[Big Red Machine]

And in case you were wondering about their performance:

[jtwrace]

And in case you were wondering about their performance:

What about some details about how this was done?

[Nuance]

Here is a quick description of the sound, which I also posted on AVS forum:

The bass is glorious! Its powerful, tight and deep, and in Jim's wide open shop no less. The mids are almost impossible to describe. How does the word perfection sit with you? Yes, they are perfect! And we all know how I feel about the RAAL; smooth but not lacking detail, and extended into the heavens. The sound stage width and depth is astounding as well, again being the best I've heard tied with the SS12. I cannot fathom a speaker on earth sounding better than these for this asking price. I'd be willing to sell my entire system (only keeping the receiver), and use the proceeds towards a pair of these. They are that good and are my new dream speaker.

[Big Red Machine]

What about some details about how this was done?

[Art_Chicago]

post removed

[Nuance]

Your PM box is full, Pete, FYI.

[Big Red Machine]

Not no mo.

You didn't scratch my speakers did you?  Drool is okay.  We can sand that out.

Your PM box is full, Pete, FYI.

[kingdeezie]

Here is a quick description of the sound, which I also posted on AVS forum:

The bass is glorious! Its powerful, tight and deep, and in Jim's wide open shop no less. The mids are almost impossible to describe. How does the word perfection sit with you? Yes, they are perfect! And we all know how I feel about the RAAL; smooth but not lacking detail, and extended into the heavens. The sound stage width and depth is astounding as well, again being the best I've heard tied with the SS12. I cannot fathom a speaker on earth sounding better than these for this asking price. I'd be willing to sell my entire system (only keeping the receiver), and use the proceeds towards a pair of these. They are that good and are my new dream speaker.

So you like them the same as the SS12 or SS10? What did they give up to the SS12? Obviously frequency extension on the lower end, but what about dynamics?

[MichiganMike]

Wow! What a nice model.   

If this model was available then I might not have ordered the SS10s.  I like that the SS8 is more efficient.  I do like the looks of my SS10s and their inert top module.  I also like the touch and feel of my SS10s.

Bob

PS Does the deadness of the top module in the SS10 and SS12 make a difference that can be heard? 

While I find little to fault in the performance or appearance of my SoundScape 10, my wife would have preferred a speaker with a smaller footprint and more conventional appearance.  Like Bob, I might have been tempted by the SS8 if it had been available a year ago when I placed my SS10 order.

The shape of the top module of the SS10 and SS12 might in theory offer some minor reduction in diffraction artifacts relative to the larger flat surface of the SS8 adjacent the RAAL and Accuton drivers.  I hope that a pair of the SS8 speakers may be available at AKFest 2012, so that I may experience their performance.

The differences in sound between the SS8 and the SS10 or SS12 may be debated, whereas the advantages of the SS8 in efficiency, size and cost appear clear.

I join in congratulating the new and prospective SS8 owners. 

Mike   

[jd3]

Wow, those are stunning!  I was trying to decide between HT2-TL's or HT3's, but maybe I need to reexamine my budget to move up to a pair of these.

[Nuance]

Not no mo.

You didn't scratch my speakers did you?  Drool is okay.  We can sand that out.

Check for dry drool spots, but certainly no scratches.  I was scared to touch anything but the sample veneer pieces. 

So you like them the same as the SS12 or SS10? What did they give up to the SS12? Obviously frequency extension on the lower end, but what about dynamics?

Well, as Mike mentioned below, the 10's and 12's should offer a bit more openness transparency due to the extreme minimal speaker baffle.  It's possible I'd have to hear them side by side to notice the difference, but who knows.  If you already have 10's or 12's you're not missing out on anything.  Likewise, though, if you'd already owned the 8's I doubt you'd be wanting to upgrade to the 10's or 12's.  But if you're looking for SS10 and 12 calibre sound with a higher efficiency and without breaking the bank, these are the speakers for you.  Heck, if I had a pair of Linkquitz Orions or Revel Salon2's I'd sell them immediately for a pair of SS8's.  They are a game changer in this price range, and personally I think they are more attractive looking than the 10's or 12's.  I've only heard one other speaker that was on par with the midrange of the SoundScape series, and it's the Vandersteen Model 7.  Considering that speaker starts at $45,000 and is super finicky to set up, I think I'd choose a pair of SS12, 10's or 8's over even those; the Vandies just wouldn't be worth the hassle, nor would they sound amazing in smaller rooms IMO.  I could be wrong about that, though.

Dynamics wise...well, think of it like this:  Dual 8" woofers in each speaker equals more surface area than what the 10's offer.  Pair that with a higher efficiency and it was clear to me that the SS8's are at least as dynamic as the 10's, though probably more.  The 12's still hold the crown for ultra dynamics, though; they do cover then entire frequency response after all.

The differences in sound between the SS8 and the SS10 or SS12 may be debated, whereas the advantages of the SS8 in efficiency, size and cost appear clear.
 

That is exactly my line of thinking.  Well said.

