AudioCircle

Industry Circles => Salk Signature Sound => Topic started by: PSB Guy on 24 Feb 2012, 01:59 pm

Title: New to the family...
Post by: PSB Guy on 24 Feb 2012, 01:59 pm
On February 21st, I finally took the plunge and ordered a pair of Salks to compliment my AVA electronics. Nothing fancy, a pair of standard SongBirds in red oak with open grain, dyed black. I am thrilled, to say the least. So I guess now I am officially no longer PSB Guy, I'm just me with a nice stereo. Pics to follow after the long wait, but no hurry Jim, I know quality takes time.

Cornelis
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Big Red Machine on 24 Feb 2012, 03:06 pm
Are coming for AKFest end of April and perhaps picking them up then? Wait, that would be too long a wait.  Well, you can always come over for that anyways.
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: PMAT on 24 Feb 2012, 03:12 pm
Procrastinated Salk Buyer.....Still PSB
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: PSB Guy on 24 Feb 2012, 03:35 pm
Are coming for AKFest end of April and perhaps picking them up then? Wait, that would be too long a wait.  Well, you can always come over for that anyways.
Could be waiting that long anyways, but it's cool...  8)
Procrastinated Salk Buyer.....Still PSB
I guess so  :thumb: ...better late than never, I suppose. It's a small system for my small living room, but still world class in my eyes and ears. Cheers.

Cornelis
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: CMYKjill on 24 Feb 2012, 06:01 pm
My speakers arrived this week. The wait was tough, but I am so happy now. I can't wait for the weekend to begin!  :D
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Nuance on 24 Feb 2012, 06:30 pm
Congrats PSB (cough:SALK:cough) guy!  Welcome to the Salk family and I look forward to your further impressions and pictures.
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: pansixt on 25 Feb 2012, 03:11 am
Congrats Cornelis,

I asked Jim for advice on some Song Towers in Cedar.

Red Cedar is my choice.
I was thinking the full front with no baffle, now I am not so sure.
The front with a grille cover would be nice.
Maybe the aluminum baffle would look good with a Cedar cabinet.
I'll give my PSB's to my nephew. For now.

James
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Richard in Idaho on 25 Feb 2012, 04:21 am

there is nothing standard about the Songbirds. I love mine. I just need a preamp/amp from AVA.
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: PSB Guy on 25 Feb 2012, 07:20 pm
there is nothing standard about the Songbirds. I love mine. I just need a preamp/amp from AVA.
By standard, I meant with no upgrades, of course  :D. BTW, Richard, it was your posts which ultimately steered me towards the 'Birds...thanks.
Congrats Cornelis,

I asked Jim for advice on some Song Towers in Cedar.

Red Cedar is my choice.
I was thinking the full front with no baffle, now I am not so sure.
The front with a grille cover would be nice.
Maybe the aluminum baffle would look good with a Cedar cabinet.
I'll give my PSB's to my nephew. For now.

James

...and it was James' system who made me realize the PSB's could be used with fine electronics like AVA, so you both played a part in building my final system.

Cornelis
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: CMYKjill on 25 Feb 2012, 10:21 pm
James, what about silver baffles? Look at the ones Jim did for me (silver auto paint), they came out really nice. I think silver would look great with cedar.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=103572.0
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: pansixt on 29 Feb 2012, 12:37 am
Jill,
The silver paint does look great and not too much bling.
The outriggers match and look great also.
They would look more mellow with the Cedar. Decisions, Decisions.  :roll:
James
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Richard in Idaho on 1 Mar 2012, 06:06 pm
Yea, I knew what you really meant. After you have them up and running you will know what I meant. Maybe Jim would not agree but at the price of the Songbirds I think that dollar for dollar they may be the best buy he has. And, yes I would love a pair of Sound Scape 12s.
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: PSB Guy on 1 Mar 2012, 07:31 pm
Maybe Jim would not agree but at the price of the Songbirds I think that dollar for dollar they may be the best buy he has.
That's not the first time I've read this opinion of the Songbirds. It's one of the reasons I chose them, along with the small size of my listening/living room, and the fact that I have absolutely no choice on placement. Patiently waiting...

