[abd1]

I'm contemplating ordering the SongBirds or WOW1 monitors and could use some help deciding. At first I wanted small towers and was leaning towards the SongBirds. However, according to Jim, the WOW1's driver will be a little more detailed, and on paper the bass response is the same, although the SongBirds may play a little louder. I'll be pairing them with an Energy ESW-M6 sub until I can upgrade that to an SVS or Rythmik, but either way whatever I get will get the aid of a sub if needed. I'll be using them for a 2.1 system but they may eventually become part of a HT later. I'm replacing a pair of Aperion bookshelves so I already have stands, but the SongBirds have the same footprint of the stands so there's no real size need for a bookshelf, unless later I want to move them into another room or my living situation changes, so I'm just wondering which will sound better.

I listen to a lot of Indie Pop, rock, electronic, and some jazz, classic rock, and classical, but not a ton. The room they'll initially go in is my kitchen and attached family room, which is about 15x20. I don't listen to high volumes but every now and I then I might crank it up (for the rare moments my kids aren't around). Eventually, I may turn a spare bedroom and seldom used dining room into a family room and move them there, but that room will roughly be the same size.

I've also considered the Monitor Audio RX6 towers ($1200) and a local dealer is selling the last of their PSB Synchrony 2b's for $1200 as well. I listened to the PSB's and was impressed but it was a short demo and I didn't have my demo material so I'd have to go back for another listen. I saw the RX6's in the dealers showroom, but didn't have time for an audition but I'll go back soon. If you have any experience with these speakers I'd love to hear how you think they'd compare to the SongBirds and WOW1's.

Thanks for reading and any info.

[a63vette]

I can't comment on the comparison to  the Songbirds, but I can tell you that in my 12x18 room with about 50 tube watts the Wow1s will go quite loud - actually surprisingly loud. Rock, jazz, classical - they fill the room with great sound. I can't recommend them enough - my biggest issue will be when I want to get floor speakers (likely SCST or SS8s) getting my wife to understand why we need anything bigger than a bookshelf.
With the front baffle its also nice that they don't have to be way out in the room. When I was buying, I too looked at the songbirds ($/pound lol) but I'm quite happy with my decision. I would go with Jim's suggestion for your application.


I'm listening to some Stevie Ray Vaughan now, waiting for my wife to tell me to turn it down.

[Gzerro]

I'm contemplating ordering the SongBirds or WOW1 monitors and could use some help deciding. At first I wanted small towers and was leaning towards the SongBirds. However, according to Jim, the WOW1's driver will be a little more detailed, and on paper the bass response is the same, although the SongBirds may play a little louder. I'll be pairing them with an Energy ESW-M6 sub until I can upgrade that to an SVS or Rythmik, but either way whatever I get will get the aid of a sub if needed. I'll be using them for a 2.1 system but they may eventually become part of a HT later. I'm replacing a pair of Aperion bookshelves so I already have stands, but the SongBirds have the same footprint of the stands so there's no real size need for a bookshelf, unless later I want to move them into another room or my living situation changes, so I'm just wondering which will sound better.

I listen to a lot of Indie Pop, rock, electronic, and some jazz, classic rock, and classical, but not a ton. The room they'll initially go in is my kitchen and attached family room, which is about 15x20. I don't listen to high volumes but every now and I then I might crank it up (for the rare moments my kids aren't around). Eventually, I may turn a spare bedroom and seldom used dining room into a family room and move them there, but that room will roughly be the same size.

I've also considered the Monitor Audio RX6 towers ($1200) and a local dealer is selling the last of their PSB Synchrony 2b's for $1200 as well. I listened to the PSB's and was impressed but it was a short demo and I didn't have my demo material so I'd have to go back for another listen. I saw the RX6's in the dealers showroom, but didn't have time for an audition but I'll go back soon. If you have any experience with these speakers I'd love to hear how you think they'd compare to the SongBirds and WOW1's.

Thanks for reading and any info.

I have both. I have the WOW1s in my bedroom system and the Songbirds as surrounds in my HT system, but have listened to the Songbirds by themselves in stereo on several occasions.

The WOW1s are smoother, warmer, more detailed. The Songbirds are punchier, more dynamic, and overall sound more neutral and balanced, but a little less refined than the WOW1s in the midrange and highs.

If you tend to listen to jazz, accoustic rock and mellower fare at lower volume most of the time I would go for the WOW1s. If you want to rock out the Songbirds convey more energy and can go louder, and the mids and highs are still very good, just a touch less nuanced than the WOW1s.

Either will be much better than the Monitor Audio RX6 in my opinion, but this is based on just a couple in store demos some time back. I had a pair of RX2s for a short time, but found them not to my liking so I worked out a trade with my local dealer (all before discovering Salk).

I hope that helps some. You really can't go wrong - both speakers are great values.

Good luck.

Tom

[abd1]

Thanks for all the info....

