They're here...!

Gordy · « **on:** 29 Aug 2005, 11:01 pm »

OMG! Thank you Jim

They arrived at exactly 5:00 and in perfect condition. OMG! Gotta run... 2286 more cd's to listen to... OMG!

Cool, Calm, Collected,
Gordy

Marbles · « **Reply #1 on:** 29 Aug 2005, 11:31 pm »

Well, at least your not excited

How do they sound?

koiman · « **Reply #2 on:** 29 Aug 2005, 11:37 pm »

I just have to be nexted! I e-mailed Jim this AM and he said my HT3 should be done by this Fri. HOPE.. HOPE.. I just can't wait .

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #3 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 02:48 am »

So Gordy....what do ya think...nice right.

Gordy · « **Reply #4 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 03:41 am »

M'me excited M'marbles? How do they sound... My speakers for the last 2-3 years have been North Creek Borealis's / Scan Speak 8645 and 9500 drivers, certainly no slouches there, but the HT-3's are a revelation! The apparent speed is just amazing to me. Just listened to Brian Bromburg's Wood a couple of hours ago and the increase in articulation and richness of his bass was pretty startling!!! The cool but embarrassing part is... I had my pre switched improperly at the time... I was listening to my Denon 2900 direct, the dac was out of the loop...

Hi Koiman, congratulations! They're worth every eternal second of the wait

Chris, Shhhh! I'm trying to listen here...

Bryan received his today as well! Haven't gotten around to seeing if he has posted, self absorbed bum that I am...

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #5 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 03:51 am »

Gordy :

Quote

Bryan received his today as well! Haven't gotten around to seeing if he has posted, self absorbed bum that I am...

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StevenACNJ · « **Reply #6 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 10:43 am »

Gordy,

Good luck with your beautiful new speakers.

Dont forget to breathe, eat, shower, & go to work (not in any order).

Don

Occam · « **Reply #7 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 10:57 am »

Congrats Gordy!!!
From your posts I can clearly see you've absolutely gorgeous wood.....

Gordy · « **Reply #8 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 01:52 pm »

Thanks guys!

Where were you yesterday Don? I did forget to eat... until very late in the evening! The craftsmanship is superb, Paul, rivaling some of the finer furniture I've seen and living four or five minutes from Winterthur, I've seen their collections many times

Charles Calkins · « **Reply #9 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 06:55 pm »

Gorgeous speakers. I'm sure they sound as good as they look. But I think it is a bit of overkill to build any speaker out of exotic materials. Does exotic materials contribute to the sound? Just my views on the subject. All the speakers I've had were made of MDF with vinyl overlay. Cheap,Cheap and Cheap. Most of them sounded pretty good though.

Cheers
Charlie

marvda1 · « **Reply #10 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 07:03 pm »

i love good old fashioned walnut.
marvin

Marbles · « **Reply #11 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 07:06 pm »

Charles, so we should all have the same cheap looking speakers?

Sorry but different strokes and all. If you want cheap looking speakers, more power to you.

I want my speakers to look as good as they can, and right now Jim builds some of the best looking and sounding.

If you want cheap, Salk speakers probably are not for you, and they never were intended for you.

Why do you think we should all want cheap looking speakers?

Does the exotic veneers and hardwoods make them sound better? Probably not, but it does give us more of a sense of pride in them.

zybar · « **Reply #12 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 07:06 pm »

Quote from: Charles Calkins

Gorgeous speakers. I'm sure they sound as good as they look. But I think it is a bit of overkill to build any speaker out of exotic materials. Does exotic materials contribute to the sound? Just my views on the subject. All the speakers I've had were made of MDF with vinyl overlay. Cheap,Cheap and Cheap. Most of them sounded pretty good though.

Cheers
Charlie

The speaker itself is MDF that is veneered expertly by Jim. Only the front baffle is (or can be) be made of an exotic wood.

I don't think the wood itself impacts the sound (having a front baffle certainly does), but it sure makes them nice to look at.

While each person has to decide if a product is worth what it costs, I feel that the HT3's are a screaming deal and worth every penny Jim charges.

George

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #13 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 07:13 pm »

Marbles :

Quote

Charles, so we should all have the same cheap looking speakers?

[/list:u]

MarkM · « **Reply #14 on:** 30 Aug 2005, 07:33 pm »

Cheap Vinyl overlay and cheap polyester suites, now that's a combo.

Different strokes...., but Salk Sound's cabinets have got to be among the best available regardless of price. Couple that with a very good XO, the speakers appear to be a tremendous value for price/performance and craftsmanship judging from the sidelines and reviews imo.

I remember my vinyl wrapped boxes, paper pioneer woofers, brings back memories. Now my garage system, rocks the neighborhood.

Gordy · « **Reply #15 on:** 31 Aug 2005, 02:27 am »

In all honesty I did speak to Jim about the possibility of naugahyde, but he, being the eco freak that he is, refused as naugas are now on the endangered species list and many of the exotic woods are now farmed...

Charles Calkins · « **Reply #16 on:** 31 Aug 2005, 03:30 am »

Marbles:
Even though I gave you the impression that I am cheap I am not. My latest pair of speakers cost me $5950.00 delivered to my door. And they don't look nearly as good as the Salks. You know that down the road a person may be reluctant to sell the Salks because of their beauty. Easier to part with a vinyl or verneered speakers. Hey!!! Out with the old and in with the new!!

Cheers
Charlie

Marbles · « **Reply #17 on:** 31 Aug 2005, 03:47 am »

Quote from: Charles Calkins

Marbles:
You know that down the road a person may be reluctant to sell the Salks because of their beauty.

Yup, in fact I don't intend to sell mine.....partly because how they sound, partly because how they look, and partly because they were built for me, with my input in key areas....Mine are truely one of a kind..why would I sell them??? Oh I understand advances in technology etc...but I'll find a place for these, even if they aren't in my Ref system.

I will enjoy their beauty for a long, long time... To each their own.

You know you could have probably had Jim build you nicer looking and nicer sounding speakers for the same or less money.....

John151 · « **Reply #18 on:** 31 Aug 2005, 03:57 am »

I wish you guys would quit raving about these darn Salk speakers. You are about to cost me thousands of dollars!

As for looks, well, I love the 1970s look of my Magnepans! I just wish they had as much bass as my ElectroVoice speakers from my High Schools days! Man, that 12" woofer rocked! Oh, and the faux walnut was top notch!

Bingenito · « **Reply #19 on:** 31 Aug 2005, 12:44 pm »

My HT3's arrived on Monday. As soon as I got home from work they were there waiting for me. Within 15 minutes they were out of the crates and in my room.

Since I have been without speakers for 2 months my gear has been off. It normally takes my gear a good 24 hrs to really sound 100% after being off for an extended period of time.

I played some music Monday night and could tell that the gear was in real need of warm up. Regardless the bass from the HT3s surprised me. I have heard Zybar and others comment on the bass and I can tell you that it is all true

The bass is tight, deep and provides plenty of impact. There is also finesse in strings, etc. Ray Brown never sounded so good. I suspect that this will improve once the plinths and cones are attached and the woofer gets more break in. NO need for a sub and my room is 24x14x8.

As far as the midrange and treble is concerned there is seamless integration between all drivers. I need to allow the speakers to break in, attach plinths and spikes, and work on placement before providing anymore detail. ETA on a real review 20-30 days. Stay tuned..........

Photos to follow once I attach the plinths