[chrisw]

This link should help you out regarding what gauges you'll need to run for specific distances and loads.

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Thanks for the link.. although it leads me to believe I might be ok:

It was based on the resistance of the speaker wire not exceeding 5% of the rated impedance of the system.

Unless I'm misunderstanding how to calculate it, I measure 0.2 ohms for the speaker wire / 6.6 ohms for the speaker = 3%

I think I'll leave it the way it is to get things up and running, and I'll hook up a straight run of 14 ga to A/B them as front channels and see if it's worth risking tearing into the wall.

[CC]

I think I'll leave it the way it is to get things up and running, and I'll hook up a straight run of 14 ga to A/B them as front channels and see if it's worth risking tearing into the wall.

This makes sense to me, if you do notice a difference then you can always change it later.

[chrisw]

I finally got everything setup after a solid three days of connecting gear and routing cables. Here are a few pictures of the final installation:

Grilles off:


Grilles on:


SongSurround with Pinpoint AM-40 brackets:


In one of my conversations with Jim, he suggested we add a 1/4"x20 eye bolt to the SongSurround speakers to give me added security since the Pinpoint AM-40 brackets hold the speakers in place by "squeezing" them from the sides. I used the eye bolt in conjunction with a zip tie to secure the surrounds to the speaker brackets:



I'm absolutely thrilled with the performance of these speakers! My first impression was perhaps something wasn't quite right, because I'm so used to listening to music with some form of "sound enhancement" setting such as loudness -- but after a few hours of listening, I'm beginning to develop a whole new appreciation for a neutrally weighted speaker. The RAAL tweeters are amazingly transparent, and the W18s in the TL cabinet produce a surprising amount of mature, clean bass, but most of all, the midrange response on these speakers is out of this world! Overall, I would say these are very well balanced speakers that deliver an incredibly enjoyable listening experience with no listening fatigue whatsoever.

For movie viewing, we are looking forward to the Rythmik subwoofer to round out the earth-shaking sound effects - I'll post a few pics once the sub gets here.

The best way I could describe the sound is to compare it with food. Listening to the Salk system is akin to eating hand-tossed, artisan pizza cooked in a coal fired oven, compared to a pizza from the freezer section in the grocery store. Once you've had the hand crafted pizza, you might still eat a frozen pizza on occasion, but you'll know what you're missing!

Thanks again to Jim and crew for all of your hard work on these speakers, both me and my wife are extremely happy with our choice to join the family of Salk owners!

[DMurphy]

Those look great, and hopefully you'll continue to lilke the sound.  It looks like you could get those HT2's a leeeeetle further apart without upsetting anyone or anything.  I think they would do better with a little more separation.

[chrisw]

It looks like you could get those HT2's a leeeeetle further apart without upsetting anyone or anything.  I think they would do better with a little more separation.

Thanks for the suggestion. I bumped them out another 10".. from center to center, they're about 6'-7" apart now.. about as far as I can go with the space I've got. I remember when I found this place I thought this wall would be plenty big, but it's amazing how quickly it has filled up.

With another 10" of separation:

[DMurphy]

Actually, I think they look better that way even if they don't sound any better.  Nice camera work.  I need you. 

[CC]

Looking Good, Nice clean set up. Enjoy!

[chrisw]

Part II: The custom 15" Rythmik subwoofer arrives!

...in an 18 wheeler!


180 lbs of subwoofer just waiting to be unboxed:


Finally!.. it takes a while to unpack with all of the heavy duty packing!


Installing the feet, here you can see the Rythmik plate amp as well:


Getting it moved into place was more difficult than I imagined.. this beast is HEAVY!


A final picture, showing the subwoofer in relation to the front left HT2-TL.


I have only had it in place for a day, and wow, can it move some air! After reading a recent review of a very similar Rythmik subwoofer on audioholics.com (http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/rythmik-fv15hp), I can understand their comments about the Rythmik controls being a little confusing. I understand the concept of phase and delay, but I'm curious how one would go about measuring and properly integrating the subwoofer into the system (preferably without spending a small fortune on specialty measuring equipment..) Opinions?