[AliG]

Now...how do I come out with $15k?... And how do I ship the 'beast' to the 'paradise island' that I am staying now?     hmm.. perhaps I need to find a local buyer for my HT3 first. 

Regardless, a big congratulation to Jim and Dennis, I believe it's truely a journey worthwhile! 

[DMurphy]

Yes, it's a TC 12".  But here's my question: didn't TC Sounds go out of business?  If so, I assume there is a nice stock-pile of 12" drivers somewhere at the Salk facility? 

TC went South, but their design lives on.  Jim is sourcing new woofers from an independent supplier who took over the plans and what was left of TC molds and such.  I think Jim asked for some changes in the parameters, so it's pretty much a proprietary woofer.

[Brucemck]

Dennis and/or Jim ... can you comment on the sonic differences between the HT4s and the HT3s?  Less the bass, which Jeff so clearly described, but more the upper bass through midrange, and treble, soundstaging, etc?

[Nuance]

I must have missed it but did I read that the MSRP of the HT4's is $14k?

+1.  I'd like to know what the final pricing is as well.  Sounds like it's 15K, though.

Yes, it's a TC 12".  But here's my question: didn't TC Sounds go out of business?  If so, I assume there is a nice stock-pile of 12" drivers somewhere at the Salk facility? 

TC went South, but their design lives on.  Jim is sourcing new woofers from an independent supplier who took over the plans and what was left of TC molds and such.  I think Jim asked for some changes in the parameters, so it's pretty much a proprietary woofer.

Cool, thanks.  I am pretty sure I know exactly who that supplier is, as he and I have chatted.  Thanks.

mchuckp,

Thanks for that write-up; well done sir!  You're spot on with your impressions...well, at least they go hand in hand with mine.    Of course, I've only heard two Salk speakers, hehe. 

Even though it's torture, I think you're being smart about waiting until you find out what kind of room your speakers will reside in (in your new home).  That can make or break your decision.  In a good sized room, the HT2 TL's are simply amazing, and the bass - oh the bass!!!  I am sure the HT3's and 4's take that bass to the next level, but for me the HT2 TL's are simply incredible.  If you can swing it, go for it.  But again, the room will assist in that decision. 

Whatever you go with, I am sure you'll love them.  Thanks so much for sharing your experience. 

[Nuance]

Dennis and/or Jim ... can you comment on the sonic differences between the HT4s and the HT3s?  Less the bass, which Jeff so clearly described, but more the upper bass through midrange, and treble, soundstaging, etc?

From what they've already said, it sounds like the HT4's take the sound stage width, depth and height to the next level, probably due to those incredible midrange and tweeter drivers, and due to the open back of the mid.  Also, from what others have mentioned, the off-axis performance sounds like it's better. 

Not having actually heard a comparison makes my response pretty much useless, but from what I've read the HT4 is certainly a step up in more than just a couple departments. 

[DMurphy]

Once again, I'm not the best source of A-B comparisons, since I only have one HT3.  Kind of hard to compare the two designs in stereo.  Jim would be the best qualified, given all of his listening time with the HT3's.  All I can say is that the basic voicing is the same except in the midbass, where the HT3 has more bloom.  I know from experience with my other designs running in stereo that switching to the HT4's from the HT3's would leave the instruments with the same timbre, but the ceiling and back wall would basically drop away.  Or not.  It depends on the program material.  I'm not sure you would hear any difference with some of the cuts we were playing, mostly involving husky females singing way too close to the mic.  But on "Fanfare for the Common Man," or Doc Severinsen doing his trumpet thing with a brass band, it was party time.  And there was a seamless quality to the sound as you walked from extreme left (and it was extreme in that room) to extreme right that I don't think any conventional speaker could reproduce. 

[jsalk]

I had planned to make a few comments on AKFest, the new speaker design and answer a number of questions posed on these pages.  I also wanted to start a "name that speaker" thread for the new design listing all of its features and attributes.

But, alas, I haven't even caught up with emails and it is getting late.  So most of my comments will have to wait until tomorrow.

But I did want to thank everyone who stopped by our room at AKFest.  We had a great time talking to old friends and meeting new ones.  It was also extremely gratifying hearing all the great comments from those in attendance.  The one comment that will always stick in my mind, however, came from a gentleman who visited our room Sunday morning.  He said that, unfortunately, he had not been able to get to church for Sunday services.  But he was feeling less guilty because listening to our new speakers was a religious experience in its own right.  I laughed the rest of the day.

More later...

- Jim

[fishinbob]

The Salk Cathedrals

[bpape]

Glad it went well for you Jim.  I wish Glenn and I could have made it up for the show but it just wasn't in the cards this year.  Sounds like you have a winner on your hands with the 4's. 

Bryan

[av_passion]

Jim, what is the likelihood of a matching Beast center and surrounds?

[jsalk]

Just a quick note on the woofer...

Earlier, I referred to it as a TC-style woofer.  I thought that this would make much more sense than saying it is a custom AE driver.  The driver was based on designs offered by TC Sounds before they passed away.

I need to give special thanks to John Janowitz of Acoustic Elegance for hanging in there and delivering a superb driver.  John made several significant improvements to the basic design, lowering distortion even lower than the original.  This driver is extremely flat and extended on both ends of the spectrum.  I doubt there is another woofer that could have performed as well in this particular design.

Thanks John for your perseverance.  Your work really paid off!

- Jim

[turkey]

Holy boomin' system Salkman!  Those look great, Jim. 

Definitely a lot of time went into those cabinets...  The trans-lam bamboo looks really cool.

Best of luck this weekend with the big debut.

Cheers,
Greg

Ha, I think you just came up with a name for the new loudspeaker - the "Trans-Lam-Boo" 

I really like the way the Lamboo looks. Too bad it's so hard on tools.

Maybe I missed this, but will the production models be laminated MDF covered in veneer? That sure will be tricky to veneer.

[jsalk]

I really like the way the Lamboo looks. Too bad it's so hard on tools.

Maybe I missed this, but will the production models be laminated MDF covered in veneer? That sure will be tricky to veneer.

Our current plan is to have four cabinet versions: MDF with a 10" woofer, Bamboo with a 10" woofer, MDF with a 12" woofer and bamboo with a 12" woofer.

With the MDF cabinets, the woofer sections will be veneered and the front of the midrange/tweeter section will be veneered.  The remainder of the upper cabinet cannot be veneered and will normally be finished in black satin (or other colors upon request).

- Jim