Wow, those are stunning!  I was trying to decide between HT2-TL's or HT3's, but maybe I need to reexamine my budget to move up to a pair of these.

It's certainly no tiny jump in cost, but if you can swing it you will not be sorry.  At the risk of sounding like a stupid cliche, these speakers honestly perform way above their price classification.  I'm trying to determine which organs I can live without so I can sell them and get a pair.    Seriously, though, if you can, do it!

I should make a quick couple notes to further comment on the design and sound.

1)  The attention to detail on these things blew me away.  The all black Salk emblems, black spikes and red speaker plinths was such a cool touch; looks so beastly!  One of the things that just made me smile was you get two different "grills" for the open-back midrange: one that is similar to a standard speaker grill with the framing and speaker cloth (the open configuration), and a second that is not just a frame but fully solid piece (the closed configuration).  This is probably not news to you current SS owners, but just little touches like this make these speakers even that more special.

2)  We were listening with the midrange cabinet fully stuffed with polyfill but with the backs open (correct me if I am wrong, Jim).  Even in this configuration the sound stage depth was so powerful and realistic...I was just so blown away.  Certain sounds would project from 6-8 feet behind the speakers, while others would be several feet outside the speaker boundaries and sometimes even next to my head (as if rear speakers were on).  Needless to say the SS8's were completely enveloping, like a true live orchestral performance.  The ability to adjust the amount of fill and listen closed or open-back is such an awesome feature, as it allows you to tune the speaker to your room.  I love it!

3)  Finally, I want to say this particular pair of speakers didn't have justice done to them with photos.  Jim took some, I took some (only phone pics, though), and none of them reveal the true brilliance of this paint job, and it has nothing to do with Jim's picture taking skills, so please don't mention that.  They are simply so stunning in person that a great camera still cannot capture them fully.  Seeing the brilliance of these speakers in person literally transformed me back to college when I purchase a used 1994 5.0L Mustang GT (it was pristine).  The color of red on my car was almost identical to the one on the SS8's, though admitedly Jim did an even better job then Ford did.  

Anyway, congrats again to Quan; he's going to be in seventh heaven!

[Austin08]

Thanks, Nuance. I always admire your threads post and you are one of those person on Salk circle that influence my SS buying decision although we are not really bump inti each other, yet.

[audiotom]

While I find little to fault in the performance or appearance of my SoundScape 10, my wife would have preferred a speaker with a smaller footprint and more conventional appearance.

Mike

What your wife doesn't know won't hurt her

[Tone Depth]

Finally, the speaker I have been waiting for, if I could only afford it! Have to start thinking, and working harder.

[DMurphy]

What about some details about how this was done?

I'm not sure whether you're asking how the measurment was taken, or how the speaker  was engineered.  If it's just the measurement, then you take a calibrated mic, raise it to the tweeter axis, back it up to about 1 meter or a little more, start the Praxis measurement, and see what you get.  This is what Jim got.  (I don't believe this is one of my measurements.)  The response below 200 Hz (not shown) won't be as pretty, because Praxis shifts over to a room measurement, which will include a floor bounce cancellation dip around 120 hz, and perhaps a room peak around 70 hz.  In Jim's gynormous measuring room, the peak might not be there 

[(W)KRP]

And they play down to an F3 of 25Hz rahter than 22Hz for the 10’s and 18Hz for the 12’s.

Is there much to miss below 25Hz?

[fsimms]

Twenty five Hz is pretty low.  About the only music that you would miss is the lowest couple of notes of the Pipe Organ.  Only a few classical pieces use those notes.  The SoundScape 10 won’t get that ether. You would need to get the SoundScape 12s to go that low.  Movies sometimes have stuff that low so adding a sub wouldn’t be crazy there.

Here is a frequency chart.

Chart

Bob

[MichiganMike]

Just a couple more observations on the SS8 relative to its big brothers.

It appears that the SS8 lacks the three-way switch to adjust high frequency response that is included on the SS10 and SS12.  I suspect Jim might be able to add such a switch to the SS8, if desired. 

The SS8 specifications list a nominal impedance of 8 ohms while the SS10 and SS12 have a nominal impedance of 4 ohms.  The SS8 may be an easier load for some amps to drive, if the impedance curve does not dip as low as that of the SS10 and SS12.  Jim has posted an impedance plot for the SS12 at salksound.com, which shows a dip below 4 ohms above 200 Hz to about 325 Hz and a sustained 4 ohm impedance above 1000 Hz. I did not see a similar plot for the SS8 or SS10, but Jim has told me my SS10 should be similar to the SS12 in impedance.  Impedance is important to me in selecting which speaker tap to use on my McIntosh amp. 

Mike

[clipped]

Maybe I missed it? What is the cost for SS 8's and can someone compare their performance when compared to the HT3's.
Thanx

[zybar]

Maybe I missed it? What is the cost for SS 8's and can someone compare their performance when compared to the HT3's.
Thanx

Cost:

http://www.salksound.com/soundscape%208%20%20pricing.htm

George