AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Salk Signature Sound => Topic started by: jsalk on 3 Apr 2015, 06:15 pm
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Jon wanted a pair of Exotica 3's finished in pau ferro rosewood. But he wanted to see what adding analine dye to the mix would accomplish. So we sent him a board with various dye possibilities. He decided on dark walnut.
Here are some pictures...
(http://www.salksound.com/gallery/exotica3/e3-rosewood-walnutdye.jpg)
And a close-up...
(http://www.salksound.com/gallery/exotica3/e3-rosewood-walnutdye-cu.jpg)
Notice that we also finished the phase plugs in the W8 midrange with the same dark walnut dye.
Happy listening Jon!
- Jim
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Beautiful as always!
It's amazing how the mid driver changes its appearance depending on the color of the finish veneer/paint job.
Congrats Jon!
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Thats a very classy looking speaker.
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It's amazing how the mid driver changes its appearance depending on the color of the finish veneer/paint job.
I'm wondering if the cone/cover thing was dyed or swapped out with another color.
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I'm wondering if the cone/cover thing was dyed or swapped out with another color.
We shot dark walnut dye on the existing ash phase plug.
- Jim
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I'm wondering if the cone/cover thing was dyed or swapped out with another color.
I did notice the plug was darker after my post but it does seem the "yellowish" color of the driver can be softened or enhanced depending on finish option.
In this instance it looks much softer than say with the Zirocote or Rasberry finish we've seen before. They all look great!
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Great looking speakers as always, Jim.
Are Exotica 3s making it to AXPONA again this year, or gonna switch it up?
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Gorgeous! :thumb:
I'm excited to see and hear them in person (no, I'm not Jon...that lucky dog!). :D
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Great looking speakers as always, Jim.
Are Exotica 3s making it to AXPONA again this year, or gonna switch it up?
Yes, we will have them. We haven't determined what else we'll bring, but we will bring the Exotica 3's.
- Jim
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So very excited for these, I can't wait until they arrive!
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So very excited for these, I can't wait until they arrive!
Time to change your avatar. :wink:
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Dyeing the wooden phase plug = fantastic. I imagine a large percentage of Exotica orders from here on out (I believe this is the first time it was done, or at least the first time published on this forum) will jump on this idea.
Fantastic!
-Eamon
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My girlfriend: Does it come with the black front thingy?
Me: A grill. Yes, why?
GF: I don't like the white tweeter thingy.
:duh:
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My girlfriend: Does it come with the black front thingy?
Me: A grill. Yes, why?
GF: I don't like the white tweeter thingy.
:duh:
Oh no! Hopefully she can learn to appreciate the beauty of the drivers. I think the option you did with the dyed phase plug looks great!
At least the sound should woo her! :D
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If I ever got a pair of Salks, it would be those in that finish.
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My girlfriend: Does it come with the black front thingy?
Me: A grill. Yes, why?
GF: I don't like the white tweeter thingy.
:duh:
Is the response "Too bad" an option? :nono:
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My girlfriend: Does it come with the black front thingy?
Me: A grill. Yes, why?
GF: I don't like the white tweeter thingy.
:duh:
Well, time for a new girlfriend! :lol: Seriously, those are great looking and I'm sure great sounding speakers!
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My girlfriend: Does it come with the black front thingy?
Me: A grill. Yes, why?
GF: I don't like the white tweeter thingy.
:duh:
Let her paint it then.... :o :D
Congrats JonnyFive! Njoy!
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Spectacular.
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Great job as Always Jim!
Nice selection Jon.
If I ever replace my 5A's, the Exoticas are one of three speakers on my short list.
George
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Welcome to the club Jon. You will be blown away.
