[woodsart]

I have searched the Salk Signature Sound Forum for a topic started for EVERYONE to post their impressions/experience in auditioning Salksound speakers and have not found one such as this...Jim correct me if I am wrong and remove this topic. I have posted my review of the Songtowers in 2 other threads, but not here.

So, I would like to start this topic, since I am a future customer of the Songtower 5.1 system!!!

Please post your positive listening experiences for Salk Signature Sound!!!

Briefly I would like to say that the audition was at Adydula's home and we listen to 2 channel powered by an Onkyo 805 receiver in a designated room...so here it goes.....



I enjoyed my time with Alex and Alice....great people, beautiful home and an enjoyable listening experience!!

Sorry Alex, that I had to rush out after a phone call as the birthday dinner date was very special.....His 30th!!!

And....BRANDON.......You have nothing to be worried about ANYMORE!

The JIM SALK SONGTOWERS were as special as everyone said they were. They met every expectation that I had dreamed of!


And now my LISTENING EXPERIENCE.....

Alex took me upstairs to the designated listening room with a few components/receiver/oppo/squeezebox, a flat screen and of course the ELEGANT BLACK STs, which were just standing there with their intemidating glare saying 'JUST TAKE A LISTEN, I DARE YOU'. As their tall slender majestic appearance seemed a bit intimidating. Another truth...quality is a standout!!

Just wanted to sing..."I just can't take my eyes off of you", "Your just to good to be true". (I never thought of singing this song to any another speaker I auditioned).

Back to the madness, the seriousness and the listening room appearance....

A very simple room, but quite sufficient and kind of cozy one at that...perfect getaway to sonic immersion! Just close the door leave the world behind.....I envied Alex...a lot!!! I could tell he did not enjoy it.....NOT!!!

Alex was such a good host...very patient with me and my ignorance!!! Thanks sir!!

We started with Jim's demo CD. It only took the intro to bring a grin on my face, I might even looked a little glassy-eyed. Was I surprised...NO! I knew it wouldn't take hours of listening to know if this speaker was right for me and my expectations were met 100%!! I know that is a strong statement, but I really couldn't find any faults that bothered me...just a little boominess, but we concluded that was from some of the music and unfortunately the STs produced what was imputed!!!

Alex played through the CD as we talked a discussed the songs and others, I felt a calmness settling in, even though the music was pretty loud, I felt very relaxed and immensely entertained. The stress level of finding Alex's home (due to the GPS fault), was gone as I was settling in now to listen to the music instead of the look of the speakers, even though they seemed invisible. Guess one calls it 'SONIC BLISS'.

Song after song the Sts just produced beautiful notes. They seem to know I was there and was in critique mode, because they were just shining with one song after another, after another, after another. It was exactly as I expected from these beautiful speakers. And I might add that these were the base price STs. I can only imagine what Jim's top of the line speakers are like...I guess just more of the WOW FACTOR!!! I wouldn't dare!!!

The shocker was the STs were driven by an Onkyo 805 (a great amp, though), which was one of the reasons I wanted to visit Alex. His components were very similar to mine. There was no external amp, just the onkyo and I truly was taken back again. I guess I understand the reasoning behind 2 channel, because the more you hear the more you want to listen.

To sum this time up, I found the drivers to be flawless. The dome tweeter was quite sufficient for me, no need to go for the ribbon. The bass, well, let's just say is was as advertised....I couldn't believe the low notes those accomplished....and the MIDRANGE, just as expected...just as I have read .....TOPSHELF!!!

For Jim, Dennis and all the staff at Salksound...

WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT!!! CONGRATULATIONS!

The SONGTOWERS will truly be around for a long time as they are worth every penny.

And, again, thanks to Alex for his gracious invitation to his home for a listen and to Nuance who guided me and to others who also shared their opinions which led me to my conclusion.....

THE SONGTOWERS ARE MY CHOICE FOR MY PERFECT SPEAKER!

