[Bingenito]

People have been asking me why I have not posted a review yet. To be honest I have been very busy and the time I do have I just want to enjoy the music…sound familiar?

I have had the Salk HT3s for about 1 month and I listen to them all the time. Why? Because I can! So here goes my “Quick Review”

Associated Gear:
Speakers: Salk Sound HT3’s with Sonic Caps, Sonic Cap Platinum- Teflon bypass caps, Alphacore Inductors, Acoustic Zen internal tri-wiring, 3 sets of Cardas standard posts, and Black Hole 5 dampening material. Finish is Macassar Ebony with Black Lacquer baffles and plinths.
Source: Sim Audio Eclipse Limited Edition- Balanced
Preamp: Blue Circle BC3000MKII- Balanced
Power Amp: Blue Circle BC26MKII- Balanced
PLC: Blue Circle Music Ring MR1200
Racks and Stands: Ultrasonic Audio- custom
Speaker Cables: Acoustic Zen Hologram II bi-wire on woofers and mids and Absolute on the ribbons
Interconnects: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II XLR (CD-Pre), Matrix Ref II (Pre-Power)
Power Cables: Blue Circle BC62 on everything
Power: Dedicated ciruits with 10 awg Romex and Cryo Pass & Seymour 5362A receptacles
Room treatments: 6- 13” tube traps, 6- R705 panels and a few R703 panels
Room Size: 24x14x8

Placement: The room is divided into 3rds. That places the speakers 8ft out into the room (measured front wall to speaker baffle). The speakers are a hair under 8ft apart and toed in 5.5”. With the rule of 3rds my ears are equal distance from the rear wall.

I listen to just about anything except for most country and all rap. In a typical day I can go from classical to female vocals to live Metalicca so it is important that my reference system have the latitude necessary to produce all music as it was intended to be heard…and at real world volumes. That last part is where most systems fall short.

Needless to say I put these speakers to the test and am happy to report that they received an A+.

Some of recordings used to evaluate the speakers are as follows:
* Various SVR (Staple)
* Herbie Hancock- Head Hunters: Tracks 1, 2
* Copland- Fanfare for the Common Man: Track #1
* Gladiator Soundtrack: Track #3
* Kodo- Ibuki: Entire CD
* James Taylor- October Road: Track #1
* Ben Harper- Fight Your Mind: Tracks 5, 13
* Buddy Guy- Blues Singer: Track #1
* Sonny Rollins- Saxophone Colossus: Entire CD
* Al di Meola- Flesh on Flesh: Tracks 1, 8
* Spyro Gyra- The Deep End: Tracks 3, 8,9,11
* Jimmy Smith- Root Down: Track #1
* Joe Satriani- Strange Beautiful Music: Track #1
* Bozzio Levin Stevens- Black Light Syndrome: Track #3
* Metalicca- S&M- Track #8
* Prodigy- The Fat of the Land: Tracks 1, 8
* Linkin Park- Meteora- Entire CD
* Steely Dan- Show Biz Kids: Pick one!
* Diana Krall: Girl in the Other Room: Track #3
* Tierney Sutton- Dancing in the Dark: Track #1
* Ray Brown, John Clayton and Christian McBride- Super Bass 2: Tracks 4, 11

Overall these speakers just put a smile on my face which is the only thing that really matters.

Some highlights of my journey:

Listening to Joe Satriani and SVR at concert levels in a dark room is the way to live I tell ya! Track 1 of the Strange Beautiful Music CD is just insane for imaging and sound stage. If you have not heard this track on a reference system you have not heard anything.

Tierney Sutton’s voice just comes out of nowhere and honestly shocked me the first time I heard it on the Salk HT3. Her vocals just hang in mid air and will give you chills.

The acoustic bass on Super Bass 2 is the best reproduction of a floor standing bass I have ever heard. You not only hear the strings but you can also feel the body of the bass resonate. I have heard this recording many times before and it was never like this.

The Head Hunters CD is not a CD I would pop in to kick back and listen but it has some awesome material to test imaging. It is very easy to forget that you are listening to an audio system.

