[TheKurgan]

I am buying a new house and will convert the double car garage into a HT room. I will be gutting it out next month and have the room done within 2-3 weeks (New walls, Dry wall, carpet, HT Chairs, etc). I'm buying a 130" screen w/ a JVC projector.

I am purchasing from a friend's brother the Pioneer Elite SC09 receiver (he's getting divorced).

Now for HT primarily what speakers do you recommend? I live on Long Island and would love to audition both the HT3 and the LS6/LS9 if there is anyone in the area.

Here is the thing. I want to save money like anyone else and I've been frequenting many places like 6th Ave Electronic and Audio Den in Lake Grove.

My favorite speakers to date are the KEF Reference 205 for $10,000 a pair. I thought I was all set with the Paradigm S8's for the fronts. Great speakers but when I heard them against the KEF's IMO there was no contest.

Can anyone tell me from their experience what said speaker is most like the KEF's. Honestly from what I read the Veracity's may be. Are the LS6/9
s or array speakers fine for HT?

Thanks guys.

[mcallister]

I actually had the HT3's in my house for 30 days and sent them back. I now have three LS9's for my LCR in an HT setup.

The HT3's are probably the best sounding speaker with good source material I've heard. The LS9's are close but aren't as resolving in the upper octave as the HT3. That ribbon tweeter in the HT3 is magical sounding. However I listen to mostly rock and the overly compressed nature of these recordking really sounded horrid on my system with the HT3's and to be honest not much better on the 9's.

For theater i think the 9's or the 6's are amazing. Hugely dynamic, and a large soundstage with an enormous image. The HT3's worked well but lacked the dyanamics and depth I was wanting in home theater.
I really don't think you can go wrong with either speaker and i'd love to own the HT3's again someday for strictly 2 channel use.

[DMurphy]

For $10,000 a pair, there could be a new alternative in the new year.  Might not be ready in 3 weeks--but then no one finishes garage-to-Home Theater conversions as quckly as they think..............

[laserman]

Kurgan,

If you venture over to NYRave circle forum on this website you will see posts from owners who reside in NY or Northern NJ who own AV123 LS6 (and IIRC LS9's) and Salk HT3's.

You could also just post for assistance on that circle.  In addition, please make sure you vet AV123 at other websites to uncover their backstory.

Mcallister has written a very good opinion and it should give you pause...you really do need to audition these two speakers.  At the end of the day, you may decide you don't like either and decide to head in a different direction, as others have done.   

Enjoy the journey and your HT,
Lou

[evan1]

Kurgan,

If you venture over to NYRave circle forum on this website you will see posts from owners who reside in NY or Northern NJ who own AV123 LS6 (and IIRC LS9's) and Salk HT3's.

You could also just post for assistance on that circle.  In addition, please make sure you vet AV123 at other websites to uncover their backstory.

Mcallister has written a very good opinion and it should give you pause...you really do need to audition these two speakers.  At the end of the day, you may decide you don't like either and decide to head in a different direction, as others have done.   

Enjoy the journey and your HT,
Lou

You can contact JBTRIO who has HT3's but set up in 2 channel only no HT,he is in Staten Island. As for the LS6 you can contact SHADOWLIGHT who is in Princeton ,NJ. He has them set up for 2 channel and HT.

[TheKurgan]

Thank you guys so much for the reply.  Absolutely I need to audition these two speakers.  Now, can anyone, including Danny, tell me what speaker sounds more closely to the KEFs?

Hey Danny how do you think the HT4s sound compared to the KEFs?

Thanks.

[Big Red Machine]

I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy on the planet to have the HT3's and LS6's side by side in their dedicated room.

HT3's SPANKED them.  Hard.  No contest.  Embarrassing even.  Go Salk, or go home!

[evan1]

I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy on the planet to have the HT3's and LS6's side by side in their dedicated room.

HT3's SPANKED them.  Hard.  No contest.  Embarrassing even.  Go Salk, or go home!

 

[emac]

While I have no doubt that what Big Red and others heard is very true, that the HT3's creamed the LS6's, I do wonder if there wasn't something wrong w/ that pair of LS6's.  Like mcallister alluded to, I would figure that they would be relatively comparable w/ the HT3's having their strong points and the LS6's having theirs.  Should come down to personal preference more than anything else.  I find it easier to believe that the pair that Big Red got were broken, miswired, or had some other QC problem, especially since they were from AV123.  The LS's are complex speakers, and it's easy to mess up a little detail that throws everything off.  Meanwhile, we know that the Salks are well built. 

[oneinthepipe]

The LS's are complex speakers, and it's easy to mess up a little detail that throws everything off.  Meanwhile, we know that the Salks are well built.

That would be enough of a personal preference reason for me to buy Salk. 

[Big Red Machine]

I really hate it when folks question if the pair of LS6's I had were broken.  Four of us sat for an afternoon trying our best to get the LS6 to sound like a speaker worth keeping.  Tried every setting on the woofers and angling them in and out.  They were very nice on acapella voices.  That was it.

We put our ears up against every driver and did not hear any abnormalities.

One guy offered the fatal suggestion we fire up the HT3's which were sitting right next to them.  It was over on the first 10 seconds of the first track.  Unanimous decision within the hour by all was for me to return them.  I did and kept the HT3's.

I tried the LS6's in my family room for several days and in my HT for two days before that final move to the dedicated 2 channel room.  I thought maybe they would shine there.  They were 0 for 3.

