[grenamc]

So, after recommendations from both Funkmonkey and Nuance, I have spent the last three albums ("The Beatles - White", Talking Heads "Remain in Light" and Radiohead's "In Rainbows") reading an entire Salk thread over at the AVSForum.  Here is a little history for those who haven't been following my little mis-adventure in Hi-fi that is going on there.

About six weeks ago I placed an order for Monitor Audio GS 5.0, including their GS60 for front, 20 for surround and LCR for center.  When the HifiSponge decided his PL300 setup wasn't fingering his trigger, I took a whirlwind tour of some higher priced speakers to see if I wanted to jump on his PL300.
Here is what I have heard so far: Revel Studio1, B&W 804, 803 & 802D, Monitor Audio PL300, PSB Synchrony One, Focal JMLabs 1027Be, Dali Helicon 400 MkI, Thiel CS2.4, and Wilson WATT/Puppy 8.  You can find my impressions here.  This whirlwind tour confirmed several things for me:   
1) It is going to be difficult to find a speaker I like significantly better than what I have, let alone a speaker I will want to live with for many years.
2) I like what I have enough to wait to find that speaker, save the money for it, and buy it.
3) I still have a lot to hear (KEF Ref, Paradigm Sigs, Revel in a decent room, ProAc).
4) I need to hear some Salks, specifically the HT3.

I am posting, because in about a week's time (between the 25th and 27th), I plan to take an additional trip(s) for some further listening.  I have looked at the Frappr list and I assume a couple of people in the Chicago region who are listed without model are HT3 owners.  I am here in hopes to get some possible audition time with one of you.  I live in central IN, so anyone closer feel free to let me know.  Worst case scenario, I can make the trip to SalkSound and see the actual point of conception, so to speak.


Thanks in advance,
-Michael

[Big Red Machine]

A 3 hour roundtrip and he can audition them for 3 weeks!!  


Why not just drive up here and see the man himself and audition everything he has?  A tank of gas and one night's stay.  We'll make it worth your while!

[MaxCast]

Michael, I have some good news and some bad news.
I live in SW Michigan and have HT3's, but my room is torn apart being remodeled 

Since Marbles is out of town I suggest you make the road trip to Detroit.  You will probably get to hear ht3's in two set ups.  Jim and Pete are great hosts.

[grenamc]

Well, I have a pretty unique work schedule right now (7 on/7 off), so a trip to Detroit would not be out of the question, and it would allow me plenty of time to listen to everything Jim & Co have on offer.  Right now, I am thinking I might take another trip to Chicago sometime between June 25-July 1 to listen to some of the other speakers on my audition list.  Then, maybe a few weeks down the road I can either work up a schedule to hit Detroit or Fort Wayne.  If I choose to go to Rob's and decide the HT3's are for me, a trip to Detroit would become inevitable, so maybe Detroit makes more sense anyway.  After all, of what I have listened to so far, the B&W 802D comes closest to what I am looking for and it sells used for ~7500.  If the HT3 can get as close to what I want, or closer I will be sold.  Besides, if I lived this near the build site for my car, present speakers, etc, I would have visited their factories too. 


-Michael

[fsimms]

After all, of what I have listened to so far, the B&W 802D comes closest to what I am looking for and it sells used for ~7500.

My friend Raj thinks that his SongTowers sound better than the 802D's.   The HT3's are in another class yet;)

[grenamc]

After all, of what I have listened to so far, the B&W 802D comes closest to what I am looking for and it sells used for ~7500.

My friend Raj thinks that his SongTowers sound better than the 802D's.   The HT3's are in another class yet;)

Good to read.  I listened to both the 802D and the PL300 from Monitor Audio on the same day.  I adored the detail of the PL300, but the midrange was too much the same as what I have now, that being slightly exaggerated and forward.  This quality makes a lot of recordings fabulous and a lot of others not so much.  I think I could have been happy with the Plats, but they aren't everything I am looking for.  The 802D, on the other hand, did not have an especially perfect midrange and had pretty tubby bass, but there was a spark in their reproduction that allowed me to completely lose myself in music I have listened to and loved for my whole rock 'n' roll listening life.  If the Beatles don't work on a speaker, I might as well move on and the 802D had me listening to "Abbey Road" for about 30 minutes straight before I realized how long I had been on the same disc.

