Tip-top stackables - Cheapest place

jackmattson · Post by **jackmattson** » Sun May 17, 2015 9:33 pm

Is there any place that has a deal on stackable cables?

Perhaps for bulk?

Summa · Post by **Summa** » Mon May 18, 2015 2:13 am

AFAIK nope

mothertongue · Post by **mothertongue** » Mon May 18, 2015 3:10 am

Bundles of stackables come up on eBay every couple months. I've amassed a varied group of 60-70 in the last year, for about half the normal price. For the quality of the cable, and their fantastic utility, I'm quite happy with the price.

Summa · Post by **Summa** » Mon May 18, 2015 3:58 am

well yes you can find them second hand of course...

echoplex · Post by **echoplex** » Mon May 18, 2015 4:57 am

waiting for that moment when someone has that brilliant idea to produce stackables for a better price than tiptop..
should be easily possible.. if I only had some business skills ..

Post by **Joe.** » Mon May 18, 2015 5:44 am

echoplex wrote:waiting for that moment when someone has that brilliant idea to produce stackables for a better price than tiptop..
should be easily possible.. if I only had some business skills ..

And the patent

echoplex · Post by **echoplex** » Mon May 18, 2015 8:40 am

don't think that there was any patent issues .. I mean, banana cables follow the same principle.. nothing new that tip top audio has invented really

continuum · Post by **continuum** » Mon May 18, 2015 8:42 am

echoplex wrote:don't think that there was any patent issues .. I mean, banana cables follow the same principle.. nothing new that tip top audio has invented really

We have a US patent on the design.

Blingley · Post by **Blingley** » Mon May 18, 2015 10:09 am

continuum wrote:
echoplex wrote:don't think that there was any patent issues .. I mean, banana cables follow the same principle.. nothing new that tip top audio has invented really
We have a US patent on the design.

So, did you take legal action against Arturia?

continuum · Post by **continuum** » Mon May 18, 2015 10:19 am

Blingley wrote:
continuum wrote:
echoplex wrote:don't think that there was any patent issues .. I mean, banana cables follow the same principle.. nothing new that tip top audio has invented really
We have a US patent on the design.
So, did you take legal action against Arturia?

I couldn't possibly comment publicly on any pending legal matter.

didahdrieghe · Post by **didahdrieghe** » Mon May 18, 2015 11:16 am

How the hell do you patent something so basic?

DickMarker · Post by **DickMarker** » Mon May 18, 2015 11:26 am

didahdrieghe wrote:How the hell do you patent something so basic?

You'd be surprised - think there's several patents for different types of paperclip!

unclewoody · Post by **unclewoody** » Mon May 18, 2015 11:29 am

didahdrieghe wrote:How the hell do you patent something so basic?

Have you seen some of the tech patents out there especially from the early internet? Actually John Oliver just did a bit on this:

[video][/video]

With that said, let the lawyers argue if this a significant change from stackable banana plugs...

TrondC · Post by **TrondC** » Mon May 18, 2015 12:28 pm

The new Erthenvar cables should offer the same functionality right? That said I love my stackcables

Blingley · Post by **Blingley** » Mon May 18, 2015 3:36 pm

didahdrieghe wrote:How the hell do you patent something so basic?

Design patents are not quite technology patents. Technology patent on the subject would have likely been denied on the basis of being obvious. The design, the specific implementation, on the other hand not. The Erthenvar cables for example show the same basic technology.

And for whatever it is worth, Apple has patents on a number of gestures for touch devices. "Slide to Unlock" being one off the top of my head. You can get away with things far more amusing than Stackables if you have good lawyers or speak fluent 'Patentese', at least in the states. Some people managed to patent the way to pay upper management, and some other business practices have been grabbed as well.

tta · Post by **tta** » Tue May 19, 2015 3:25 am

Blingley wrote:
continuum wrote:
echoplex wrote:don't think that there was any patent issues .. I mean, banana cables follow the same principle.. nothing new that tip top audio has invented really
We have a US patent on the design.
So, did you take legal action against Arturia?

No. Arturia licensed from us.

tta · Post by **tta** » Tue May 19, 2015 3:37 am

echoplex wrote:waiting for that moment when someone has that brilliant idea to produce stackables for a better price than tiptop..
should be easily possible.. if I only had some business skills ..

