Only Vinyl -
First of all I am a new member to the forum and normally an introduction would be in order but there are three people that I must thank for working together to make this pair of speakers a reality. Jim Salk - someone I have never had the honor to meet in person but was the first manufacturer to listen completely to my request and follow through with a design that went beyond my expectations. Bruce Campbell - I have no clue who you are but your workmanship is the true definition of perfection. These speakers are just flat out gorgeous. Jeff Bagby - Wow, what a work of art on the cross over. The imaging, detail, bass control, just a wonderful musical presentation.
IMO, Jim is an exceptional person - he really took a chance with someone he never met. He had to assume that I was someone he could trust and that I would not back out and be extremely patient through this entire process. Many thanks for the willingness to work with me to take this project to completion.
An extremely good friend came by tonight because he knew I had just received the speakers and he was very anxious to hear how they sound. His one comment, "You are there" really expresses the musical presentation that these speakers deliver.
As to the black top - I feel it is a nice touch to the design. It integrates very well with the finish.
Introduction: I am a member of HAS (Houston Audio Society) and actually also one of the three people that worked at getting the idea and formation of HAS off and running. We are into our sixth year and are looking forward to many more. I am the moderator of our Yahoo page and I know first hand the responsibilities that carries. Two channel is what I enjoy, I let the wife have the television, this has worked very well for the almost 34 years that we have been together.
Jim, Bruce, Jeff - thanks again,
John Z.
Thanks for the kind words - truly appreciated.
A few notes...
Bruce Campbell is a very talented "upscale" furniture designer. When I first met him, he was finishing work on a truly incredible bathroom vanity ($42,000). His dining room tables go for $15,000 - $30,000. He does things with wood that are simply beyond the scope of anything I could ever imagine.
When I asked him for some ideas for this project, he came up with about 20 sketches of possible cabinet designs taking into account the requirements (volumes, height, baffle requirements, etc.). Some were VERY unique (cabinets the shape of guitar bodies, cabinets in multiple sections, etc.). But we all seemed to gravitate to the simplicity and elegance of the obelisk design. So Bruce drew it up, full-scale, on a 1/8" sheet of Masonite and handed it over. It was up to us to figure out how to build it. And while it looks simple, figuring out all the internal and external angles was quite a challenge. But we got it done in the end. And we thought the crotch mahogany was a very nice choice. So we're glad you like the results.
Many people here are probably not all that familiar with Jeff Bagby. Jeff is well known in the DIY speaker world. He has authored a number of software programs for speaker design and is a truly gifted crossover designer. I met Jeff about 5 years ago a few days after we completed the very first pair of Veracity HT1's. Jeff heard them at an audio gathering and we have enjoyed a nice relationship ever since. A few years ago we worked on a project that resulted in our HTS Home Theater speakers series. After some success with that design, Jeff asked me if we'd be interested in working on a high-efficiency design. That was a few months before you contacted us regarding your project. I'm very certain Jeff will be very pleased with your assessment of his work.
So, on behalf of Jeff, Bruce and my assistants Mike and Sam, I want to thank you for the opportunity to work on this project. We thoroughly enjoyed the challenge you made possible. Thanks again.
- Jim
