I have been waiting to provide comments on my new Ultra 550. My system is in a state of upheaval: CD player out for mods; preamp being built, so I could not. However, I did have a unique opportunity this past weekend I would like to share instead. I happened to be in Michigan Monday so I took advantage of some free time and visited Jim Salk, speaker/cabinet maker extraordinaire (
http://www.salksound.com). Luckily he had a pair of HT3s (standard configuration, effectively) connected to AVA Ultra gear (DAC, pre, 550). I forget what kind of CD player, but it was just used as a transport anyway. (Note: stock power cords, of course, and plain old 12-gauge wire for speaker cables. ICs unknown. No special room treatments that I could identify, although it appeared to be set up for HT. Medium-sized room.) I have always wanted to hear these beauties (HT3s). All of my comments below are intended as a review for both the HT3s and the Ultra gear, combined.
We talked a bit before the demo - Jim is very gracious and patient. He showed me around his ex-shop area and looked at various cabinet and electrical parts. Talk about top quality!
Anyway, Jim put in his demo CD. First track: bassist Dean Peer, “Lord’s Tundra”. Holy scamoly! Talk about “revealing sound”! I felt like I was one of Peer’s strings on his bass: picked clean and buzzing on a fret. Jeeze! Can the 550 get down and do low, tight bass? Hell YEAH! No doubt. For those of you concerned about this aspect of the 550 after reading the TAS review, don’t be. Talk about putting that to rest! And if your 550-driven system’s bass sounds weak, bloated, fuzzy, or ill-defined, look in the mirror, Charlie. It might be your CDP, DAC, pre, or speakers. But it sure ain’t the 550.
At this point in the demo I didn’t even want to continue. I just wanted to hear that track over and over again. But I let Jim run the show. Next up Jennifer Warnes, “Somewhere, Somebody”. This track really showed off the delicate mid-range quality of the system. I brought a couple of tracks with me as well: Patricia Barber, “The Thrill is Gone”, and Mark Murphy, “I Know You From Somewhere”. Both of these displayed the fantastic depth, fullness, and timbre of the mid-range. If you haven’t heard Mark Murphy sing a ballad, then you are missing an amazingly deep, breathy, satisfying experience. If singers were placed on a buffet table for dinner, Patricia and Mark would be found at the end of the line – the carving table. They slice up thick, dense, hefty, juicy, smoky legs of lamb and prime rib cuts of voice. And the 550/HT3 combo presents them perfectly on a silver platter for your consumption … napkin please.
Dave Brubeck’s perfect track, “Take Five”, was awesome. Great dynamics (drums), soundstage (sax), space and decay (cymbals). Cymbals of all sizes on various tracks were reproduced very well – shimmery, golden, and seemingly perfect decay.
I do not want to make this gear/speaker combo sound overly warm – it is not. It is very true to the source. But if the recording is warm and intimate, it will satisfyingly accommodate.
It provides so much detail that seems to be missing in other speakers. The “blatt” of brass instruments; the “reediness” of woodwinds, is obvious with the HT3s. These speakers and amp are clean, clear, and easily define all sounds, even at high SPLs. No conglomeration of sounds making up fuzzy notes – each note distinct, and each sound distinguishable. No matter how loud the volume: no smear, no muss, no fuss. Just solid, extraordinary music. At least for decently recorded material.
This system is fast and highly revealing. I purposely brought some tracks which sound fine in my truck, but not so in better systems. For example, with Edgar Winter’s, “Fire and Ice” and “Hung Up”, I expected to hear a lot more depth and bass from the synthesized music, but it did not appear. Studebaker John’s, “For Lovin’ You”, was not as full as I would have liked. And Reverend Horton Heat’s poorly recorded, “Wiggle Stick”, was so compressed it sounded light-weight and had to be stopped way short of its conclusion. I do not know if this was a function strictly from the speakers or the gear or both (or maybe the power cords? ;^} ). All I know is that the few poorly recorded tracks came off as poorly recorded tracks. In other words, a very true, revealing system it is.
Don’t get me wrong though. The 550/HT3s can do blues and rock. Keb Mo, Bonnie Raitt, and Ray Charles sounded like they were in the room, center stage. What speakers? I swear they weren’t even hooked up. The room just magically filled, top to bottom, with glorious music. Hey Jim, how did you do that? Was it a trick? I swear I did not see the cones move.
Many audio designers/engineers seem to be striving for the sound of live music. Well, these speakers are better than live - they are what live should sound like. And it would if it were perfectly miced, performed, and amped. Some day I hope to own a pair of these stunning “museum-grade” speakers. Until then, I will be squirming in my seat, anxiously awaiting that glorious day.
I love the Ultra 550 and the HT3s.
A side note, if I may … I thought the way Jim demoed his HT3s was awesome: standard version HT3s – no upgrades; driven by Frank’s affordable, though extremely well engineered gear; an unassuming, unimpressive CD transport (I think); connected with hardware store 12-gauge wire. If your speakers sound this fantastic in this configuration, then they are fantsatic speakers. Right? Or the correlary point of view, and one I’ve posted elsewhere recently: For those of you who find your speakers edgy, bright, or fatiguing: assuming you do not have poorly designed gear and ICs, if your speakers sound crappy with plain old 12-gauge wire, chances are IMO they are crappy speakers. There, I said it … flame on!
