[DMurphy]

I'll try and get to this little experiment this (long) weekend.  Happy boithday Abe and George. 

[avahifi]

Hi Dennis,

When you do get around to the speaker damping test with your set of Songtowers I suggest that you pull the drivers from both speakers, and then after damping one set, have somebody else reinstall the pairs into the speakers so you will not know which speaker has been "clayed" and leave.  Then make any listening and measuring tests.  This will assure a true double blind test.

Regards,

Frank Van Alstine

[DMurphy]

Well, I'm sick as a dog, so it's going to be a little difficult to find anyone to help blind me.  But if I have to stay home tomorrrow, I'll try and get around to this. Albeit unblinded.

[nyc_paramedic]

Hi   There are super sensitive designs out there.  But on average, I think you'll find sensitivity ratings on the high side.   The HT3 is (or at least was) genuinely demanding when it comes to amplifiers.  First, it is not very sensitive.  Second, as is true of most 3-ways with beefy woofers crossed over passively below 500 Hz, the impedance swings pretty low in the midbass. I've addressed the latter issue in the newest HT3's--the minimum impedance is 1.5 ohms higher.  But SET 8 watt amps still need not apply. 

Hi Dennis,

I'm new to this forum and to Salk speakers in general. I have been ding *a lot* of research regarding the different models, so as not to pester Jim with too many oft asked questions before I call him. With that said...

The HT3 speaker seems like the speaker that interests me the most. The thing that worries me is whether my Pass Aleph 5 will be able to drive them adequately at low to moderate listening levels. The amp runs 60 watts/8 Ohms or 90 watts/4 Ohms, Class A, single ended. I'm kinda attached to the way it sounds.

I see that Salk specifies different ratings for solid state amps versus tubes: 50 - 200 tube watts or 120 -300 solid state watts. Would a Class A solid state do okay driving an HT3?

If you desire, more info on the Aleph 5 from the Pass Labs site: http://www.passlabs.com/pdf/old%20product%20manuals/a5man.pdf

[zybar]

Hi   There are super sensitive designs out there.  But on average, I think you'll find sensitivity ratings on the high side.   The HT3 is (or at least was) genuinely demanding when it comes to amplifiers.  First, it is not very sensitive.  Second, as is true of most 3-ways with beefy woofers crossed over passively below 500 Hz, the impedance swings pretty low in the midbass. I've addressed the latter issue in the newest HT3's--the minimum impedance is 1.5 ohms higher.  But SET 8 watt amps still need not apply. 

Hi Dennis,

I'm new to this thread and to Salk speakers in general. I have been ding *a lot* of research regarding the different models, so as not to pester Jim with too many oft asked questions before I call him.

The HT3 speaker seems like the speaker that interests me the most. The thing that worries me is whether my Pass Aleph 5 will be able to drive them adequately at low to moderate listening levels. The amp runs 60 watts/8 Ohms or 90 watts/4 Ohms, Class A, single ended. I'm kinda attached to the way it sounds...

I see that Salk specifies different ratings for solid state amps versus tubes: 50 - 200 tube watts or 120 -300 solid state watts

If you desire, more info on the Aleph 5 from the Pass Labs site: http://www.passlabs.com/pdf/old%20product%20manuals/a5man.pdf

How large is your room?

How loud do you usually listen?

What type of music do you play?

With more info, it will be easier to answer your question.

George

[zybar]

Hi   There are super sensitive designs out there.  But on average, I think you'll find sensitivity ratings on the high side.   The HT3 is (or at least was) genuinely demanding when it comes to amplifiers.  First, it is not very sensitive.  Second, as is true of most 3-ways with beefy woofers crossed over passively below 500 Hz, the impedance swings pretty low in the midbass. I've addressed the latter issue in the newest HT3's--the minimum impedance is 1.5 ohms higher.  But SET 8 watt amps still need not apply. 

Hi Dennis,

I'm new to this thread and to Salk speakers in general. I have been ding *a lot* of research regarding the different models, so as not to pester Jim with too many oft asked questions before I call him.

The HT3 speaker seems like the speaker that interests me the most. The thing that worries me is whether my Pass Aleph 5 will be able to drive them adequately at low to moderate listening levels. The amp runs 60 watts/8 Ohms or 90 watts/4 Ohms, Class A, single ended. I'm kinda attached to the way it sounds...

