Jim Salks new production facility.

Jason Buccellato · « **on:** 12 Dec 2005, 01:49 am »

I have known Jim for a couple of years now. Living in the same area has allowed me to stop by on numerous occasions to see his work and audition his speakers. This first hand exposure to the Salk line up has always left me with the impression that I have had an unfair advantage. Being local, I was never in the position to extend any "Leap of Faith" in making an internet purchase!

Recently, I stopped by Jim's new facility. Full steam ahead! With a more efficient manufacturing process and a new spray booth, production looks great. This leaves more time for attention to detail, which Jim is known for. There were a couple of HT3 builds that caught my eye, a bubinga pair and burled walnut pair. I think the burled walnut HT3's are headed to California soon - someone is going to be stunned!

I'm trading in some HT1's for some HT3's. I'll be a happy camper soon.

stereodad · « **Reply #1 on:** 12 Dec 2005, 04:12 am »

Those burled walnot HT3's would be mine and I'm ready to be stunned.

Merry Christmas,Happy Holidays and Happy Camping to everbody

Larry

Papajin · « **Reply #2 on:** 12 Dec 2005, 05:00 am »

And the bubingas are probably mine as I asked Jim for an update on Saturday and he said "Your project is the first full project in our new space and we're working on it right now." I've got a pair of HT3's, a pair of sealed HT1's, and an HTC in the works.

I have a Blue Circle BC32 amp here already with a faceplate that I believe came from the same stock as the baffles so I have a good idea what the baffles at least are going to look like. Not the best pic I've ever taken, but adequate for a quick 'n dirty!

brj · « **Reply #3 on:** 12 Dec 2005, 05:43 am »

You'll pardon me if I hope the Bubinga set is mine?

If Jim was able to match his estimate, my pair of Bubinga HT3s and HT1 center should be in final assembly this week. He expected to apply the final finish coats last week, once the new spray booth was finished. I haven't heard if that actually happened, however. Over the past few months, I've tried to limit my "pinging" of Jim to every other week or so, unless a specific question comes up. I asked him enough questions during the first few months of this journey that I'm sure Jim could use the break!

I requested the same figured Bubinga veneer used on some previous HT3s, but we grabbed a highly figured board of solid Bubinga off of eBay to use for the baffles. It was thick enough to provide baffles for all three speakers when cut and used in a mirrored bookmatch.

That said, I have to say that while Walnut finishes never really excited me, Jim's examples of burled Walnut have made me wish more than once that I substituted it for my Bubinga!

Jason Buccellato · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Dec 2005, 05:47 am »

The both of you should be floored soon

.

There were times when I was first visiting where Jim would point out what he perceived as a flaw in a speaker cabinet. Of course, I would not have noticed at all. That meticulous care he places on his speakers has sure paid off.

After Jim built the very first pair of HT 3's, I told him I thought they would take off after they received some exposure. It just takes one audition, and then it is just a matter of saving your pennies! Its good to see the shop going as you have to get in line right now for the Salk speakers.

It will be interesting to see the possible changes in Salk Sound as the new shop realizes its potential in the coming year.

Papajin · « **Reply #5 on:** 12 Dec 2005, 06:51 am »

After brj and I knocked our heads together in pm's, I'm guessing what you saw was probably his, though it's hard to say for sure. For all we know you could have seen both.

DMurphy · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Dec 2005, 03:39 pm »

>Recently, I stopped by Jim's new facility. Full steam ahead! With a more efficient manufacturing process and a new spray booth ...[/quote]

Hi I'm a little fuzzy on what all is involved in the new facility. The spray booth I get. What else is there that will speed up production? Any added employees in the mighty Salk production line?

brj · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Dec 2005, 05:41 pm »

Hi Dennis.

Quote from: DMurphy

Hi I'm a little fuzzy on what all is involved in the new facility. The spray booth I get. What else is there that will speed up production? Any added employees in the mighty Salk production line?

From what Jim has mentioned so far, the increased production rate will primarily result from more and better tools, with a subsequent reduction in the time spent hand sanding, cleaning up, etc.. Jim mentioned his new direction in this thread, but in short:

Quote from: jsalk

I'm biting the bullet and moving to some honest-to-goodness manufacturing space. Of course, this entails more than just moving. This week, for example, I ordered a new saw and a great sliding table. I also ordered dust collection equipment, a second veneer press and a sanding machine. And I have a crew waiting to build a giant spray booth (room).

I had the impression that he occasionally did some of the lacquer spraying outside before, so having a spray booth removes any weather dependancy. This was just an impression from a vaguely remembered conversation, however, so I could easily be wrong on this point.

Having multiple veneer presses will obviously help eliminate one choke point in the production flow.

The more accurate saw should help speed things up as well. I know, for example, that when attempting to finish my external crossover enclosures, he tried to apply the solid wood trim to the box sides, veneer them, and then mitre cut the corners afterward. This approach would have been faster than building the entire box first and veneering it, but after attempting it and examining the results, he felt that his previous saw didn't provide the accuracy needed to make this method work to his standards.

Jason Buccellato · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 02:53 am »

I have been at the new shop a fair amount lately. I own a fertilization business, so my work is seasonal. Jim has allowed me to take part in the build process of my own HT3 set.

In the past, visiting Jims studio allowed one to see and hear the final product. Actually spending some time in his new facility and seeing the build process first hand is quite an education. The amount of detailed work that go into these cabinets is absolutely staggering. The use of exotic veneers compared to standard paperbacked veneers increase the work requirements. I noted too, that the truncated pyramid top portion of the cabinets adds a whole other dimension to the build process.

Just like to add that though the beauty of Jims work is easy to see on the internet, the sound is every bit as stunning. My speaker selection choice really was made quite simple due to my location

. The thought of contemplating a different brand was a mute point from the start.