Thanks,
Rob

[fsimms]

I have searched the Salk Signature Sound Forum for a topic started for EVERYONE to post their impressions/experience in auditioning Salksound speakers and have not found one such as this

I think this is a great idea!  I would suggest that instead of just a single thread, we start a child board titled. "Salk Reviews and Impressions".

Bob

[funkmonkey]

Good idea for a community review thread 

Here's mine (re-posted from my Speakerquest thread)

   
Salk Sound- SongTower QWT



Sunday, I went to a local Salk Sound customer’s place to hear the SongTowers. I had the pleasure of meeting another enthusiast, named David, and his 9 year old son who was sporting a classic Led Zeppelin t-shirt and proved to be just as enthusiastic about the SongTowers as his father, at one point proclaiming “I like these much better than your old speakers, Dad.” David turned out to be a very nice guy and had a great collection of music that he streamed through a “slingbox” and receiver, and ultimately into his speakers. Fortunately he had a few of the songs that I have been using for auditions in his collection, and as he didn’t have a CD player hooked up we managed to improvise with a couple of substitutes.

Edit: David joined in to correct me regarding his set-up(thanks, David)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boybees View Post
My digital source is a Slim Devices Squeezebox 3 modified by Vinnie Rossi of Red Wine Audio. The modifications include upgrading of the internal circuitry, capacitors, and op amps, and the addition of a battery power supply. The SB3 plays lossless audio files which are streamed wirelessly from a hard drive in my bedroom.

Before I forget, I have to comment right up front that these are some beautiful looking speakers. I am a wood guy and absolutely love the natural beauty of real wood finishes. I have seen several pictures of Jim Salks work on the internet but they really do not come close to the aesthetic value that these speakers have. Way better looking than 90% of the speakers I have listened to, and as nice or nicer than the other 10%. I also liked the magnetic grills, nice touch and practical.

I am really glad that David had the Beatles “Abbey Road” on hand because out of everything that I use to evaluate speakers, if this one doesn’t sound good, I am not interested. And sound good it did. Bass guitar came through tight and accurate, but seemed to be lacking a little fullness on the bottom. Vocals were brilliant, not forward, not recessed, but just right, in perfect balance with the rest of the music. Cymbals are clear and distinct. I can hear finger slides on strings. They are also exhibiting a pretty impressive soundstage. The drums in “the End” sound really good, but the guitars sound excellent. At the crescendo nothing is lost or blended together.

I was also able to hear Erykah Badu on these, not so little babies (once again they are a bit bigger than I thought). I knew before I heard them that they only extend down to 40 Hz so I did not expect to be impressed with the low, low bass... and I wasn’t. I was, however, pleasantly surprised with how low that they did go. (To my ear that 40 Hz number may be a little on the conservative side as I think they realistically get into at least the upper maybe mid 30’s, these notes do drop a fair amount in volume but they seem to be there.) Bass was full and controlled with this bass challenging music, but they failed to get the very bottom. Rim shots sounded nice, not too forward; and cymbals were crisp and accurate. Once again the vocals were very, very nice. I have been using “smooth and lush” when I like the sound of Erykahs vocals and it posses those qualities here, but they are not accentuated in any way. Instead, they sound very accurate and natural.

I listened to a little Stan Getz w/ Astrud Gilberto singing the classic and timeless “Girl From Ipanema,” and got the chills (a very good thing). The piano sounded great, and the tone on the saxophone was velvety and rich, awesome. I think that smooth, easy, acoustic music is what these towers excel at.

Instead of Fu Manchu we tried a little Nirvana. They sounded very clean (unlike the actual appearance of the band ). Vocals were right-on soaring over the top of the music. Drums sounded really good, and electric guitars sounded crunchy though maybe a little thin and not as forward as I remember them. Everything is separate and distinct

I was impressed with the nice open sound of U2’s “One,” and the outstanding vocal of Diana Krall. Her “All or Nothing at All” is a very nice recording and I can see why so many people use her music to talk about a speakers performance. That being said, this will be the last time that I use it . Acoustic bass sounded very nice but I thought that it lacked a little body to the sound. Piano once again sounded very nice, and guitar tone was excellent. We also listened to a little Charles Mingus, but it wasn’t a recording with which I am familiar so I will only note that the variety of horns here were all distinct, but we were talking over the music at this point and had to get on with our day, my audition was done. I wish I could comment more on the SongTowers performance with brass as I think that these are tricky instruments to reproduce accurately... Oh well, my guess is that they would do well.

