Mike's SoundScape 10's in pau ferro rosewood

jsalk · « **on:** 14 Apr 2011, 07:22 pm »

Mike was preparing to retire and wanted to reward himself with a nice retirement gift. He already had a pair of SongTowers and was going to trade them in. But he decided he just couldn't part with them. So he'll now have two pairs of our speakers.

Here is a picture of the SoundScapes...

And a close-up...

And a shot of the front straight-on...

Hopefully, Mike will now have plenty of time to enjoy his new SoundScapes.

Happy listening, Mike!

- Jim

pardales · « **Reply #1 on:** 14 Apr 2011, 07:25 pm »

Really nice.

ArthurDent · « **Reply #2 on:** 14 Apr 2011, 07:27 pm »

Beautiful work Jim, as always. Congrats Mike, both on retirement and the joy when those bad boys hit the deck. Just be careful and don't mess up your back moving them around.

Saturn94 · « **Reply #3 on:** 14 Apr 2011, 07:30 pm »

Absolutely gorgeous!

Nuance · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 Apr 2011, 08:36 pm »

That veneer is one of my favorites of all time! Congrats, Mike - what a retirement gift!

MichiganMike · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Apr 2011, 10:13 pm »

My SoundScape 10s were carefully packed in my vehicle by Jim and his associate for the drive north to my home. With the help of a friend (definitely not a one person job), I now have the SoundScapes set up and playing beautiful music. My McIntosh MC501 amps are as I hoped a great match for the SoundScape providing an expansive soundstage and incredible resolution. The detail, imaging, deep bass and crystal clear treble and midrange are a major step up from my SongTowers. It is like several veils were lifted from the music. In addition, the SoundScapes can be played at much louder volumes without any sign of strain or listening fatigue. The only disadvantage that I have observed is that the Soundscapes are less efficient, as expected, but with 500+ watts available this is not an issue.

The matching of the veneer and the quality of the finish are beautiful to behold. It was well worth the wait.

My thanks to Jim, Mary and the entire Salk team.

fsimms · « **Reply #6 on:** 14 Apr 2011, 10:34 pm »

Way to go Mike! Congratulations!

Post pictures if you can.

Bob

Vulcan00 · « **Reply #7 on:** 14 Apr 2011, 10:44 pm »

I really like the way those look. very nice

MichiganMike · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 Apr 2011, 03:06 pm »

It is a good thing that I delayed getting the SoundScapes until after my retirement. Otherwise compulsive listening might have placed my job in jeopardy.

I have now listened to a number of my favorite CDs as well as the Salk and Chesky demo discs. For virtually every piece of music that I have listened to numerous times in the past with other high end speakers, my impression is the SoundScapes are often more involving and provide a more lifelike musical experience. Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" is like being there. Every track on the Chesky Ultimate Demonstration Disc was reproduced as intended, whether tracks intended to provide tests of depth, transparency, imaging, transients or bass resonance. My expectations were high, but the SoundScapes have exceeded them in both audio performance and visual appearance.

I am currently trying the midrange chamber in various configurations, closed, open and open with some polyfill stuffing. This provides some interesting optimization options.

I have heard SoundScapes at AKFest and at Jim Salk's facility powered by a variety of amplifiers with excellent results. However, IMHO I have not heard them sound better than with my McIntosh MC501 monoblock amps and C48 preamp. Even at very loud levels in a large room, the MC501 meters suggest there is plenty of power in reserve and the Power Guard lights have not even flickered. These are very revealing speakers and improvements in source and amplification may extract worthwhile improvements in audio performance.

Nuance · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 Apr 2011, 05:07 pm »

I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to see more pics of the SS's and the rest of Mike's setup!

MichiganMike · « **Reply #10 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 02:35 pm »

In response to Nuance's request, here are a few pics of my SoundScapes and system.

JackD201 · « **Reply #11 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 04:11 pm »

Beautiful Mike! Congratulations!

MichiganMike · « **Reply #12 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 04:24 pm »

One more photo with the grill off for those that want to see more veneer. Jim and his crew did their usual outstanding job with the finish and the matching of grain. The wood grain is striking with a great deal of contrast. To my eyes it appears similar to some Cocobolo veneer.

The SoundScapes as others have noted are relatively forgiving in placement. I have my SoundScapes close to the wall behind them (about 12") with limited clearance on the sides. The bass is extended and natural without any evidence of the problems that I experienced with other speakers in the same location.

