[WGH]

I was the one with the1 year old girl if anyone saw me.

I saw a guy pushing a stroller, that must have been you. Does she want to go next year?

Wayne

[Nuance]

I felt compelled to mention this in the RMAF thread, but I also mentioned it in other places.  Nonetheless, here is my opinion:

Some people may disagree, or even not notice a difference in SQ, but to my ears the difference between the RAAL and LCY was significant.  The RAAL is every bit as detailed as the LCY but smoother and airier, sometimes sounding even more detailed.  I don't know if it's less distortion or what, but is was oh so silky smooth, but also dead quiet when it needed to be; it never stood out.  In fact, from another perspective, two of the gentleman I walked the show with on the second day commented how much better the speakers sounded with the RAAL.  They literally went from not caring for them much (last year) to liking them quite a bit.  Again, some may not notice much difference at all, but I know I did, and so did my companions.  And please, don't take this as the LCY being a bad tweeter, as it's not; I still LOVE mine, and would chose it over most tweeters.  But the RAAL is better in every way, and that's just how it is, in my opinion.  And it should be, considering the price difference.

Salk SoundScape's: For me, these speakers provided the best sound stage depth of any speaker at the show.  To be fair the speakers did reside in one of the largest and properly treated rooms, so that probably helped.  Nonetheless, the SoundScape's hung with the big boys, costing a quarter of the latter's asking prices.  They threw a nice, wide sound stage and imaged like a son-of-a-gun.  The midrange was spectacular; uncolored, extracting every detail possible.  Those dual passive radiators also helped achieve some great bass depth without the usual overhang or port noise found in most bass reflex designs (I assume that is why Salk chose this design instead).  Finally, the build quality was unmatched by any other vendor.  If price was of insignificance to me I' might take the Dyn's (Confidence 4) or Vandies (Model 7) over these speakers, but considering the SoundScape's $14,000 price tag ($10,000 for the 10" version) I thought they represented one of the best values at the show, if not the best.

After hearing the world's best gear and speakers this past weekend, I think it's safe to say the Salk SoundScapes are my dream speaker.  Even better, they may one day be attainable, which is more than I can say for the others.

[Kris]

Yeah, RAAL seems to be the buzz of the day, but please tell me why i should "upgrade" from my 14yo Infinity IRS Sigmas. I'm thinking about SS12s, Orion 4.0, and Selah RC5s. I'm a diyer, and after building 4 kits, i always go back to my Infinities. And i do have the upgrade itch every Fall. What should i do?

[Mudslide]

I felt compelled to mention this in the RMAF thread, but I also mentioned it in other places.  Nonetheless, here is my opinion:

Some people may disagree, or even not notice a difference in SQ, but to my ears the difference between the RAAL and LCY was significant.  The RAAL is every bit as detailed as the LCY but smoother and airier, sometimes sounding even more detailed.  I don't know if it's less distortion or what, but is was oh so silky smooth, but also dead quiet when it needed to be; it never stood out.  In fact, from another perspective, two of the gentleman I walked the show with on the second day commented how much better the speakers sounded with the RAAL.  They literally went from not caring for them much (last year) to liking them quite a bit.  Again, some may not notice much difference at all, but I know I did, and so did my companions.  And please, don't take this as the LCY being a bad tweeter, as it's not; I still LOVE mine, and would chose it over most tweeters.  But the RAAL is better in every way, and that's just how it is, in my opinion.  And it should be, considering the price difference.

Salk SoundScape's: For me, these speakers provided the best sound stage depth of any speaker at the show.  To be fair the speakers did reside in one of the largest and properly treated rooms, so that probably helped.  Nonetheless, the SoundScape's hung with the big boys, costing a quarter of the latter's asking prices.  They threw a nice, wide sound stage and imaged like a son-of-a-gun.  The midrange was spectacular; uncolored, extracting every detail possible.  Those dual passive radiators also helped achieve some great bass depth without the usual overhang or port noise found in most bass reflex designs (I assume that is why Salk chose this design instead).  Finally, the build quality was unmatched by any other vendor.  If price was of insignificance to me I' might take the Dyn's (Confidence 4) or Vandies (Model 7) over these speakers, but considering the SoundScape's $14,000 price tag ($10,000 for the 10" version) I thought they represented one of the best values at the show, if not the best.

