AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Salk Signature Sound => Topic started by: AvsFan on 24 Feb 2021, 02:58 pm
-
I am talking with Jim today to come up with a game plan but wanted to be proactive. My music taste is very eclectic. I can be listening to Rage Against the Machine one minute and Diana Krall the next. Some of the music I listen to is very demanding and I like to crank it up at times and really get that palpable feel of kick drums and so on. First of all, are there Salk speakers that can do this? I want to be able to turn it up when I want to and not worry about frying a tweeter or blowing a speaker. But at the same time, I want to be able to listen to some jazz and acoustics at moderate levels as well. So looking for a speaker that can do it all. A refined speaker that can rock out when asked for.
I don't want to get replies to tell me to look at Klipsch or JBL's or something like that. I have already been there and done that and was not a fan at all. I am a sophisticated rocker. LOL :D
-
I've heard Salk speakers at several RMAFs I have attended and I think you would be happy with anything Jim produces. I would also recommend taking a look at other manufacturers as well. I have speakers from Vapor Audio - the Auroras, and Odyssey Audio - Kismet speakers. They do well with any genre of music I listen to. I also listen to Industrial, Gabber, hard Techno, Stoner Rock, heavy metal, and even some classical occasionally. There are a lot of good manufacturers to choose from. I've purchased speakers from a variety of manufacturers as a result of my attendance at RMAF so if you have the opportunity to audition speakers, that would make your selection easier.
-
I've heard Salk speakers at several RMAFs I have attended and I think you would be happy with anything Jim produces. I would also recommend taking a look at other manufacturers as well. I have speakers from Vapor Audio - the Auroras, and Odyssey Audio - Kismet speakers. They do well with any genre of music I listen to. I also listen to Industrial, Gabber, hard Techno, Stoner Rock, heavy metal, and even some classical occasionally. There are a lot of good manufacturers to choose from. I've purchased speakers from a variety of manufacturers as a result of my attendance at RMAF so if you have the opportunity to audition speakers, that would make your selection easier.
You must be in Colorado. :D
I am too and go to RMAF every year. Well besides 2020. I hope in 2021, we get it back!
I have heard Jim's speakers multiple times and the Salk room is always one of my favorites. In 2019, I think they were running Schiit Aegir's with his speakers.
One of the reasons I love Salk is because they put as much attention into the fit and finish as they do the sound. My next pair of speakers I want to be special and beautiful.
I've never heard of Vapor, I will look them up.
Thanks
-
I suggest you look at Spatial Audio. Looking at the summary of your posts, it appears you have experience/knowledge of Cherry Amps, Planar and Omega speakers. I really like the synergy of my Cherry Amps and my M series Spatial Audio speakers. Although I don’t have first hand experience with planers or Omegas, from these forums have led me to believe there are some similar characteristics with the Spatials. I listen to a wide verity of music as well. I have the near bottom of the line, M4 Turbo S models that I supplement with a HSU sub. Heavy music genres are very well produced and these things are built like tanks and came with a very long warranty, suggesting their durability. Many have reviewed the M3 Saphire models with their 15” drivers without subs and rated them very high. I find the Spatials do very well on a wide verity of music genres.
Very happy Cherry Amp/Spatial Audio owner.
-
I have to agree, although my thoughts on Spatial's are somewhat dated. My experience goes back to M2 Turbo's. That said, I recall it being the first speaker I'd had in some time that was truly comfortable playing all genres. All I can say is there's something to be said for larger drivers and their ability to be both satisfying and comfortable playing a wide variety of music...especially rock. (this large driver theory goes for box speakers as well) Never felt I missed anything when Bill Evans or Patricia Barber came into play either.
-
I have to agree, although my thoughts on Spatial's are somewhat dated. My experience goes back to M2 Turbo's. That said, I recall it being the first speaker I'd had in some time that was truly comfortable playing all genres. All I can say is there's something to be said for larger drivers and their ability to be both satisfying and comfortable playing a wide variety of music...especially rock. (this large driver theory goes for box speakers as well) Never felt I missed anything when Bill Evans or Patricia Barber came into play either.
Probably the reason why I like my ZU's so much. That 10" driver is a lot of fun. It's the most well rounded speaker I have come across so far.
Spatials have always intrigued me though. Don't they need a lot of room to breathe?
