But, LG and JA have two very thorough reviews of them on this site. Very thorough, as in they were both looking for excuses to keep from sending them back kind of reviews. lol
Short of hearing them for myself, they didn't leave any of my questions unanswered. Hell, they practically had me thinking I was hearing them for myself...and really wanting them.
They are very good, you won't be disappointed, at 9 large there a steal. In fact I consider them a great deal at there retail of $24,000.
I would have purchased a new pair of Salon 2's a short time ago when I upgraded my Salon ones but felt the Studio 2's had a slightly better overall balance. The newer Salons had just a wee bit to much bass for my room.
The Salons do have one small requirement, they prefer some power, at least 300 quality watts. They will sound fine with less but to bring them to life you really need an amp with balls.
I listened to a pair of the ultima salon 2's a few weeks ago and can say they are a great loudspeaker. They are full range, very detailed and from my listen appear to be very balanced. The demo room was pretty acoustically controlled and had a mark levinson mono blocks, but what surprised me was how full range the speaker was. Really sounded great and at 9,000 a pair It sounds like a very good deal if they are in good condition. One think i would mentioned is that they are large speakers so i would make sure you have a good space for them.
I've owned a pair of Salon2s since 2009, and I'm still amazed by how life-like they sound. Stereo imaging is especially awesome, almost freaky. You are enveloped in the soundstage. The only caution I would offer is that speakers of this class really beg for careful, optimal positioning, and I highly recommend using measuring software and a calibrated mike (like OmniMic) to get things right. The Salon2s need some space from the side walls and the back wall, like 3-4 feet, and your seating position needs to be away from the back wall. IMO, small rooms and the Salon2 won't mix well, especially below about 150Hz.
All-in-all, I can't say enough good things about the Salon2s. I'm not a brand-loyal sort of guy, and I'm always looking for something better, and I'm getting a strong feeling that the Salon2s are nearly a final purchase.
I've heard them extensively many times driven by Rowland equipment in Jeff's listening room. They truly are a great speaker at their list price, and an absolute steal at $9k if they're in good working condition. Still, buying stuff before you've heard it is gambling... Good luck.
I love how we all recommend the speakers we bought. I have brought at least 10 pair of speakers hoe to demo and while my price range was only up to $6000.00 I did notice something interesting they all sounded more similar than different so I started looking at JA's room measurements and confirmed what I thought already, The listening room makes the biggest contribution to the sound at price point and now I buy nothing new i can't hear at home first.
Given your love of the Ultima Salon1 and Salon2's, what do you think would be a tidy price for a pair of Salon1's ?
I currently operate the PSB Synchrony Ones, and have a pair of Parasound JC-1's for amplification, (eagerly looking forward to hearing the upcoming BHK300 Mono's from PS Audio).
I see from other comments on Stereophile, you used to own and enjoy the PSB Synchrony Ones (may the upcoming replacement be a full frequency monster doing full service due to Paul Barton), but clearly appreciated the full frequency Salon2's more.
Are the Salon1's still worthy, and where would you find them of similar value to the Salon2's at 9k ?
I don't think we'll be seeing the salon2 coming up for $9k very often and Revel is still stocking parts for the v1 salon so i'm keeping mine...well for? suppose I sold my V1 for $5k what could I replace them with?
But, LG and JA have two very thorough reviews of them on this site. Very thorough, as in they were both looking for excuses to keep from sending them back kind of reviews. lol
Short of hearing them for myself, they didn't leave any of my questions unanswered. Hell, they practically had me thinking I was hearing them for myself...and really wanting them.
They are very good, you won't be disappointed, at 9 large there a steal. In fact I consider them a great deal at there retail of $24,000.
I would have purchased a new pair of Salon 2's a short time ago when I upgraded my Salon ones but felt the Studio 2's had a slightly better overall balance. The newer Salons had just a wee bit to much bass for my room.
The Salons do have one small requirement, they prefer some power, at least 300 quality watts. They will sound fine with less but to bring them to life you really need an amp with balls.
You are rite. I am looking at mark levinson to power them. They are top class amplifier. And yeah i need lotta bass.
One of my very favorite loudspeakers! See the Stereophile review at www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/608revel/index.html with more commentary at www.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/goodbye_to_the_revel_salon2/index.html
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
Another one to consider is the Vandersteen Treo speakers.
For $6500, they are amazing speakers. I bought them and I love them.
You might want to look at John's review of those from last year; he had some nice things to say about them, too.
I listened to a pair of the ultima salon 2's a few weeks ago and can say they are a great loudspeaker. They are full range, very detailed and from my listen appear to be very balanced. The demo room was pretty acoustically controlled and had a mark levinson mono blocks, but what surprised me was how full range the speaker was. Really sounded great and at 9,000 a pair It sounds like a very good deal if they are in good condition. One think i would mentioned is that they are large speakers so i would make sure you have a good space for them.
I've owned a pair of Salon2s since 2009, and I'm still amazed by how life-like they sound. Stereo imaging is especially awesome, almost freaky. You are enveloped in the soundstage. The only caution I would offer is that speakers of this class really beg for careful, optimal positioning, and I highly recommend using measuring software and a calibrated mike (like OmniMic) to get things right. The Salon2s need some space from the side walls and the back wall, like 3-4 feet, and your seating position needs to be away from the back wall. IMO, small rooms and the Salon2 won't mix well, especially below about 150Hz.
All-in-all, I can't say enough good things about the Salon2s. I'm not a brand-loyal sort of guy, and I'm always looking for something better, and I'm getting a strong feeling that the Salon2s are nearly a final purchase.
I've heard them extensively many times driven by Rowland equipment in Jeff's listening room. They truly are a great speaker at their list price, and an absolute steal at $9k if they're in good working condition. Still, buying stuff before you've heard it is gambling... Good luck.
Thanks for measuring these outstanding speakers.
I love how we all recommend the speakers we bought. I have brought at least 10 pair of speakers hoe to demo and while my price range was only up to $6000.00 I did notice something interesting they all sounded more similar than different so I started looking at JA's room measurements and confirmed what I thought already, The listening room makes the biggest contribution to the sound at price point and now I buy nothing new i can't hear at home first.
OP-
when considering a large purchase such as this one, go out there and listen, listen and listen to the various loudspeakers!
Dear John, and all readers,
Given your love of the Ultima Salon1 and Salon2's, what do you think would be a tidy price for a pair of Salon1's ?
I currently operate the PSB Synchrony Ones, and have a pair of Parasound JC-1's for amplification, (eagerly looking forward to hearing the upcoming BHK300 Mono's from PS Audio).
I see from other comments on Stereophile, you used to own and enjoy the PSB Synchrony Ones (may the upcoming replacement be a full frequency monster doing full service due to Paul Barton), but clearly appreciated the full frequency Salon2's more.
Are the Salon1's still worthy, and where would you find them of similar value to the Salon2's at 9k ?
With eager thanks,
I don't think we'll be seeing the salon2 coming up for $9k very often and Revel is still stocking parts for the v1 salon so i'm keeping mine...well for? suppose I sold my V1 for $5k what could I replace them with?