If the PL300 had had that same spark as the B&Ws, or if the 802D had the detail of the Plats, I would have a winner.  I am really hoping to find a speaker with the Plats detail and the 802D spark.  The Wilson WATT/Puppy 8 were interesting and now I have heard a benchmark, for price at least.  On live recordings the Wilsons moved a LOT of air and gave a pretty good representation of live dynamics, but they are so far out of the question, I could only listen to them as a reference point.  I will be interested to hear some speakers more earthly in their price : performance ratio.  To say the least, the more I read about the HT3 the more excited I become about them.

-Michael

[Nuance]

Michael, I know you are looking at the HT3's, but my Song Tower's should hopefully be completed and shipped in a couple weeks (I think?).  If they are, you are more than welcome to make the trip to Wisconsin (just north of Milwaukee) to give them a listen.  They are no HT3's, but you'll at least be able to experience the Salk sound. 

The invitation is extended to anyone, by the way. 

[asull2k]

Good luck on auditioning the HT3's!  You might want to take a look at an old review I wrote about them.  I have not heard the Wilson W/P 8 (only 6 and 7) but the HT3 sound is in that same vein and they do have better quality bass than the B&W 802D, although that also makes setup an issue.  I can't recall too much about the mids/treble of the 802D other than they were a lot more coherent and neutral than the B&W N-series.  With regards to your other impressions, the Dali and Revels are a different type of sound, a bit more on the warmer bloomy side.. just depends what you're looking for I guess.

[grenamc]

Michael, I know you are looking at the HT3's, but my Song Tower's should hopefully be completed and shipped in a couple weeks (I think?).  If they are, you are more than welcome to make the trip to Wisconsin (just north of Milwaukee) to give them a listen.  They are no HT3's, but you'll at least be able to experience the Salk sound. 

The invitation is extended to anyone, by the way. 

Thanks, Nuance.  This is quite hospitable of you, and I will just say right now that the offer is returned.  Of course, right now I have Monitor Audio GS60, so that might not be enough to coax you down to central IN.  If I end up getting some Salks, though I might get you on a road trip, lol.

Good luck on auditioning the HT3's!  You might want to take a look at an old review I wrote about them.  I have not heard the Wilson W/P 8 (only 6 and 7) but the HT3 sound is in that same vein and they do have better quality bass than the B&W 802D, although that also makes setup an issue.  I can't recall too much about the mids/treble of the 802D other than they were a lot more coherent and neutral than the B&W N-series.  With regards to your other impressions, the Dali and Revels are a different type of sound, a bit more on the warmer bloomy side.. just depends what you're looking for I guess.

I did read your review, and glad I did.  I agree with your assessment of the B&W line.  Everything I listened to below the 802D just didn't quite do it for me.  It is almost as if B&W is somewhat resting on their name to sell speakers in the 3-6K price bracket.  Of course, that is just how it seemed to me when I heard them.  Maybe, other people really agree with their sound.  With the Dali, they certainly warm things up and I will always understand why they are so popular, but even so they are not a long term speaker for me.  I would still like to hear a couple of their more expensive speakers just to see if they carry a house sound or if, like B&W, manage to voice their speakers so differently.  The Revels I heard were in a really bizarre room, and I hope that was responsible for the odd quality I heard in the vocal range.  I will hopefully hear some Studio2 in a better environment soon, giving me the opportunity to judge the speaker and not the room they are in. 

-Michael

[Nuance]

grenamc -

I have cleared my schedule for the 28th of June and am looking forward to meeting up with you to continue your speaker quest.  It sounds like we've got some killer speakers lined up (Revel Studio and Ultima's, Aerial 7's and 9's and Dynaudio Sapphires to name a few).  It sure would be nice if we could find an HT3 owner by that date.  It would really top off the day! 

Anyone else out there in the Chicagoland area with HT3's, HT2's, HT1's or V3's that would be hospitable enough to have us over on the 28th for a listen?   aa 

[Nuance]

Oh, and warpdrv will obviously be joining us.  It's gonna be a blast, but the icing on the cake would be finding someone with some Salk products in the area.   

[jsalk]

You may want to PM martyo.  He is in a Western Chicago suburb and has a post in the Owner's Audition thread.

- Jim

[Nuance]

Thanks Jim, but unfortunately the trip was just cancelled.  It will have to be re-scheduled and I fret I may not make it.