-
Any open baffle or panel will need a bit of room behind them to sound their best. I'm thinking roughly 3' minimum. Others may chime in, but I'm thinking open baffles may be able to slide by with a little less room in this regard than a Maggie for instance. I believe I only had roughly 30" behind my M2's.
-
I am running my M4 Turbo S models 50” from rear wall in a dedicated room. At 36” they sounded really good, but continued to get even better as I inched them a little further out into the room. I believe the current Saphire line has higher frequencies being radiated at the front wall than my Turbo S models. Maybe Clayton Shaw or someone who has a current pair of Spatials can chime in.
-
For the same reason, I chose the Salk Song 3 Encore’s. I’m mostly into Jazz these days, but I still like Led Zep, ELP a JD the rest.
Newer Prog such as Steven Wilson sound great too.
And if I want to show off bass, Blade Runner 2049:2049 really rocks the house!
-
My music taste is very eclectic. I can be listening to Rage Against the Machine one minute and Diana Krall the next. Some of the music I listen to is very demanding and I like to crank it up at times and really get that palpable feel of kick drums and so on. First of all, are there Salk speakers that can do this?
Since everyone is recommending their speakers, I'll recommend mine - The Salk Veracity HT2-TL (https://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=Veracity+HT2-TL), they can take a beating and keep on ticking.
My music taste ranges from Daft Punk, Yello, The Future Sound of London to Sara Bareilles, Nora Jones, and the new Jorma Kaukonen & John Hurlbut album "The River Flows" (it is excellent by the way) and everything inbetween. The HT2-TL handles it all beautifully.
The HT2-TL doesn't get much press since the Song3 lineup arrived, unfortunately I haven't heard the Song3 yet so I don't know how loud it can rock. In almost 10 years I have never reached the HT2-TL's limit, I bail first. Bass response is deep and punchy, a couple of years ago I added a REL sub crossed over at 30 Hz and it takes the sound to the next level. The RAAL tweeter is clear, clean, bullet proof and it won't peel paint off the walls at super high volumes.
I would think the two Seas Excel W18's - 7" midrange drivers in the HT2-TL would go louder than the single 4" midrange in the Song3 but the W18's are also handling the bass too so there may be a trade off.
Mick heard my speakers do Pink Floyd just a week ago, I think I saw him jump when the bells came in on "Time" off of "Dark Side of the Moon".
-
Omegas with subs do the trick but I don’t go for concert levels.
-
Without a price range, hard to assist, but I can go from Ozzy/Metallica to Diana Krall (or Holly Cole) to Shostakovich symphonies or cello concertos in the same listening session. And I am very happy with my Song3 BeATs combined with a Rythmik sub.
I needed more solid-state power than I originally thought, but the BeATs paired with PS Audio M700 monoblocks, really open up. I can get >100db easily.
Not sure what they would do with tubes, but Jim showed these with McGary Audio SA-1 at 40-50 watts. My room is fairly large and opens to another part of the house, so that may be why I needed so much power.
-
I just want to say my BeATs have been excellent on any type of music I have played through them. From Black Sabbath and Zeppelin to Nora Jones and Diana Krall. They do a great job of letting the emotion of the music show through.
Although not my cup of tea, a buddy of mine is big into the Hardcore music scene and every time he comes over we put some of his stuff on. He tells me my Salks sound better than anything he’s ever heard...for what it’s worth.
-
Hi AVSFAN,
If you after Salk Sound speakers and wish to rock out with deep bass you probably couldn't go past the Song 3 Beats which have bass down to 25hz. I've had a pair of HT2's (non tl version) and currently have a pair of HT3's and Song 3's. The song 3's are pretty good but if your after deep bass you should check out the Beats. The HT3's have great slam and finesse but the bass driver is no longer available and they are notoriously difficult to drive.
Good luck with your decision.
cheers rod
-
Rocket, i think you mean the Song3 Encores. the BeATs go to around 32hz using a 7.5 in Satori woofer.. The Encores have the 9.5in Satori woofer that goes to 25hz.
-
BeATs with a sub or just encores? About the the same price. Beats a little easier to move around. Just curious. May be my next speaker after the omegas.
-
These look cool and will do it all and then some
https://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=Exotica+3
-
Since everyone is recommending their speakers, I'll recommend mine - The Salk Veracity HT2-TL (https://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=Veracity+HT2-TL), they can take a beating and keep on ticking.