I have heard that this speaker is “all about the mid-range,” and that is unequivocally, a true statement. It is really a guitar, vocal and saxophone kind of speaker. It seems to capture the tone, and nuances of the instruments better than most other speakers do. I imagine that they would be truly amazing with acoustic singer songwriter type stuff. Without hesitation I would say that this easily the best $1500 speaker I have heard. Some of the +$2000 speakers do some things better but not many have this nice of a midrange. Very nice speaker, great value, but don’t expect ultra-low bass, or dog whistle highs.





Salk Veracity HT3:


As a result of my correspondence with Jim Salk regarding his SongTowers, and our resultant conversation, he suggested that I give a listen to a pair of HT3’s, and helped me set up an audition. He said flat out that he didn’t want me to buy a pair, because they were well out of my price range, and then added that the HT3 was the speaker that he had developed for himself. He also thought that the HT3 was exactly what I was looking for, and that listening to it would provide a good baseline for my ongoing search... Well Jim, you were right, the HT3’s are pretty much exactly what I am looking for.

So, today I went over to another Salk customer’s house armed with a CD containing a revised edition of the last one I used. I cut back a few songs that I felt were sonically redundant to some of the other material, and brought back “rim shot” because I just had to hear how well the HT3’s would handle it’s depth. I thought it was kind of funny when after I had run through all the tracks, Gary (the owner), asked me “What was track 9 ?! The bass in that one went really low.” Gary had his HT3’s set up with a new Yamaha HT receiver (don’t know the model) that put out 140 watts/channel. Though he had a sub hooked up we did not use it, he said it only got used for movies and that it was too slow to keep up with the HT3’s...

I started with Mile Davis and noted that the tone of his trumpet was very nice, acoustic bass sounded good and the saxophone was right on. Cymbals sounded crisp and clean... sounds familiar right? Well a few minutes into this selection I realized how engaging these speakers were. They have a really nice, balanced sound. Piano has the percussive quality that some speakers don’t get right, brushed snare drum sounds great and is distinct, and clear. Nothing is coming forward, everything is staying in it’s place! Wes Montgomery proved to be a very pleasurable listen on the HT3’s. Since nothing came forward on the last track, I didn’t expect anything to come forward on this one either, but something did... The subtleties. The tone on the guitar was excellent, classic Wes. Kick drum had a nice little punch to it in this song, and cymbals again were sounding really nice. The bongos had the distinct sound of thick hands slapping a skin stretched over a drum, very realistic sound. Next up was Stan Getz, “Girl From Ipanema.” The male vocal at the beginning is smooth and natural sounding, and I notice that the bass is nice and full. When Astrud starts to sing the hair on the back of my neck stands up and I get a little chill flash, her vocal is velvety smooth and inviting (I wrote “soooo, nice”) All the subtleties and nuances of this song are right there, and the imaging is starting to impress me. Then the saxophone comes in and... nice job Jim! The reason this song came to be on my speaker test disk is because the SongTowers gave me a little chill when that sax came in, the HT3’s gave me the whole body version! One or two other speakers have made the hair stand up on the back of my neck but this was full blown chills. As I sat there basking in the warmth of the rest of this song I managed to note how nice the resonance and sustain was on the piano. Medeski, Martin and Wood were next with some more upbeat contemporary Jazz. The percussive slap bass sounded very good here, as did the Hammond organ. The most significant thing I noticed during this track was the depth that was here, and I hadn’t noticed on any of the other speakers I played this song on last time out. Also deserving of mention was the sound of the light clicks of the drumsticks as they hit the edge of the snare, not a full on rim shot, but a more subtle rhythmic accent to the beat.

