[jonbee]

I've had my Selah Audio Tempestas for a few weeks now, and am satisfied that the drivers are stabilized, so I thought I would report on my longer term impressions.
I've used multiple speaker cables with them (Goertz MI2, Clear Day Double Shotgun, Anti-cables and Zu Libtecs- the Libtecs are the winners, BTW), and moved them around a lot.
More than most speakers, they do sound good relatively close to the rear wall (a foot or so), but with 2 feet behind they are clearer, and the bass is also deeper.
After a few days I decided they were a bit too self-effacing and laid back for me, so I emailed Rick Craig at Selah and got ideas on how to bring the upper mids a bit more forward. He gave me the ideas I needed to reduce the size of the midrange xover padding resistance slightly, which brought the upper mids forward a db or so. Rick suggested a slightly different tweeter capacitance which also added a bit more bite to the treble. The crossover mods are minor changes, perhaps, but I know how I want my system to sound, and Rick is very tuned in to getting the customer the sound he wants. 
Now I feel I've got exactly the balance I want. I've a/b'd them again with my Volent VL-2s, and the differences are now even more clear. The Volents are much "wetter" sounding, but the instruments are not as sharply focused as the Selahs. The Volents also sound bassier, but once again not as clear in the bass range. Both speakers sound wonderful, but the Selahs are more accurate to the recording, if drier sounding, and with a much larger image. The VL-2s are very detailed yet very spacious sounding, with punchy bass that sounds a bit stronger. I personally prefer the Selahs in my living room, but as mentioned in my earlier posts the VL-2s are addictive in the near field, more so now that I use a tube preamp in my office system.
So I'm very pleased that these are the medium sized keepers I was looking for. The best of their size? There are other mid sized (and mid-weight) speakers, such as Harbeths or the Vivid B1s that I've not yet heard. They cost 3-4 times more, though, and that certainly comes into the calculus.
So I feel they are a bargain for what they offer, in cabinetry, driver quality and sound.
Want to use a different tweeter? How about double Scanspeak woofers instead of 1? Close wall placement? Large/ odd shaped room? Personal sound preferences? Choice of nearly any veneers/ stains?
Adding these customizations into the mix adds a lot of value here, by my reckoning.
My wife is also pleased to no end at the way these fit into our nicely furnished living room. The veneer work is truly lovely. It is also her opinion that these are the best sounding speakers I've had in this room.
BTW, I get no consideration from Rick for my opinions, but after all these years I still get excited when I find something really wonderful at a price that I am willing to pay.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=299

[shinny]

Jonbee,
Thank you for your thoughtful reviews of the Tempesta--I'd like your opinion if I could.  Based on your experience, what would you look at in Rick's lineup in a 3k'ish speaker for a pretty large and reflective room, 26' wide and open to the house, 16' ceilings w' beams and a lot of glass doors and windows?  I've got an Oddyssey tube front end and Wyred 250 watts/side power.  Probably will add a sub later and center for AV or low end. Room (main floor great room) isn't for critical listening, lots of off axis, standing, etc. but kind of have a critical ear.  Currently I have 10 yr old Meadowlarks, heard the Salks but can only fall in like with them (joke) and want to change/upgrade. Thanks again.
Steve

[jonbee]

That's a tough one. I would think with a space that size you would need more woofer area than a single 7 inch.  At that price point I would think it might have to be a 2 way with dual woofers. I'd check directly with Rick on this one.
Good luck!

[kip_]

Jonbee,
Thank you for your thoughtful reviews of the Tempesta--I'd like your opinion if I could.  Based on your experience, what would you look at in Rick's lineup in a 3k'ish speaker for a pretty large and reflective room, 26' wide and open to the house, 16' ceilings w' beams and a lot of glass doors and windows?  I've got an Oddyssey tube front end and Wyred 250 watts/side power.  Probably will add a sub later and center for AV or low end. Room (main floor great room) isn't for critical listening, lots of off axis, standing, etc. but kind of have a critical ear.  Currently I have 10 yr old Meadowlarks, heard the Salks but can only fall in like with them (joke) and want to change/upgrade. Thanks again.
Steve

I'd get the Circondare and some room treatments, it's gonna be a bright room with all that glass.

[jonbee]

I have two walls of glass in my living room. The sound is not so much bright as lacking in bass support. Glass is semi-transparent to low frequencies so the room will not load the bass like sheet rock. That's why I have had such a hard time finding small speakers that don't sound like castrati in there. Of the dozens of small speakers I've heard in there, only the Volents and Tempestas sound balanced at the bottom. The extra room volume that Steve has means even more air will need to move to load it satisfactorily. The Circondaire may very well be a good choice for the job.

[shinny]

Thanks for the good feedback--so for a room like mine the thought is 1 scanspeak woofer + accuton mid (Tempeste) might not work as well as 2 Scanspeak (?) woofers in the Circondare?  And this is primarily because the dual woofer combo will move more air. How about detail, soundstage and midrange? There must be some sacrifice for the loss of the very nice Accuton mid, i'm assuming though. Sounds like a call to Rick is in order and also i'll take a couple of room photos to submit to you guys for analysis if you don't mind. 

[jonbee]

I think a call to Rick would be a good idea.

