[mresseguie]

Hello, Digitaldude.

I don't have either of the Salk speakers nor do I own the Cirrus. [I heard the Cirrus at Axpona 2014 and noticed a lack of the lower bass.] However, I do own a pair of Fritz LS/5-R speakers which share the Scan Speak Illuminator 5.5" midwoofer driver as the Silk speakers.

These 5.5" drivers deliver very satisfying bass levels even at very reasonable listening levels. The midrange clarity is excellent. When I show the speakers to friends and acquaintances, they cannot get over how great the bass is especially considering how small the midwoofers are.

In my (more or less) humble opinion, once we get into the Illuminator/Revelator/Audio Tech/Satori/Seas Excel level of midwoofer drivers, most of us are just splitting hairs trying to determine which one is the 'best'. Sure, they have different qualities, but I'll wager that in a truly blind listening test, most of us would be more than content with any of the configurations. I don't mean an A/B comparison - I mean if you listen to speakers A behind a curtain, you'll love them. Likewise, if you listen to speakers B, you will love them. It's only when we are presented with different packages that our eyes and our imaginations push us to lust after this or that variation. 

I'm as guilty as the next guy of constantly pouring over all the eye and ear candy looking for my next pair of speakers, but when the day is done and I'm listening to my speakers, I know damned well they are really nice sounding speakers.

My suggestion to you is call Jim of Salk, Fritz of Fritz Loudspeakers, Ryan of Vapor, Rick of Selah, Klaus of Odyssey, etc. and arrange for them to send you a pair of speakers to audition for a few weeks. It's is the only sure way for you to know 100% that this or that pair of speakers suits you best. I think most of them have very reasonable return policies. Go ahead, man. Give it a try. It's what I should have done 2 years ago. You'll spend a little on shipping charges, but it's not that much in retrospect. Heck, I drove many hundreds of miles to a dozen audio shops, flew to Chicago for three days for Axpona '14, and read hundreds of reviews and spent God knows how many hours researching before I even began committing to decide which speakers I wanted. How much money did I spend doing all that? 

Enjoy your journey!

Michael

[johzel]

Question, is this the same AT driver used in the Vapor Audio Cirrus Black?

DigitalDude,

This is from the thread where Jim first mentioned these drivers - this seems to imply that these particular AT drivers are proprietary to Salk Sound - that's how I read it??

"A while ago, we asked Per Skaaning (one of the most knowledgeable driver manufacturers in the world) to build some nice midwoofers for us.  But for some reason, we never did anything with them.  When we ran across them recently, we decided to couple them with our RAAL tweeters and build some nice monitors."

[jsalk]

Question, is this the same AT driver used in the Vapor Audio Cirrus Black?

What driver is used in this model?

- Jim

[srb]

What driver is used in this model?

If the website is up to date, it is the Audio Technology C-Quenze 18H52.

Steve

[jsalk]

This is not the driver we are using.  We are using the 15H52 which excels in midrange quality.  The 18H52 would require a larger cabinet and, since it is a larger driver, it would beam a bit more.

- Jim

[Dragon_vibe]

My suggestion is to stick to Salk sound. I would not recommend dealing with ryan from vapor audio he still owes me 20,000 us dollars for th last 2 years and no longer respond to emails and has not paid back a penny. Salk sound has excellent reputation a good business ethics. Your investment is in better hands.

Salk sound can build you Real custom speakers should you require changes.

My experience with vapor audio has been a total nightmare. I'm down 20,000 us dollars and not once has ryan actually contacted me or arrange to ge the funds paid back. This should give you a good indicator on the people your dealing with,

[srb]

You just couldn't leave this topic alone, which is about a Salk speaker in the Salk forum. 

You've already aired your dirty laundry and dissatisfaction ad infinitum (and ad nauseam) about your transaction in the Vapor and other circles.  Please don't soil another manufacturer's circle.  PM someone if you must.

[Dragon_vibe]

Just warning a fellow audiophile to stay away from scam artist, it's the least I can do. Freedom of speech, I'm pretty sure nothing wrong in recommending or advising based on personal experience. Btw someone suggested vapor audio so I feel I can chime in and give my 2 cents worth?? Calm down boy!!

