[drab]

Hi drab, were you able to listen to any music you were familiar with or you regularly listen too?

Unfortunately, no. Jim was playing songs from his collection via a Sqeeze Box.

[fluke242]

  Super fun trip and experience.  It was nice meeting like minded audio friends at a great venue.  Had a great chance to hear my HT2's against the HT4's and neither disappointed.  I still love the HT2 sound but I can't shake what a treat those HT4's are, or SoundScape 12 I should say.

For those interested my personal take and review is below.  I am not a professional... but below is my review and comparison of the Salk Sound speaker line in order of preference.   

Bird on a Wire was played lots, and acted as my reference.    Among a few other Salk CD cuts I was familiar with.

SoundScape 12 (HT4) - The low end surprised and changed my views on passive radiators.  It was the least punchy out of all the speakers, and had the most realistic low end that imaged for me - a low end with air around the notes.  I like punch, as the HT2's deliver, now I want this...  The mid range is all that and more than the HT2 with great imaging and depth - not as forward as the other speakers and much deeper and wider - very 3D. 

Gone - The speakers just disappear in the room.  Easy on the ears for long periods even at high volumes. 

HT2 - Wow I love them and they held their own against the HT4 - cranked pretty loud.  Punchy, yes, but so fun to listen to.  They have that magic quality in the mids that let instruments and vocals sing with such clarity and realism.  Imaging is more forward and more compressed than above... and no depth compared to the HT4s... Speakers disappear on mids and up, but the low end can have the punch/box quality.  I bet the HT2-TL solves some of the boxy quality.  Dang those HT4's are nice.

HT1-TL - I get the TL now - such a great and natural low end.  I bet I would love the HT2-TL.  Not able to play as loud as the HT2 and up, but boy it still has that magic.  Again, a forward soundstage and tad less width in my listening than the HT2s.  Such lovely mids though and easy on the ears.

SoungTowers RT - Fun speakers.  The mid range is not as detailed/realistic for me.  I might like to try them again at a lower volume, they were jamming at great volume - up there with the HT2/4.  Forward soundstage and did not disappear into the room as much as the HT line.

All top notch and sounding great on AVA gear.   

Until the next gathering!

John



 

   

[jsalk]

Do the bass drivers come in black or with a cover?  That's too much metallic looking area for me.

There will be grills for both the top and bottom sections.  We don't normally use them for shows.

- Jim

[Mudslide]

That was a great write-up, John.  I agree whole heartedly with your assessments (albeit I didn't get to hear your HT2's  ). 

I also have to say that there is one really obvious accomplishment by Jim that far exceeded his development of the HT4's.. ..snagging Mary for a wife.  What an absolute darling she is and a complete trooper.  The site was still a bit under construction when the Salk's arrived and Mary just dove in, cleaning this, that, sweeping, dusting, preparing gear, and doing everything including the heavy lifting...in order to get the GTG off on a good footing.  And all the while she was absolutely charming, answering tons of questions and making lots of new friends.

I hope I haven't embarrassed Jim or Mary with these comments, as they're both modest but down-to-earth people.  I thank them for everyone at the show for taking the long road to Oregon to meet with us.

And Jim, do you want to tell us the answer to "How in the world am I going to get up this driveway without destroying all the gear and the vehicle?"   

[majorloser]

Hi drab, were you able to listen to any music you were familiar with or you regularly listen too?

Unfortunately, no. Jim was playing songs from his collection via a Sqeeze Box.

Not quite true.  There was a CD player hooked up on Sunday.

[majorloser]

the HT4's or, uh, whatever, 

Salk Soundscape 12 doesn't exactly roll off the tongue... if it were up to a vote, I'd go with the default, HT4.

A soundscape is what it delivers, however.   

Though it appears the new name may have made it's debut, I'm still voting for

Big Jim and the Twins  aa



No matter what they are called, they are some of the best sounding speakers I've ever hear and really quite the bargain considering you can get the 10" version with a painted cabinet for almost half the price of the 12" units with bamboo cabinets that Jim and Mary Salk brought to Oregon.  Just a couple inches thinner and still having the same performance, I'd say it's a darn good deal.

[drab]

Hi drab, were you able to listen to any music you were familiar with or you regularly listen too?

Unfortunately, no. Jim was playing songs from his collection via a Sqeeze Box.

Not quite true.  There was a CD player hooked up on Sunday.

I didn't mean to infer that Jim would not allow it, we just didn't on Saturday.

[majorloser]

Hi drab, were you able to listen to any music you were familiar with or you regularly listen too?

Unfortunately, no. Jim was playing songs from his collection via a Sqeeze Box.

Not quite true.  There was a CD player hooked up on Sunday.

I didn't mean to infer that Jim would not allow it, we just didn't on Saturday.

No problem.  On Sunday the ModWright gear was moved into the theater for use with the Salk speakers.  It was then that a CD player got brought out for some compilations discs like the one Mudslide brought.  This also gave Jim Salk an opportunity to compare the ModWright gear to the Van Alstine gear he brought.  Sunday morning was more laid back with a smaller crowd.  It was also the "packing up" day so what better time to try new things when you're moving them all around in preparation for boxing up.

[drab]

Sorry I missed Sunday. I would have loved to have been there. The sad thing is that
when I made the plans to go I didn't realize that Monday was a holliday for my wife
and I. We could easily have stayed another day.

Dave, it was a pleasure meeting you and Loser Wife. Thanks again for a great time.

Mike

[Nuance]

So what was the general opinion of the Modwright vs. AVA gear?

[Mudslide]

So what was the general opinion of the Modwright vs. AVA gear?

