[MR2Ace]

Hey guys I’m looking at upgrading my speakers and I’m really wanting (read lusting) after a set of Veracity speakers.

I do have a few questions.

Are the any major changes between when the Veracity came out in until now? How would it affect an audition?

I know Jim just released the Song Tower 2. Is a Veracity 2 in the mix?

For audition purposes what other speakers in the price range should I consider? I’m not doubting the build quality I just want to know what is comparable sound wise.

[Rocket]

Hi,

Nothing retail will be as good.  I had a pair of the original Salk Sound HT2's which used the LCY tweeter.  The new speaker uses a raal ribbon and seems to have the best of both worlds as some people don't like the sound of ribbons.  Also the speaker is transmission line and would have good quality bass. 

I haven't heard the Salk Sound Songtower 2's but I have a pair of Song 3's.  I think its a great sounding speaker but the seas midrange is always going to beat it.

Good luck with your decision.

Cheers Rod

[R Swerdlow]

Like Rod said above, nothing else retail at that price will be as good.  Other than the tweeter substitution and changing from a ported bass reflex cabinet to a mass loaded transmission line cabinet, I'm not aware of any major changes to this design.

Like you, I had lusted over the HT2-TL speakers for some time.  The floor space available in my room was enough for SongTowers, but not enough for the larger HT2-TLs.  That problem was solved with the Veracity ST speakers.  It has the footprint of the SongTowers with very nearly the same performance of the HT2-TLs.  They use Seas 6" W16 drivers instead of the 7" W18 drivers of the HT2-TL.  According to Jim Salk, the W16 uses the same voice coil and motor as the W18, but with a smaller cone and frame.

I know of no other speakers that compare.  At roughly triple the price, the Joseph Audio Perspective shares some features.  It uses the same W16 drivers, with a different dome tweeter.  I've heard it at audio shows.  I liked its sound, but not its price.

[MR2Ace]

Thanks for the replies so far. I guess my next question would be can I get by with using a Marantz SR8002? It delivers 125w per channel but it feels like I might need to upgrade that as well.

[WGH]

The HT2-TL and the original SongTowers are two different animals. I haven't heard the new Songtower II, they look like an excellent upgrade.

In the photos, the HT2-TL and SongTowers look similar in size but in reality the HT2-TL is a lot bigger. The SongTower's can disappear in a tastefully designed room, not so the HT2-TL's. My HT2-TL's have custom mesquite veneer and front baffle plus DIY No Rez damping and weigh 100 lbs each, the SongTower II weigh 54 lbs each.

Speaking of the room, the HT2-TL's put out a lot of bass, they could easily overpower a small room. I have a 326 sq. ft. L-shaped room (2608 cubic ft.) and the bass is perfect. I added a REL Gibraltar G2 subwoofer (discontinued) and the bass is now better than perfect, flat down to 20 Hz. I mentioned the sub because the Seas Excel W18 drivers are fast and accurate without being analytical. Only a fast sealed sub will disappear, it's not about bass, it's about space and REL subs make space better than any sub I have heard.

Let's talk about power. Frank Van Alstine drives his SongTower II's with his 60 watt per channel AVA SET 120 Control amp. The HT2-TL speakers love more watts than that. The AVA Vision SET 400 with 225 watts per channel is a perfect match, not too much, not too little. I did try the speakers with the PS Audio Stellar M1200 monoblock amps that have 600 watts per channel and even I had to admit it was overkill... but fun. The HT2-TLs never gave up, we reached our limit way before the speakers did.

The HT2-TL responds well to system changes, differences in cables, electronics, and recordings are easily heard, the bonus is the sound is always musical. The mids and highs are never emphasized but clearly represented as they should be, in a balanced way. No matter how expensive the electronics or cables get, the HT2-TL is never outclassed, the sound just keeps getting better and better.

[R Swerdlow]

Let's talk about power … The HT2-TL speakers love more watts than that. The AVA Vision SET 400 with 225 watts per channel is a perfect match, not too much, not too little.

I've heard the HT2-TL speakers driven by that amp, and I agree with WGH.  First, I'd try driving HT2-TLs with your Marantz AVR.  That should be enough power for those speakers, but they can handle more power and sound wonderful with it.  Give it some time and see what you think.  If and when you decide on a more potent amp, the AVA Vision SET 400 is what I'd also recommend.

[avahifi]

I just upgraded my two channel AV system with our new Digital Preamp (preproduction prototype) and a pair of our M225 balanced mono amps.

These took my early production Salk HT2-TL speakers to an astonishingly higher level.  Every nit I could have ever picked about the speakers simply vanished. They are truly outstanding speakers and a great value.

I will do a longer write up about my whole AV system soon.

Frank

[Rocket]

Hi,

The Marantz SR8002 will provide enough power to drive the HT2's. In fact I use a son of amzpilla (100 watts) and it easily drives my Song 3's.  The problem really is about the quality of the amplifier. In my experience the best upgrade occurs with better quality speakers but in this case the amplifier will hold your system back a little.

I am using an SST Thoebe preamplifier and Son of Ampzilla with my Song 3's and the sound is really high quality.  In the long run you can buy the speakers and upgrade the rest of the systems.

Good luck.

Cheers Rod

[Rocket]

Btw,

I have one of Frank's Vision phono stages and I can attest to the high quality vs value of his products.  Get the speakers and then upgrade the rest of your system as they are the biggest bang for buck.

Cheers Rod