David C · « **Reply #13 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 04:51 pm »

Mike
I too am getting ready to retire and return to the US (been in London for 14 yrs) and I am rewarding myself with new speakers. My wife and I plan to go to Denver in the fall and make our speaker choice. The Soundscapes are very high on the list as are Wilson sophia 3's and being a horn lover the Classic Audio T1.4. I have listened to the new B&W 802D's and they are still in the running as well. What convienced you to go with Soundscapes? I have followed Salk for several years and have rarely found someone who did not love the sound let alone the look of his speakers. Just courious?

Also you need bigger power amps as those Mac's look a bit small and under powered. Ha Ha..... I bet they sound wonderful. I would love to have a pair. Anyway Happy retirement and enjoy

MichiganMike · « **Reply #14 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 06:51 pm »

Quote from: David C on 18 Apr 2011, 04:51 pm

Mike
I too am getting ready to retire and return to the US (been in London for 14 yrs) and I am rewarding myself with new speakers. My wife and I plan to go to Denver in the fall and make our speaker choice. The Soundscapes are very high on the list as are Wilson sophia 3's and being a horn lover the Classic Audio T1.4. I have listened to the new B&W 802D's and they are still in the running as well. What convienced you to go with Soundscapes? I have followed Salk for several years and have rarely found someone who did not love the sound let alone the look of his speakers. Just courious?

Also you need bigger power amps as those Mac's look a bit small and under powered. Ha Ha..... I bet they sound wonderful. I would love to have a pair. Anyway Happy retirement and enjoy

Another owner (fsimms) provided a SoundScape review that does a much better job than I have done of describing the attributes that make the SoundScape a special speaker for me. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=86244.msg867751#msg867751

The treble of the B&W speakers is a bit bright for my taste. While initially impressive, extended listening to the B&W speakers produced some listener fatigue for me that I did not experience with the SoundScape. Your listening experience may differ.

I have not heard the Wilson Sophia 3. The Sophia 3 MSRP is $6000 more than the SoundScape 10, although perhaps this might be partially offset by the greater efficiency of the Sophia allowing a less powerful and potentially less expensive amplifier. I have been very impressed with a friend's Wilson Maxx 2, but these are in a different price class and far too large for my listening room. To my ears the SoundScapes sound right across the full audio range, so I do not feel that I have compromised in music reproduction relative to alternatives that I have heard. I also prefer the veneer finishes Jim Salk offers over the Wilson finishes.

Good luck with your speaker search and retirement.

satfrat · « **Reply #15 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 07:03 pm »

Mike, how far from that front wall do you have the Soundscapes? It's hard to tell but they seem aweful close which has me wondering if they would benefit from being pulled out more,, or does it even make a difference? Maybe because they are sidefiring basswoofers, closeness to the front wall isn't an issue? Just curious on your thoughts. Thanks.

They are simply lovely loudspeakers as it the rest of your system. Glad you're happy with your system.

Cheers,
Robin

David C · « **Reply #16 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 07:10 pm »

Mike
thanks and i will let you know where I end up. Enjoy the music

Nuance · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 Apr 2011, 11:44 pm »

Thanks for the pics, Mike. Things are looking awesome!

jhm731 · « **Reply #18 on:** 19 Apr 2011, 12:13 am »

David C,

If you're interested in the Sophia 3s, there are two pairs listed for sale on Agon.

I thought about SoundScape 10's, but I'd never buy another speaker without being able to hear it first and I got a great deal on my S3s.

Good luck with your speaker search and retirement.

MichiganMike · « **Reply #19 on:** 19 Apr 2011, 12:54 am »

Quote from: satfrat on 18 Apr 2011, 07:03 pm

Mike, how far from that front wall do you have the Soundscapes? It's hard to tell but they seem aweful close which has me wondering if they would benefit from being pulled out more,, or does it even make a difference? Maybe because they are sidefiring basswoofers, closeness to the front wall isn't an issue? Just curious on your thoughts. Thanks.

They are simply lovely loudspeakers as it the rest of your system. Glad you're happy with your system.

Cheers,
Robin

As stated in an earlier post, my SoundScapes are about 12" from the wall behind them. My wife prefers the speakers closer to the wall for aesthetic reasons, so they will not be pulled out further. The proximity to the wall may not be ideal, but the bass response appears solid, deep and clear. As I recall, fsimms in his review also had his SoundScapes near the rear wall. The side firing passive radiators appear to disperse the long wave low frequencies much better than a ported design might. Jim Salk was quoted in an interview about the SoundScapes as stating:
"At home, I even tried moving them to within 5″ of the rear wall. While the bass was slightly more pronounced, it seemed far from objectionable. In fact, I could easily see someone actually preferring the bass reinforcement. So I don’t think these speakers are particularly problematic in small rooms or when positioned in a less-than-ideal situation. They are certainly easier to work with in that regard than just about any rear-ported 3-way I have worked with in the past.