Hi:
I own Salons, so please forgive the slight digression.
Brightness. I do not agree that they are inherently bright. In fact, they are rolled off somewhat above 12,000 Hz. (mine measure that way, my friend's measure that way, and John Atkinson's measurements revealed a roll off as well). The Revels are very accurate and transparent, and like with the better silver cables, they will merely let you know if your upstream components are doing something wrong, e.g., grain in solid-state gear.
Solid-state vs. tube. I am biased, as it is my experience that no solid-state amp can layer sound or portray timbre like a good tube amp. I use VAC 140/140's with zero feedback with my Salons in a big room, with great results (I do have dedicated 20 amp lines for each amp). I have heard the Salons with SF Power 3's, and there is great synergy (excellent choice). I have a close friend using CAT limited edition monoblocks with his Salons (awesome). The Studios and Salons like current, and you therefore need a tube amp with really high quality power supplies and high quality output transformers that can nail the voltage-to-current conversion (this is way more important than continuous wattage ratings, although wattage certainly helps).
Speaker Cables - My dealer, and a second dealer whom I trust and who does not deal Kimber, both said that Kimber Select is THE speaker cable to use with Salons. Two weeks ago, I spoke with another dealer (whom I do not know) who said that Voecks used Kimber Select when designing the Salon -- I do not know if this is true. I use Kimber Select 3038, the all-silver version, with great success.
The Salons (and presumably the Studios) are what they eat, i.e., very accurate and transparent, and just pass along the signal. I can and do listen all day -- no fatigue and only pleasure.
Nice thread. Thanks.
I own Salons, so please forgive the slight digression.
Brightness. I do not agree that they are inherently bright. In fact, they are rolled off somewhat above 12,000 Hz. (mine measure that way, my friend's measure that way, and John Atkinson's measurements revealed a roll off as well). The Revels are very accurate and transparent, and like with the better silver cables, they will merely let you know if your upstream components are doing something wrong, e.g., grain in solid-state gear.
Solid-state vs. tube. I am biased, as it is my experience that no solid-state amp can layer sound or portray timbre like a good tube amp. I use VAC 140/140's with zero feedback with my Salons in a big room, with great results (I do have dedicated 20 amp lines for each amp). I have heard the Salons with SF Power 3's, and there is great synergy (excellent choice). I have a close friend using CAT limited edition monoblocks with his Salons (awesome). The Studios and Salons like current, and you therefore need a tube amp with really high quality power supplies and high quality output transformers that can nail the voltage-to-current conversion (this is way more important than continuous wattage ratings, although wattage certainly helps).
Speaker Cables - My dealer, and a second dealer whom I trust and who does not deal Kimber, both said that Kimber Select is THE speaker cable to use with Salons. Two weeks ago, I spoke with another dealer (whom I do not know) who said that Voecks used Kimber Select when designing the Salon -- I do not know if this is true. I use Kimber Select 3038, the all-silver version, with great success.
The Salons (and presumably the Studios) are what they eat, i.e., very accurate and transparent, and just pass along the signal. I can and do listen all day -- no fatigue and only pleasure.
Nice thread. Thanks.