AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Salk Signature Sound => Topic started by: theater_lover on 16 Jun 2018, 04:12 am
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I'm not really asking Salk to make headphones... instead, have any of you found headphones that you find "match" Salk sound fairly well?
Thanks.
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https://www.amazon.com/NAD-Electronics-VISO-HP50-Black/dp/B00E1UVXHO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529168484&sr=8-2&keywords=nad+hp50&dpID=31Iz8-M1LwL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
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Oh great, now I'm buying new headphones! Thanks guys!
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But wait, there's more. RAAL is bringing out a pair of headphones. They probably won't be priced for Walmart, but I bet they'll be a good match for Salk speakers...................
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But wait, there's more. RAAL is bringing out a pair of headphones. They probably won't be priced for Walmart, but I bet they'll be a good match for Salk speakers...................
Ooh! Very interesting!
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I have been messing around with headphones and associated amps, dacs etc for the past 8 years or so. I also have a set of Songtowers....
My headphones range from$150 to $1500 of various manufacturers and types....none of them give me the openess of listening to SongTowers or other speakers...
Some do sound very, very good but in a different way, some have a more accurate reproduction of instruments...one example is the sound of piano playing and those "ivory" key sounds adjectives...
One set of headphones reproduces these better than my Salks...
The overallroom filling sound experience is hard to repro IMO even with high dollar cans...but the experience can be as exciting as 2 ch stereo at times....but in a different way..
Alex
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One set of headphones reproduces these better than my Salks...
You didn't finish this sentence.
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Any open-back recommendations?
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Yes and I did this on purpose...dont want to start any flame wars here, my beloved Salks are the best "little" speakers I have
ever owned....be glad to PM you the cans that do the ivories really nice...
" One set of headphones reproduces these better than my Salks..."
Open back recommendations?
Well how much money do you want to spend....??
Alex
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If I’m looking for recomendations, then not providing your experience defeats the point in replying.
I’m sure that I am not the only one interested in this topic, so budget is not a concern. For instance you may love a set of cans that cost $2000, but there may be a similar model for $1000. Or someone finds a good deal. Or maybe $180 from Amazon hits the mark. My personal budget would be up to $1000 or so retail.
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Do you own Salks now? If so what type? The reason I ask is to get some kind of idea what your really looking for.
No headphone I have ever owned or listened too replicates the soud coming from any 2ch stereo setup IMO.
Now some headphones and setups do a really great job of reproducing music very well in a very special and oeasing way, but its very different.
Now the being different does not mean the presentation is not good or great. Some headphones and associated dacs/amps can reproduce sounds very accurately, very pleasing, with good tonality, good soundstage, imaging etc...but different than speakers in a "good" room well placed etc.
I do spend lots of time with headphones and dacs and amps. Much is DIY.
But back to headphones and the cost....you do not need to spend megabucks here, just like owning a pair of Songtowers vs Exotica 3's...the exprience will be different but IMO both could produce a wonderful satisfying experience.
That said several companies make headphones under $1000 that are absolutely great as far as headphones go. There are many attributes that come to play when I picked out headphones.
Like comfort, impedance, what other ancillary equipment would you need to have a chance of working well with them, tonality, soundstage, sensitivity etc...
Then after buying over a dozen sets of headphones, it comes down to YOUR personal preference and listening to each and they all sound different and similar in many ways.
My number one recommendation after ALL this time, money and experiences to get to a really good setup with headphones would be: Wait...wait....wait...
But remember that there are other combinations that may provide you a similar experience, but after many,many cans, amps an dacs there is one setup that IMO really stands out as a great example of how well this technology is to date.
Sennheiser HD600's, $286 +/-. So you have a good chunk of change left over in your $1000 budget.
If you want to spend ALL your money on the headphones, then a set of Beyer T1's, Audeze LCD 2's, or Sennheiser 660s....gosh there are so many more, but each is different in those above mentioned attributes.
I could be very happy with the HD600's, a Bottlehead Crack (with Speedball) amp with a Schitt Bifrost MB DAC...you cound stop right here and be very pleased.
Now does this sound as good as or better that a pair of Salks or any speakers...you will have to be the judge of that.
Enjoy!
Alex
Note: This topic has been discussed many, many times and there is a HEADPHONE section on this website that might be more appropriate for this type of discussion.
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I think this is the appropriate forum. This discussion started out about which cans match Salk speakers. I, for one, am interested in the discussion.
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Thats fine, I just do not want this to become a "are headphones better or speakers etc...."
This is Jim's SalkSound forum and we are here as his guests.
If you want even more discussions on this topic there is a wealth of it in other threads like the "Headphone Circle" and other places.
Alex
:D
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I've been using the NAD HP50 recommended above at work since October. No complaints at all for the price. I'm usually very critical, but have no issues listening to these hours on end while at work.
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But the thread starter is asking if any headphones "match" Salk sound fairly well?
Alex
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This isn't a speaker vs headphone discussion. They are very different beasts. What I am looking for is a headphone that has a general sonic quality to Salk's sound. Obviously it will never match exactly, nor will the experience be the same.
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Or to ask in another way...