The fifth song was “Come Together,” and it came together very well indeed. (sorry ‘bout the pun, I couldn’t resist). I hadn’t heard this song sound this clean before. The sound was full and deliberate. Bass sounded truly great on the HT3’s. Vocal was dead center, drums heavily dampened, cymbals smooth yet crisp. Man, I wanted to crank this up loud to get the full impact of the music, but I didn’t want to impose too much. (Volume level was about where I would normally listen if I were just sitting there reading and listening to music, no where near the volume I would hit if I were left alone to really rock the house. Not a problem at all because these speakers have plenty to offer even at low volume levels. You could still have a conversation at the levels I was listening. I think about a notch or two louder than Gary usually listens, though. Unless his wife was not home because he did tell me that he liked older Metalilca...) Fu Manchu was next up and WOW- I got the chills from the FU !!!! Never thought that would happen... The guitars are Mean and crunchy, and the soaring high notes don’t ever get harsh or glaring, the bass is thick and fuzzed-out-full. Everything is distinct. Fu Manchu has not sounded better than right here. I added PJ Harvey “A Place Called Home,” onto my audition CD because of it’s nice full sound, and was glad that I did. This track is a very sonically dense song that tends to blend together on the speakers in my truck, but not here, she sounded very clear and natural. Everything was easy to distinguish, you could sit there and dissect all the layers and instruments. PJ sounded really good on the Salks, which showed exceptional clarity and balance. The HT3’s ROCK!

Into the R&B section of my CD with “Ain't no Sunshine” and Bill Withers vocal is sounding very, very good. His vocal has a little bit of echo on it which has the effect of making the room feel much bigger than it is, opening up a huge soundstage. The strings come in sounding very nice as well, and kick drums also sound good. At this point I thought to myself, “these are going to be very hard to beat.” Erykah Badu’s “Rimshot” came on and I got the chills again!!! (They should give you a blanket if you buy these speakers, because you will need it) The HT3’s dig deep, very deep. You can hear every note but the absolute bottom, and that one you can feel. The lowest of the other speakers I’ve heard missed the bottom one or two notes on this song, these guys missed the bottom 1/2 note. The lowest of the low in this song is unnaturally low and you can tell it’s there, even if you cannot exactly hear it. (It’s got to be down around 20 Hz, but that is totally just a guess) Rim shots sounded great, but truth be told I wasn’t paying much attention to them I was too busy wiping the drool of my chin from the bass response to this song. “Apple tree” started up and I regained a little composure (Yes, I am exaggerating a bit but the depth and control of the bass is impressive) to note that her vocal was full and lush in every sense of those words. Again I noted that the bass was outstanding; clear and tight. I included “the Grunt” by the J.B.’s to listen how they handle a lot of brass at once, and they performed admirably. This recording is not great, as with much of James Brown’s work, but I can hear details like a faint echo on the horns (either from the room, or an effect added to the recording) that I had not noticed before. Brass sounds really good here. There is a (usually) shrill note at the very beginning of this song, and again in the middle, that was not shrill on the HT3’s, it was in tune, and not shrill.

Finley Quaye “even after all” gave the Hawks a moment of distortion in the bass, and you can hear the challenging part, but not the flop. This song is just one of those beautiful melodies that makes you feel a little sad and good all at the same time, and all that emotion comes through on the Salks. Full, rich, smooth, clear.... sublime. A couple hits on the triangle ring through clean and clear. When the guitar came in I got the chills AGAIN (this is ridiculous, I want them) the tone is absolutely amazing. I ended with a little electronic music and an expansive atmosphere opened up in front and all around me. DJ Krush’s manufactured universe runs deep. Detailed highs, full, deep bass, pure sweet mids... these speakers leave very little room to want more.
__________________

I want to add that as an owner of the HT3s for a couple of years now, (man, does time fly!) I am continually impressed with their capabilities.  Given the options and models that are available today I might choose a little differently, perhaps upgrading to a RAAL tweeter, perhaps not (because I do like a teeny, tiny, little bit of sizzle); perhaps opting for a HT2-TL, but again perhaps not.  If I had the means, I would go straight for the top of the line with the SoundScape 10.  As it stands now I have absolutely no regrets, and no doubt that I got the absolute best speaker available for the money that I spent.