Cornelis
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: jd3 on 1 Mar 2012, 10:30 pm
You will love your Songbirds.  They image like crazy and are probably the best value in the Salk lineup.  I've used mine in both 2 channel and HT systems and they excel in both, but their 2 channel performance is really impressive.

John
Title: Re: New to the family...THE HORROR...
Post by: PSB Guy on 27 Mar 2012, 08:14 pm
So the SongBirds arrived today, and they're BEAUTIFUL, works or art really. I hook them up, make sure the volume is all the way down on my amp and turn on my system. I hear a crackling sound from the left speaker, and I see the woofer slowly move from the in to the out position, and there's a burning smell. Weird. Next step, I turn the volume up slowly about quarter way, and start playing Blue Train. No sound from the left speaker, I'm freaking. Called Salk, got Jim on the line and long story short, after talking me through some steps, he figures the woofer is blown and he is sending me a replacement. I'm disappointed that I can't enjoy my SongBirds right away, but I really think it's cool that when you call Salk, you're more than likely going to get a hold of Jim.

Cornelis
 
Title: Re: New to the family...THE HORROR...
Post by: R Swerdlow on 27 Mar 2012, 08:45 pm
So the SongBirds arrived today, and they're BEAUTIFUL, works or art really. I hook them up, make sure the volume is all the way down on my amp and turn on my system. I hear a crackling sound from the left speaker, and I see the woofer slowly move from the in to the out position, and there's a burning smell. Weird. Next step, I turn the volume up slowly about quarter way, and start playing Blue Train. No sound from the left speaker, I'm freaking. Called Salk, got Jim on the line and long story short, after talking me through some steps, he figures the woofer is blown and he is sending me a replacement. I'm disappointed that I can't enjoy my SongBirds right away, but I really think it's cool that when you call Salk, you're more than likely going to get a hold of Jim.

Cornelis
 
Sorry you can't enjoy listening to both your new SongBirds.  After the long wait, it has to be frustrating to be able to look at them, but not hear them.  Well at least you can listen in mono, or right channel only.

Yes, Jim is a stand up guy.  Hope the replacement woofer gets there soon.
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Big Red Machine on 27 Mar 2012, 09:18 pm
Are we sure it is the woofer and not a xover issue?  Would it be prudent to try the other speaker's woofer in this unit to verify?
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Austin08 on 27 Mar 2012, 10:20 pm
Too bad, you could not enjoy your new speaker. Hopefully, everything will be fixed soon. Keep us update on the working progress.
Title: Re: New to the family...THE HORROR...
Post by: mathgeek97 on 30 Mar 2012, 03:24 pm
So the SongBirds arrived today, and they're BEAUTIFUL, works or art really. I hook them up, make sure the volume is all the way down on my amp and turn on my system. I hear a crackling sound from the left speaker, and I see the woofer slowly move from the in to the out position, and there's a burning smell. Weird. Next step, I turn the volume up slowly about quarter way, and start playing Blue Train. No sound from the left speaker, I'm freaking. Called Salk, got Jim on the line and long story short, after talking me through some steps, he figures the woofer is blown and he is sending me a replacement. I'm disappointed that I can't enjoy my SongBirds right away, but I really think it's cool that when you call Salk, you're more than likely going to get a hold of Jim.