What headphones would those who enjoy Salk speakers also like to listen to?
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There are a alot of headphones that do a good job of reproducing music that will make you smile.
I dont see a real correlation between the two, ie what headphones do you like to listen to if your a Salk Speaker owner.
I would bet that most Salk owners would have widely differing opinions about headphones....and I would venture to say that most 2 ch speaker folks would probably frown upon the headphone experience..
With that in mind I am curious as to what other Salk speaker owners will chime in with.
As an official Salk speaker owner, my choices are what I stated, and after many years of mucking with mega dollar 2 ch speakers and low to high dollar headphones...there are many answers.
My favorites to date are Beyer T1's, Beyer T90's and Senn HD600. All very different. All good IMO.
If I had to choose one, probably the T1's would be my choice for overall musicality, tonality, soundstage etc..]
Alex
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But wait, there's more. RAAL is bringing out a pair of headphones. They probably won't be priced for Walmart, but I bet they'll be a good match for Salk speakers...................
I've been hearing about these for years. Still seem like vaporware to me.
Is there anything recent you've heard directly from Aleksander?
Greg
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Not too long ago Aleks wrote to me saying that he was discontinuing the 64-10 tweeter to free up skilled labor for headphone production. So I have to assume they really exist. Very recently he said he had worked out a way to continue the 64-10's using different staff. I don't have an ETA for the head phones.
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Its really amazing to me to see RAAL jump into the headphone fray....there are sooooo many headphones out there now it makes your headspin. If he is really going to do this he is taking a risk for sure IMO.
That said I being a headphone addict would indeed like to see what he comes up with.
Today there are several models above and well above the $1000 mark, with many, many more below the $1000 mark.
I would bet 90% of heahphone owners buy at or below the $1000 mark...and then some.
Looking over all the information on all these cans for years has a lot of parallels to speakers, with each manufacturer touting
their goodness and how the next model is better or different than another.
Many folks with headphones make the analysis that you dont need to spend $50,000 on headphones to have a great experience
but those $50K cans sure do sound good...
I compared cans to speakers many times, but the speakers always win out "to me" in overall presentation and all the rest. While some headphones do a really good job of reproducing music accurately.
Many vendors come in and offer a new headphone, like Oppo, and then after awhile just dissappear...
If Jim comes up with a headphone I would be the first one in line to try them!!
But I hope he just stays focused on what he is doing now, with offerring some of the best loudspeakers in the world!
Alex
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I'm not really asking Salk to make headphones... instead, have any of you found headphones that you find "match" Salk sound fairly well?
Thanks.
Oppo headphones with Oppo HA-2 headphone amp = extremely positive listening experience
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Its sad OPPO is going, going.....away.
Alex
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A little update for those who are interested.
I tried the NAD Viso HP50. I had high hopes considering the reviews and the price, but they just sounded muddy to me.
I then tried the Adorama HifiMan HE-560 v2. Overall I liked the sound, but they were a touch crisp / clinical and the headband was terrible.
Lastly I tried the Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro. I like these. They don't have the spaciousness of a planar, but overall everything sounds "good". They are also built like a tank (vs. the two above.).
So for now, that is what I am sticking with.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
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A little update for those who are interested.
I tried the NAD Viso HP50. I had high hopes considering the reviews and the price, but they just sounded muddy to me.
I then tried the Adorama HifiMan HE-560 v2. Overall I liked the sound, but they were a touch crisp / clinical and the headband was terrible.
Lastly I tried the Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro. I like these. They don't have the spaciousness of a planar, but overall everything sounds "good". They are also built like a tank (vs. the two above.).
So for now, that is what I am sticking with.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
So how about the match to Salk speakers? That's what we were talking about, right?
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That's very hard because there isn't a Salk 'house sound' per se IMHO- the different 'families' (Song, SS, Exotica just to name a few) use different drivers and voicings and have quite different overall signatures.
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The various speakers certainly have different drivers with different dispersion patterns and extension, but the basic voicing is as close as I can get it. To that extent, I really think there is a house sound. Which hopefully is neutral.
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The various speakers certainly have different drivers with different dispersion patterns and extension, but the basic voicing is as close as I can get it. To that extent, I really think there is a house sound. Which hopefully is neutral.
Having heard the SS10, HT2-TL, SS8, E3, and SongTower, I would agree with this. :)
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I have heard all the abovementioned speakers too, and while they are all close to 'neutral', all sound distinctly different from one another. FR plots don't reveal everything about what lends a speaker its 'signature'. Does an SS, which has a dipole loading in the mid and highs, really sound the same as a monopole Exotica (for example)? Not to me.
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I have heard all the abovementioned speakers too, and while they are all close to 'neutral', all sound distinctly different from one another. FR plots don't reveal everything about what lends a speaker its 'signature'. Does an SS, which has a dipole loading in the mid and highs, really sound the same as a monopole Exotica (for example)? Not to me.
No, but that's not because the voicing is different.
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I'm only two days into the break- in, but the Denon AH-D5200 seem to be a good match. They have the same balanced, listen forever quality like the Salk speakers. Not even close to monitor type headphones.
Don
Original Song 3