After hearing the world's best gear and speakers this past weekend, I think it's safe to say the Salk SoundScapes are my dream speaker.  Even better, they may one day be attainable, which is more than I can say for the others.

Brandon, you have NO idea how hard it was being with the SS12's for a couple of days out here last year.  It was like a married guy being left alone with Megan Fox (or some such) for a weekend retreat.  Yikes.    

[satfrat]

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/rmaf2010/rmaf2010_hp_salk_speakers.htm

SALK on Audi Beat

HP

Nice picture,, it deserves to be shown. 
 

 
Cheers,
Robin

[HoosierInOhio]

I read skimmed through 5 online pages of Stereophile's blog of the RMAF, and no mention of Salk.  Did they even stop by or is it a matter of them not writing anything cause you don't sell through a dealer network?

[bpape]

Glad you guys felt our room treatments worked well.  We tried a couple of different orientations and this one seemed to be the best balance of taming room problems and getting a nice soundstage.  We did 2 other rooms - packing up 16 boxes at the end of the show was SO much fun 

Oh, and to answer the other question, we tried the hard and open rear covers for the mid enclosure.  We ended up with the open one with diffusion behind it.  Just made things a bit more effortless and the diffusion gave us a nice, wide soundstage.

It absolutely amazed me how many rooms had treatments in there but no clue how to use them.

Bryan

[fsimms]

Oh, and to answer the other question, we tried the hard and open rear covers for the mid enclosure.  We ended up with the open one with diffusion behind it.  Just made things a bit more effortless and the diffusion gave us a nice, wide soundstage.

Thanks Brian!  I was wondering.

Bob

[Nuance]

Brandon, you have NO idea how hard it was being with the SS12's for a couple of days out here last year.  It was like a married guy being left alone with Megan Fox (or some such) for a weekend retreat.  Yikes.    

I imagine it was glorious, but the aftermath was torture, as you had to say goodbye to those sweet sweet music makers.  At least that's how I felt when I left RMAF.

Brian - it was nice to meet you, albeit it briefly.  I really feel you did a fantastic job treating the room, and I loved the guitar print spread across the three panels.  I may request something like this from you gents in the future.  I also really appreciated the diffusion; I felt it was just the right amount.  Kudos to you and your amazing room set up.

[fsimms]

Direct reflection off the back wall from the back of my SoundScape 10’s doesn’t sound good to me.  I guess the options are to use a diffusion panel or absorption panel?

Bob

[jtwrace]

It absolutely amazed me how many rooms had treatments in there but no clue how to use them.
Bryan

What a great do not do tutorial those pics would make.   

[jsalk]

I read skimmed through 5 online pages of Stereophile's blog of the RMAF, and no mention of Salk.  Did they even stop by or is it a matter of them not writing anything cause you don't sell through a dealer network?

I didn't see them.  RMAF is a very large show and growing.  There are so many advertisers they need to be responsive to at a show like this, they probably don't have time to visit other rooms.  Perhaps some day we'll advertise and then you can read all about us.

It's not that they would be unfair to non-advertisers, it's just that there aren't enough hours in the day to cover everyone.

- Jim

[bpape]

Direct reflection off the back wall from the back of my SoundScape 10’s doesn’t sound good to me.  I guess the options are to use a diffusion panel or absorption panel?

Bob

Either can work.  A lot depends on the room size and how they're set up in relation to the wall behind them.

Bryan

[bpape]

Brian - it was nice to meet you, albeit it briefly.  I really feel you did a fantastic job treating the room, and I loved the guitar print spread across the three panels.  I may request something like this from you gents in the future.  I also really appreciated the diffusion; I felt it was just the right amount.  Kudos to you and your amazing room set up.

Nice meeting you too as well as all the others who stopped by. 

The Art panels ended up going home with Steve.  His wife just loved them.  The diffusion is always tricky and is very dependent on the situation, speakers, etc.  It's really tough to set up a larger room like that with only a few people in it and also have it sound good when there are 15-20 people listening.

