Salk Sound Series vs. Aperion Versus Grand vs. Kef Q

[Kruz]

Hello,

I am looking to get some input into a home theater setup I am looking to put together. I have had a purely stereo setup with the kef iQ7's for about 10 years now and am finally going to pull the trigger on a 5.1 setup.

My basement is around 1600 cubic feet and I will be using the system for equal portions gaming/movies/music. I have decided to go with the marantz SR608 and a SVS SB12-NSB and am now researching loud speakers.

After reading some great reviews and liking the idea of internet direct I am looking at the the Aperion Verus Grand and the Salk Song Series. Since I love the sound of Kef I have decided to throw in the new Q900 as well. The idea is to keep this all between $5k and $6k (ish).

Does anyone have other brand recommendation that I should look at?

Also does anyone have experience with using the Salk's as a surround sound setup? I have read a lot of reviews on the towers but not much on the center or the surround?

Lastly, is it important to keep the speakers in a 5 speaker setup the same brand? I ask because I have read great things about the Aperion center and surrounds (book shelf) and great things about the Salk towers.

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[Steve81]

Does anyone have other brand recommendation that I should look at?

I'd suggest looking at the KEF R series on your budget if nothing else. R500 + R200c + R800ds would run you $5400 at MSRP and should have a qualitative edge as well as markedly better aesthetics over a Q900 based system.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

KEF R-series, Revel Performa3-series, and RBH SX-series are my recommendation.

 

[fuzz092888]

It's important to keep the front 3 speakers the same brand and, if possible, from the same lineup so they timbre match (sound the same). Unless you listen to a lot of multi-channel music (meaning the music is encoded in 5.1 or 7.1) then matching the surrounds isn't a necessity.

A full Salk Song series setup would run you about $3800 + shipping with the Songbird's instead of the Songtowers and about $4300 + shipping with the regular Songtowers.

You could also consider the Philharmonic lineup and get a Phil center, Phil Slim Towers, and the recently released Affordable Accuracy Monitors for surrounds and do that for about $3500-$4000.

The nice thing about the Salk's and the Phil's is that you can customize the veneer, grills, finish etc and really get them looking the way you want.

As for subwoofers, you really don't need to match that with the brand of your speakers and, in general, it's not really recommended that you do. There are plenty of ID brands that offer tremendous value and performance for your money. If, however, you go with the Salk's they offer custom, matching cabinets to go with your speakers and use quality drivers that will rivel other ID brands.

Any of the previously mentioned setups or the Salk's or Phil's will be excellent setups. You can't go wrong with any of them, it's just a matter of deciding which is more right for you.

 

[TheStalker]

Oh boy. None of them OP!!! Take a look at B&W, Focal, Dynaudio instead...

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Oh boy. None of them OP!!! Take a look at B&W, Focal, Dynaudio instead...

Could you elaborate?

Why B&W, Focal, Dynaudio, and not KEF, Revel, or other brands?

BTW, I do own B&W, Focal, and Dynaudio. I like them all. But I also like other brands.

 

[j_garcia]

Could you elaborate?

Why B&W, Focal, Dynaudio, and not KEF, Revel, or other brands?

BTW, I do own B&W, Focal, and Dynaudio. I like them all. But I also like other brands.

Just ignore that one It won't go anywhere as I am sure you already know. I like Focal and Dynaudio also, but that doesn't mean they are the only things out there. This one is about to earn a spot on the ignore list.

 

[TheStalker]

Could you elaborate?

Why B&W, Focal, Dynaudio, and not KEF, Revel, or other brands?

BTW, I do own B&W, Focal, and Dynaudio. I like them all. But I also like other brands.

Because no matter how well they measure, Revel, KEF, etc. just simply don't sound good. AT ALL. There are tons of speakers on the market these days that measure great, even from small basement companies. But very few that actually sound great. The market is filled with a bunch of mid-fi crap. All sounding more, or less the same. Nothing interesting sticks out.