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Amy will get over the white mid-range driver. Personally I think it adds a really interesting touch to the front, a great conversation piece. I also taught her the difference between a tweeter and a driver. ;)
I really appreciate Jim and crew creating various dye samples. Basically they took two 12"x12" chunks of veneer on scrap wood and dyed strips of it. There were 2 oranges, 2 reds, natural, and about half a dozen browns. The red really took me back to my former SS8s. I liked the red, but I felt it locked me into a living room color scheme too much. With these latest samples, I just picked a nice rich brown which can go with anything in the future. I must say the orange really had some flash, if one was looking to stand out rather than blend in.
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Since I'm going to get to listen to these when they arrive, I've learned what waiting and "Salking" is all about. Call it co-dependant Salking. Whatever. It's not easy.
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Since I'm going to get to listen to these when they arrive, I've learned what waiting and "Salking" is all about. Call it co-dependant Salking. Whatever. It's not easy.
LOL...same here. :green:
The local Salk fans here are living vicariously through Jon..... :thumb:
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LOL...same here. :green:
The local Salk fans here are living vicariously through Jon..... :thumb:
Where are all you guys located? Thats pretty cool a bunch of you get to experience and share in Jon's excitement!
Can't wait to hear everybody's thoughts.
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Where are all you guys located?
We're all in Hampton Roads, VA. My first audition of a Salk speaker was a pair of HT2-TLs at Jim's (Saturn94) place. More recently, Dave and I met through the forum and I had the opportunity to listen to several of his DIY speakers, all of which sounded great.
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Nice new avatar, Jon. :thumb:
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Ok, got em unpacked and installed and level matched. The sound amazing, and once again I'm blown away by the looks. My gf decided she does like the white "tweeter" and wouldn't stop talking about how cool the dyed phase plug is ;)
Pics and impressions coming soon.
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Rock on!! :wave:
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Since I'm going to get to listen to these when they arrive, I've learned what waiting and "Salking" is all about. Call it co-dependant Salking. Whatever. It's not easy.
LOL Did you get that from the You might just be a Salk Owner thread?
127) Salking
verb
Being silent, excited, listening with extreme pleasure and emotion while you forgive all the speakers that previously disappointed you.
Congrats Jon!
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As promised, some in-home pics. These guys are gorgeous, I can't bare to put the grills on them! Listening impressions are still in the works.
(Sorry the pics are blurry, I didn't realize I had my ISO set too low).
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=118913)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=118914)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=118915)
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Fantastic Jon!
They look right at home! Gotta say you and Shawn hit a homerun in picking out veneer and color choices to go with the room. Well done!
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Fantastic Jon!
They look right at home! Gotta say you and Shawn hit a homerun in picking out veneer and color choices to go with the room. Well done!
They are right at home! :) They look great and sound even better.
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Yeah, they certainly do look great in their new home.
One question, Jon, do you have the spikes set directly on the hardwood, or are you using some sort of discs under them (I can't tell in that first photo)? I've ordered some SCSTs that will also go on hardwood (fairly fragile without any sort of lacquer, just the soft wood that can even show up heel marks from stiletto heels...), and I was wondering if most people with hardwood floors use the spikes with discs or some sort of other solution (I think Jim even recommended putting rubber router mat underneath the plinth to one person a while back).
Thanks, and enjoy your speakers!
-Eamon
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Yeah, they certainly do look great in their new home.
One question, Jon, do you have the spikes set directly on the hardwood, or are you using some sort of discs under them (I can't tell in that first photo)? I've ordered some SCSTs that will also go on hardwood (fairly fragile without any sort of lacquer, just the soft wood that can even show up heel marks from stiletto heels...), and I was wondering if most people with hardwood floors use the spikes with discs or some sort of other solution (I think Jim even recommended putting rubber router mat underneath the plinth to one person a while back).
Thanks, and enjoy your speakers!
-Eamon
http://herbiesaudiolab.net/spkrfeet.htm About half way down the page cone/spike glider. Their 17 bucks a piece but worth every penny. I can easily slide my VST's back and forth with ease and they take care of WAF placement issues.
Those E3's look freaking amazing. Looking forward to impressions!
