[Trey]

Hello Salk Circle,

I am in the process of putting together a multi-purpose system and would love some feedback from you folks. The budget for 5.1 or 5.2 plus amps and processing is around $8500. My usage is probably 50/50 HT/Music although high quality 2 channel audio is a huge plus. SACD/DVDAudio 5 channel is also a secondary requirement.

I recently had the pleasure of auditioning both Salk SongTowers and HT2-TLs. I was extremely pleased with both of these products. Many thanks to adydula and rahimlee54 for graciously welcoming me into their homes and allowing me to experience these wonderful speakers.

My intention is to buy once. I'm not saying I will never replace any of the gear but I do not want to enter into a cycle of always wanting something new.

Currently, I am leaning towards standard STs, SongCenter, Song SurroundII's, and 1 or 2 Rythmik subs plus an Onkyo NX-TR5007 receiver. Separate amps and processor would be preferred so I can upgrade the processor only as the technology changes and invest a little more in better amplification but I do like all the bells and whistles of the new receivers. The HT2-TLs did have a tad more umph but matching them across 5 channels gets expensive.

All advice welcome!

[floresjc]

I would think you could do what I did and get 2 pairs SongTowers, a SongCenter, and a Rythmik sub for your budget. Not sure how much that Onkyo costs. It will be a great sounding system. I think if you try and go HT2-TL, you'll quickly ramp your budget way up, or you'll end up getting HT2-TL's and Song Surrounds to make it fit the cap with all the other pieces in there. Maybe if you are going with good subs, you could look at doing HT1's all the way around, very high sound quality but cheaper than HT2-TL's. But my gut feeling based on your cap is a complete Song system (plus subs and amps) that would be timbre matched and high quality, they really boogie.

[Trey]

Not sure if I can fit full STs in my space for the rears. Good idea though, I'll have to check on some re-arranging. What do you guys think about ribbon vs dome tweets in the STs? Specifically dispersion in a room where most of the seating is around the room and not central.

[funkmonkey]

Trey-   it's good that you got to hear both.  Forget about your budget for a second and think which speakers you enjoyed the most.  Those are the speakers you should get, at least for the front three.  If that means mismatched surrounds...  big deal.  Especially in the Salk family, because they all have similar voicing nothing is going to sound out of place.

The Onkyo NX-TR5007 looks like quite an AVR (so does the 3007), but to take advantage of all that it offers aren't you adding in height channels as well? (9.2 ?)  I've been looking at them, too (Onkyo).  If music is a priority (even 50%), I would suggest that you focus more on the 2 channel side of the equation with your electronics as well as your speaker selection.  The AVR features have been changing so rapidly lately that what is new today is obsolete in a couple of months.  So, plan on replacing what ever you buy for an AVR or pre/pro several times down the road if you want to stay current.  Plain old STEREO however is what I would call "stable."  Build that end of your system as solid as you can and let the rest evolve with time.  For me that meant buying a separate amp, and a 2 channel pre-amp with HT bypass, and an amazing source.  The HT side is still in flux.  Hope that makes sense.

Cheers

[Trey]

Unfortunately it makes perfect sense. It just points me toward a longer & more expensive process

No heights in the near future. It would be nice to have the option but for now 5.1 is all I'm looking for. The ISF calibration feature as well as network capabilities are more of a concern at the moment. The 5007 seems to feature some enhancements at the amp level over the 3007. If I use a separate amp for 2 channel, the 3007 would fit the bill. Well maybe not the budget depending on the 2 channel amp, thats where things start to get a little crazy.

To me there wasn't much difference between the 2 speakers except in the lower range. The HT2-TLs had slightly more dig into the lower frequencies. They may have had an ever so slight advantage from the ribbons but the STs with domes were no slouch in that area. I do like the silver drivers better from strictly an aesthetic perspective.

[charmerci]

Don't forget that Salk's Home Theater Speakers already have ribbon tweeters in them.

http://www.salksound.com/speakers_hts.shtml

[Trey]

The HTS series was a consideration at one point. However, I kind of moved them off the radar after a brief email chain with Jim. I'm summarizing here but I believe he stated something to the effect that the STs may be a better choice if 2 channel audio was 50% of my intended use. The HTS series is sealed and lacks some of the low extension of the STs. Seems like I read somewhere that they were working on a center and surrounds to match with the HT2-TLs or HT1-TLs. May be a bit of a budget buster, but it sure sounds like a good idea. especially to someone like myself trying to get the best of both worlds.

[charmerci]

The HTS series is sealed and lacks some of the low extension of the STs.

But you mentioned in your original post that you were going to do maybe 1 or 2 subs with the speakers.

[Trey]

The sub/s are mainly for HT. The extra depth of the STs would help for 2 channel audio. But that raises another question in my mind. How well will a Rythmik 12" or 15" sub work for music? In other words, would I be better off listening to CDs with the 2 fronts or should I add in the sub? If the sub is in play, then the advantage of the extra lows of the HT2-TLs becomes less of an advantage. Same could be said for the HTS series vs the STs.

[Nuance]

The Rythmik subwoofers are fantastic for Music.  I just got back from a GTG at a friend's home who owns one (D15SE).  We used it for the entire speaker comparison and it reminded me how much I really do love Rythmik subwoofers.  I'd be proud to own one (or two, or three...). 

