Hoping to enter the Salk Club

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Roninaudio

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Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« on: 10 Nov 2017, 01:25 pm »
Hi Everyone-

New to the forum but on a quest if you will to become a Salk owner. There are a couple threads here already that are very helpful in determining which type model may be best suited for me. I’m hoping to make a determination soon and or maybe luck into a used pair somewhere near Colorado. Jim had a pair of ST Rts but our wires got crossed and those are gone. Previously I had Focal and Parasound.  I have since started from scratch if you will with PS Audio amps and pre. My speakers at the moment are Dynaudio EMIT 20s which are absolutely great for the price point but I would like to upgrade into the Salk line. My room is just flat too big really (about 20X30) but that can change. However for now that’s my listening area. I use a Win 10 “server” with music from Miles Davis to Lindsy Sterling. If I get an urge for BTO- I put on headphones....lol. 

I will continue to read the the threads here, blogs etc but if anyone has any input, that would be awesome. I’m no spring chicken and music has been a part of my life since childhood and dad’s old McIntosh. I’m not doing “theater” anymore so good ol 2-channel is my preference. I have music on most everyday but do set times for critical listening if you will.  I enjoy accuracy , stage and detail.  I’m thinking (literally as auditions are next to impossible) the ST/RT may be my sweet spot with a SC as a stretch and a 3a as a “grail” per say based on everyone’s assessments and comparisons.  Thanks in advance for any help. 

Big Red Machine

Re: Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« Reply #1 on: 10 Nov 2017, 03:32 pm »
Well the St's are stupid good bringing a grin to my face every time I hear them. But I do not know anything about your Dynaudios and how they compare. 3A's are my bang for the buck favorite these days. You have a large room so you could stand some more bass.

Roninaudio

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Re: Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« Reply #2 on: 10 Nov 2017, 03:54 pm »
I hear nothing but good things about STs.  Do you mean Sts in general or is a notable distinction made between ST and ST RT?  One gent mentioned for surround, either will do but said if you were really listening, the RAAL is apparent. I agree 3a would be killer...
 I "believe" perhaps Jim uses Dynaudio drivers in a model or two?  Dyn makes their own stuff but I don't know if it is utilized within Salk systems.  They make good stuff but as you might imagine starting in Denmark and heading through distribution, the mark up is significant..Hence the value proposition is impacted. I would love Wilson and D Agostino but that's not in my budget (lol). Thanks for your input

DMurphy

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Re: Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« Reply #3 on: 10 Nov 2017, 05:18 pm »
Dynaudio is no longer available to third parties. They used to be popular in the DIY community.   The drivers were of particular interest to those wanting to implement true first-order acoustic crossover slopes.  I'm not a fan of that approach, so Dyn's departure hasn't caused any problems for Jim or me. 

Roninaudio

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Re: Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« Reply #4 on: 11 Nov 2017, 12:36 pm »
Thanks.  I thought I read somewhere about Jim sourcing from all over looking for the best drivers and Denmark was mentioned. I think that led me to 2+2=5.  BTW, the Philhamonic 3 looks impressive!

SCompRacer

Re: Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« Reply #5 on: 12 Nov 2017, 08:56 pm »
Our main level has an open floor plan longer than your room by 10' with a wider L shape and a 14' ceiling throughout. I have a pair of Salk SS8's on a long wall so they are not both boxed by corners. I absolutely love my Salk speakers.

I had to add a couple of 12" subs to augment the 25-35Hz range as those frequencies were several to 10dB lower than the midrange. That way I don't just get a hint of what's going on with pipe organ music. Then again, hearing all of the low range really depends on what music you like to play. One can do a room sweep to see what's going on.

Roninaudio

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Re: Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« Reply #6 on: 12 Nov 2017, 10:38 pm »
I do have a room to fill but even the Dyn Book shelves are doing an ok job for now.  I don't think I'll be seeing an SS8 in here anytime soon but that would be nice.  I have had a few contacts on speakers- mostly STs which seem to be the "rite of passage" for entry into Salkdom.  Usually by the time I add the asking price + shipping or driving to get them, I might as well order them. Which is looking like a prospect. Or, go another route altogether.  I'm an analytical listener of sorts and reading posts here has helped me narrow down my preferences a bit I believe. ST RT, SC ST, Song 3a, Song 3. After those everything looks good but gets painful. I was hoping I would not need a sub but that's not out of the question. If so, I go to REL. Great performance in previous systems....

Roninaudio

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Re: Hoping to enter the Salk Club
« Reply #7 on: 17 Nov 2017, 03:54 am »
Thought I would add one more entry here to kind of close this thread.  I tried to work out a RT deal with Jim but those were inadvertently sold while Jim was at a show.. I got many contacts on STs and one on a Song3 but 8 hour drive then a couple other obstacles involved.  Long story short, I am learning a lot from threads and directly from members.  However rather than wait 3 months or hope to find a used Salk, I have upgraded and stayed in an area I know- Dynaudio.  I'm very pleased but also for another reason:

I purchased a AQ Jitterbug (which works fine along with some real XLRs) but the AQ component came with a 60 day subscription to ROON. This stuff is Awesome!!!!!  I have been with jRiver for years but had a issue which was discovered when setting up my new speakers.  (The Pre was not playing the correct resolution).  Anyway, there may be some of you that could of corrected this I bet.  Either way, I installed Roon and all worked perfect immediately.  Great sound, great GUI and I can control from my phone.  Now this may not be at all new to some but it is to me  and I love it.

To close, I'm still lurking here as there is lots to learn on the digital front (I am suddenly happy with my PC set up!) but improvements are still out there I'm sure. Lot's to learn here.  See ya around the board......