My music taste ranges from Daft Punk, Yello, The Future Sound of London to Sara Bareilles, Nora Jones, and the new Jorma Kaukonen & John Hurlbut album "The River Flows" (it is excellent by the way) and everything inbetween. The HT2-TL handles it all beautifully.
I second this. I am also running Salk Veracity HT2-TL with a Rythmik G25HP. The combo is incredible. Alan Walker, ATB, BT, Deadmau5, Daft Punk, Orbital to list a few all sound fantastic. The RAAL tweeters are amazing on vocals and guitars.
If you want the really really deep base from EDM etc you need a sub to go with them and not just any sub. I had dual Salk custom built Rythmik 12s and they weren't adequate. The G25HP is unlike anything I have ever heard before in my life.
-
Since everyone is recommending their speakers, I'll recommend mine - The Salk Veracity HT2-TL (https://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=Veracity+HT2-TL), they can take a beating and keep on ticking.
My music taste ranges from Daft Punk, Yello, The Future Sound of London to Sara Bareilles, Nora Jones, and the new Jorma Kaukonen & John Hurlbut album "The River Flows" (it is excellent by the way) and everything inbetween. The HT2-TL handles it all beautifully.
The HT2-TL doesn't get much press since the Song3 lineup arrived, unfortunately I haven't heard the Song3 yet so I don't know how loud it can rock. In almost 10 years I have never reached the HT2-TL's limit, I bail first. Bass response is deep and punchy, a couple of years ago I added a REL sub crossed over at 30 Hz and it takes the sound to the next level. The RAAL tweeter is clear, clean, bullet proof and it won't peel paint off the walls at super high volumes.
I would think the two Seas Excel W18's - 7" midrange drivers in the HT2-TL would go louder than the single 4" midrange in the Song3 but the W18's are also handling the bass too so there may be a trade off.
Mick heard my speakers do Pink Floyd just a week ago, I think I saw him jump when the bells came in on "Time" off of "Dark Side of the Moon".
I have to agree. I had SongTowers for over a decade and when I first saw Wayne's HT2-TL's, I was shocked at the size difference. This not to mention the ability to play much louder with a greater sense of ease.
-
I second this. I am also running Salk Veracity HT2-TL with a Rythmik G25HP. The combo is incredible. Alan Walker, ATB, BT, Deadmau5, Daft Punk, Orbital to list a few all sound fantastic. The RAAL tweeters are amazing on vocals and guitars.
If you want the really really deep base from EDM etc you need a sub to go with them and not just any sub. I had dual Salk custom built Rythmik 12s and they weren't adequate. The G25HP is unlike anything I have ever heard before in my life.
I've tried subs multiple times in this room and I just don't like them. So I need a speaker that "ALMOST" plays full range.
-
AVSfan, I feel your needs are similar to mine. There are plenty of speakers that will play the frequency range but the area where I find a lot of "Audiophile" speakers don't cut it is when you turn the knob to "11".
Now, I'm not talking about overdriving your amp or preamp to the point of distortion, I'm talking about speakers just not capable of playing really loud. The drivers are not capable of the excursions required to play really loud and start to break up causing distortion that makes your ears bleed. Some are worse than others. Omega speakers are a good example - they are to die for - just don't play them REALLY loud.
I would think that Zu speakers would fit the bill given their pedigree but I haven't had the opportunity to audition. As much as Salk speakers intrigue me, I'm not sure where they would fall in terms of spl.
Some speaker mfr's list a max spl and I wish there was a standard for that so one could know if they are causing themselves to go deaf with clean or distorted sound :lol:
-
omegas play plenty loud. Thing is most people use tubes. With 300 w SS you get bass that will hit you in the chest. You’d be surprised.
-
I think I am sticking with the original plan of two systems in one room. I use my ZU's as my hard hitting, chest thumping rock speaker and go with a pair of nice bookshelves for that intimate and "audiophile" experience. The ZU's are GREAT at so many things, I call them a refined and well behaved rock hard speaker. So I am now looking at the different monitors that Jim offers, talk about confusing.
-
So I am now looking at the different monitors that Jim offers, talk about confusing.
Call and speak to Jim Salk personally. Tell him what you like to hear, how loud you listen, tell him about your rooms, how they are treated acoustically (or not).
