[rlee8394]

They are now on the Salk website. $19,995 in black or white, and $22,995 in standard veneer.

[jsalk]

Actual room reviews from Capital Audiofest should be posted soon.  But I ran across a couple of consumer posts on Audio Science Review.

"This is the point where I realize I would be a terrible audio reviewer because this too sounds awesome. The system really charges the room and makes the music very tactile. Mids and highs sound right and no hint of brightness or fatigue
I returned to this room twice more and it proved to be my favorite passive speakers I heard at CAF."

"I probably should have listened to these more since I don't think I'll get a chance to hear them again soon. Big wow factor. The beryllium tweeters were crisp and clear and sounded great, very exciting speaker to listen to, great big clean atmospheric sound, really need to spend more time with these and other Salk's."

- Jim

[jsalk]

A note on BePure 3 pricing...

Over the years, we have designed speakers in such a way that we were able to offer them at roughly half the price (or less) of comparable speakers sold at retail.  But this project was different.

When we designed the BePure 2's last year, I was amazed at the performance of the Purifi woofers. We had never worked with such low distortion drivers and I was taken back by the difference they made. I had never heard a speaker with distortion levels this low and it took sound reproduction to an entirely new level.

When Purifi announced they would be coming out with an 8" driver, I immediately contacted them to make sure we got a pair as soon as possible.  I realized that we would have to leave no stone unturned in terms of taking advantage of what these drivers had to offer. Anything less would be represent a dereliction of duty and an insult to these fine Purifi drivers.

Are they expensive?  Yes.  Would the design be more expensive than any we ever produced. Absolutely.

Over the years, we have developed several models that I wanted personally.  Each time, they were more expensive than anything we had produced to date. But I figured there may be other individuals interested in that same level of performance, which turned out to be the case.

As designed, these speakers are costly and incredibly labor intensive to build.  But it was the right thing to do.

Admittedly, these are likely priced out of the reach of some individuals.  But the BePure 2's are a great alternative for anyone looking for ultra-low distortion speakers.  And there is a lower-priced BePure Monitor design in the works.  So there are alternatives for those interested in this new level of speaker performance.

While these speakers are higher priced than any we have produced to date, after listening, many attendees at the Capital Audiofest thought they were a bargain. Many were surprised the price was so low!

At this price, who knows, we may never sell a pair.  But that doesn't matter.  If this is the last 3-way speaker we ever design, I will be more than happy.  As you can tell, we are very proud of the BePure 3's.

- Jim 

[abd1]

Well said jim and congrats on the design and launch. Curious, how large or a room would one need for these? My room is about 14x18. I also have dual REL subs so maybe the monitors would be enough. I love my current set up but these are intriguing. Thanks.

[jsalk]

Well said jim and congrats on the design and launch. Curious, how large or a room would one need for these? My room is about 14x18. I also have dual REL subs so maybe the monitors would be enough. I love my current set up but these are intriguing. Thanks.

The room at Capital Audiofest was about 13' x 19'.  While there was no problem, the speakers would likely have benefitted by a larger room.  The BePure 2's or the upcoming BePure Monitor would be great in a room this size.

- Jim

[DFpritchard]

There is a point at which prices for speakers (and many other non-essential things) become silly but the BePure3s at $20,000/23,000 are nowhere near that point.  A random sample of Audiogon's 'Full Range' speaker listing today has 7 listings in the 10-20K range and another 7 over $20K.  And that is for used or demo pieces.  The most expensive listing on page 1 is $88K for a pair of speakers that list for over $200,000.  The price Jim has set for the new BePure3s may not be affordable for many of us (including myself) but in the world of speakers costing 20K and more, they are still a great value.

If your room does not dictate the need for larger speakers, the BePure3s just make the BePure2s all that much more attractive.  I love my BePure2s and consider them an absolute steal on a price:performance basis.

Jim: That Harborica veneer is just beautiful!  Love the gray baffle in combination.

[mr_bill]

The room at Capital Audiofest was about 13' x 19'.  While there was no problem, the speakers would likely have benefitted by a larger room.  The BePure 2's or the upcoming BePure Monitor would be great in a room this size.

- Jim

Jim,
I’m guessing the BePure Monitor will be the beryllium tweeter with Purifi mid or woofer?

I can’t get over how beautiful that BePure 3 is with Harborica and gray baffle.

[TerryWI]

A few comments by Jim (from Reply #42) really resonate with me, especially after my visit to his shop in early September. 

“. . . incredibly labor intensive to build” is an understatement to somebody like me with no woodworking skills.  I got to see a number of the craftspeople at work and the attention to detail & patience must be a labor of love.  I picture the gentleman hand sanding a beveled edge to perfection and immediately any purchase order regrets leave my mind!

“But it was the right thing to do” just speaks volumes of the person I only read about online, but got to know a little after spending a number of hours talking shop and learning about his business.  Our conversation also makes any monetary hesitation leave my mind.  I am getting a handcrafted speaker.  I saw where it’s made, how it’s made and who makes it.

I feel fortunate to be able to stretch a bit for a luxury item (ok, necessity to us), where the manufacturer actually cares about what is being produced at all levels. 

I can also now commiserate with those who check daily on the Project Tracker to see where my BePure 2 status stands! 

[robink]

I have a few curiosities about these design.

Why the two piece build? Was it aesthetic or necessary to isolate the bass from the mids? Would it be possible to build it as a single piece with internal isolation? And how would that affect the price?

