[Big Red Machine]

Jam, I am an Emotiva owner as well for my HT.  Good stuff.  It does not take much to drive the ST's.  I disagree respectfully in the advice to upgrade the SB.  I highly recommend you get a good DAC instead.  Owning V3's and HT3's, I can recommend some recordings for you that sound good with the ribbon tweeter and will certainly work just fine with the dome of the ST.  Searching for "good" recordings is a daunting task.  I buy used CD's and them rip them to FLAC as I also use a SB.  You will not be disappointed in the ST's.

[jam2001]

Jam2001,

One thing that you might want to consider is having your squeezebox modified by bolder cable.  For what you'll pay for a decent DAC, you can get the analog mods and a modded elpac power supply.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is Jims excellent customer service.  I called him at 6pm on Saturday evening and he answered the phone.  I wonder how many people are hanging out at Paradigm answering the phone on a Saturday.

Yes, I've considered that but I think an upgraded DAC is the way I want to go.

I agree with you about Jim's excellent customer service.  He's already chimed in a time or two on another post that I was asking questions.  I'm getting the feeling that I'm just going to have to pull the trigger and give the ST's a chance a listen to them in my own home.

Brett, I apologize if I've hijacked your thread.  Your review inspired me to post and try to alleviate some of my concerns about purchasing a speaker that I've not heard.

[prpixel]

Red,

Have you ever heard a fully modded SB with the ultimate power supply?  I was skeptical at first, but after hearing it I was convinced.  I had been on the DAC merry-go-round for years using DACS from Camelot, Bel Canto, Krell, Audio Alchemy, MSB and transports from Camelot, C.E.C. Denon.  In addition, I had a Consonance SACD 2.0.  Originally, I got the SB just to play around with, but after getting the mods, and fully burning them in, I sold my DAC, transport and SACD player.  And, yes, I did try the modded SB through the Camelot DAC and the DAC's in my Anthem D2 (I have the full digital mods also).  The question is do you want to put $1500-2000 into mods or go the DAC route.  If you’re set on getting a DAC, them I would recommend that you get the modded Elpac power supply and just the digital mods (about $550).  The stock switching power supply in the SB is really bad.

What we can agree on is the incredible convenience of the SB.  I have over 2000 CD's ripped in lossless, using a dedicated computer just to run the SlimCenter software.  I constantly find myself rediscovering my music collection.  And, I can find any CD or song in my collection in seconds; no more digging through racks of CD's.  I was using a Nokia 770 to control the SB, but I just got the new Duet.  I purchased the Duet just to get the remote because I couldn't wait for it to become available separately in 30-45 days.  I've played around with the Sonos remote, and while I do like it, I wish it was a little smaller, lighter and that it had a touch screen.  

BTW - I have a dedicated listening room that's 20 x 18 with cathedral ceilings.  It has been acoustically tuned with the help of Rives audio.  My current Loudspeakers are Martin Logan Vantages.  

[prpixel]

Jam,

Sorry, I missed your reply because I was typing mine.  One thing that you need to do with the SB is backup your music, on an external drive, on a regular basis.  I back mine up once a month on two different external drives.  I use Esata drives and SyncToy to "echo" the music directory.  The Initial backups took a few hours, but the monthly updates only take a minute or two.  BTW, I've had to re-rip three times; something that I will never do again.

Since I got the SB, I do find myself purchasing a lot more CD's.  I usually purchase about 20-25 a month and I end up keeping about 90%.  The ones that I don’t like get deleted from the hard drives and sold on eBay.

[jam2001]

My current Loudspeakers are Martin Logan Vantages. 

Pixel,

Are you considering upgrading your Martin Logan's to Salk ST's or HT3's?  And yes, I back everything up.  I worked in the computer industry for several years and definitely understand the importance of backups

[prpixel]

Jam,

I've lusted after a pair of custom HT3's for some time.  I was debating whether to purchase the ML's or a pair of HT2's, but a got a deal on the ML's that I couldn't refuse.   I'm currently in the process of ordering a pair of ST's for a friend.  I purchased a pair of MBOW1's from Jim about two years ago.  When my friends ST's are complete, they will be shipped to me for burn in.  So, I'll get to play around with them for a few weeks.  I also got to burn in a pair of VSR VR4jr's for him a few years back.  It will be interesting to compare them to the ML's.  Before the ML's, I had a pair of Soliloquy 5.3i's that I really liked, they had a glorious midrange with is something the ST's are suppose to have.
 

[dorokusai]

Oh, one last thing.  I have no problem with listening to lesser quality recordings.  Certainly I perfer the better recordings, but in some cases, the bands that I listen to are not mainstream and don't necessarily have a lot of money to produce their music.  A good example of this, was Creed's first album.  While they certainly became a mainstream band, their first album was produced for $6000.  And you can definitely tell when you listen to it. What I can't handle though, is "screeching, very forward" midrange which is what I encountered with the Paradigm's when listening to a lesser quality recording.

The gear that I'm running at home while not top of the line, is still good.  I have an Emotiva MPS-1 amp, along with the Emotiva DMC-1 preamp.  Together, they are worlds better than the Yamaha receiver that I was using.  I play all of my music through a Squeezebox (music is encoded in Flac format), but I do not have an external DAC yet.  I plan to get one after I upgrade my Polk Audio RT800 speakers. 

Hopefully these last two posts of mine will help clarify what I'm looking for.  Basically, I'm transitioning from mainstream equipment to hi quality equipment.  I still like my "mainstream" music but I'm starting to see the light and I've begun to look for better quality recordings as well.

Upgrade your Polk's?! No Way! Just kidding.

The Emotiva gear is getting great reviews and you're well on your way to the next level.

Mark