[qwknuf6]

Speakers should be shipping soon!
My wait is almost over ,I ordered the HT2-tls in early May,went back and forth on the wood finish ,I settled on a quilted maple with smokey dye.
Jim has kept me up to date whenever I have asked questions.

Let me give you my setup and give me your opinion as to what I will need for the best sound..........

btw I have (3) Ascend Sierra 1 speakers across the front  ,the Salks (LRC) will be replacing them.

The room is 15 x 20 and one long wall has a 9 foot opening to the dining room/kitchen,the opening will be behind the left front speaker, Speakers are in the middle of the room facing the the long wall(20ft) ,I sit directly across from the front speakers, 11' from the front speakers on an  cloth sofa , speakers are 8 ft apart with the center channel 32 inches high ,room has carpet and 60 sq ft of acoustic panels ,both behind the seating area and behind the front speakers.
I have 1 15" Rythmik  Sub in the left rear corner of the room ,Yamaha AVR RXV-1900 rated 130 watts per channel,OPPO Bluray player ,standard issue 83,all hooked together with hdmi cables, this system serves as HT duty and music ,mounted in the rear corners ,8ft  high, are the rear surrounds(170 ascends) that's all I can think of .

So do I need a pre amp? or just use my AVR?
Would I get better sound with different DAC ?
If I want a add more powerful amps should I steer clear of class D amps?If so what kind of amps would be best?

Let me know what you guys think .

Thanks

Mark

[floresjc]

It looks like you are using your AVR for everything.

So if you wanted to go separates, you would have to buy a substantial number of pieces at probably a fairly significant cost.

If you want your system to do both HT and 2-channel afterwards, you are going to need HT pass-through on the preamp. And you are going to need to keep your AVR to do the surround processing for movies etc. I use the Parasound 2100 preamp, and its a great piece at a nice price for 2-channel performance with pass through.

I'm really not a DAC guru, I have AVA gear and I like it alot. Another DAC I considered strongly were the options from Wyred4Sound.

As far as power goes, I love my AVA Fet Valve. If I were going Class D, I would probably go with DAC Cherry or Cherry Jr. Like the look, hear great things about the sound. Wyred4Sound is probably another company you can't go wrong with if Class D is your thing. Parasound makes nice amps as well, but no Class D.

So basically you'd keep your Yamaha and run your multichannel off that. You connect the front L/R outputs (and the sub output if you wish) to the Parasound 2100 passthrough inputs, and then onto the amp etc. When you want to watch a Blu Ray, just turn on your appropriate gear and the yamaha, and it will work like normal with the passthrough. If you want to listen to 2-channel, all you need to turn on is the Parasound 2100, the DAC and the amp. 

[Nuance]

qwknuf6,

Congrats on the new purchase, and welcome to the Salk family!

Your receiver will power the speakers just fine.  Stick with what you have, and first concentrate on the speakers (already done - you made the right choice), proper setup and the room acoustics.  Nothing will improve the sound more than those three things.  Once you've got them "down," listen for a while.  If you are in love with what you hear and continue to honeymoon with the speakers, there is no need to "upgrade."  If, after time, you begin to want more, then delve into the separates and DAC realm.  Until then, first listen with what you have.

Enjoy!

P.S.  I'd stay away from class D for now, but that's just me.

[jackman]

Mark, congrats on the new speakers.  Jim's work is first-rate and I'm confident you will find them a significant step up from your current speakers.  Regarding amplifiers, my suggestion is that you enjoy the journey!  Take your time to meet people on this forum and others who are willing to  let you listen to their systems or even come over and loan you an amp.  Ideally, you will find a Salk owner in your area willing to let you hear his system.

Regarding Class D, I would include them on your list.  Several people really like the Cherry amps, Wyred 4 Sound, and Channel Islands.  They run cool and can drive your speakers without any issues.  AVA amps are also a top choice of Salk owners and I have used them through the years and highly recommend them.  I haven't heard the Modwright amps but they would be on my list if they are in your budget.  I've heard tube amps on the HT2's and they sounded good at moderate volumes.  If you like your music loud, just make sure you have enough power to drive them sufficiently. 

Good luck and congrats on the purchase.  Salk owners are some of the most loyal and proud (rightfully so!).   I look forward to hearing about your selections and selection process!

Cheers,
J

[(W)KRP]

You are asking the right questions, which means that you are off to a good start on the same journey as me, trying to make the right decisions the first time to step up my audio/video experience. A lot of AV enthusiasts go through a lot of components, and I am trying to learn from their experiences rather than repeat them.

My plans are to get the right speakers and room treatment and then a Class D amp (to eliminate the heat coming from my Onkyo AVR) or a tube amp. If I decide on separates, I will include tubes somewhere in the chain to get the tube effect and see if I like it.

[qwknuf6]

I am thinking about the virtue amps ,ice block , with the tube buffer .......

My speakers arrived Friday

Mark

I will take better pics later

[Big Red Machine]

I am thinking about the virtue amps ,ice block , with the tube buffer .......

My speakers arrived Friday

Mark

I will take better pics later

I suggest listening to them for 2 weeks before making any decisions on amps.  Get to know them a little.  I know mine well and they deserve the very best you can throw at them.  The higher quality the electronics, the better the sound.

[barnestn]

[/I suggest listening to them for 2 weeks before making any decisions on amps.  Get to know them a little.  I know mine well and they deserve the very best you can throw at them.  The higher quality the electronics, the better the sound.quote]

Any suggestions for quality electronics??

[qwknuf6]

Some better pics

Man these speakers are HEAVY

[Bill Baker]

You are in for a treat. I have had the HT2-TL's with RAAL tweeter for a while now and they really are special. If you can make it happen, go with tubes. You will never look back. That's not to say that a good solid state or Class D amp won't put a big smile on your face but tubes.......

[catastrofe]

Very nice, I really like the finish you selected.

[taoggniklat]

Those are beautiful....

As others have suggested, take some time to get familiar with them first before changing anything.