AK Fest Pics

[Davemcc]

Dialup: Beware. The HT4 tweeter, very unique. Plus shots of the dual magnet arrangement on it's backside.

The rest of the Salk pics.

 

[Adam]

[STRIKE]It just shows a rotating circle of dots for me, but I was able to click on the "View all" button and see all of the photos.

Thanks for the link![/STRIKE]

EDIT: Thanks for putting the photos in directly, Dave.

 

[Matt34]

Great pics Dave! Some might not care for the looks of the HT4 but I like the odd shape and I bet they sound incredible!!

 

[Davemcc]

Here's some audio porn (since porn is sometimes grainy and shot in low light).

Some Mac gear.

 

[Adam]

Cold enough for jackets, but people are still wearing flip flops and sandals.

I guess that I do that, too...

 

[Davemcc]

And some odds and ends, like some 20K Snells.

Dynaudio Confidence

Focus 360, Focus 110 Active loudspeakers, Excite.

Emerald Audio

And the back of the Emerald. Had to take it sideways to get the pic.

Tyler's display.

 

[Davemcc]

And the rest.

And a shout out for Fritz. Good sounding speakers. Nice cabinets. Affordable but not cheap. And the best part, he was the only guy I saw doing demos with a normal Panasonic nothing special receiver that anybody's parents might own and the speakers really sounded good.

 

[Adam]

Well...how did they sound?

 

[engtaz]

How did you all not drool on the gear. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet Thanks for the pics.

 

[Davemcc]

Well...how did they sound?

That might take a little time.

The HT4's sound awesome, every bit as good as a $14K speaker should. Salk had a very large room. I could see this as the last set of speakers anybody would ever need.

I was happy to finally hear the Songtowers. I found them to have the smooth bass I expected but found that they had a prominent mid/vocal range. I guess this is what you might consider forward sounding. It wasn't harsh or anything, just prominent.

On the other hand, the Songtowers with the upgraded ribbon tweeter were a definite improvement. The treble was more laid back, more detailed and natural. It was more like a whole new speaker than a mere upgrade. I would most definitely spring for the upgrade if I were to buy the Songtower.

The HT2 were also a definite improvement over the upgraded Songtowers. The treble just opened up and become richer, fuller and more natural than the Songtower. It's basically the same design, but bigger and with the upgraded tweeter and more detailed drivers.

The $20K Snell Phantoms were absolutely stunning. Strong bass, detailed mids, clear highs. More or less the perfect speaker barring the price. Tough call between the Snells and the Salk HT4.

For bookshelf speakers...the Dynaudio Confidence...WOW. I can see myself owning these someday. Clear, detailed, lots of bass for the size. Excellent tone.

The Emerald Audio are a unique concept. Open baffle with a 12" 2-way dipole. They sounded pretty good but I think I would want some time with them to fully evaluate them. They do have a clean, unique appearance compared to the same old, same old box design.

There were lots of rooms I didn't take pics of, 44 rooms in all. Some were too dark, some too busy. I didn't spend much time with the DIY guys. I did get to meet Jim Salk and Dennis Murphy. Jim is just about as down to earth and friendly as you are ever likely to meet. Dennis is quiet but perfectly willing to talk about his designs. (But I'm not even qualified to ask the right questions so don't ask what we talked about. It was very generalized.)

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Time well spent, Dave!

Thanks,
Doug

 

[majorloser]

That's a strange configuration on the Salk HT-4 tweeter. Looks like a pretty large driver for a tweeter.

 

[Swerd]

The HT4's sound awesome, every bit as good as a $14K speaker should. Salk had a very large room. I could see this as the last set of speakers anybody would ever need.

I was happy to finally hear the Songtowers. I found them to have the smooth bass I expected but found that they had a prominent mid/vocal range. I guess this is what you might consider forward sounding. It wasn't harsh or anything, just prominent.

On the other hand, the Songtowers with the upgraded ribbon tweeter were a definite improvement. The treble was more laid back, more detailed and natural. It was more like a whole new speaker than a mere upgrade. I would most definitely spring for the upgrade if I were to buy the Songtower.

The HT2 were also a definite improvement over the upgraded Songtowers. The treble just opened up and become richer, fuller and more natural than the Songtower. It's basically the same design, but bigger and with the upgraded tweeter and more detailed drivers…

Dave

Thanks so much for the photos (especially of the HT4 midrange driver) and your impressions. They're highly appreciated.

Your observations about the differences between the dome and ribbon tweet versions of the SongTower are interesting. My STs have the dome, and I've heard a single ribbon ST, but not two in stereo.

Just one point, the HT2 and the ribbon ST have the very same tweeter, made by LCY. The differences you hear may come from those magnesium woofers in the HT2. The crossover points in the two speakers are about the same frequency, but I'm pretty sure there are some differences in the shapes of their overall roll-off curves shape.

 

[Swerd]

More AK Fest photos here.

That's Dennis Murphy on the left and Jim Salk on the right.

 

[majorloser]

Thanks Swerd!

It makes more sense now. I thought that picture at the top labeled as the tweeter was a pretty big driver. But it's still a strange driver, even for a midrange.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Thanks Swerd!

It makes more sense now. I thought that picture at the top labeled as the tweeter was a pretty big driver. But it's still a strange driver, even for a midrange.

Strange--and expensive. About $500 per side. The membrane is a very light foam impregnated with air. The two magnets in the rear are intended to prevent any kind of flexing, so that the driver element can function as a piston. That's all theory, and I don't know whether any of that makes any difference. But I've never heard a midrange with this kind of open sound. And I tried just about every premium model out there, including the new Scan Speak Illuminator.

 

[Sounds Good]

how do you find out about local A/V conventions?

 

[majorloser]

Strange--and expensive. About $500 per side. The membrane is a very light foam impregnated with air. The two magnets in the rear are intended to prevent any kind of flexing, so that the driver element can function as a piston. That's all theory, and I don't know whether any of that makes any difference. But I've never heard a midrange with this kind of open sound. And I tried just about every premium model out there, including the new Scan Speak Illuminator.

I guess I'll just have to wait till October to hear these beauties.

 

[majorloser]

how do you find out about local A/V conventions?

It's much easier to look for area "get-togethers" or GTG's. Many of the forums have sections for meets.

The AK Fest this thread is about was sponsored by Audio Karma, another fine audio forum.

Audioholics has held a big meet the past couple years in October right here in Florida. I think they're taking this year off do to the lacking economy.

Here's a couple of links to help you out:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?board=122.0

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/national-local-home-theater-forum-meets/

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/fusionbb/showforum.php?fid/81/

 

[majorloser]

Sounds Good,

You're more than welcome to join a few of us this year out on the Oregon Coast for the next big Audioholics GTG.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53440

We're going to have quite a few of Jim Salk's masterpieces to drool over.