I had discussions with AV123 leadership after that and we reached an agreement and they went back.

Overall I think I gave it a good college try.

One thing to also consider is they are a beast to handle due to their size and don't have much WAF.  Have folks enjoyed them in their HT's?  Yes, and they continue to enjoy them.  But for me and for the guys whose ears (no speaker builders in the bunch)I trust, they were a no-go.

[Big Red Machine]

Thank you guys so much for the reply.  Absolutely I need to audition these two speakers.  Now, can anyone, including Danny, tell me what speaker sounds more closely to the KEFs?

Hey Danny how do you think the HT4s sound compared to the KEFs?

Thanks.

I've heard them and the HT3 (three) betters them.  The B&W 802D's bettered the KEF's IMO and the HT3 (three) is pretty close for way less money.  The HT4 (four) folks is a world class speaker.  Way better performer than you can imagine. 

[TheKurgan]

Wow Big Red thanks.  I really have to hear the Salks myself.  Like I said the whole idea is to save money whole getting great speakers.  If I can get HT3's for about 4,000/pair and have them in the same league as KEF's then I need to listen to these speakers.  Why spend 10k on the KEF's.  I'm sure the HT4's then are superior but what speakers do the HT4's compare to?

Wouldn't having 2 HT3's in the fronts, the HTC center channel, and 4 HT1's be a great home theater setup? 

Would the Pioneer Elite SC09 be enough to power this 7.1 system?

[arthurs]

I had the opposite experience from Pete's.  Had HT3's here that were a buddy of mines, and really liked them, they are great speakers for sure, but in the end I preferred the prototype LS6's that were here and then my custom 9's I preferred over either, but then those are a bit different than what av123 sells.  Now that's in my room, in my rig, with my ears, my sonic goals and my preferences, so take it with a measure of doubt.  Everybody hears and prefers different things, you really need to listen for yourself to know for sure what stirs your drink.  My experience, FWIW, would tell me either is better than the KEF for a lot less $$$, but you should listen to those too to know for sure.  Enjoy the hunt!

[TheKurgan]

Man, thanks.  I must be a noob for sure.  I mean I have listened to some nice speakers before and I loved the Def Techs.  Then I heard the Paradigm Sig 8's and like I said I thought that was it...the buck stops here.  Then of course the Kefs were in the same room and I just couldn't believe the difference.  The guy at 6th avenue in Garden City said that the KEFs were the best speakers in the store and they sure sounded like it.

Now many are saying that the HT3s are superior to them over the KEFs.  The KEFs have received fantastic reviews (205s) as well as the Salks.

Anyone here from Long Island have the HT3s?

[ctouhey]

[snip] Like I said the whole idea is to save money whole getting great speakers.  If I can get HT3's for about 4,000/pair and have them in the same league as KEF's then I need to listen to these speakers.  Why spend 10k on the KEF's.  [snip]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I just don't get that statement.  Paraphrasing, "I want $10K sound for $4K".  Great concept.  Not necessarily the Salk concept, to my understanding.

Chris

[srb]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I just don't get that statement.  Paraphrasing, "I want $10K sound for $4K".  Great concept.  Not necessarily the Salk concept, to my understanding.

The Salk HT3 is just shy of being a $6K speaker, and to compare this Internet Direct speaker to a $10K Retail Store speaker sounds about right to me.
 
Steve

[toddbagwell]

During my two year wait for my AV123 LS9s, I considered canceling my order and going with a pair of HT3s.

I asked for a refund of my money from M.S. at AV123, he said sure. I waited and waited, finally out of frustration I said I just want this process over  i didn't care if I got a refund or speakers, but I was not going to get neither. After 24 months from the time I ordered, I got my speakers. They look nice, and sound nice. I had some shipping damage to the binding posts, and I found out last week that one of the two speakers didn't have the complete port assembly installed on all twelve ports on the left channel. I posted a customer service sub-forum post at AV123, hoping to get some port tubes in the mail, and the president of the company emailed me in a huff about how I shouldn't have posted an inflammatory post on their website. I'll let each of you decide if this is an appropriate way to treat a customer who has an issue with your product.
The port tubes are in the mail, and should arrive today. I will have to pull all 12 woofers out of the cabinet and install the ports then button it all back up. These are 4.5K speakers that were sold as A-stock. Not some b or c stock warehouse clearance specials.
I will not give AV123 any of my future business. This is my experience, and I'm sharing it with you in hopes that if you decide to buy from av123 you at least know what you could experience. If I had it to do all over again, I'd buy HT3s.
That is not because I don't like the sound, or the looks, or the value.

hope this helps in some way.

todd

[jackass]

I have one of the first pairs of LS6's from av123 and like them very much. That said, I would not do any business with that company. They are completely unreliable and frankly, unethical. Ethics aside, they have been sending out products with such bad quality control it boggles the mind.

If you get a chance to listen to a pair of LS6/LS9 and like them I would try to find a good deal on a used pair or have a costum pair made. Buying from the company will almost guaranty frustration.

I am currently waiting on a pair of HT-4's and can thank the failure of AV123 for causing me to look elswhere for my dream speaker. Unfortunately it has cost me $6K to find out I was not getting it from AV123.

[arthurs]

Good points, I was only thinking of the sonics aspect of the discussion.  Warnings about av123 business practices are very valid and should be heeded.