Given the high price point, have you considered designing or offering a version with diamond tweeters?

[newzooreview]

I have a few curiosities about these design. Why the two piece build?

A lot of high end box speakers place the drivers in separate enclosures. It costs more to build them that way, but if I understand the theory, it keeps the internal reflections from the drivers from interfering with each other and causing audible distortions.

I'm sure you'll get a more accurate and detailed explanation here, but I suspect that moving everything back into one box would degrade the sound.

[jsalk]

I have a few curiosities about these design.

Why the two piece build? Was it aesthetic or necessary to isolate the bass from the mids? Would it be possible to build it as a single piece with internal isolation? And how would that affect the price?

Given the high price point, have you considered designing or offering a version with diamond tweeters?

Newzooreview is correct.  Think about this... 

The 8" Purrifi woofer is a long throw design that can move as much air as a larger woofer.  Deep bass requires the movement of a lot of air.  So the cone of the speaker is imparting a great deal of energy into the room.  But the rear side of the cone is imparting this same level of energy into the cabinet itself.  So despite how thick the walls are or how well the cabinet is braced, some cabinet resonance will result.

What makes the Purifi drivers so unique are the incredibly low distortion levels.  It seemed to us that it would be almost sacreligious not to produce cabinets with the lowest level of distortion as well.

By separating the cabinets, you make is less likely that any cabinet resonance created in the woofer section would be transmitted to the midrange driver and impact its performance.  So that is what we did.

Would it be less expensive to build a single cabinet for all the drivers?  Yes.  But perhaps not as much as one might imagine.  Most of the processes required to build and finish cabinets would not change.  Only the number of individual cabinets.  So the savings probalby wouldn't be enough to risk impacting performance in a negative fashion. 

As for your question about diamond tweeters, we were also recently asked about a version with a RAAL ribbon.  These things are certainly possible and we would be happy to do them provided the customer had no problem with the increased costs.  So we could certainly do that for anyone interested.

I hope this answers your questions...

- Jim

[Rocket]

Hi,

Jim always offers a top flight speaker whenever there are new drivers on the market... This history of providing flag ship modes includes his Salk Sound HT3's way back in the 2000's after he first started his business. Unfortunately, due to increasing costs felt all over the world this results in a flow on effect to customers having to pay more for his speakers. Jim offers premium high quality speakers at affordable prices for his customers.  As an interim measure I'm using a pair of Song 3 speakers in my system with electronics costing multiple times more than my current speakers. The Song 3 speakers sound superb and I'll have them until I decide which of the Salk Sound speakers I can afford vs performance.  Perhaps the Bepure 2's or Song 3 Encores...

All the best with your new design.

Cheers Rod

[robink]

Newzooreview is correct.  Think about this... 

The 8" Purrifi woofer is a long throw design that can move as much air as a larger woofer.  Deep bass requires the movement of a lot of air.  So the cone of the speaker is imparting a great deal of energy into the room.  But the rear side of the cone is imparting this same level of energy into the cabinet itself.  So despite how thick the walls are or how well the cabinet is braced, some cabinet resonance will result.

What makes the Purifi drivers so unique are the incredibly low distortion levels.  It seemed to us that it would be almost sacreligious not to produce cabinets with the lowest level of distortion as well.

By separating the cabinets, you make is less likely that any cabinet resonance created in the woofer section would be transmitted to the midrange driver and impact its performance.  So that is what we did.

Would it be less expensive to build a single cabinet for all the drivers?  Yes.  But perhaps not as much as one might imagine.  Most of the processes required to build and finish cabinets would not change.  Only the number of individual cabinets.  So the savings probalby wouldn't be enough to risk impacting performance in a negative fashion. 

As for your question about diamond tweeters, we were also recently asked about a version with a RAAL ribbon.  These things are certainly possible and we would be happy to do them provided the customer had no problem with the increased costs.  So we could certainly do that for anyone interested.

I hope this answers your questions...

- Jim

Thanks. I figured the response would be something along the lines of what you replied.

My follow up question to that would be, is there anything cosmetically that you can do cover up that hole that you feel would not affect the sound in a significant way? I personally not a fan of having a gap in the speakers. Not that I would likely ever be a customer of this design, as much I would love to own one (Would cost over $35k CAD to get one in Canada).

[Rocket]

Hi,

Anything is possible with Jim's company but it may slightly affect the performance of the speakers.

By separating the cabinets, you make is less likely that any cabinet resonance created in the woofer section would be transmitted to the midrange driver and impact its performance.  So that is what we did.

Would it be less expensive to build a single cabinet for all the drivers?  Yes.  But perhaps not as much as one might imagine.  Most of the processes required to build and finish cabinets would not change.  Only the number of individual cabinets.  So the savings probalby wouldn't be enough to risk impacting performance in a negative fashion. 
/quote]

Cheers Rod

[jsalk]

Thanks. I figured the response would be something along the lines of what you replied.

My follow up question to that would be, is there anything cosmetically that you can do cover up that hole that you feel would not affect the sound in a significant way? I personally not a fan of having a gap in the speakers. Not that I would likely ever be a customer of this design, as much I would love to own one (Would cost over $35k CAD to get one in Canada).

Yes.  One way to do it would be to have the bottoms of the top cabinet extend below the bottom of that cabinet and put something like Blackhole 5 in the resulting cavity.  You could design it such that the extended bottoms of the top cabinet almost touch the bottom cabinet.

Of course, the easiest way would be to build it all in a single cabinet. 

- Jim