Cornelis
 

Had the same thing happen to me after FedEx manhandled my HT2-TLs.  I also heard crackling from one of the drivers, but I stopped playing before any weird burning smells started. :D
Called Jim, who was kind, courteous, and of course, helpful.  He shipped me out a new driver and talked me through the replacement (it was very simple and quick) and I've been enjoying my speakers ever since!
Title: Re: New to the family...THE HORROR...
Post by: PSB Guy on 30 Mar 2012, 07:02 pm
Had the same thing happen to me after FedEx manhandled my HT2-TLs.  I also heard crackling from one of the drivers, but I stopped playing before any weird burning smells started. :D
Called Jim, who was kind, courteous, and of course, helpful.  He shipped me out a new driver and talked me through the replacement (it was very simple and quick) and I've been enjoying my speakers ever since!
I don't want to blame anyone, there's no way I could prove anything. Jim was great with me on the phone, even called me back when I accidentally hung up. He sent out a replacement driver the same day, and FedEx tried to deliver it yesterday and again today, but they always show up in the morning when I'm at work. No biggie, I'm gonna pick it up on Monday at FedEx in Whitby, hopefully I'll be up and running the same day.

Cornelis
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: eclein on 30 Mar 2012, 08:59 pm
Cornelis I just read this thread for the first time and wanted to say congrats!!!
 Once you have them singing please do let us know your thoughts......again..Enjoy!!! :thumb:
Title: Re: New to the family...WOOHOO!
Post by: PSB Guy on 31 Mar 2012, 01:51 pm
Hi Ed!  :wave: FedEx actually delivered the woofer yesterday evening, I guess leaving a friendly note for the driver actually helps  :D. I got the chance to install it this morning and the 'Birds are singing as I type this. Initial impressions are that they do indeed image like crazy and the bass impact is about the same as the PSBs they replaced, which is pleasantly surprising, considering they have one less driver. Thanks to Jim for the help and the speedy delivery of the woofer.

Cornelis
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Nuance on 31 Mar 2012, 02:12 pm
Hi Ed!  :wave: FedEx actually delivered the woofer yesterday evening, I guess leaving a friendly note for the driver actually helps  :D. I got the chance to install it this morning and the 'Birds are singing as I type this. Initial impressions are that they do indeed image like crazy and the bass impact is about the same as the PSBs they replaced, which is pleasantly surprising, considering they have one less driver. Thanks to Jim for the help and the speedy delivery of the woofer.

Cornelis

I'm so happy things worked out for you, and rather quickly to boot. Bring on the tunes!
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Austin08 on 31 Mar 2012, 03:28 pm
Congratulation, finally, the bird is singing.
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: PSB Guy on 2 Apr 2012, 09:09 pm
So I've had a couple of days to listen to the SongBirds critically, and after what Ive heard from them, I'd have absolutely no problem recommending them to someone looking for a very high quality speaker for a small room.
Clarity of individaul instruments and voices is MUCH better than my previous setup. What I thought was a "shimmer" in the high end with my old set up was actually harshness when compared to the OW1. What I thought was tight bass is even tighter with the SongBirds, and much more defined and coherant, probably due to the QWTL design. The imaging and placement of instruments and voices is holographic, what you'd expect from a speaker with a small footprint.
What surprises me is that these speakers can ROCK in my small listening/living room. It says on the Salk website: "If you like to listen to music at higher volume levels, even occasionally, the SongTowers would be a better choice". This statement worried me a bit, because sometimes I do. But the 'Birds are up to the task in my small room, without a hint of strain. Just keep it realistic, not ear-splitting, and you'll be fine. My amp, an AVA Insight+ Control, which puts out 90 watts per channel into 8 ohms, has no issues driving these speakers.
Some of the pieces I listened to this afternoon, just to give you an idea of what they can do (a couple of these are Canadian, look 'em up):
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
Daniel Lanois - Acadie
David Lindley - El Rayo-X
Miles Davis - Relaxin'
Tragically Hip - Up to Here

Highly recommended, awesome work Jim and Co.

Cornelis
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: Austin08 on 2 Apr 2012, 11:58 pm
Miles Davis quintet-relaxing is one of my favorite, too.
Title: Re: New to the family...
Post by: PSB Guy on 3 Apr 2012, 12:53 am
"I'll play it and tell ya what it is later"... classic Miles, love it. That group of albums from those sessions (Relaxin', Workin', Cookin' and Steamin', for those who don't know) is just beautiful.

Cornelis