Stackcables uses a subminiature mechanism squeezing a 3.5mm jack plus a 3.5mm plug and ground shilled all into a tiny space. That is where the cost is mostly driven from.

They are also manufactured in the US.

erstlaub · Post by **erstlaub** » Tue May 19, 2015 3:44 am

tta wrote:
Blingley wrote:
continuum wrote:
echoplex wrote:don't think that there was any patent issues .. I mean, banana cables follow the same principle.. nothing new that tip top audio has invented really
We have a US patent on the design.
So, did you take legal action against Arturia?
No. Arturia licensed from us.

continuum wrote:
LoFi Junglist wrote: There is a patent, but Arturia recently released their Microbrute with some stackcable clones included. I haven't read anywhere that these clones were licsensed, but they are apparently the same.
Arturia did not license anything from us.

from https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewt ... p?t=138503

windspirit · Post by **windspirit** » Tue May 19, 2015 3:45 am

I think a lot of people think "oh that is so easy why is it so expensive" without really understanding what it takes to build/ design/ produce these things. For those of you who DIY or have at least seen these components, imagine taking a phone jack and stuffing that inside of a cable. It doesn't seem so easy when you look at it that way. Banana cables were designed to be stackable this way, they are large and only have a single connector, plus they expand so that they make a solid connection. Audio cables are not like this.

That being said I have been using the erthenvar splitters and am very satisfied with them. Some day I would like to invest in some stackables.

exper · Post by **exper** » Tue May 19, 2015 6:27 am

windspirit wrote:I think a lot of people think "oh that is so easy why is it so expensive" without really understanding what it takes to build/ design/ produce these things. For those of you who DIY or have at least seen these components, imagine taking a phone jack and stuffing that inside of a cable. It doesn't seem so easy when you look at it that way. Banana cables were designed to be stackable this way, they are large and only have a single connector, plus they expand so that they make a solid connection. Audio cables are not like this.

Exactly. 'It's so basic' until you actually do something on your own. But no one is going to build their own cable so that's why you have to appreciate what tiptop did here. Stackcables are pure genius. I can't imagine patching without them.

continuum · Post by **continuum** » Tue May 19, 2015 11:55 am

While this is absolutely no concern of anyone here, I will clarify my earlier comment by saying Arturia released those cables without contacting us at all and then a conversation began.

The real question you have all been asking is essentially 'will Tiptop defend their patent?' and the answer is a firm 'Yes.'

estin · Post by **estin** » Tue May 19, 2015 12:04 pm

continuum wrote:While this is absolutely no concern of anyone here, I will clarify my earlier comment by saying Arturia released those cables without contacting us at all and then a conversation began.

The real question you have all been asking is essentially 'will Tiptop defend their patent?' and the answer is a firm 'Yes.'

Glad to hear you guys are willing to stand behind your intellectual property, hopefully Arturia's deeper pockets won't prevail.

synthrotek · Post by **synthrotek** » Fri May 29, 2015 2:09 pm

Looks like the term "Stackable" is under trademark review:
https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=8659 ... atusSearch

If someone else used this term in the past, then now is the time to bark. if you care. Dont know how this affects the banana dudes.

Couldn't find anything patented here:
http://patft.uspto.gov/

Overall stacking audio cables (banana, RCA, etc) have been done for a while. Perhaps someone could "patent" their casing and version, but tons of options abound for design. Nothing very novel here.

You can get a mold made in Asia for $500-900, plus a MOQ cable run. Might be around a few grand to 10 grand to get it up and going. Quality will vary. TipTop's version are pretty nice, might have costed more.

At any rate, someone in Asia should and I assume will make these for cheaper quality and/or price. Matter of time. Just make sure you don't call them "stackable"

seank · Post by **seank** » Fri May 29, 2015 2:41 pm

FUCK. THAT.

also, it's stackcables. not stackables.

continuum · Post by **continuum** » Fri May 29, 2015 2:48 pm

US Patent 8,033,860 October 11, 2011

MUFF WIGGLER

MUFF WIGGLER

Tip-top stackables - Cheapest place

Tip-top stackables - Cheapest place