I have SongTower RT's, and they dig pretty darn low, but I crossover over to subwoofers for music and don't regret it one bit.  Some of the tunes I listen to dig lower than the ST's rated 42Hz, and I do not want to miss out on the those notes.   This also allows me to place the speakers where they sound best, and the subwoofer where it sounds best, thus giving me the smoothest integration (a best of both worlds scenario for me).  YMMV, of course, but I recommend trying the ST's without music, then crossover over and comparing.  Go with the option that sounds best.

[floresjc]

The sub/s are mainly for HT. The extra depth of the STs would help for 2 channel audio. But that raises another question in my mind. How well will a Rythmik 12" or 15" sub work for music? In other words, would I be better off listening to CDs with the 2 fronts or should I add in the sub? If the sub is in play, then the advantage of the extra lows of the HT2-TLs becomes less of an advantage. Same could be said for the HTS series vs the STs.

Well, I think this depends on your personal opinion and listening habits more than anyone outside could give you. I think 2 channel purists would go for the HT2-TL's for a more full range "integrated" sound. If you are like me, you may be just fine taking a great sub and going 2.1 with ST. I think its a great combo, especially for a system that is both home theater and 2 channel. You also have multichannel audio as a secondary requirement, which with the home theater, would lead me to think it would be best to go with the ST and a sub.

[Trey]

Wanted to give a big thanks to you Nuance. Your speaker quest and thread on AVS more than anything else steered me toward Salk Sound. There were others including FunkMonkey and one other whose name escapes me, but your detailed and well documented search was invaluable to me.

I have to say, I am definitely leaning in the direction of STs with a sub for both HT and music. I did enjoy the HT2-TLs and they have probably slowed down my decision. The STs I auditioned did not have the RT option but they still sounded amazing. How are the ribbons in the STs at spreading the sound through your room. The only thing holding me back on the ribbons and giving me a little pause on the HT2s is what I've read about dispersion and ribbons. Seems my research points me toward better dispersion with domes. I may be wrong about this and would welcome any suggestions. The seats in my current room are placed around the room and I frequently have small groups over. I want everyone to be able to enjoy the sound. Plus I sometimes watch Tv on the couch which is not in a central spot.

[Nuance]

I didn't really do anything, but thanks for the kind words, Trey. 

A ribbon tweeter will generally not disperse as well due to the shape, especially vertically.  However, my ST RT's disperse very well horizontally, and since I don't listen to them standing up the vertical dispersion is kind of moot.  When sitting and listening, I hear no dispersion issues. 

Here's my advice: you heard the HT2's, no?  Did you hear any dispersion issues when you were listening?  If not, then forget what you read and trust your ears.  Speaking of which, you said you didn't hear much difference between the domes and ribbons, so maybe that's a sign.  I wouldn't pay for a difference I could not hear, know what I mean?  If you can directly compare the domes and ribbons, focusing on the tweeter, go ahead.  Otherwise just go with what you know you heard bro. 

[DMurphy]

Wanted to give a big thanks to you Nuance. Your speaker quest and thread on AVS more than anything else steered me toward Salk Sound. There were others including FunkMonkey and one other whose name escapes me, but your detailed and well documented search was invaluable to me.

I have to say, I am definitely leaning in the direction of STs with a sub for both HT and music. I did enjoy the HT2-TLs and they have probably slowed down my decision. The STs I auditioned did not have the RT option but they still sounded amazing. How are the ribbons in the STs at spreading the sound through your room. The only thing holding me back on the ribbons and giving me a little pause on the HT2s is what I've read about dispersion and ribbons. Seems my research points me toward better dispersion with domes. I may be wrong about this and would welcome any suggestions. The seats in my current room are placed around the room and I frequently have small groups over. I want everyone to be able to enjoy the sound. Plus I sometimes watch Tv on the couch which is not in a central spot.

HI   It's not really a question of the lcy Ribbons having restricted dispersion--it's more a question of the little 0W1 domes having extrmely wide dispersion.  The ribbons are about equal to your standard 1 inch dome in horizontal dispersion.  They're not quite as good vertically. But it's very controversial whether broad vertical dispersion is a good thing.  My personal opinion is that it really doesn't make that much doo da difference.  The 0W1 and lcy have a different quality to the sound, but it's not related to dispersion and it's not a huge difference by any means. 

[Trey]

I don't know if I could hear a difference between the HT2-TLs ribbon and the STs dome if I had listened to them side by side in A-B fashion. Maybe. Best my ears could do with a 24 hour break in between was determine both speakers sounded really good in the mids to highs. I could tell a slight difference in the lows which I have to assume was real, however the listening rooms were very different as were the sources and receivers. Given I will be using a substantial sub (probably 15" Rythmik), I guess the next factor will be cosmetic. I do like the looks of the drivers in the HT2-TLs. And how much to spend on veneer and finish?

Thanks guys for the feedback, keep it coming. Any thoughts on the HT2-TL centers and surrounds?

[jsalk]

Trey -

Thanks guys for the feedback, keep it coming. Any thoughts on the HT2-TL centers and surrounds?

Just a quick note to let you know that although you will not find these on our web site (haven't had time to post them yet), we do have an "HT2" version of our HTC center channel using teh LCY tweeter instead of the G2 ribbon.  That way, all the drivers match.

We will also shortly be producing a stand-mounted version of the HT1 in a rectangular cabinet with the LCY tweeter as well.  These would work well for surround duties in a high-end HT application.

- Jim

[mathgeek97]

We will also shortly be producing a stand-mounted version of the HT1 in a rectangular cabinet with the LCY tweeter as well.  These would work well for surround duties in a high-end HT application.

- Jim

Ooooh.