[jsalk]

I am often asked how our speakers stack up against other brands.  These are always difficult questions for me to answer for a number of reasons.

First, I do not like to be critical of other speaker designs since I have no idea what the designer was trying to accomplish.  This makes it impossible for me to judge how well the job was done.

Second, I am so busy building speakers I really don't have time to go around listening to other designs. So I don't have nearly as much experience with other brands as most of our customers do.

Third, it really doesn't matter to me.  We are trying to build the best speaker we know how.  It has nothing to do with competition.  I am my own source of that.  I am very pleased with what we have been able to accomplish to date, but will continue to try and improve on everything we do.

So the best I can do when I get questions like this is recall comments made by our owners who have had other speakers and offered comparisons.  Or, I simply look at the drivers involved and try to get a feeling for the potential performance differences.

While reading a thread on another forum recently, I ran across a post by W. Jeff Meier, a gentleman who calibrates home theater and audio systems, saying he constantly recommends our speakers to his clients.  I was quite surprised reading his comments since I never met Jeff, never talked to him and had no idea where he would ever have heard our speakers.

Another poster asked him how he came across our speakers and what other brands he was comparing them to.

I quite enjoyed reading his response and later asked his permission to quote it here.  I thought other owners of our speakers might enjoy his comments as well.  So here it is...

I am a little different than most others. I am not a typical installer or retailer. I am an Audio/Video consultant who travels to about 5 to 12 people’s homes a week to optimize their equipment and make recommendations for improvement. I also do some professional audio work on the side. Because of this activity I get to hear and measure a wide variety of equipment from very expensive esoteric gear to the brands you see in box stores to internet products.

I also sell no equipment so I can provide unbiased advice. Most installers and all retailers are only going to recommend what they sell which will probably never be Salk. I have no products to sell to my clients so my advice is based only on my experience and an understanding of my client’s situation based on in-home measurements. This is very different from most audio/video salesmen who are trying to sell you the highest margin thing they can while few have ever been in your home or measured your room and equipment. My goal instead is to help each of my clients obtain the absolute best experience they can have within their limitations.

I happened to come across Salk products along with many other internet products in customer's homes and was blown away by the quality of his products at such a reasonable price.

What I have heard is a level of sound quality that equals the very best I have heard at any price point and I get to work on about everything. Be it Axiom, Mission, Mirage, KEF, Infinity, Boston Acoustic, JBL, Bowers & Wilkens, Martin Logan, Klipsch, Velodyne, HSU Research, SVS, REL Acoustics, James Loudspeakers, Aerial Acoustics, AV123, Genesis, Wilson, Focal, Meridian, DIY, Hales, JMLab, Sonus Faber and many others. Needless to say I am pretty jaded about speaker quality and performance because many things can sound quite good when setup well and fed quality material, but here I am talking about what constitutes fabulous sound quality which I find to be a rare thing.

Based on my observations and measurements I find Salk the equal of about anything at its price point or greater for home use including more expensive models that I find to be of tremendous quality like Sonus Faber. The one area I can think of that Salk would be deficient in is for those interested in what I would call extreme subwoofers. These are subwoofers designed for very high output or very low frequency response.

Because of my experience I have no issue with recommending my clients consider Salk Signature Sound. This is of course subject to change, but it is what I believe today.

__________________
W. Jeff Meier
AccuCal

Thanks for the kind words Jeff!

By the way, I followed up his post with one of my own indicating if someone wants an "extreme" subwoofer, we would certainly be happy to build it.

- Jim

[cdorval1]

Congratulations, Jim.  These are well-deserved words, from my experience.  Thanks for posting them here.

Craig

[Brucemck]

Jeff Meier spent a good portion of a day dialing in my three HT2s and three subs (run in mono).

Like Jim, he's a real pro who offers great value for the money.  My system sounds a LOT better, I've got the measurements to prove it (and to understand why it sounds better), and after calibration my video chain's improved as well.

Well worth the cash!

[MaxCast]

What all did you have done?

[Brucemck]

Jeff helped to locate the subs where they required far less PEQ: (a) moved two subs out into the room and a bit further apart, (b) added a third sub at the back of the room, and (c) adjusted levels and phase for all three of those.

Jeff helped locate the three fronts: (a) toed in slightly, and, (b) adjusted the vertical aim a bit.  This opened up the top end quite a bit.

Then we dialed in modest PEQ below 250hz to blend the subs and mains, and, correct a couple of room induced peaks on the mains.

Finally, dialed in levels on all speakers, including surrounds.

Each step in the above was done both via measurement and via ear.

Taken together made a very large difference in both tonal correctness and in imaging specificity.  Apparent from the measurements too.

I also had him calibrate my projector and my plasma.

[umr]

Thanks for the kind words Bruce.

I will add that Bruce has the best room I have measured so far from a resonance standpoint.  The waterfall chart was very even from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and the RT60 was very reasonable for a room that is used for both movies and music.

[zybar]

Thanks for the kind words Bruce.

I will add that Bruce has the best room I have measured so far from a resonance standpoint.  The waterfall chart was very even from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and the RT60 was very reasonable for a room that is used for both movies and music.

Jeff,

Any comments on what made it such a good measuring room (outside of your services)?

Thanks,

George

[umr]

Actually, I had nothing to do with that aspect of his system.  The essence of a great room is one which decays at an even rate from 20 Hz to 20 KHz.  Bruce's room does this because of extensive room treatment including bass traps, first reflection absorbers and diffusers.

[zybar]

Actually, I had nothing to do with that aspect of his system.  The essence of a great room is one which decays at an even rate from 20 Hz to 20 KHz.  Bruce's room does this because of extensive room treatment including bass traps, first reflection absorbers and diffusers.

That is exactly what I was hoping to hear.   

George

[Brucemck]

Room has good but not great physical dimensions: 18' long by 12' high by 13' wide.  (I'd have preferred a few more feet on the length dimension to get my rears further back, a couple of feet wider to fit bigger chairs, and a slightly shorter ceiling.)

Treatment is pretty simple:

Auralex MegaLenrd bass traps floor to ceiling on front wall left and right corners and across top of front wall ceiling juncture.  MegaLenrds across back wall ceiling juncture.

4" of OC703 fiberglass floor to ceiling on front wall, spaced 2" off the wall.

2" x 2' by 4' RPG absorbers at first reflection point on side walls.

2" by 2' by 4" RPG binary diffusors at second reflection points and across 8' of the rear wall centered on the primary listening chair.

Jim's speakers sound terrific in this environment.