[Dragon_vibe]

Btw have nothing but good things about Salk sound. Someone mentioned vapor audio on thread. Ain't the forums about sharing experience good or bad?

[johzel]

This is not the driver we are using.  We are using the 15H52 which excels in midrange quality.

- Jim

Jim,

Having lived with these speakers for a bit now I can vouch for their "midrange quality".  They're marvelous.

[Joe Frances]

Added a tweak to the system today.  Wow . . . was surprised.  Great purchase - worth the price.  Equi Core = 300.

http://www.corepowertechnologies.com/

Could you explain what this is and how it works, and what it did for your system?  I am interested but technologically backward.  Thanks.

[Folsom]

My suggestion is to stick to Salk sound. I would not recommend dealing with ryan from vapor audio he still owes me 20,000 us dollars for th last 2 years and no longer respond to emails and has not paid back a penny. Salk sound has excellent reputation a good business ethics. Your investment is in better hands.

Salk sound can build you Real custom speakers should you require changes.

My experience with vapor audio has been a total nightmare. I'm down 20,000 us dollars and not once has ryan actually contacted me or arrange to ge the funds paid back. This should give you a good indicator on the people your dealing with,

And this is the wrong place to do it.

I highly suggest Jim deletes your posts. You have a problem with Ryan take it up with him.

[charmerci]

And this is the wrong place to do it.

I highly suggest Jim deletes your posts. You have a problem with Ryan take it up with him.

This is from a long time ago. This has evolved a lot since this post. They've come to an agreement.

[jsalk]

Dragon-vibe -

We appreciate very much your positive comments.  Thanks.

That said, we take great pains to avoid discussing other companies business practices or products.  They really have no impact on us or what we are trying to do.  So, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you kindly edit your comments and remove references to the concern you are having an issue with?  It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, in advance, for your cooperation.

- Jim

[Folsom]

This is from a long time ago. This has evolved a lot since this post. They've come to an agreement.

Sorry I missed the date. I thought it was new due to the way "new posts" show up.

[johzel]

Could you explain what this is and how it works, and what it did for your system?  I am interested but technologically backward.  Thanks.

Just saw this.  Sorry.  Sure.  At the time I was running a full 7.2 HT system and my 2-channel system off the same circuit and power sources.  I was having some system noise and even a ground loop.  This didn't fix the ground loop (but I did solve that issue) but I did think it added a bit of clarity and quieter background in my system.  Fair to say, I think, such tweaks aren't a starting point is a system and there are many other areas that likely give you bigger bang for the buck.  But what it does, I think this is a nice piece.

[Phil A]

Btw have nothing but good things about Salk sound. Someone mentioned vapor audio on thread. Ain't the forums about sharing experience good or bad?

Please read the guidelines - http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=about;area=posting-guidelines  "The "no dirty laundry" policy" or "Defamatory remarks
Do not use this site to make defamatory remarks about people or organisations."

I've not had perfectly smooth experiences with every single vendor on Audio Circle.  There are things that not every single individual will like.  That's just the nature of things.

[Woodsman]

Johzel, awesome set of speakers you have there. I just placed an order for the Silk AT Monitors myself. Nice to see a fellow WI member too.

The stands that you had made to Jim's specs. What are those specs? I might as well get a set ordered too while I wait for the speakers to get built.

We can chat more later.

[johzel]

The stands that you had made to Jim's specs. What are those specs? I might as well get a set ordered too while I wait for the speakers to get built.

Hi, sorry for not replying sooner.  Specifically, the Skylan stand's top plate  is 9" x 12" inches and the stands are 24" tall.  At Noel's suggestion for stability I went with the 4-post design.  FWIW, mine are filled with long grain rice.

And, these Silk AT's and Skylan stands may be for sale very soon.  Never being one to leave well enough alone I've been talking to Jim about upgrading (wrong word maybe), make that changing to a new design . . . taking these AT features into a floor standing loudspeaker . . . gone for a bit and likely listing these soon.   

[Woodsman]

Thanks for the reply, and I did get the info from Jim. I can't imagine the gut wrenching decision to part with that pair you have. They are absolutely stunning. But yes, looking at your room, a tower speaker would fill the room better. You could just utilize them in a home theater application too.
I will be using mine in a smaller room so they should be perfect for it.