Bryan

[Vulcan00]

I felt compelled to mention this in the RMAF thread, but I also mentioned it in other places.  Nonetheless, here is my opinion:

Some people may disagree, or even not notice a difference in SQ, but to my ears the difference between the RAAL and LCY was significant.  The RAAL is every bit as detailed as the LCY but smoother and airier, sometimes sounding even more detailed.  I don't know if it's less distortion or what, but is was oh so silky smooth, but also dead quiet when it needed to be; it never stood out.  In fact, from another perspective, two of the gentleman I walked the show with on the second day commented how much better the speakers sounded with the RAAL.  They literally went from not caring for them much (last year) to liking them quite a bit.  Again, some may not notice much difference at all, but I know I did, and so did my companions.  And please, don't take this as the LCY being a bad tweeter, as it's not; I still LOVE mine, and would chose it over most tweeters.  But the RAAL is better in every way, and that's just how it is, in my opinion.  And it should be, considering the price difference.

Salk SoundScape's: For me, these speakers provided the best sound stage depth of any speaker at the show.  To be fair the speakers did reside in one of the largest and properly treated rooms, so that probably helped.  Nonetheless, the SoundScape's hung with the big boys, costing a quarter of the latter's asking prices.  They threw a nice, wide sound stage and imaged like a son-of-a-gun.  The midrange was spectacular; uncolored, extracting every detail possible.  Those dual passive radiators also helped achieve some great bass depth without the usual overhang or port noise found in most bass reflex designs (I assume that is why Salk chose this design instead).  Finally, the build quality was unmatched by any other vendor.  If price was of insignificance to me I' might take the Dyn's (Confidence 4) or Vandies (Model 7) over these speakers, but considering the SoundScape's $14,000 price tag ($10,000 for the 10" version) I thought they represented one of the best values at the show, if not the best.

After hearing the world's best gear and speakers this past weekend, I think it's safe to say the Salk SoundScapes are my dream speaker.  Even better, they may one day be attainable, which is more than I can say for the others.

I have not heard the RAAL tweeter.  The fact that Jim made the change to Veracity Series supports your view.

My question is:

1. Is the RAAL postive difference enough to buy a new set of speakers with the RAAL to replace LCY?  or

2. Pay for  replacement upgrade? Is a RAAL replacement even possible?

Harrison

[srb]

1. Is the RAAL postive difference enough to buy a new set of speakers with the RAAL to replace LCY?  or

2. Pay for  replacement upgrade? Is a RAAL replacement even possible?

From the HT2-TL + RAAL Upgrade? topic:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=79657.0
 

As for retro-fits, that makes even less sense.  While we would certainly do just about anything a customer would want, driver holes would need to be re-cut and, since the edges would be rough, the speakers would probably need to be re-finished. The labor involved makes it an expensive process.  Then, of course, there would be the cost of new tweeters and new crossovers.
 
As for whether or not the gains would justify the cost, I recall when we first worked with the LCY tweeters, we looked at re-working all of our designs to incorporate it.  But when we compared LCY designs with G2 designs, it just didn't seem to make much difference.  Upgrading all models didn't make sense since the sound quality wouldn't change much at all.

I suspect the same would be true here.  Yes, the RAAL is better. But how much difference would you hear? When you look at re-working an existing cabinet, swapping out the tweeters and replacing the crossovers, I doubt any gains could be cost justified.

Steve

[Nuance]

I have not heard the RAAL tweeter.  The fact that Jim made the change to Veracity Series supports your view.

My question is:

1. Is the RAAL postive difference enough to buy a new set of speakers with the RAAL to replace LCY?  or

2. Pay for  replacement upgrade? Is a RAAL replacement even possible?

Harrison

It's all in the eye of the beholder...er, or rather the "ear" in this case.  However, yes, I think it's worth it.  It really depends on the individual, and I wouldn't recommend trading for a RAAL version sight unseen/unheard.  I am going to completely revamp my system, and then I'll consider moving up to the HT2-TL RAAL's.  Until then I am enjoying what I have very much.

[Jeff B.]

So Bob--where are you seeing any coverage of RMAF?  Any pics of the SS12's.  I've never seen them.

A friend that attended sent me this pic.
Jeff B.

[lonewolfny42]

http://live.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/ces.pl?&MT_iris&RoomView&FM&&&&&&RMF10

[fsimms]

Thanks Lonewolf!  Now everybody gets to hear the SoundScapes in their full glory! 

Bob