I see that Salk specifies different ratings for solid state amps versus tubes: 50 - 200 tube watts or 120 -300 solid state watts

If you desire, more info on the Aleph 5 from the Pass Labs site: http://www.passlabs.com/pdf/old%20product%20manuals/a5man.pdf

How large is your room?

How loud do you usually listen?

What type of music do you play?

With more info, it will be easier to answer your question.

George

One other potential issue with the Aleph 5/HT3 combination is having enough gain in your system to drive things to a loud enough volume.  If I remember correctly, the Aleph 5 has around 20 db's of gain (compared to 26 db's for the average amp).  This lower gain in the amp coupled with the lower sensitivity of the HT3's could be a factor as well.  I will leave it up to much more qualified people like Dennis to address this issue and determine if it is really a possible concern like I believe it to be.

BTW, I love Class A amps and have four of them in the house (including two DIY Pass designs).

George

[nyc_paramedic]

How large is your room?

How loud do you usually listen?

What type of music do you play?

With more info, it will be easier to answer your question.

George

Hi George,

The room is 16'7" by 12'.7" and dedicated to 2 ch with no furniture. Very well treated with Real Traps (corner Mondo's, mini's, RFZ's for ceiling, and HF micor's for first side reflection points) and a thick Persian rug. Room only has one small opening at one corner.  I have my current speakers set up along the long wall. Probably one of the better small listening rooms for 2 channel that one could ask for in NYC for the rent I'm paying.

Listening levels are moderate to low.

Music is very eclectic: indie rock, classical, world, acoustic.

System: Pass Aleph L preamp, Pass Aleph 5 amp, Wavelength Audio Brick V2 USB DAC, custom Linux music server running on a single board computer.

The current speakers are B&W Matrix 804; original owner from 1995. I wanna keep my next set of speakers for juts as long, if not longer. I'm intrigued by not only the Salk sound, but also by the internet direct business model. Sending my money to another American worker is also important to me.

Sincerely,

Nick

[nyc_paramedic]

One other potential issue with the Aleph 5/HT3 combination is having enough gain in your system to drive things to a loud enough volume.  If I remember correctly, the Aleph 5 has around 20 db's of gain (compared to 26 db's for the average amp).  This lower gain in the amp coupled with the lower sensitivity of the HT3's could be a factor as well.  I will leave it up to much more qualified people like Dennis to address this issue and determine if it is really a possible concern like I believe it to be.

BTW, I love Class A amps and have four of them in the house (including two DIY Pass designs).

George

Pass Aleph 5 is 26db single ended, 20 db balanced. One can remove jumpers on the XLR's to run the amp at 20 db single ended as well.

[zybar]

Nick,

Given your room size and listening habits, I think you will be ok with the Aleph 5/HT3 combo.  FWIW, I think adding a pair of HT3's to your existing system will be a nice improvement over your B&W Matrix 804's.  I just hope the bass won't be too much for your neighbors.   aa

Not that it is an apples to apples comparison, but I tried my DIY Pass XA-J (combination of XA and J technologies that produce around 90 Class A watts) amp with the Salk ST's in a much larger room and higher volume levels and had no issues.

George

[nyc_paramedic]

Nick,

Given your room size and listening habits, I think you will be ok with the Aleph 5/HT3 combo.  FWIW, I think adding a pair of HT3's to your existing system will be a nice improvement over your B&W Matrix 804's.  I just hope the bass won't be too much for your neighbors.   aa

Not that it is an apples to apples comparison, but I tried my DIY Pass XA-J (combination of XA and J technologies that produce around 90 Class A watts) amp with the Salk ST's in a much larger room and higher volume levels and had no issues.

George

Thanks for the input. One of my other questions -when I call Jim- was going to be whether the HT3 was too big a speaker for my room and my preferred long wall placement. The 804's are almost half way into the room, three and a half feet from the sidewalls, almost 8 feet apart, and about 7 feet from the listening seat.

I settled into this arrangement after reading an article on speaker placement from Audio Physic. The panoramic wide screen sound staging that this setup affords me is amazing. It took months of inch by inch adjusting to get right.

The HT2 looks nice, but is a 2 way design and doesn't have the G2 ribbon.