[timjthomas]

Anyone using PrimaLuna amps with Salk speakers?  Thoughts?

[jsalk]

timjthomas -

Anyone using PrimaLuna amps with Salk speakers?  Thoughts?

Since no one has chimed in yet, I thought I'd take a stab at this one.

I don't have any first-hand experience with PrimaLuna amps and don't know if any of our customers do.  I did build a pair of speakers for someone considering these amps, but I don't know if he ever actually bought one.

I do have some experience with tube amps however (happen to like them), and I assume PrimaLuna builds some very good ones.  The question is whether or not they are the right amp for a given speaker.

A speaker like the SongTowers would work quite well with just about any PrimaLuna model.  The design is higher sensitivity and PrimaLuna amps feature 4 and 8-ohm taps.  The the lower Sensitivity HT3's would probably only work with their highest wattage models. 

I have driven the HT3's with a Jolida 202A in the past and loved the results.  The soft clipping nature of tubes allows you to utilize a lower wattage amp than you could with solid state.  At moderate volumes, the 202A (40 watts per channel) performed quite well.  But if I were purchasing an amp to use elusively with the HT3's, I would choose the highest wattage PrimaLuna amp (which I think is 70 watts).

I have also used the Jolida 1000A (100 watts per channel) with the HT3's with great results.  This amp uses my favorite EL34's.

If you want a lower power amp and want the kind of sound only a true 3-way can offer, you will need a more sensitive speaker such as our Pharos design (our impending open baffle design may also be a candidate). 

I hope this helps.

- Jim

[jsalk]

timjthomas -

Anyone using PrimaLuna amps with Salk speakers?  Thoughts?

Since no one has chimed in yet, I thought I'd take a stab at this one.

I don't have any first-hand experience with PrimaLuna amps and don't know if any of our customers do.  I did build a pair of speakers for someone considering these amps, but I don't know if he ever actually bought one.

I do have some experience with tube amps however (happen to like them), and I assume PrimaLuna builds some very good ones.  The question is whether or not they are the right amp for a given speaker.

A speaker like the SongTowers would work quite well with just about any PrimaLuna model.  The design is higher sensitivity and PrimaLuna amps feature 4 and 8-ohm taps.  The the lower Sensitivity HT3's would probably only work with their highest wattage models. 

I have driven the HT3's with a Jolida 202A in the past and loved the results.  The soft clipping nature of tubes allows you to utilize a lower wattage amp than you could with solid state.  At moderate volumes, the 202A (40 watts per channel) performed quite well.  But if I were purchasing an amp to use elusively with the HT3's, I would choose the highest wattage PrimaLuna amp (which I think is 70 watts).

I have also used the Jolida 1000A (100 watts per channel) with the HT3's with great results.  This amp uses my favorite EL34's.

If you want a lower power amp and want the sound of a true 3-way, you will need a more sensitive speaker such as our Pharos design (our impending open baffle design may also be a candidate). 

I hope this helps.

- Jim

[timjthomas]

Thanks Jim!!!

Here's more information on what I'm looking at -- I posted in another post here.

Any direct comparison between the Totem's and Song Towers?  I have Totem Arros with a Jolida 1701a integrated amp -- listening primarily to classical music at relatively low volumes.  But when I put in blues (my other love), the volume comes up a bit  Cool

My room is 15' wide by 21' long and then continues on into the dining room -- so it's fairly large, but the listening position is about 12 - 15' from the speakers.  The speakers are in front of my large bay window and out about a foot.  The left wall (looking at the speaker) is continuous from the window the entire length of the house from family room into the dining room.  From the speakers / window, the right hand wall opens immediately into the front foyer & front door.  The wall then continues and opens again at the back of the house into the kitchen.

Which speaker, Songtower or HT3, would be better for my room and musical preferences?

Before making any decision, I'd plan to visit Jim, but just wanted everyone's thoughts.

[funkmonkey]

You might want to click through my impressions (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=995082).  Pretty easy to skip through the comments and find the reviews if you use the links provided.  Included are impressions from several sessions with the Totem Hawk, and one from the SongTower, and finally my impressions from the HT3.  I listened to somewhere around 30 different speakers over about 2 months time, and none rivaled what I heard in the HT3.  If you can afford a pair, they are fantastic.  Once I had heard them, I couldn't settle for anything less.  They just nailed what I was/am looking for in a pair of speakers.

