[squirrel_nut]

jim told me that our ST QWTs will be shipping in the next week.  what i am going to ask, doesnt really have a direct answer, but here goes...

what class of components will maximize the abilities of my STs without surpassing the point of diminishing returns?  for example, you obviously wouldnt match a pair of MBL mono blocks with the STs. looking through the owner galleries, i see a lot of AV recievers used for STs & HT2s. this would seem to me to not do the Salk much justice.

i chose the STs based on the components i currently own. hopefully the STs will maximize the sound quality my components feed them. i probably could have moved up to the HT3s and not been too miss-matched, but STs it is!

[Big Red Machine]

Receivers suck for sound, but if that's what you have then using it as a preamp with a better amp is a first step.  Getting a good pre and a good amp and a good dac, and then you are getting serious.  The ST's will give back what they receive. 

[squirrel_nut]

i think you misunderstood my post...  i had simply noticed in the galleries that a lot of salk owners were using AV recievers.  i think the Salks will make their recievers sound as good as they can, but do an injustice to the abilities of the speakers. they deserve better  electronics.
i have an EAD sig-8 pre-pro , papasound amp and oppo 83se, all with DIY cabling.  my old JBL L19 speakers werent doing my electronics justice. i have never heard them sound sooo good in the 30 years i have been listening to them. but, after a long search i ended up here and am placing my faith in Salk.
i picked the ST QWTs because i thought they would be a decent match for my components. perhaps i could have gone with even better

[Photon46]

Your question isn't just relevant to Salk speakers, it's a question all audio enthusiasts have answer for themselves as their involvement with audio grows. The big question is defining your qualifying statement "surpassing the point of diminishing returns." That statement starts in a different place for everyone and it's a moving target from the day you get the audio bug. In the beginning stages of the audio "disease," you think, Oh, if I can get 75% of what's possible, I'll be a happy camper. Then the disease progresses and you start caring about smaller and smaller increments of improvements. God knows where it will stop!

[Big Red Machine]

Just keep your investment commensurate with the price of the ST's.  As you said, giant MBL's make no sense with 2k speakers.

[squirrel_nut]

The big question is defining your qualifying statement "surpassing the point of diminishing returns." That statement starts in a different place for everyone and it's a moving target from the day you get the audio bug. In the beginning stages of the audio "disease," you think, Oh, if I can get 75% of what's possible, I'll be a happy camper. Then the disease progresses and you start caring about smaller and smaller increments of improvements. God knows where it will stop!

i know where my "disease" will end. on the sofa sleeping with my Salk's during the process of my wife disowning me!  really though, we just love music and movies. its an important enough part of our lives, that we wanted to enjoy a better sonic experience. i read all the audio rags to see what the industry is creating, but rarely feel an urge to own a particular component. the only thing i see for us in the foreseeable future is possibly an integrated tube amp.  my wife is kind of pushing for this because she wants to turn the lights down low, listen to some tunes and watch the tubes glow. candles and tubes... chicks love the fluff. i'll be happy if the sound is right   i wonder if she will want to learn how to check and adjust bias... 

[vortrex]

I went through the following tube amps in this order with my ST's:

Jolida JD-202A
Cary SLI-80
BAT VK-55

The BAT is the superior sounding amp, however there is a huge gap in price between it and the Jolida.  For the money, a used 202A with some upgraded tubes sounds pretty amazing with the ST's.  You're going to be a little shy in the bass department though.  The mids however were very impressive with the cheap Jolida.

[squirrel_nut]

does anyone here have any experience with the Decware TOR2 mk3 and mr Salk' speakers? listening impressions?  it's at the top of the list right now.

[mick wolfe]

does anyone here have any experience with the Decware TOR2 mk3 and mr Salk' speakers? listening impressions?  it's at the top of the list right now.

Depends on your room's size, how loud you listen and what you listen to. Not familiar with the Decware amp, but I got by nicely with a Latino ST70 @ 40 watts in a 14 x 16 room..... levels in the mid 80's, peaks approaching 90 db. The ST's are a friendly load for a tube amp despite their 4 ohm rating. Things got even better when I went to the 60 watt Latino ST120 and added an ACI Titan powered sub. On another note, there were very positive comments in TAS about the Songtower/ VA UltraValve tube amp ( 35 watts) combination. So if the Decware amp you're talking about is rated at 25 watts, you're getting close to the minimum I would think you could get by with unless this amp punches well above its power rating. Mostly depends on the above mentioned parameters when all is said and done.

[squirrel_nut]

thanks for the reply, wolfe.  my listening room is practically the same size. i no longer need ear shattering DBs like i enjoyed in my 20's.  i had considered a Dynaco, but had not seen Bob Latino's offerings.  the KT120 tube option in the ST120 build might make a lot of sense.

[mick wolfe]

thanks for the reply, wolfe.  my listening room is practically the same size. i no longer need ear shattering DBs like i enjoyed in my 20's.  i had considered a Dynaco, but had not seen Bob Latino's offerings.  the KT120 tube option in the ST120 build might make a lot of sense.

Actually I prefer the Gold Lion ( re-issue ) KT88 in the ST120 over the Tung-Sol KT120. The ST 120 is capable of putting out a shade over 70 watts per channel with either. The KT 120 doesn't offer an increased power advantage as the ST120 was not designed around this tube. There are many amps out there capable of using the KT120, but not its power potential. Now a few  modern tube amps may have since been  designed to take advantage of the 120's potential, but that I've never researched.