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http://herbiesaudiolab.net/spkrfeet.htm About half way down the page cone/spike glider. Their 17 bucks a piece but worth every penny. I can easily slide my VST's back and forth with ease and they take care of WAF placement issues.
Those E3's look freaking amazing. Looking forward to impressions!
I too have the Herbie's Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders. Not cheap, but worth the money in my opinion.
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I have herbie's under mine as well. I have the same issue with engineered hard wood (on top of 10" concrete slab with reinforced steel). NYC code makes residential buildings over build, so I have no issue with bouncing floors really, but the builder used crappy engineered birch. The gap means we can only use that engineered wood. Before I had exoticas, I had a Salk Rythmik sub. Dented the floor putting it in. Now I use Herbie's. Saves the floor. Not sure there is a sonic difference. Let the decoupling debate begin.
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I have hardwood floors as well. I wish I could remember where I bought them from, but I have these little metal disks that my spike sit on. I then those cheap furniture disk under that.
They work well together to make sure my floor is not damaged by the speaker but it does not allow me to easily move my speakers by any means.
I've considered buying the gliders, but my $5 investment has worked well so far.
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I use the Herbies under my Vapor Joule Blacks which are quite heavy. I can move them fairly easily on my hardwood floor which made small adjustments easy to make
and doesn't mar the floor at all.
Don P.
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Correct, Herbies gliders. The floor is uneven so sometimes one of two of them will slide out, it can be tricky. I wish their indent was a little deeper.
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Fantastic Jon!
They look right at home! Gotta say you and Shawn hit a homerun in picking out veneer and color choices to go with the room. Well done!
Thanks. I love my speakers.
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I got to hear Jon's E3s last night.
They are absolutely beautiful speakers. The idea to finish the mid's phase plug to match the cabinet was genius!
They are some of the best speakers I've heard. I'm also in agreement with Jon preferring the E3 over the SS8. The E3 sounds more "natural" to my ears.
I look forward to more listening sessions. :thumb:
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Bingo!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=25030)
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Look like the E3 and SS8 make the SS10 and SS12 become thing of the past. I have own the SS8 for few years and still in love with it. I had a chance to listen to the E3 at the show last year and also though the E3 was a better one. I almost jump on the "upgrade waggon" but when I got home, the SS8s still shot me straight to the heart. I am sure i will look into upgrading to E3 someday. For now, I got to get back to my "SS8, sail of dream". :thumb:
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Look like the E3 and SS8 make the SS10 and SS12 become thing of the past. I have own the SS8 for few years and still in love with it. I had a chance to listen to the E3 at the show last year and also though the E3 was a better one. I almost jump on the "upgrade waggon" but when I got home, the SS8s still shot me straight to the heart. I am sure i will look into upgrading to E3 someday. For now, I got to get back to my "SS8, sail of dream". :thumb:
I am sure that if I heard the E3 I would feel the same as you. Also, hard for me to get on the "upgrade wagon" when my SS10s still shoot me through the heart too.
Bob
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I wouldn't necessary call the E3 an upgrade over the SS8 even though they're more expensive. Rather it's an issue of what you're looking for and what tradeoffs are most acceptable to you. For me, my room, and my listening preferences the choice is clear with the E3s. But if I had a tube preamp, enjoyed music like Diana Krall, and had a better/bigger/treated room that might not necessarily be the case. I'm working on some listening impressions and my own comparison to the SS8s.
However, I will say that I never expected in my wildest dreams to have better bass than the SS8s offered. Well, the active servo bass section of the E3s has officially spoiled me. I can't believe how good it is, or how I ever lived without it. Listening impressions in the works...
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I got to hear Jon's E3s last night.
They are absolutely beautiful speakers. The idea to finish the mid's phase plug to match the cabinet was genius!
They are some of the best speakers I've heard. I'm also in agreement with Jon preferring the E3 over the SS8. The E3 sounds more "natural" to my ears.
I look forward to more listening sessions. :thumb:
You're always welcome, Jim. It's your fault I own Salks in the first place ;) I agree about the phase plug, Jim and crew did a great job with that. It and the rest of the speaker are gorgeous.