This is how I found Salk and fell in love with them. It started with needing a center channel to match some existing speakers so spoke with Jim and bought a Supercharged Song Center. The RAAL 70-20X tweeter BLEW me away. It was so much better than my $30,000 Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary left/right speakers that I started sending all my 2 channel music through my processor to mix it in surround so the vocals would come out the center.
After this I was hooked. Jim and I exchanged MANY emails about what would be right for me and my room that included the magical RAAL tweeter. He talked me out of over spending on the side/rear channels and overspending on the front left and right since I was going with dedicated subwoofers.
I sold my ENTIRE collection of much more expensive VSA speakers (7 in total) and Jim allowed me to trade in the center towards my large purchase with him. I purchased the Veracity HT2-TLs, HT2C and WoW1s for side and rear surrounds. As well as a pair of Salks upgraded versions of the Rythmik 12.
I listed to all my favorite music over again but this time in proper 2 channel with the HT2-TLs producing an incredible imaging and "phantom center" and the vocals and guitars were elevated to the next level!
Everything was amazing but I couldn't get the Salk/Rythmik 12s to work in my room (due to my room not the subs). I sold the pair of 12s at a small loss and reached out to Rythmik for help. I was focused on the FV25HP thinking a single ported sub would be the answer to my issues and just like I am so thankful for Jim's time talking to me about his speakers Enrico Castagnetti @ Rythmik saved the day on the subwoofer side of things. He was adamant that the G25HP would be the best solution for me. There are very few reviews or "talk" about the G25HP online, and almost no marketing to speak of from Rythmik. They are probably the most overlooked speaker company out there. I took a chance on a $2500 subwoofer that weighs more than I do and it was the best speaker purchase ever right up there with Salks magic in the driver pairings and crossovers.
Also my setup (as you can probably tell already) is multi purpose, and is used for both high end stereo listening sessions as well as for home theater. Both the Salk speakers and G25HP are absolutely incredible here as well. I am no audio journalist and cannot accurately convey how the vocals/voices and deep tight bass sounds in both music & movies and brings out things I never thought possible from home audio.
Full disclosure: I am 43 and have been an audiophile for 30+ years as my father was one as well and I was a dealer for Von Schweikert in the past as a side job(mostly to help support my friends and my own audio habits lol!). In all these years every piece of electronics or speaker has been a minor upgrade in sound quality to my ears. The Salk speaker (specifically the RAAL 70-20X tweeter & crossover arrangement) and the Rythmik G25HP were both jumps in sound quality I didn't think possible. Heading toward sound reproduction that sounds almost as good as a live performance (with the right recording of course).
As much as we on the internet can try to help you find the right speaker for you, talking to Jim is really the best way to determine which one of his speakers fits your needs and budget. HTH!
-
I would guess Jim will steer you to the Song 3 Encores based on your preferences.
Let us know what he recommends for you.
-
Without knowing your budget I think that the Veracity HT3's or the SS8's would work great with your tastes in music. Frank Van Alstine owns a pair of HT3's and I have heard them many times and they sound great. I heard the SS8's at RMAF in 2019 and I thought about buying a pair until I heard the Fyne Audio 702's which sell for about $9600pr. I will probably buy their baby brother the 502sp's for around $5200pr. Also read up on the new Monitor Audio 5G 300 speakers. I have a friend that has a pair and loves them better than the pair of Magnepan 3.6's he had. They are also high on my list to hear before I move on from my Magnepan 1.6's.
https://totallywired.nz/loudspeakers/monitor-audio/monitor-audio-gold-5g-300-loudspeakers/
https://www.stereophile.com/content/monitor-audio-gold-300-loudspeaker
-
Without knowing your budget I think that the Veracity HT3's or the SS8's would work great with your tastes in music.
SS 8s are discontinued to due the lack of available drivers. Jim said this was part of the reason for the creation of the 9.5
Same issue with the Exotica 3s which used the discontinued Rythmik powered woofers.
-
See last post here from AvsFan:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=171951.0
-
I don't listen to EDM, Industrial, or death metal.
But I do like a little extra bass, listening loud and my "standard" metal at times (Megadeth, Metallica, Pantera..) Along with Reggae and a general love for a big soundstage and bass that at times can kick you in the chest (while being accurate).
My SS12's do the trick as would SS10's. The issue is, you will have to find these used at this point.
But if you talk to Jim, who knows what he might be able to cook up for you.