[shinny]

I had a conversation with Rick today--good guy, very patient and a good listener.  Basically, he said that the Tempestas unless played at very high levels would do nicely in my large, reflective room. Furthermore, he said they would be better suited than the dual woofer Circodares to off axis, standing and farther out listening (10+ ft) even though the C's move more air. I do very little if any critical seated listening. We also talked about his observation that many mtm floorstanders are not as well suited to the above situations as the Tempeste either. I think i understood him on that point, but as Rick eventually reads these emails, correct me if not...we also discussed the cabinet finish quality of the standard wood finishes (cherry,maple, black) another concern of mine. The web site pictures aren't excactly flattering. Rick feels like these basic finishes are at least on par with finishes on brick and morter sold, better quality, well known manufacturers (use your imagination). These aren't of the same grade of custom finishes, his, Salks or others, but you can upgrade in that direction if that's your deal.  It does seem that his custom cabinets come with better grills if left on for critical listening than the grills on the standard cabinets. If you'd have to leave them on like i would, that's too bad.  Bottom line is at this point, I'm pretty sure anything I would get from Selah and Rick would be of outstanding quality and well suited to my situation.  Now, if I could only get a listen somewhere... So there you have it, that's my trip so far. Thanks for your feedback, take care and have fun.

[rbfletch]

Could you amplify on the comment about grills looking better with the custom than the standard finishes?  Also, are the T's shielded?  Lastly, do you also build stands for the T's?  Or have you built/considered making them a floorstander?  I'm wondering if it would be better to invest a"little" more in getting a floorstander version versus trying to find and buy a decent, nice looking stand.  Thanks.

[jonbee]

An interesting sidebar- Volent of Hong Kong has a highly regarded full ranger, the 3.5 (pic below), which has the same Accuton mid as the Tempesta, a dual ribbon LCY-100 tweeter (which I have heard), and Italian ATD mids and woofers, such as is found in the Volent VL-2, which I own. My listener group all preferred the sound of the Illuminator woofers in the Tempesta to the ATDs in my VL-2s, and I think the RAAL gives no quarter to the LCY-100.
So what we have in the $3-4k Tempesta is about 90% of the VL-3.5, which sells for $18k, only missing the bottom half octave or so, and ultimate power handling.
I wish more people were aware at just what a category killer the Tempestas really are. If you have the taste for a very high resolution but totally neutral speaker, save yourselves half or more of your budget and get the Ts. I like them more every time I listen to them.

 http://www.volent.com.hk/image/product/vl35/vl35-galicon-a1.jpg

[SlushPuppy]

An interesting sidebar- Volent of Hong Kong has a highly regarded full ranger, the 3.5 (pic below), which has the same Accuton mid as the Tempesta, a dual ribbon LCY-100 tweeter (which I have heard), and Italian ATD mids and woofers, such as is found in the Volent VL-2, which I own. My listener group all preferred the sound of the Illuminator woofers in the Tempesta to the ATDs in my VL-2s, and I think the RAAL gives no quarter to the LCY-100.
So what we have in the $3-4k Tempesta is about 90% of the VL-3.5, which sells for $18k, only missing the bottom half octave or so, and ultimate power handling.
I wish more people were aware at just what a category killer the Tempestas really are. If you have the taste for a very high resolution but totally neutral speaker, save yourselves half or more of your budget and get the Ts. I like them more every time I listen to them.

 http://www.volent.com.hk/image/product/vl35/vl35-galicon-a1.jpg

I'm planning a speaker purchase this summer. The Tempestas are on my short list. Thanks for the review and comments.

[shinny]

rbfletch,
Regarding the Tempesta grills--my understanding from talking to Rick is that the custom cabinets come with a superior grill for listening when left on. I don't think it's an aesthetics issue so much as design or materials. No doubt, the Tempestas are very nice but i still haven't figured out how to get an audition yet. Good luck and keep us posted.
Steve

[jonbee]

Shinny, where are you located? I'm in Seattle.

[shinny]

Jonbee, I am in Denver.

[Nick_Marshall]

Hi Jonbee,
 Thanks for the detailed description of the Tempesta - very informative and useful.

 I have have had VMPS 626Rs for about 7 years now (used with Berning ZH270). How do the Tempestas compare against the VMPS 626R? Do you think that would be a significant step up? (In fact, would the Volent VL-2s be an upgrade?)

(I listen to a wide range of music with emphasis on delicate acoustic and electronic music and jazz  but also some rock and pop etc. I like a sound that is transparent and detailed but tonally even with good texture and soundstage (especially layering/depth front back and left-right specific)).

Thanks for any impressions!
Greets,
Nick

[jonbee]

I owned 626Rs a few years back. The Volents are tonally sweeter and smoother, with detail as good, and better soundstage definition and great depth, but the 626s have a bigger soundstage. Depending on your tastes, the Volents could very well be an upgrade. I found the midbass in the 626 to be weak, and the peak at 3khz was a problem. The Volents have neither, with a strong midbass.
The Tempestas have the stage size of the 626, as well as the detail and a better defined soundstage, but are much better balanced- as close to perfect balance as I've heard. I would consider them a definite upgrade.

[Nick_Marshall]

Thanks Jonbee.