I should add that all of my auditioning was done with solid state amplification, but the general character of the speakers should be consistent, perhaps toward the warmer side with tubes so any mild harshness I heard may be non-existent with a tube amp.  Take it for what it's worth...  one man's opinion.
Cheers,
Funk

[cdorval1]

Jim,

It's veering off topic just a bit, but I wanted to say thanks for your note about tube amps for the Songtowers and HT3s.  I also like tube amps, and have used my Van Alstine Ultimate 70 (35w/ch) with both speakers with very appealing results.  It's not enough power for the HT3s to show their dynamics and drama, but they sure sound sweet at moderate levels.  The Songtowers are a much better match.  (The MBOW1s are about perfect, but that's another story.)

I've thought of bridging another U70 (to make about 100w/ch) to use with the HT3s and your comment has me thinking again...

Have a good holiday.

Craig

[Zero]

Hello Tim,

In the next week or two, I will be posting a full-bore review of the SongTower QWT at Sonicflare.com  In my review, the SongTowers are going to be directly compared with a set of Totem Acoustic Sttaf's (which carry roughly the same MSRP).  If you want to know the details, you're gunna have to wait until the review is published.    

However, having read the dimensions of your space, I can tell you straight away that the SongTowers will have a much easier time filling that space than your  existing speakers. While the Arro's project a lot of great sound, at the end of the day - there is only so much scale you can extract from their half pint size. The SongTowers, which are roughly 4x the volume of the Arro, will give you benefits that will include: greater efficiency, better bass response, and superior dynamic range. Dynamic shifts is part of the foundation classical music builds upon - and the SongTowers will offer you a notable advantage in that regard.

Now, when it comes to things like instrumental tone and sound-staging.. well, that's a thing of subjectivity. Given your taste in music, I'd say that you may very well end up missing those Arro's should you part ways with them.  

*edited due to mistakes*

[Nuance]

Zero - I was wondering when you were going to post a review.  When it's up, can you post a link?

This is just another man's opinion, but the Arro's lack the midrange detail that the Salk's provide.  I'd say they are the more laid back speaker of the two.  Some people like this quality when they listen to classical music, but I don't.  I like neutrality and prefer the SongTower's.  YMMV.

[Zero]

Hello Naunce,

I've enjoyed reading about your journey - and I'm glad you found your destination. Jim makes a fine product eh? It also doesn't hurt that he's a good guy. 

As for Totem, they are a company whose customers opinions on their product vary wildly. For example; I recently spoke with a gentlemen who sold his set of Sttaf's because he found them to be too laid back for his tastes/room/electronics. He's a Maggie fan. I, on the other hand, find the Sttaf to be quite energetic on the top end, perhaps too much so. Totem's are just that type of loudspeaker. You won't need much to get good sound from em', but to understand what they can do, you need the right situation - and that's where things get tricky. When you get them right, the performance can be stellar. But sometimes, people don't want to go through all that effort just to get good sound, which is understandable.

One of the things I loved about the SongTowers is their consistency and ease of use. It was very easy to see why so many people can dig em'. It's good stuff.

Oh well, back to work..!

[Nuance]

Zero -

The totems did seem more placement and setup finicky for sure.  I'd love to get a pair in my own home to see how they interacted with the room. 

I actually liked the Totem Forest when I auditioned it.  I think it was one of the first real non-Best Buy type speakers I ever listened to (years ago).  I recall it being a tad forward, but it opened my eyes to the actual quality stuff available.  Until then, I had always thought towers were stupid and had only focused on bookshelf speakers.  Ah yes, the good 'ol days, when ignorance was bliss and Bose was the best.  Sometimes I wonder how much money I would have saved if I never would have learned about the "good stuff" and just stuck with JBL, Infinity and the lower Boston lines.   

I look forward to your review.  Merry Christmas!

[charmerci]

Yeah A LOT of Money!

This is on e-bay -

Boston Acoustics HD5 Speakers   2 Bids   $20.51   1h 10m