Copland, Gladiator and Kodo are perfect for evaluating DEEP bass capabilities and the HT3 is not disappoint

Nitty Gritty:
Overall Clarity, Articulation and Speed: A+. This is where is speaker excels beyond all others that I have heard. Details are everything and these speakers certain have attention to detail. The sound is extremely spacious, open and airy.

Dynamics: Instantaneous volume range is very life like and true to the recording. With a good amp these speakers will pelt out some serious sound that you can feel. See your favorite band live in the privacy of your home.

Sound Stage and Imaging: Deep and wide. The size is very realistic. I had a few people over that are not really into audio. One of them asked where the sound was coming from in the middle. I actually had to trace the cables coming from my amp because he would not believe me that the HT3s were the only speakers playing in the room. Height is also very good. I have to stand up on something to get over 6ft high to hear any difference in the treble.

Playing around with speaker positioning I landed on 5.5” of toe in. The image really locked in and the soundstage depth was way back past the speaker baffles. To my surprise the sweet spot is much larger then what I am used to.

Driver Integration: Treble in proportion to midrange is seamless. Bass in proportion to midrange is also flawless.

Treble Quality: It’s a ribbon…one I have heard before. I loved it then and love it now!

Midrange: There has been some discussion about the Seas Excel W18 being used as a midrange crossing over to the G2 ribbon. People have voiced concerns about the cone breakup, etc. The midrange is absolute magic on this speaker. If those with concerns could hear this speaker their concerns would quickly be a distant memory.

On some of the rock/metal recordings it can be too revealing. I have found this to be a trait of rigid cone drivers based on my last 3 speakers. When the recording and gear are on point you are in for a real treat.

Since my system is voiced to be on the warm side of neutral with some richness and body in the midrange this is a match made in heaven. All the detail you could ask for with a smooth, rich midrange. You can have your cake and eat it too!

Bass Quality: Tight, articulate, deep and impactful. The bass easily fills my room and is excellent at all volumes.

Emotional Involvement: All of the above qualities add up to the emotion that can be created by a well put together system. The music just flows. Depending on what you are listening to you can be at the end of your seat with goose bumps or fall asleep in your chair and wake up at 2am because the music relaxed you so much.

Kind of a strange system photo taken without a flash because of the relective finish.


Great job Jim


Bryan

[Marbles]

Nice review....I was thinking of saying "Ditto" when I remembered that it was used in Blazing Saddles  

Very nice choices of music.....

[Bingenito]

Nice review....I was thinking of saying "Ditto" when I remembered that it was used in Blazing Saddles  

Very nice choices of music.....

Thanks Marbles! I was thinking about taking the bulls and angels approach to the review but as an audio dealer I have to be well behaved

[zybar]

Great post Bryan.

Given your comments and musical selections, I feel like I could have written your review.    

Funny how we all have different rooms, different gear, different ears, yet we all feel the same way when we listen through Jim's speakers...something to ponder for sure.

Here are a couple more cd's that sound fantastic on the HT3's:

Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama - Let There Be Light
Ryan Adams - Gold
Rusted Root - When I Woke
Natalie Merchant - Motherland

George

[Bingenito]

Great post Bryan.

Given your comments and musical selections, I feel like I could have written your review.

Thanks George! Maybe next time I will contract your services so that I can listen to music

I have the Rusted Root CD but will have to pick up the other 3. I am a fan of Ben Harper after buying the Fight Your Mind CD which I noticed you guys used as a reference. Great stuff. I also recommended it to Jim.

[Marbles]

If there was one nit to pick, you didn't mention how the speakers were finished..as in fit and finish.

I don't even have to listen to mine to get a smile on my face..just looking at them does that.  The finish on mine is definately top shelf.

[Bingenito]

If there was one nit to pick, you didn't mention how the speakers were finished..as in fit and finish.

I don't even have to listen to mine to get a smile on my face..just looking at them does that. The finish on mine is definately top shelf.

I like 'em.  

There are no weakness's that I notice.