@Tom -- what did you not like about the RX2's? I briefly considered them and someone in the Seattle area (I'm in Portland) is selling a used pair for $600. I briefly considered them, but they're not exactly what I want and I know that will lead to regrets later, so I'm passing. Just curious about what you didn't like in them since they have similar drivers and dynamics to the RX6's.

[Big Red Machine]

While the price seems tempting, it doesn't really matter how inexpensive they were if they do not hold up to your expectations after you get them home.  I guarantee you will love either Salk model.  Are you limited in floor space or flexibility in placing floorstanders versus bookshelf's?

[Gzerro]

Thanks for all the info....

@Tom -- what did you not like about the RX2's? I briefly considered them and someone in the Seattle area (I'm in Portland) is selling a used pair for $600. I briefly considered them, but they're not exactly what I want and I know that will lead to regrets later, so I'm passing. Just curious about what you didn't like in them since they have similar drivers and dynamics to the RX6's.

Its been a few years, so my memory is a bit hazy. The main thing I remember about the RX2s is a somewhat vieled top end and lack of detail. At the store demo they sounded ok for the price (being hooked up to $20k of electronics probably helped). Once I got them home I was immediately dissapointed. I had them about a month before giving up.

I had demo'd the RX6s and RX8s at the time and remember not liking the presentation of the bass on the RX towers - they seemed a bit boomy and lacking defininition. I remember the RX6 seemed not quite as bad as the RX8. I don't remember much about the mids and highs of the Towers from the audition, but assume they would be very similar to the RX2s in that regard as you suggest.

This is just my opinion of course, YMMV. There are alot of Monitor Audio fans out there who love their RXs I am sure.

[abd1]

@ Big Red Machine.... I agree, if I don't get what I really want I will just regret it later, so passing on the RX2's. I currently don't have a space restriction, but bookshelve speakers do have inherent advantages to fitting in if my living situation changes, which is one of their draws for me. Plus, I have stands already, so I wouldn't need new stands. The WOW1's on stands take up pretty much the same room volume as the songbirds so there's no advantage unless I need to actually place them on a shelf or other piece of furniture. I was leaning to the Songbirds, but now I'm leaning to the WOW1's because I already have stands, people are saying they off more detail, and they cost less. But everytime I commit to them in my head my heart goes to the songbirds....

[Gzerro]

@ Big Red Machine.... I agree, if I don't get what I really want I will just regret it later, so passing on the RX2's. I currently don't have a space restriction, but bookshelve speakers do have inherent advantages to fitting in if my living situation changes, which is one of their draws for me. Plus, I have stands already, so I wouldn't need new stands. The WOW1's on stands take up pretty much the same room volume as the songbirds so there's no advantage unless I need to actually place them on a shelf or other piece of furniture. I was leaning to the Songbirds, but now I'm leaning to the WOW1's because I already have stands, people are saying they off more detail, and they cost less. But everytime I commit to them in my head my heart goes to the songbirds....

Have you heard any Salk speakers yet?  I would recommend trying to setup an audition with a nearby owner if possible.

If you can track down an audition of Song Towers with dome tweeters you will get a really good feel for what the Songbirds sound like (very similar mids and highs, the Towers have a little more slam and energy with the extra woofer). The WoW1s may be more difficult to track down, but depending on where you live you might get lucky and be able to find a nearby owner.

If you give Jim a call I am sure he would be willing to help coordinate. He was very helpful contacting a local owner for me.

Good luck!

[kessljo]

If you ever find yourself up here in Wine Country (Yakima, WA) I have the song towers though they do have the RAAL Ribbon Tweeter.  You would also be able to listen to some song surrounds but I do not know how those would compare to the WOW1s....

[abd1]

I'm leaning towards the WOW1's due to the added flexibility of the size and placement of the speakers, even though they'll probably just sit on stands taking up the same volume as the Songbirds, but I think they'll more easily pass the WAF since I have bookshelve speakers now.

Today I was out and about and realized I was near a good audio store in Portland and went in to see what they had. I wound up listening to some Totem speakers and Paradigms. Wasn't too impressed with the Paradigms, not that they were bad but not as musical as the Totems. I listened to the Arro's, Rainmakers and Sttafs. All 3 were nice, but the Rainmakers were by far my favorites. I'm wondering if anyone here has listened to them and could provide feedback compared to the WOW1's or other Salk speakers. I'm also interested in listening to the KEF R100's or R300's but I can't find a dealer in Portland that has them to listen to.

[jaw5279]

When hunting down speakers several years ago, I was able to spend time listening to all three of the Totem speakers you mentioned as well as several others in the lineup.  Although all sounded nice and were/are good quality speakers, I decided to take a chance and purchased a pair of (dome tweeter) Songtowers without listening based on the various reviews and opinions I had read.  Long story short, I am still listening to and enjoying the Songtowers several years later and had not thought about the Totem speakers in about the same timeframe.

John. 

[abd1]

Finally decided and placed an order for the WOW1's in rosewood today. Thanks everyone for your feedback. Even though when I started looking at speakers I was looking for small towers, I still like the flexibility of the bookshelves, especially with the front ports. Besides, this is my first pair of Salks, I didn't say it would be the last....