Thanks again Jim, Dennis, Jeff and crew for your level of excellence and for your dedication to your craft.

Cheers 
Greg

[Zero]

A pair of Songtowers arrived to my door. I Unboxed em'. Thought they sounded decent. Boxed em' back up.  Sent them to a customer.

How's that for a short story? 

[woodsart]

Great idea Bob!!! My thoughts were to encourage people that auditioned Salk speakers share their 'positive' experiences and read the reviews of others all in one place. I did a lot of surfing and spend days searching for reviews.

Greg....

Great review...there has been a lot of chatter in the past of your experience and I do understand your satisfaction with your purchase. It is such an adventure and one cannot listen to everything or at least I couldn't, so it was great for me to stumble on threads like you and Nuance describing your searching for great sound.

You guys, and others have really helped to halt this madness and shed some light! There are too many choices and so few nearby studios/owners for auditioning, it could take years to do that. However, I don't think I am settling, instead, I have found a marvelous sounding speaker that suites my needs in every way in my price range.

And, isn't that what we are all looking for!

Thanks,
Rob

[Nuance]

Mine is...ah, a wee bit long.  So I'll just post the link.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=59166.msg525603#msg525603

Good idea, woodsart!

[cacophony777]

Here's my initial impressions thread:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=81934.0

Well, I finally got a chance to hear a pair of Songtowers. I must have been impressed because somehow a pair for sale on Audiogon ended up in my living room today. 

They are the standard curly cherry with the Sonicap platinum bypass caps upgrade.

I'm still letting my impressions soak a bit more, but here's my initial reaction vs my [Monitor Audio] RS6:

not as harsh/bright
more detailed
tighter, more precise sound (especially bass)
slightly less bass extension
larger, more 3D soundstage
significantly better off axis performance
much taller
fit and finish is spectacular (I thought the RS6 were nice, but these are works of art)

... (after a bit more listening time) :

I continue to be in awe of my new Songtowers.   The separation of instruments is quite phenomenal.

... (the day I sold my RS6) :

I just sold my old RS6 speakers. I deliberately didn't do direct A/B comparisons when I initially bought my new Songtowers, partly because there was a small part of me that was worried I wouldn't hear enough difference to justify the upgrade.

But for the RS6 sale tonight I had them hooked up right next to the Songtowers and couldn't resist...

The difference is utterly phenomenal

The clarity
The warmth
The detail
The depth

The Songtowers are not just better, they are vastly better, and I couldn't be happier with this upgrade.

[vintagebob]

Many links to listening evaluations can be found here under the "delivered" section.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=68360.msg632806#msg632806

[taoggniklat]

Many links to listening evaluations can be found here under the "delivered" section.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=68360.msg632806#msg632806

My first experience with Salk Sound was listening to Vintage Bob's amazing H2TL system. 

[jimdgoulding]

Jus sayin, if I didn't already have some 2 way d'Appolito configuered speaks landscaping my room so very nicely, for my 12x15x8' listening room, I'd make a beeline to hear the ST's.

[mark funk]

Well, back in 06 I went to the RMAF to see Frank. When I walked into the room it was full so I listened in the back for a while and it sounded really nice! I though they were playing HT3s and one of Frank's 550s. As the room cleared I moved to the front and could see what was being used. Boy was I surprised! All of that sound was coming from a pair of HT2s and a U70!  Well it has taken me four years, but the HT2-TLs well be done soon.  



                                                                                                 

[Nuance]

That's great news, Mark.  Which veneer did you choose?

[coke]

I hope Jim Salk is in business for a very long time, because he has just earned a lifelong customer. 

The speakers look amazing, but something that is still difficult for me to grasp, is that they sound even better than they look.  I now hear music rather than speakers playing music. 

