2. speakers
  3. 172550-139155

Salk owners -- any interest in a more sensitive Salk model?

I wrote recently to Jim about more sensitive Salk monitors to play even better with lower watt tube gear and he is thinking about the question. There are issues involving accuracy, he told me, and of course will only put his name on speakers that will meet the high standards he's established.

I have 60 watt monos and they work well on my 87 db 8 ohm SS 6Ms. Still, you should hear the lovely headroom I get when I put my Klipsch RP 600M's on them. They are not in the league of my Salks, don't get me wrong, but they make me think.

A lot of people are now pretty high on Devore speakers, and I know Devore has put effort into making his speakers pretty. Still, I think Salk speaker are more beautiful and, given the cost of building things in Brooklyn (where Devore is) I know that Salk (in lower cost Michigan) could make a better looking sensitive speaker — if they met his standards.

What do you think? Interested in a 93 or 96db sensitivity Salk speaker?
128x128hilde45
acresverde
396 posts
 

@hilde45   I could have chosen a more apt and moderate word than coerce, I guess. I believe Jim recognizes the inherent virtues of high sensitivity, but, nonetheless opts to forego that path because the price to be paid to achieve it is too high in terms of sacrifices he would have to make in other areas he deems more important.

@decooney    Before I made my initial post I made sure to go to Salk's webpage to determine what characteristics a "proper high performance speaker" should embrace. Phase integrity and even frequency response were the qualities that seemed to resonate the most in his philosophy. I am not discounting his recognition of the need for strong, well made cabinetry or high quality drivers and crossover parts. I am not implying that he is a 2 trick pony at all, just to be clear.

mofojo
2,304 posts
 

They have a speaker that is higher sensitivity and is 8ohm nom. It’s on the website. It’s 90db I believe with measurements. 

mofojo
2,304 posts
 

Ahh just looked. Exotica 3 is 92db so I guess what you are asking already exists?? Unless 93 is your cutoff for high efficiency. Not fleawatt territory but should be ok with 30 watts or so. 

decooney
2,101 posts
 

I’m not a Salk owner however as a former professional and hobby speaker builder, there is no doubt in my mind Jim Salk could build a nice efficient speaker for use with fleawatt amps if he wanted to. The Exotica carries native 94db drivers as i recall. He's not too far off the path now.  

>>A simple 2-way, semi resonating cabinet, 3 wood color options c/b nice.<<

Chiming in, I’d be interested in seeing Jim design and build something similar to a wide front baffle 10-ohm 96db Devore Orangutan O/96. Might be fun to bug a colleague to design and build a limited run of small purpose built single or strapped triode tube mono amps for them. Some of the Salk diehards might even line up for ’em. My local AN dealer has sets like these, very musical and enjoyable to listen to, amazingly so, when driven with the right triode amplifier(s).

 

 

hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,986 posts
 

@decooney Thanks. Perhaps your explanation may help.

Rather than dickering with me about whether this is a good question, I'd love it if  Salk owners would consider whether a Salk-approved and designed speaker would be attractive to them -- Yes or No. Perhaps a few reasons how a more sensitive model might suit their present or future audio needs.

Imagine Jim was reading this thread and would consider the feedback as pertinent to the effort he might spend working out the feasiblity of an idea like deCooney's.

More to discover