For others, 85DB 1W/1M might be a problem, but not for me.

Well will you look at that. The guy that posted the 22 word review has the nerve to nit pick on my review  Is 'em a word anyway?

I did not comment on the finish only because it is kind of like stating the obvious at this point. But if you must know.....Yes the finish is top shelf

[pugs]

On some of the rock/metal recordings it can be too revealing. I have found this to be a trait of rigid cone drivers based on my last 3 speakers. When the recording and gear are on point you are in for a real treat.

That statement has me a little concerned because I do listen to a lot of rock/metal recordings - some of which aren't the best recordings.   Can you elaborate on that a little?  Are you saying that they can be bright or fatiguing?

I've tried some speakers that were more laid back, and while they weren't bright or fatiguing, they seemed a little veiled and unrealistic.  That's why I'm trying the HT3's.  Trying a more forward sound had me concerned of them being too bright or fatiguing.  I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[lonewolfny42]

Nice review Bryan !!! I guess you'll be keeping them....

You used some very good cd's for testing, shows your reading AC.[/list:u]
The more I think about it, if I had to pick just one cd from that list, it would be Copland's "Fanfare"...short and to the point. If a speaker can handle it and sound good, then I'll like that speaker. Now see if you can get 104db on your HT3's.... [/list:u]
Enjoy !!! [/list:u]
Chris[/list:u]

[Bingenito]

Nice review Bryan !!! I guess you'll be keeping them....  
You used some very good cd's for testing, shows your reading AC.
The more I think about it, if I had to pick just one cd from that list, it would be Copland's "Fanfare"...short and to the point. If a speaker can handle it and sound good, then I'll like that speaker. Now see if you can get 104db on your HT3's....  

Nope I think they are staying

On the CDs I do checkout what others have picked up on the Music Circle. That is a great resource for music selections. I normally copy and paste the title into Amazon or Tower records and listent o demo cuts then just buy online. Makes it very easy.

104db is not an issue

[Bingenito]

That statement has me a little concerned because I do listen to a lot of rock/metal recordings - some of which aren't the best recordings. Can you elaborate on that a little? Are you saying that they can be bright or fatiguing?

I've tried some speakers that were more laid back, and while they weren't bright or fatiguing, they seemed a little veiled and unrealistic. That's why I'm trying the HT3's. Trying a more forward sound had me concerned of them being too bright or fatiguing. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Pugs

The HT3 is faithful to the recording.

If the recording is poor- so so then you will know it. Does it sound bad? No but in contrast to good recordings you will notice a substantial difference. Mainly air and lack of compression or edginess. Listening to Rush- Roll the Bones, Metalicca S&M, or Linkin Park you can hear that the music is somewhat compressed and not as airy as the other recordings I mentioned.  

That being said a revealing speaker is like looking through a clean window when you are used to looking through a dirty one (you know the kind with pug breathe). In the case of the Salk HT3 the speaker is revealing but it is voiced flat...not bright. Just because you can hear every detail does not mean that the speaker is bright.

In closing you cannot fault the speaker because of the quality of the recording. Play a 2Khz test tone on any speaker at 85db and you will not want to hang around in the room. So you can see it is not a function of the speaker but the quality of the recording in this case.

Since your gear is not bright I do not think you have anything to be concerned about. Unless you are using very good silver cables (Ridge St, etc) I would stick with copper.

Hope that helps

Bryan

[zybar]

...Unless you are using very good silver cables (Ridge St, etc) I would stick with copper.

I am using silver cables (TG Audio HSR) and I prefer them over some very good copper cables (Sonoran Desert Plateau).

I don't find the music too forward or bright.  Instead it is well balanced with no one area stcking out.  I can listen for hour after hour with no fatigue (can't say that about many silver cables I have tried).

As always, try out what you think looks good and let your ears decide.

George

[Bingenito]

I can listen for hour after hour with no fatigue (can't say that about many silver cables I have tried).

Exactly what I am referring to. I just used Ridge St as an example of well done silver. There are others as you mentioned.