Short Review / Initial Impressions (not meant to be technical):

Looks and Craftsmanship:
I had some friends over last night, and we spent at least 30 minutes just looking at the speakers.  They are beautiful, and it's also fun to hear the different patterns people see in the speakers.  Last night I got guitar, little guy with his hands up, squirrel, pelvis, and battle axe just to name a few.  If you'd like to see more pics, just ask.  One picture that I missed, is that of the back, which has the same patterns, and looks just as good as the rest of the speaker.  Another thing I think that really adds to these speakers, is they have just enough asymmetry in the veneer.  Jim did an excellent job of bookmatching the veneer, but as you look closely, small difference appear. At first this bothered me a little, but then I began to realize, that the speakers are truly unique.  There are no other speakers like these, and there never will be (until my matching center and surrounds are built  ).  The subtle difference in the veneer, make these speakers look like they were grown in nature rather than built. The more I look at them, the more I like them.  Also, the cabinets feel very solid and heavy.  I hear no resonance at all (side note though: I would be hesitant to get the 3/4" version.  The 6.5" woofers are surprisingly powerful, and I think the extra mass and rigidity of 1" is needed.).

Highs:
Smooooooooooth!  I think it's the combination of my AVA amp and preamp along with the ribbon tweeters.  I've played music I know to be harsh sounding, but it never comes across that way with these speakers.  Don't misunderstand though, they do this without losing or sacrificing any high frequency detail (at least to my ears).  They also blend seamlessly with the mids. I can find no faults here.

Mids:
I've never heard voices or instruments sound so real. From my experience, most speakers color the sound making the mids somewhat muddy. I think this is from trying to get them to play low enough.  There is no "muddiness" at all with the mids. Everything is tight and accurate. I'm listening to Stevie Ray right now, and his guitar has never sounded so beautiful! 

Lows:
This is possibly one of the most impressive aspects of these speakers.  I just can't believe how low and loud the woofers can play.  Messing around with test tones, these speakers have usable bass well into the 20s. When I played a 29Hz test tone, my door was literally shaking and rattling (resonant frequency).  This has only happened in the past when I had subs turned up LOUD.  I previously had a 15" Dayton Titanic sub with at 1000 W RMS amp.  I don't feel that I'm missing anything without it now.  Also these speakers don't have a "ported" sound.  I've never liked the sound of ported speakers.  They tend to have a boomy and muddy sound, but the Salks don't have either of these traits.

Imaging and Soundstage:
Things sound like they should. The locations of singers and instruments can easily be picked out.  Even with complex music, everything stays clear and defined.  The music also sounds like it's coming from behind the speakers, rather than being localized to each speaker.  I see the word transparency used a lot, and it fits perfectly here.  Even when sitting directly in front of one speaker, there is still depth to the sound.  It's become apparent though that my room is in need of further sound treatment. 

Connected Equipment:
My AVA amp and preamp seem like a perfect match.  I know Jim says that the HT2-TLs really don't need much power, but these speakers appear to take everything my ultra 550 can dish out.  I'm not saying that these won't sound good with a lower power amp, but If you have the money, I would definitely try to get a powerful amp.  I've also become aware that I need a better DAC.  There's a huge difference in sound between my ipod (lossless) and my oppo blu ray player. Previously they sounded about the same.  Time  to add an external DAC.

Final Thoughts:
I've always felt that my listening preferences were different than those of speaker manufactures.  I usually think to myself that if I had built the speakers  or had a DSP available, that I'd do something to change the sound.  I've NEVER been able to sit back, relax, and just listen to and enjoy music without noticing some flaw. I was able to accomplish this within the first few seconds of listening to the HT2-TLs. 

Thanks again Jim. I am truly a happy and 100% satisfied customer.

[clipped]

My very first experience was incredibly disappointing.
After setting up my HT3's and getting into the sweet spot I started Jim's demo CD and I was not impressed at all. I had never owned a pair of speakers with ribbon tweeters before and was thinking perhaps this is the way ribbons sound??????
Once the second track started I decided to remove the grills as recommended, I returned to my spot on the sofa, still not impressed,  Well, what to do?
Once track 3 started I walked over to one of the speakers to check on all the drivers, maybe something was up, hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Sound was coming out of all the drivers, but , THERE IS A STRIP OF TAPE COVERING THE TWEETER!!! .
After removing the tape and returning to my sofa all I can say is WOW, I now have a new music collection without having to buy a single CD.
I can't imagine a speaker at any price point being more accurate, I am thrilled.
By the way, I also purchased a pair of Songtowers for a second system and I am very impressed with the sound, for a third of the price of the HT3's I think they are a better buy.
Just my thoughts and experience, hope it brought a chuckle out of you all.

