and DiVinci speakers, with thir glossy ads and websites claiming outrageous 'retail' prices - not that any reputable retailer would carry these dogs. Most recently peddlers of the DiVinci's have trumpeted an ad taken out by the company, and purchase of a booth at an electronics show as evidence that this is an established brand-when you have the kind of profit margins based upon $ 50 worth of components in a "$ 3600" package, I suppose you can afford a booth or an ad.
Imagine if a peddler of fake Rolexes', or 'Rolex quality' watches posted a website claiming that their junk that cost maybe $ 50 to manufacture is worth thousands - that is basically the case we have here.
I've had the opportunity to take apart a number of these speakers, and all I can say is if you read Wikipedia and other search results you obtain from Googling the term "White Van Speakers' or 'White Van Scam' the conclusion that the components are of 'exceptionally poor quality' is well founded.
For example, as I write this, there are at least 3 pairs of the "K803 Prodigy" speakers being posted on E Bay for $ 1500 or more, yet superior drivers (the speaker drivers -woofers, tweeters, midranges and the like) can be had for $ 20 or less per driver. The internal electronics such as the crossovers are the worst I've ever seen in nearly 3 decades as a hobbyist. Even the glossy cabinets lack the internal bracing you will find on quality speakers.
The drivers on the "$ 3000 pair" are pretty much the same as on another set of these towers sold under an earlier "White Van Scam" name that a friend bought for $ 59 in a local pawn shop.
Just for fun, we compared these 'beasts' to a pair of Infinty SM-255's bought off of E Bay for $ 300, using both analogue and digital sources, receivers and high end separate electronics. A sound level meter was used to ensure that the listening occured at the same volume level.
One of the girlfirends said it best : the Kirsch sounded like a clock radio compared to the Infinity's.
Maybe it was unfair - the Infinity's weigh 77 pounds versus 28 for the Klipsch... er Kirsch - but then the Kirsch is a $ 3000 speaker, the Infinities were $ 1000 new ... the weight alone should tell you just what junk the White Van Speakers are.
We've also performed listening tests comparing the "$ 2495"- oh please - Kirsch K3 'home theatre system to a vintage set of Infinity Qb speakers dating back to the 1980's, which you can buy for $ 150 or so; and to Logitech Z-5300 and Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 computer speakers. Experienced listeners suggested the best use of the Kirsch's was as a boat anchor, kids unanimously preferred the other sets.
I also had the (dis) pleasure of listening to a set of the "$ 3600" DiVinci's often posted here - even the best electronics cannot make a silk purse out of these sow's ears. We compared the DiVinci 607 model to a Polk RM-6800 5.1 home theater set up that can be had for $ 400 - or $3200 less than theDiVinci's.
It was no contest-- as my 12 year old put it 'where did all the instruments go' - there was no category- imaging, detail, tightness of bass- you name it- where the DiVinci's were remotely competitive.
With profit margins that would make oil companies jealous, I can see where they could now buy ads in magazines - one E Bay posting claims they are an 'established high end speaker' - you would have to be high to consider these anything but the low level junk they are. Scam is not a strong enough term, and these have earned their place on rip-off report.com.
If you pay less than $ 200 for any of these speakers, I don't think its a total rip off, but anything more than that and you've been had - anyone who writes that these things sound fine is either making money off of them, a scam victim seeking to pawn off his folly on someone else, or they need to have a root canal performed on their ears.
FROM WIKIPEDIA , The Online Encyclopedia on White Van Speakers and White Van Scam....
The brand name of the speakers is often intentionally confusingly similar to a well regarded speaker manufacturer. For example, the excellent reputations of manufacturers such as Klipsch, Paradigm, Dahlquist, and Wharfedale are used to sell speakers with the respective brand names of Kirsch, Paradyme, Dahlton, and Grafdale.
The speakers sold by the speakermen are of exceptionally poor quality, typically obtained for less than $50 from a local distributor. The speakers themselves have been reported as potentially damaging to any amplifier they are connected to. The risk of damage stems from an impedence curve that in some cases may drop below 2 ohms, which may overheat, short out, or permanently damage an amplifier not designed to handle such loads.
From ECoustics.com - Kirsch/DiVinci/ Theater Research Thread :
cheap speakers with the worst components any China man can find. My book shelf speakers sound much better than the fancy looking towers I bought.
getting scammed is no excu
