[jsalk]

John wanted a pair of base model Veracity HT3's done in satin black lacquer.  He wanted no extra front baffle and full-lenth grills to protect the drivers when not in use.  He also added optional plinths, deluxe spikes and we put in bi-wired Cardas binding posts.

This was the very first pair of HT3's done in this fashion and we think they turned out real nice. 



Here is a close-up of the corner detail.



These are on the way to CA.  Happy listening John.

- Jim

[zybar]

Simple and elegant Jim.

Nicely done.   

George

[Rocket]

Hi Jim,

Is that the John R who lives in sydney, australia?

Regards

Rod

[JohnR]

Unfortunately not

[Rocket]

Hi John,

Well the title of the thread certainly had me interested.  The speakers look wonderful and its a pity we can't buy them at the prices (even with our lower exchange rate) quoted in australia.  Shipping would be a deal killer.

Regards

Rod

[zybar]

Hi John,

Well the title of the thread certainly had me interested.  The speakers look wonderful and its a pity we can't buy them at the prices (even with our lower exchange rate) quoted in australia.  Shipping would be a deal killer.

Regards

Rod

Maybe I can bring a pair down on my next trip to Sydney as "luggage"?   

If you are willing to go ocean freight it might not be too bad.

George

[jsalk]

Hi John,

Well the title of the thread certainly had me interested.  The speakers look wonderful and its a pity we can't buy them at the prices (even with our lower exchange rate) quoted in Australia.  Shipping would be a deal killer.

Regards

Rod

Actually, if you ship by sea freight, it is not that much more than shipping to a US address.  I am finishing up a home theater system that will hopefully ship to Australia soon.

- Jim

[Steve Vol]

Great looking, even in basic black these look awesome.  Great work once again Jim.  I get more excited waiting on mine with each pair I see.

Once again, glad my decision has been made.

Jim, have you had time to post your thoughts on your Van Alstine amp mated with the HT3's?


Steve

[Randy]

Jim (or any other Salk expert)- does the lack of the extra baffle for the upper range drivers affect the sound of the HT-3 speakers in any way?  Curious, (and still hoping to own a pair some day.)

Randy

[jsalk]

Randy -

Jim (or any other Salk expert)- does the lack of the extra baffle for the upper range drivers affect the sound of the HT-3 speakers in any way?  Curious, (and still hoping to own a pair some day.)

Randy

No, not really.  The midrange and tweeter are still in the same plane as each other just as they would be with the extra baffle.  The only thing that is different is that the woofer is slightly farther forward in relation to the other drivers when compared to a speaker with an extra baffle.  But at the frequencies involved, it is not really an issue.  The extra baffle is mostly aesthetic in nature.

- Jim

[Randy]

Thanks, Jim.

[Rob Babcock]

I'm very impressed.  That's actually extremely, extremely close to what I would want.  I greatly prefer the look of the examples I've seen without baffles; the look is so clean.  And the black is nice.  I worried that the base satin black would look a bit cheap, but my worries were rediculously unfounded.

Another beautiful speaker!

[ctviggen]

Are there any extra costs for the all black?  This is similar to what I would want, too, as it would absorb a lot of light coming from a projector screen I plan to put up.  The screen would come down from the ceiling and the speakers would be positioned next to the screen.

[jsalk]

ctviggen -

Are there any extra costs for the all black?  This is similar to what I would want, too, as it would absorb a lot of light coming from a projector screen I plan to put up.  The screen would come down from the ceiling and the speakers would be positioned next to the screen.

No extra cost.  In fact, these are the least expensive cabinets I can build for the HT3's.  Of course, there a quite a few available options that you may want to consider (plinths, grills, etc.).  But there are no extra charges for the paint.

- Jim

[ctviggen]

Thanks, Jim.  I would actually want something "nicer" (in the sense of wood grain), but I think I'd order the all black with black grills because the speakers would be placed very close to the screen.  Basically, the speakers would be next to the screen, so any light hitting the speaker and then the screen would be bad.

As of right now, I can't decide whether to go Linkwitz Orions or HT3s.  The Orions interest me on many levels, but I'd like to build my own amps to go along with them.  I'm just not sure I have the time at this point in my life to devote to a project of that nature (and I'm more worried about the box design/building than anything else).  I love the speakers I have now, but they're simply too big for the room, particularly once I "reverse" the room in order to fit a front projector into the scheme.  The good thing about the HT3s is that they're great speakers (according to those whose ears I trust) and they would be "plug and play" in that I wouldn't have to modify anything.  The bad thing is that I think I would lack the experience of a certain visceral thrill in knowing that I put together (which is a euphemism for screwing in drivers into something I built from instructions and a "flat pack") the Orion speakers and "built" (again, a euphemism for putting components into a box) the crossovers and amps.  As a former enginerd and as someone who dabbles in acoustic theory, I find the theory behind the Orions to be (somewhat) persuasive and I would like an opportunity to hear whether the theory matches reality. 