Brandon,

They are both delightful systems.  The MW gear makes a pretty bold fashion statement, while AVA gear wants to lurk (looks-wise) in a supporting role.  The MW gear ran a number of speakers without a hiccup and let the various speakers, uh, speak for themselves.

With regard to the HT4's, the only speakers to use both systems, I'd say they are just a tad .... different ... not better or worse.  And not very much different, at that.  Without doing a DBT, it's difficult to say with certainty, but I'd say that the AVA gear might have just a tiny bit more reveal at the top end.  (That could be a bad thing on bad recordings, remember.)  I wouldn't wager on that measure of revealing quality without a more careful test, though.

I'm not trying to be political here, but I have to say that I like both very much.  I wish I could afford either.

[Mudslide]

PS:  Keep in mind, I'm FAR from an expert on quality electronics.   

[Nuance]

Thank you, RJ.

[funkmonkey]

   Wow!  Thanks for posting your opinions, guys.  Very nice descriptions all around.  RJ-  I am very happy for you and your wife.  It sounds like you two shared a very special moment this past weekend.  Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us...  Everybody loved the HT4/Beast/Soundscapes?  (How about Houdinis?) Not that that would surprise me, but there is usually one or two people that have a different opinion.

Were Franks new tube amps there?  How did the Salk speakers sound compared to the other speakers at the GTG?

[martyo]

PS:  Keep in mind, I'm FAR from an expert on quality electronics.   

I appreciate you simply reporting what you heard, way too many "experts" in a lot of fields these days. I thought you articulated well............

[Mudslide]

  Wow!  Thanks for posting your opinions, guys.  Very nice descriptions all around.  RJ-  I am very happy for you and your wife.  It sounds like you two shared a very special moment this past weekend.  Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us...  Everybody loved the HT4/Beast/Soundscapes?  (How about Houdinis?) Not that that would surprise me, but there is usually one or two people that have a different opinion.

Were Franks new tube amps there?  How did the Salk speakers sound compared to the other speakers at the GTG?

Well, I think I might have forsaken my man-card with that description of the event with my wife.    But it was a powerful moment, indeed.

I'll leave the amp descriptions to others.  But with regard to all the speakers at the event, I can only say that as of this last weekend, I am now a complete Salk fanboy.  Others were quite nice, believe me.  I would happily own 90% of them.  But speakers being the subjective thing that they are...I found generally Salk speakers present my idea of what music should sound like.  And of course, Jim's woodwork is unbeatable.  I can't say that all the Salk models were perfect.  They were not.  The HT4 was, though.  It was the only speaker there, or anywhere that I've been, that had no defects that I could detect.  It went from 28 ft. pipe organ to infinity with one, smooth, energetic motion.  As I said before...the HT4 has ruined me for all other speakers.  When Dennis comes a-callin' with his stocking stuffers this Christmas, I'll be ..xxxxx.. we'll be in audio nirvana.   aa

[R Swerdlow]

?But with regard to all the speakers at the event, I can only say that as of this last weekend, I am now a complete Salk fanboy?

Welcome to the club Mud.  But you'll never learn the secret handshake unless you end up buying some Salks .

I can't add much of anything after reading what Mud and fluke242 already said, except that I also had a great time at the GTG.  I would like to thank Mudslide, Majorloser, and Average Joe for hosting the event.  Meeting them and their wives was a great pleasure.

I noticed how much time my wife (Bonnie) spent listening to the HT4s, but unlike Mudslide's moving story about his wife's listening experience, I can only say I felt a moment of cold sweat as Bonnie said "What's not to like?  I think we have room for them!"  Dennis - about your Christmas stocking stuffers.  Does that include veneered finish, or are they all unfinished?

Joe's theater room sounded excellent.  Jim commented a number of times how much he enjoyed listening to his speakers there after coming from RMAF.

I spoke a while with a guy (Classical Music - see photo), who recently sold his ebony HT-3s.  It seems he has recently become enamored with some very low-powered tube amps.  I was interested in hearing his opinions about the HT-4s because of his familiarity with HT-3s.  He loved the new speakers.  He became very interested as I told him about the availability of the 10" woofer version (Soundscape 10) that would cost less than the Soundscape 12 and might be easier to drive than the HT-3s.  Dennis - Is this correct?



On Saturday, all the Salk speakers were driven by the AVA gear:  DAC, Ultra Hybrid Tube preamp and FET Valve Ultra 550 amp (with the Double Die output mosfets).  I thought they sounded excellent.

Sunday, Jim spent some time listening to the HT-4s driven by the Modwright amp and preamp.  He hooked up his Squeezebox and the AVA DAC to play music he knew well.  To me, it also sounded excellent.  Jim said he thought that the AVA gear had "just a little more air around the treble" than the Modwright, but that he thought overall they sounded very good.

[ArthurDent]

RJ, Dave, John, RS -

Thanks for the write-ups and impressions. Good to hear all went smoothly, obviously it was special, and a grand time was had by all. Sorry I couldn't make it with the domes, and meet everyone.      Looks like Jim & Mary had a nice little fall 'vacation' to the mtns & coast.

JD

[DMurphy]

"He loved the new speakers.  He became very interested as I told him about the availability of the 10" woofer version (Soundscape 10) that would cost less than the Soundscape 12 and might be easier to drive than the HT-3s.  Dennis - Is this correct?"


'fraid not.  The HT3's and the SC10's use the same woofer, the passive loading in the 10 doesn't change the impedance profile above 80 Hz, and the crossover to the mid doesn't make any difference either.  All I can say is that the current HT3 and SC10 are easier to drive (though not more sensitive) than the original HT3.  If you want 18 Hz from a 10" woofer in a cabinet smaller than a bedroom addition, you need a beefy amp. 

[Big Red Machine]

There's always biamping aa  tubes over SS