Believe me. Over the past year and a half I have listened to just about all more, or less established speaker manufacturers. There's very little that actually sounds good. Let me clarify my initial response:

B&W - CM5s are marvelous and a true gem in this day and at the $1500 price point. The 600 series suck. The rest of the CM line is OK. The Diamond line is fabulous. With 802 and 800 being some of the best sounding loudspeakers ever manufactured. A true emotional experience. Not just fancy and useless measurements on paper.

Dynaudio - The new Excite line sucks. The DM line sucks. Both bright, flat, unnatural, no micro information, no emotion, nothing interesting happens on any recording. The Focus line is OK mid-fi, but I would stay away. Slightly more information, but still hard, bright, unnatural sound. The Confidence line is absolutely fantastic. The C1 Signature speakers are probably the best monitors I've ever heard. The C2 Signature towers are fantastic.

Focal - Forget Chorus and Aria lines. Electra is where it's at. The 1028 Be monitors are awesome.

Sonus Faber - Venere is an OK mid-fi line. Nothing special after listening for a while. Olympica is great on the other hand.

After listening to dozens of different manufacturers and HUNDREDS of speakers, unfortunately this is about all that has stood out. KEF and Revel are boring, flat, hard, unnatural sounding speakers I'm afraid.

There were much better offerings back in the late 80s and early 90s than there are today. Manufacturers need to stop measuring so much and making everything sound like flat dog crap and use their ears to fine tune and make something sound interesting and emotional.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Because no matter how well they measure, Revel, KEF, etc. just simply don't sound good. AT ALL. There are tons of speakers on the market these days that measure great, even from small basement companies. But very few that actually sound great. The market is filled with a bunch of mid-fi crap. All sounding more, or less the same. Nothing interesting sticks out.

Believe me. Over the past year and a half I have listened to just about all more, or less established speaker manufacturers. There's very little that actually sounds good. Let me clarify my initial response:

B&W - CM5s are marvelous and a true gem in this day and at the $1500 price point. The 600 series suck. The rest of the CM line is OK. The Diamond line is fabulous. With 802 and 800 being some of the best sounding loudspeakers ever manufactured. A true emotional experience. Not just fancy and useless measurements on paper.

Dynaudio - The new Excite line sucks. The DM line sucks. Both bright, flat, unnatural, no micro information, no emotion, nothing interesting happens on any recording. The Focus line is OK mid-fi, but I would stay away. Slightly more information, but still hard, bright, unnatural sound. The Confidence line is absolutely fantastic. The C1 Signature speakers are probably the best monitors I've ever heard. The C2 Signature towers are fantastic.

Focal - Forget Chorus and Aria lines. Electra is where it's at. The 1028 Be monitors are awesome.

Sonus Faber - Venere is an OK mid-fi line. Nothing special after listening for a while. Olympica is great on the other hand.

After listening to dozens of different manufacturers and HUNDREDS of speakers, unfortunately this is about all that has stood out. KEF and Revel are boring, flat, hard, unnatural sounding speakers I'm afraid.

There were much better offerings back in the late 80s and early 90s than there are today. Manufacturers need to stop measuring so much and making everything sound like flat dog crap and use their ears to fine tune and make something sound interesting and emotional.

The sound may depend on the actual setup and room, though.

The first time I heard the 800D & 802D, I thought they sucked.

So don't you think the setup, electronics, room, and all that affect the sound?

Some speakers will sound a lot better in your own home, don't you think?

Certain environments benefit certain speakers?

 

[TheStalker]

The sound may depend on the actual setup and room, though.

The first time I heard the 800D & 802D, I thought they sucked.

So don't you think the setup, electronics, room, and all that affects the sound?

Some speakers will sound a lot better in your own home, don't you think?

Certain environments benefit certain speakers?

