Salk Sound vs Legacy Audio

I have the Salks you are speaking of but never heard Legacy speakers. They are very revealing speakers so it's the amp, preamp and source that give you the signature.  I know that's commonly said but I've owned I don't know how many speakers in my life and have never had anything like these. In fact, I thought they were too good and/or revealing when I got them.  Every little thing you put in your system changes the sound, but that's what a lot of people want. I would argue you can use the most revealing speaker and amp and use a good preamp and source to tailor your sound. I'm about 6 or 7 hours away from you in the Jacksonville area. If you're ever this way, you're welcome to hear them.

Thanks man! I'd love to take you up on the offer if I could. 

At this point, I'm making a significant jump in quality with these speakers, whichever I purchase. My system is comprised of a Quad 909 power amp, a Vac 20.1 Linestage run in passive mode, and a Project DS2 phono amp. Sources are Rega P3 and Cary 308 CDP. 

I have the original Salk Song3. I love them and can't imagine you wouldn't like them. I have heard Legacy at AXPONA and believe they are great too. I don't think the Salk's are overly detailed. Just right in my opinion. As a bonus, Jim Salk is a super nice guy.

I don't think the Salk's are overly detailed.

I really need to hear Salks in another system then.  I bought them after never hearing a pair and think they're very detailed, depending on the electronics of course. I'm pretty sure Jim thinks I'm crazy after all my questions post-sale but he did answer them. Speakers are a bitch to send back if you don't like them. After many changes to my system, I really like them but would not buy mail order speakers again without hearing them first. If you have a good local dealer that allows demos, support them with a speaker purchase. My locals didn't have a line I'm interested in unfortunately but Atlanta is a much better market. 

I own the Salk Veracity STs. Maybe it’s the RAAL tweeter... massive sounstage, plenty of detail, never harsh... musical. And yes, they are very responsive to the sources you feed them with. 

I’ve only heard the Legacy at shows... also great sound... but... and maybe it is the rooms they have at shows... ever so slightly bright for my taste. 

I have a pair of ssm6, s on order so I will post my opinion when I recieve them.   

I've had a pair of Veracity monitors for a number of years, paired with a Dehavilland tube pre and Edge G8 amp.  Having never used these with a SS pre I can't comment on this combination, but these have always floated my boat and not been fatiguing except on recordings that were overly bright to start with.  Salk gives great customer service too; had one tweeter go out a year or so ago, and Salk replaced the defective component and returned a 100% tweeter module within about a week, at a more than reasonable price for the repair.

I have the Salk SS6M. These are stand mounts but with the same tweeter. I compared them with other speakers which are known for some brightness -- the Focal 936. I also compared them with Fritz's Carreras, which has the same tweeter. My experience was that the Focals were too bright, and the Salk and Fritz were both fine -- warm enough. A couple of changes adjusted the highs in the Salks: some changes to positioning and also a change of tubes in my tube amp (to GL KT 77's). 

Ultimately, I chose the Salks because there was a happy marriage of accuracy without roll-off in that tweeter. Initially, I asked Jim if other customers reported a brightness to them; he said no, but sent me some resistors in case I wanted to adjust them down the road. I don't feel the need at this point. I would rather tweak the room with a little absorption then choose a speaker incapable of accuracy. 

I've owned Legacy speakers for over 20 years.  One thing they are not is bright.  I bought my first pair in 1999 - original Legacy Classics.  And bought many other models over the years including last year when I added a Silverscreen HD center and Legacy Focus SEs.  And they're fantastic. 
I've never heard Salk but they get great reviews (I did consider their line before I bought my Focus SEs).  He uses very good drivers.  The only reluctance I had was with them filling my large-ish room.

I can't compare since I've never heard Salk. I did hear a set of 6 or 7 way Legacy speakers. I thought they sounded good at first, but got bored with them after listening to a few different selections. Everything sounded the same, so I can't recommend spending the big bucks for them.

I have owned and reviewed (for Dagogo.com) both Legacy and Salk speakers. I am currently finishing up a review of a Salk speaker, which will be revealed at the publication. Both companies give a great amount of value per dollar spent, among the best of N. American mfgrs, imo.

Legacy does not make a "6 or 7 way" speaker, and "everything sounded the same" applies to all speakers, as they cannot change their physical design. The character of the speaker is a different matter, and one may prefer it or not. Neither of these speaker brands make everything sound the same; they are both capable of presenting music with its wide palate of performances.

In general, the Salk drivers and crossover tuning is toward the warmer side, and the Legacy toward the cooler side, but they do not stray far from appropriate neutrality. Neither is harsh or etched if set up in a system properly. If there is stridency or wooly/flabby low end, it is due to 1. poor equipment, 2. placement issues, or 3. unoptimized setup/system matching. Salk's speaker line is not as dominating, as large and with extended LF, as Legacy, but both have good specifications for frequency response.

Pay close attention to amp selection; you can ruin the beauty of any speaker with a sloppy, cold or underpowered amp.

I do not hesitate to recommend either brand for building a fine system at a reasonable price point. Watch in the nearer future for an amp review used with both brands that can drive them sensationally well. 

I demoed the 9.5 at someone’s house and wasn’t impressed TBH. Played like a box.  But gorgeous construction.  

Thanks for great feedback so far! The amp (Quad 909) and preamp (Vac 20.1) I'll be using will be outmatched to some degree, but both perform beyond their price point IMHO. I hope my Rega and Cary sources are up for the task. My gut is leaning towards the Salk, but it will be a few months before I pull the trigger. Hopefully, I'll find a pair to listen to!!

Robert, I suggest you read the Salk Sound Song 3 Encore Review posted by Kwebb on 12/27/20.  You can find it on the Salk Audiocircle Forum on the Salk website.

I purchased a pair of Encores a couple years ago and absolutely love them.  Mine are ported in the front and are finished in curly walnut.  They are connected to a Parasound Hint 6 and a Node 2i/Chord Qutest DAC.  I don't believe you can find a better speaker for the money and I like the fact they're made in the USA.  Give Jim a call if you have any questions...I'm sure he will give you good advice.  Cheers!

I have never owned either of these speakers but I have heard both at shows a number of times. I have always been blown away with the quality of the Salks. I don’t know why but I have never heard the Legacy speakers sound good at a show. I know people like them so maybe just not my cup of tea but I couldn’t even stay in the room. Just my opinion of course.

This is a great start and for my opinion you can't go wrong with either.  Both brands are really geared to the engineering side of sound which I like.  I personally prefer Legacy but that is slanted to their upper end lines.  Once you hear the Aeris level or above it is hard to look at anything else.  If you haven't yet I would highly recommend listening to the Aeris, Focus, and Exotica 3 even if it is just for fun.   As other people have said the right amp will be critical for both.