I think the Salk HT2-TL is close to the perfect speaker. The first time I listened to the HT2-TL was at the 2009 RMAF. The Songtowers were playing on Friday morning and I loved the sound, Jim said the HT2-TLs would be playing that afternoon so off I went to check out all the other systems and speakers for the rest of the day. The Salk room was the last stop for the day and indeed the HT2-TLs were making music. Jim and Mary's room was an oasis of soothing sound after the cacophony of dissonant noise I endured in almost all the other rooms. If the Songtowers were a Wow, the HT2-TLs were a WOW! More of everything, I found my next speaker.
I have owned the HT2-TL speakers for 12 years and have loved every minute... but maybe it's time for a change. More on that later.
My Salk HT2-TLs next to the
Fritz Carbon 7. No, I'm not thinking of trading out, Fritz loaned me a pair when I visited him in San Francisco a couple weeks ago. The Carbon 7's are now making a tour around the desert Southwest and will be for sale at a discounted price.
Mesquite HT2-TL build thread:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=100672.msg1015847#msg1015847My mesquite HT2-TLs are something special. I made the mesquite veneer from a huge mesquite plank and along with the 1-3/4" thick solid mesquite front baffle and 100 lb weight they are a solid, inert fast speaker that starts and stops as quick as any other speaker I have heard. Gotta love the clarity. Every change in electronics is clearly heard, which makes the speaker a great tool to review new equipment. Music is where the HT2-TLs really shine. In the last 12 years recording and DAC quality has increased exponentially. I started streaming ripped CDs and now download studio quality hi-res like the
free 24bit/192kHz David Chesky Sampler and DSD256 from
2L. The HT2-TLs easily show off the uncompromising quality of these latest recordings.
Tucson Audiophiles started in 2013 and has grown to a small and active group of music lovers. We all have different systems and get to listen to an amazing selection of music and electronics, from all custom tube gear, Audio Note, and Pass to the latest from PS Audio. Speakers range from Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a, Magnipan, Joseph Audio Perspective2, Klipsch, and Nola Metro Grand Reference speakers. Each month is like a mini-RMAF. A person gets a good point of reference after listening (and borrowing) all this audio stuff, which is how I know the HT2-TL's are the equal of the best speakers available. Add a REL sub that goes down into the teens and the combination competes with any of the 5 figure speakers I have heard.
The HT2-TLs like power, 200 watts per channel is the sweet spot and because they are revealing (not the same as bright or ruthless), what they are fed is important. The latest from Van Alstine and HoloAudio work beautifully together. Their sound is closer to a studio monitor than a design that excels at making music like the Fritz Carbon 7s, which are a little more forgiving of the source but is also a speaker that can be enjoyed all day every day. Like the HT2-TL, the Carbon 7's also have a deep and solid center image, these little speakers literally disappear.
A Thought ExperimentWhat if the HT2-TLs were just as distortion free and detailed but also a touch warmer? More bass would be a bonus but since I use a sub not necessary. Some of you can see where I'm heading.
The
Purifi 6.5 is a drop in replacement for the
SEAS Excel W18. Of course the crossover would need to be redone too, if only because of the different sensitivities.
An expensive upgrade at over $2000, but cheap considering the speaker would be new and state-of-the-art. The Purifi was not available 12 years ago.
I have never heard a speaker with a Purifi driver, I may not like it. Fritz has a speaker that uses a Purifi driver and feels the expense is not worth it. Which is why this is a thought experiment.
Perhaps it has been done and the results were meh.
Thoughts anyone?