[Nuance]

^ Hehe, too funny, clipped.  I am sure you're not the only one who has done that.  Thanks for sharing and for giving me a good laugh.

[Zero]

LMAO Clipped.  That reminds me of when I plugged in this new amplifier, and wondered why in the hell my system wouldn't turn on after installing it.  After checking my cables..  opening up the unit, looking inside to see if anything was wrong, etc etc..   my eyes discovered the culprit. I forgot to plug in the power cord. DOH!

It appens. 

[mark funk]

Nuance, We didn't get an exotic veneer just cherry. I'm sure they well look just fine. My brother Martyo has a pair of HT3s in Tineo and they look killer. They well look just fine down in the cave .


                                                                                           

[Nuance]

Cherry rocks, Mark.  It is my favorite "standard" veneer that Jim offers.  Great choice!

[billmcc]

Well my SongTowers and SongCenter arrived today . I had originally asked FedEx to deliver them tomorrow as I would not be home this afternoon. But due to the number of deliveries I get from FedEx Ground the driver called me at 7:30 this morning to see if he could help me out. So I met him about 15 minutes from my house and did the exchange at his first stop. Talk about personalized service !

I did not think I would have time to set them up as I did not get my spike discs yet but I couldn't wait. So I opened up the SongCenter first and found that what everyone says about the craftsmanship of the Salk speakers is so true. The veneer and the finish is outstanding but what really impressed me was how the black baffle is perfectly flush with the edges of the cabinent. I have never seen this mentioned before but it shows the level of detail that is part of Salk speakers. Very impressive indeed!

I then unboxed the STs and as with the SC the level of craftsmanship is just amazing. You will not find this in any mass produced speaker that is for sure. Applying the plinthes was very easy and I will wait to use the spikes once the discs arrive. I then placed the STs where my Ascend Sierra-1s were and then fired up my system.

I am a huge fan of Mark Knopfler and put on several of his CDs as I was listening to Ragpickers Dream on the Sierra-1s as I opened up the new speakers. I could tell right away that the SQ was improved but not in a totally obvious way but still there is an improvement over the Sierra-1s. The soundstage is somewhat broader in both width and definitely in height. Imaging seemed improved as well as specific instruments and backing vocals just seemed more defined. I then put in another Knopfler disc One Take Radio Sessions which is a live studio recording from songs off of Shangri-la. It has some beautiful songs with execellent guitar work and vocals. I have been playing the crap out of this CD and I am very familiar with it. Once the first track started I could not stop smiling . Another difference I heard between the STs and the Sierra-1s is the level of clarity. I just found the STs put out just a touch more clarity with the high end being more accurate.

Even though I used my sub (Rythmik F12SE) as I did with the Sierra-1s the bass with the STs seems more defined. I played Cause We've Ended As Lovers off of Live At Ronnie Scotts and Tal Wickenfeld's bass solo is just incredible. The song itself is one of my favorite Jeff Beck tunes of all times and this live version is outstanding. The recording quality of this disc is also incredible so if you are a Jeff Beck fan it is a must have.

I also found that I could crank the STs without any hint of distress where as the Sierra-1s when pushed too hard would show a little bit of distress. For the short time I had to listen to the STs today I am very impressed and I am very happy I finally took the plunge and ordered them from Jim. I am sure I will have more to add to this review when I have more time to get them dialed in and listen to a few movies as well.

A big thanks to Jim and his staff for building not only an outstanding looking speaker but one that also sounds as good as it looks. All this at what I consider to be a bargain .

Bill

[woodsart]

Bill I am thrilled that you like them....I knew you would as I did right from the start!!!! You just know with the first few notes....they are amazing! The Sierras are as well, so what does that say for the STs!!

Happy listening,
Rob