Did anyone see my new speakers?

[RWBadley]

Hi Guys,

Just curious if any of you happened to see my new Salk HT-1's. They were the smaller ones with Ebony sides and mahogany fronts. Just curious- as I haven't seen them yet and I'm just wondering what you all thought of them... I bet they are gorgeous, that wood is sooo pretty...

 

[BlackSwamp]

I wasn't in that room when they were hooked up but if they look and sound anything like the larger models....NICE CHOICE!

 

[luvvinvinyl]

That would be the ones in the gallery, here Yes, they are a feast for both the ears and eyes.

 

[RWBadley]

Oh Wow. Those are indeed nice. The front mahogany wood just glows. I picked up the front baffles in Oregon at Cooke wood. The price for the wood was a little high, but man you sure (sometimes) get what you pay for. I must say Jim Salk appears to have done the fancy wood justice.

 

[matt39]

Spellbound...

You walk into the Salk Sound room and the HT3 is there, looking and sounding great. You talk to Jim for a bit and you realize that this is a guy with something to say. But there's a bit of a crowd and you still have a lot to see and hear so after a quick peek at the HT1's (which are not on) you wander on.
Several hours later you stroll in to the HT1 room again and now they're on. You think to yourself, "Man those sound really nice!" which is something you've said at least a dozen times today. You're a little tired and you see that the only guy in the room is someone you met down the hall so you sit down and say hi. "I just wanted to find someplace quiet" he says. "Yeah, same here."
A while later you realize that the speakers don't sound 'really nice' anymore--no now the music just sounds so good and that's when it strikes you that you can't hear the speakers now--just the music. About the same time you start to realize that you've been sitting here quite a while BUT YOUR EARS WON'T LET YOU LEAVE!
RWB you're in for a treat. The HT1's look great and the music sounds even better. I really struggle to find an adequate description that doesn't sound cliched. They are non-fatiguing yet detailed, the bass is not overwhelming but it sounds so right, and the mid-range!--well you'll just have to hear it yourself. Enjoy those speakers man. Great choice!

Gary

 

[RWBadley]

Thanks for the kind words about these little speakers. Your description sounds exactly like what I was hoping for.

 

[cabinover]

Hey Matt, been thinking and trying to remember just who it was that I talked to in the room. Great conversing with you, and Jim also. I did go back a couple more times and just relaxed in those rooms for a while.

As for his speakers, I'm really gonna attempt to save my funds. That should answer anyone's question.

 

[Mark B]

Those Salk speakers are ravishing! :yes: I'd like to know how much the floor standing model (HT3?) is.

 

[Strawman]

The wood just glowed, amazing. Sounded wonderful too.

 

[grumpy]

I think they are about 3500.00 depending on the finish but don't quote me.

 

[Cleve]

Oh Wow. Those are indeed nice. The front mahogany wood just glows. I picked up the front baffles in Oregon at Cooke wood. The price for the wood was a little high, but man you sure (sometimes) get what you pay for. I must say Jim Salk appears to have done the fancy wood justice.

I'm kind of confused - they're $3500 for a kit?

 

[BlackSwamp]

I think they are about 3500.00 depending on the finish but don't quote me.

I seem to remember the same number so it must be wrong.

 

[luvvinvinyl]

According to Jim Salk's site, the HT-3 starts at $3499, with black baffle and standard veneer case. Optional finishes are extra. When I was speaking with Jim, he said that there are often many choices for the buyer to make, and I imagine that selecting the exotic baffle and case woods were only two of them.

 

[Cleve]

ahhh, so he went Cooke Wood, and selected the type of wood he wanted for the baffle and shipped it to Salk? I think I understand now! Sorry for the denseness on my part!

 

[RWBadley]

I'm kind of confused - they're $3500 for a kit?

Not exactly... I chose to travel to Oregon (I live in Reno and had some other business in OR ) to find the front baffle wood for the HT-1. I went through thousands of board feet of all kinds of exotic and domestic wood. I finally asked one of the guys there 'what do you like?'

He took me over to some pieces of this Honduran Mahogany. It was unique in that it has not only a fiddleback grain but also what they call 'plum pudding' and 'fishback' besides. He blopped a little smear of spit on it and rubbed his finger so the wood grain and color wood come out, and that was it- I was hooked.

When I found out how much it was I about retched as it was twice as high as the already expensive stuff I had been looking at. So I went on to another place in OR and thought about it for a day or two. I couldn't get the thought of that grain and color out of my mind, so I went back and layed out the cash and went home with a couple of small pieces of rather pricey but gorgeous wood.

I know you're probably dying to know, so I'll spill- instrument grade wood can start at $45 a board foot and this stuff ran closer to $90. So a piece that is 1" thick and 12" square is- you guessed it- $90

I still hadn't determined the box wood veneer until I was in San Fran one day and stumbled into a shop specializing in vintage exotic furniture. I fell in love with the Macassar Ebony and saw that the colors complimented the Honduran Mahogany.

Jim builds the speakers within your choices of veneer and front baffle wood. I hear he is getting swamped with orders and may run into some trouble keeping up, as he is a small shop. I'm really glad to have been early in line! and really looking forward to seeing and hearing them soon.

Thanks for all the impressions you good folks have shared, and I'll be happy to let you know how they work out here.

Ron

 

[matt39]

Hi cab, I had the same memory block. Here's hoping I see you at the next Fest. I don't think I'll forget listening to the HT1's or the company. Take care.