So, the HT3s "lose" in the area of "sexiness" -- as defined by someone with glasses and a pocket protector -- but "win" in the area of simplicity.  As to which would "win" in the area of sound (are there losers and winners between great speakers?), I'd have to compare both in my own home and with my own equipment in order to find out.  And since that's unlikely to happen, the one that will "win" will be the one I buy.

Anyway, thanks for making such options available for us consumers.

[jsalk]

ctviggen -

Thanks, Jim.  I would actually want something "nicer" (in the sense of wood grain), but I think I'd order the all black with black grills because the speakers would be placed very close to the screen.  Basically, the speakers would be next to the screen, so any light hitting the speaker and then the screen would be bad.

I'll do you one better.  There is a technique I am very anxious to use on a pair of speakers.  It is very unusual and I doubt very much that any speakers have ever been done this way.  But it would be very striking.

Here is a brief description...

Veneer an HT3 cabinet with a nice flat cut ash with nice catheral grain (a very good choice for this application).  Use analine dye to dye the speaker jet black.  Seal the dye with a single coat of sealer so that the grain is not filled.  Take a second color (white or red for example) and mix it in a "secret" medium.  Apply it to the entire cabinet and then wipe it off.  This will leave the second color only in the grain.  Seal again until the remaining grain is completely filled and then topcoat with clear satin lacquer.

This is a very stunning process visually and would be very unique.  You would likely never see another pair of speakers like it.  It would essentially be flat black as required by your home theater, but would also be visually stunning.

These would be much sexier than your alternative . And if it makes you feel better, I can always ship you the crossovers and drivers so you can install them yourself. 

- Jim

[zybar]

Thanks, Jim.  I would actually want something "nicer" (in the sense of wood grain), but I think I'd order the all black with black grills because the speakers would be placed very close to the screen.  Basically, the speakers would be next to the screen, so any light hitting the speaker and then the screen would be bad.

As of right now, I can't decide whether to go Linkwitz Orions or HT3s.  The Orions interest me on many levels, but I'd like to build my own amps to go along with them.  I'm just not sure I have the time at this point in my life to devote to a project of that nature (and I'm more worried about the box design/building than anything else).  I love the speakers I have now, but they're simply too big for the room, particularly once I "reverse" the room in order to fit a front projector into the scheme.  The good thing about the HT3s is that they're great speakers (according to those whose ears I trust) and they would be "plug and play" in that I wouldn't have to modify anything.  The bad thing is that I think I would lack the experience of a certain visceral thrill in knowing that I put together (which is a euphemism for screwing in drivers into something I built from instructions and a "flat pack") the Orion speakers and "built" (again, a euphemism for putting components into a box) the crossovers and amps.  As a former enginerd and as someone who dabbles in acoustic theory, I find the theory behind the Orions to be (somewhat) persuasive and I would like an opportunity to hear whether the theory matches reality. 

So, the HT3s "lose" in the area of "sexiness" -- as defined by someone with glasses and a pocket protector -- but "win" in the area of simplicity.  As to which would "win" in the area of sound (are there losers and winners between great speakers?), I'd have to compare both in my own home and with my own equipment in order to find out.  And since that's unlikely to happen, the one that will "win" will be the one I buy.

Anyway, thanks for making such options available for us consumers.

Bob,

You have seen Joe's, did you like that look?

George

[TF1216]

IMO, there will be more than subtle differences between the Orion and the HT3 and depending on their purpose in your application that is how you would want to choose between the two speakers.  Dipoles vs. box speakers has been discussed to death before and I am sure you (ctviggen) would be happy with either.

If it was my choice I would take Jim up on his offer to try that new technique he has in mind becauase it sounds freakin' awesome!  Also, with the HT3 you could design yourself a bad ass 2-channel amp to cure your DIY bug.  Myself and a couple of other friends have been in the works of designing a 6-channel amplifier and 6-channel volume control for a few months now and what a pain it is with wiring and setup.

A 2-channel design would be much simpler and a various assortment of amplification schemes exists for the DIY'er today.   To me it seems like a no brainer but I wish you the best of luck in your design process!

[texas steve]

Are there any extra costs for the all black?  This is similar to what I would want, too, as it would absorb a lot of light coming from a projector screen I plan to put up.  The screen would come down from the ceiling and the speakers would be positioned next to the screen.

Mine are done all black with a high gloss rub.  I too have them up front with a 106" screen.  here is a shot of them by Jim http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=27116.0.  Somewhere Zybar (moderator) has the picutes I sent to him posted that shows my sytem with the screen down.

No problem with glare, even with the high gloss black.  I just think the high gloss looks more classy.