Audio Video News

In one of the more unusual press statements we’ve seen from an AV company, Nakamichi today announced that pre-orders for the highly anticipated Dragon 11.4.6 Home Surround System it previewed at CES 2023 will open next week but that the system will carry a higher price tag than originally announced.

The iconic brand, best known for the fabled Dragon cassette decks it produced decades ago, is hiking the price of the Dragon soundbar system to $3,900, up $400 (11%) from the $3,500 price announced at CES, but says it will honor the original price for the first 1,000 customers who place an order when the company begins accepting pre-orders at 9 a.m. PT on August 3.

The latest in a series of high-end soundbar systems from the likes of Devialet, Sennheiser, and others, the Dragon reaches new levels in price, sophistication, and performance. The system supports Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR) and is the first wireless system to provide the more expansive DTS:X Pro processing in addition to Dolby Atmos to create a true, object-based 11.4.6 sound field — not via upsampling but natively — from a five-piece setup that puts 31 drivers to work.

The Dragon soundbar system — which includes a 58-inch-wide soundbar that packs 17 drivers and seven digital amplifiers, two subwoofers, and a pair of Atmos surround speakers — a was singled out for an Editor’s Pick at CES 2023 for its ability to “effortlessly create a seamless sound bubble of envelopment.”

Nakamichi issued the following statement to explain the price move:

Nakamichi has made a significant decision regarding the pricing of Dragon. After a thorough evaluation of our production and shipping processes, we have determined that a price increase is necessary. We will continue to honor the current preorder pricing of $3499.99 for 1000 units, while supplies last. After the 1000 units, Dragon will be available at a new retail price of $3899.99. This pricing adjustment is implemented with the objective of addressing the challenges we are currently facing.

In recent months, we have encountered various obstacles that have impacted our production capacity. The intricate nature of Dragon, with over 700 components and a meticulous 110-step hand assembly process across four production lines, has revealed the need for additional labor beyond our initial estimations. Furthermore, our stringent manufacturing requirements have led to a lengthier but vital post-assembly inspection process encompassing mechanical, acoustic, and functional tests. Despite optimizing our throughput to 25 systems per day, these factors have unexpectedly raised the cost of manual labor.

We have recently completely redesigned our packaging for Dragon to ensure compliance with a 12-inch drop test. Each Dragon unit weighs over 140 pounds, and this packaging overhaul is aimed at guaranteeing the utmost protection during transportation. Additionally, we collaborated with freight forwarders to optimize container loading, prioritizing damage prevention during the 30-day ocean voyage to the USA. This involved minimizing box stacking to prevent any potential crushing, which in turn limited the capacity of each 40ft high cube container to only 128 units. While these precautions are crucial for ensuring the safety of our products, they have resulted in significantly higher packaging and shipping expenses.

Therefore, in order to ensure the sustainability of providing Dragon to our esteemed Nakamichi fans, we must take the necessary measures to address these challenges. The price adjustment will enable us to uphold Dragon's production capacity and world-class quality while providing an attractive price-to-performance ratio in the market.

We understand that price adjustments can be a sensitive matter. Rest assured that this decision was made after careful consideration and analysis of producing 500 Dragon systems. We greatly appreciate your understanding.

Thank you for your unwavering dedication and commitment to helping us redefine expectations of plug-and-play home theater solutions.

For more information, visit dragon.nakamichi-usa.com.