One more question... wondering if using a Peachtree Nova (1st gen 85wpc) or Peachtree iDecco (60wpc) would be enough to properly power these little guys? I love the form factor, tube preamp, and built in DAC on the Peachtrees, and I'm considering purchasing a used one next. Thoughts? MAybe I should start a new thread...

[Gzerro]

Finally decided and placed an order for the WOW1's in rosewood today. Thanks everyone for your feedback. Even though when I started looking at speakers I was looking for small towers, I still like the flexibility of the bookshelves, especially with the front ports. Besides, this is my first pair of Salks, I didn't say it would be the last....

One more question... wondering if using a Peachtree Nova (1st gen 85wpc) or Peachtree iDecco (60wpc) would be enough to properly power these little guys? I love the form factor, tube preamp, and built in DAC on the Peachtrees, and I'm considering purchasing a used one next. Thoughts? MAybe I should start a new thread...

Either of those will work great, but the WOWs would benefit at higher volumes with a more powerful amp. The tradeoff for great bass response from very small speakers is that they are not very efficient(83db). You also have a pretty large room.

That said I use an even less powerful amp at 50wpc and they still sound fanastic. I just reach the point where they start to sound a bit strained a little earlier than if I had a bigger amp, and probably lose some dynamics along the way.

[Rocket]

Hi,

I think you made the right purchase.  Price is similiar and bass output as well.  The seas midrange driver int he wow1 is very high quality and is found in very expensive speakers.  I'd suggest at some point purchasing a 12 salk/rhythmic subwoofer for added bass response.  You already flagged this as a future purchase.  I have salk sound HT2's (2008 version) and my salk/rhythmic subwoofer is about to ship all the way from the US to Australia.  I've had a lot of speakers and demoed many and Jim's gear is very good sounding, high quality and good value.

Cheers Rod

[abd1]

I got a chance this past weekend to listen to the KEF LS50's and a pair of Tannoy bookshelves as well (not sure of the model but they retailed for about $1200 a pair). The LS50's were pretty spectacular IMO. I'm not going to go into detail other than to say the people that have written rave reviews on them are definitely not hitting the crack pipe. The Tannoy's weren't bad either but not in the same league as the LS50's. Did that give me any buyer's remorse for ordering the WOW1's? Absolutely NOT! Actually, I'm now more excited to be able to listen to them. The store owner had never heard of Salk and invited me to bring the WOW1's in for a side-by-side listening with the KEF's. Maybe I'll do that. I do feel that the uniqueness of the LS50 might turn them into a "collector's" speaker down the road. Wondering if any Salk owners have  had a chance to listen to them and post their opinions compared to their Salks. Maybe I'll start a new thread...

[charmerci]

I got a chance this past weekend to listen to the KEF LS50's and a pair of Tannoy bookshelves as well (not sure of the model but they retailed for about $1200 a pair). The LS50's were pretty spectacular IMO. I'm not going to go into detail other than to say the people that have written rave reviews on them are definitely not hitting the crack pipe. The Tannoy's weren't bad either but not in the same league as the LS50's. Did that give me any buyer's remorse for ordering the WOW1's? Absolutely NOT! Actually, I'm now more excited to be able to listen to them. The store owner had never heard of Salk and invited me to bring the WOW1's in for a side-by-side listening with the KEF's. Maybe I'll do that. I do feel that the uniqueness of the LS50 might turn them into a "collector's" speaker down the road. Wondering if any Salk owners have  had a chance to listen to them and post their opinions compared to their Salks. Maybe I'll start a new thread...

There's a new link over on Enclosures.  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=113593.0

[ricardojoa]

I have heard the LS50 KEF but not critically and i have noticed something going on on the upper midrange that got my attention. Maybe it was a bad recording but i thought my salk ST  sounded more natural. The LS50 has very clean sound and very transperant that made feel off from the sound but for the size, they put out big sound.

[FloridaBear]

I don't think you will regret getting the WOW1's if you're in the market for bookshelves. I had the chance to listen to them at the AudioCircle GTG when Jim brought them along with the SS8's and SuperCharged SongTowers. The WOW1's sounded fantastic, MUCH bigger than they had a right to. Definitely a home run for that size.

[Gradofan]

The LS50's are not... I repeat... are not... a "bookshelf speaker" in any sense. 

You will never hear the sound they are capable of producing if you place them anywhere near a bookshelf, or desktop.

They are a stand mount speaker... and... must be placed out in the room, well away from any walls without their port plugs, to achieve their sound potential - which is about the best there is for less than 10-20x their price. 

They also require a powerful amp (200+ watts per channel into 8 ohms), a great source... and... ideally... the DSP Anti-mode 2.0 and tube buffer to achieve their superb sound - which is a wall of sound in which the speakers just disappear into a great soundstage with fantastic imaging and resolution.  A very balanced, natural sound, with great bass... unless... you're a hip hop head.

If you're not committed to that type of set up - don't waste your money... get a true bookshelf speaker.