[kingcrowing]

Title says it all, they seem fairly close on paper, what would be the benefit of one over another? Would both do ok without a subwoofer?

[Saturn94]

I would expect the 3 way Song 3 to have a cleaner midrange since the separate mid driver doesn’t also have to pull bass duties like in the 2 way HT2-TL.

I use to own the HT2-TL and noticed the midrange would clean up when I crossed them over to a sub, relieving the HT2-TL of bass duties.

[Meicheng]

The 3Beat is front ported whereas the HT2-TL is rear ported.  So I'm guessing one could place the 3Beats closer to the wall. 

[Rocket]

Hi,

I do like the seas midrange of the HT2TL.  I noticed going from the HT2 to HT3 that the midrange was night and day more transparent.  I have no experience with the audio technology midrange driver so this would be a factor as well.  I also have another pair of song 3's and the midrange even from my distant memory of the HT2's isn't quite as good.

Ask Jim as I've find him very open and honest and he will guide you to the correct speaker for your requirements.

Cheers Rod

Ps. I've been buying speakers from Jim since 2008.

[Jenner]

The 3Beat is front ported whereas the HT2-TL is rear ported.  So I'm guessing one could place the 3Beats closer to the wall.

Meicheng:
Blanket statements/assumptions suck. My HT2-TLs are front ported. One of the great benefits to Salk speakers is how much you can customize them compared to a mass produced "retail" speaker.

Kingcrowing:
I don't find there to be any midrange issues with the HT2-TLs. The woofers perform double duty very well. That said while they can play down to low frequencies they cannot do it at super high volume levels. I like to "feel" my music and will crank it over 100db (measured via SPL meter not my volume display) at times.

So mine are crossed at 80hz and I run them in 2.1 mode when I listen to music allowing my Rythmik G25HP to do the low bass which it excels at. The HT2-TLs as Saturn94 noted really shine when more of the power goes to it's optimal range.

I have a feeling the 7.5" woofer isn't going to fare much better in the BeAT and also the BeAT has a lower sensitivity than the HT2-TLs.

As Rocket suggests (and I have suggested many times to others on here) your best bet is to email/call Jim and discuss what your intended use and tastes are to help you narrow into the best fit for your needs. Most of us here only have experience with a few Salk speakers where Jim has experience with them all! HTH!

[kingcrowing]

I chatted more with Jim today and his recommendation was the BeATs since they're more forgiving and have a bit more bass. Since I listen to a lot of rock (including lots of live recordings that aren't always stellar quality - think audience records, matrix recordings, etc.) I think this makes the most sense for me!

Man, so many great options with this brand! I think I'm getting close to placing the order

[whopnyc]

kingcrowing, I listen to lots of live music, like 90% of the time I'm listening to something live. Your description makes it sound like the Grateful Dead and other jambands, which is what I'm talking about.  If you have any questions, let me know.  I have a pair of Encore 9.5 (I think that's what they're unofficially called...Encore with the BEaT Audio Technology midrange). Mine are the black ones on the available now board.

[kingcrowing]

That’s awesome! Yeah, I’m definitely into the jam band scene, I love when I can get a really good recording but I’m sure you know that doesn’t always happen. How do yours handle those kind of recordings?

I just checked that listing, you got quite a deal! It looks like those were sort of a one off, although I bet Jim could make another...

[whopnyc]

Honestly it was a little shocking at first but I find a lot of recordings on Relisten (or Archive.org to be exact) sound better turned up louder now.   Turn the lights out at night and you get so much of the atmosphere (think Melkweg 1981) that it's really cool except for the truly awful recordings.  So much will depend on your amp also. I found one that I used to love to sound slow and one that used to sound a little bloated to sound fantastic. It made me reassess all my equipment to make sure it was up to scratch but when you hit on it, it's great.