Example: I've heard 802s in three separate showrooms. With Classe, Ayre, Bryston, and Rotel electronics. Two rooms had treatment (one with bass treatment) and one did not. And more, or less the speakers sounded pretty damn amazing. Is there a difference? Sure! But not as much as you make it out to be. A great speaker always has at least something interesting in its sound character, regardless of environment. A garbage speaker is garbage anywhere and everywhere.

 

[j_garcia]

Have you heard the Salks or Aperions?

 

[TheStalker]

Have you heard the Salks or Aperions?

Salk has so many speakers it's impossible to hear them ALL. Pretty soon he will have all basement companies working for him. I've heard the SoundScapes at Chicago Expona and didn't think much if anything at all of them. And whatever else they were showcasing, forgot the model number. Is that good enough for you?

 

[Jimz711]

Some of the posts here seem likely to either prevent the OP from coming back to this site or take the fun out of the speaker search. I'm sure constructive comments would be truly appreciated, but I know if I were looking for advice the tone here would certainly drive me away.

I second, could be third or fourth by now, looking at the KEF R series vs the Q series, especially with the listed budget.

 

[j_garcia]

OP, if you contact Salk directly, they may be able to locate owners in your area who will allow you to audition their Song series. Aperion allows 30 Day in home trials as well, so I'd say order a set of the bookshelf speakers and give them a listen with little to no risk. This will quickly tell you if these are going to be "the ones" for you.

Salk has so many speakers it's impossible to hear them ALL. Pretty soon he will have all basement companies working for him. I've heard the SoundScapes at Chicago Expona and didn't think much if anything at all of them. And whatever else they were showcasing, forgot the model number. Is that good enough for you?

Not exactly, but at least it is better than a no. I didn't ask if you've heard them all. In this context it would be the ones that were asked about in this thread.

Perhaps you haven't figured out yet that it is your attitude that rubs people the wrong way, not your knowledge. With the variety of opinions on this forum, people still manage to have civil discussions for the most part. You seem to like to be antagonistic on the other hand.

 

[TheStalker]

With the listed budget... It's virtually impossible to even come anywhere near the B&W CM line with let's say HSU, or SVS subs. Impossible.

 

[j_garcia]

With the listed budget... It's virtually impossible to even come anywhere near the B&W CM line with let's say HSU, or SVS subs. Impossible.

Impossible for YOU. Not everyone drinks the same beer/wine/soda.

 

[Kruz]

Wow, did not expect this much response so fast! Thanks to any one who gave constructive advice. I should have clarified this but my budget of $5k to $6k is for everyone (sub and receiver included). That leaves me roughly $3 to $4k for two fronts, a center and two rears. I also live in Canada so shipping can be kind of a headache.

What are your guys thoughts on axiom, paradigm or psb? My plan to to listen to as many speakers in person as possible and I might take up Aperion or Salk on a trial but paying for shipping both way and duty could getting pretty expensive for a trial. Aperion for instance quotes 14% duty on all prices plus shipping (still waiting on that quote).

 

[ImcLoud]

For the $5000 range I would go with
Ascend sierra towers, horizon center and sierra 1 surrounds, all done and under budget {depending on tweeter and finish you pick}... you wont find much better for the price, I have listened to many many many speakers and they are about the best in that price range...

Another decent setup is the wharfedale jades, jade 5's for front left and right, cade c1 center, and jade 1's for bookshelfs...

 

[Steve81]

I should have clarified this but my budget of $5k to $6k is for everyone (sub and receiver included). That leaves me roughly $3 to $4k for two fronts, a center and two rears.

No worries. With my above suggestion if you substitute a pair of these for the R800ds, you'll end up at $4,150 without losing much.

 

[j_garcia]

In Canada, PSB would probably be good to go listen to, but many of the companies you are interested in have Canadian distribution; I know for sure Ascend does. I was going to recommend the Sierras also, but got caught up in other, less useful stuff.