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I wouldn't necessary call the E3 an upgrade over the SS8 even though they're more expensive. Rather it's an issue of what you're looking for and what tradeoffs are most acceptable to you. For me, my room, and my listening preferences the choice is clear with the E3s. But if I had a tube preamp, enjoyed music like Diana Krall, and had a better/bigger/treated room that might not necessarily be the case. I'm working on some listening impressions and my own comparison to the SS8s.
I have a tube pre-amp and it is perfect with the E3s!
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For me, my room, and my listening preferences the choice is clear with the E3s.
Hey Jon, what type of music do you prefer to listen to that drew you to the E3's?
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When others start paying for my gear, then they can have a say in what I own. If the E3's are the end all be all, Jim should just stop making everything else. :D
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I wouldn't necessary call the E3 an upgrade over the SS8 even though they're more expensive. Rather it's an issue of what you're looking for and what tradeoffs are most acceptable to you. For me, my room, and my listening preferences the choice is clear with the E3s. But if I had a tube preamp, enjoyed music like Diana Krall, and had a better/bigger/treated room that might not necessarily be the case. I'm working on some listening impressions and my own comparison to the SS8s.
That must be why I am so Ga Ga about my Dodd tubed phono preamp with my SS10's.
Bob
PS I am looking forward to your comparison.
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SFox - I didn't mean my statement about the tube preamp to indicate a tube preamp would *not* work with the E3s. That is the converse of my statement, and the converse is not guaranteed to be true. If I intended on using a tube preamp, then a wide array of speakers are plausible including the E3s and SS8S. If I intended on keeping the AV8801, then I had to do something besides the SS8s.
SCompRacer - No one is attacking the SS8s or saying the E3s amount to the heavens opening, etc... They are different designs with different pros and cons, and I will not say one is better than the other. One is better than the other only relative to your tastes, your equipment, your room, etc... They are both speakers anyone would be happy with for life. There's no need to get upgrade-itis to the E3s if the SS8s make you happy.
Tommy2Tone - I like everything except rap and country, but most of what I listen to is not well recorded. With the SS8s and AV8801, the flaws in the recordings were just too evident and I couldn't enjoy the music that I loved. I just wanted something more forgiving, more romantic, and I believe a soft midrange and traditional silk dome are a better fit in this regard. But both speakers are sublime on music like on Jim's test disc.
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The acoustic guitar from Damien Rice's Live at Fingerprints - Warts and All gives me shivers every time I play it. The tonal accuracy of these speakers on his Lowden guitar just blows me away. The way the notes sort of just bend in the air. It's like being there. Get a copy of that CD. It is worth every cent.
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Added it to my cart. That live acoustic guitar track on Jim's demo CD is scary good as well.
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These look great! It looks like your room is fairly well lit, and it really makes the speakers pop. :thumb:
I took a picture of my E3s the other day with a flash, and it was like a whole different speaker! My room is dark because it doubles sometimes as a home theater, and I keep it cave like for the projector. Seeing the wood with some light shining on it, was awesome.
The Salk team is truly talented. The quality of these speakers is stellar. Other than some fancy cuts, or something more geometrical, I don't know how much better built a speaker can get.
Glad you are enjoying the sound. They are an excellent speaker. The depth and spatiality they present is amazing. The entire 6 feet from the back of the speaker to the wall is just layered soundstage. They light up amazing when given some power, and the vocals just flow out of them. I love them.
Enjoy man! :thumb:
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I need to dig out my old Salk test CD. the one I got with the Exoticas was blank!
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I need to dig out my old Salk test CD. the one I got with the Exoticas was blank!
Blank CD's are used to demonstrate the utter lack of distortion and how "black" the background silence is. :lol:
Sorry about that. :duh:
- Jim
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Blank CD's are used to demonstrate the utter lack of distortion and how black background silence is. :lol:
Sorry about that. :duh:
- Jim
That's awesome!