[Bear]

I've been doing a lot of research into upgrading my home theatre/2 channel/multi-channel system.   I caught this bug quite by accident as I needed a receiver with more than one hdmi input.  I went to a sony outlet with no knowledge of any kind, regarding home theatre/amplifier/speaker equiment and the like.  I ended up purchasing a Sony STR-DA5300es(I know sony is not the greatest, but at the time I didn't know any better) at very discounted price due to it being last years model coupled with an additional. weekend sale they were running on av equipment.  At the time it was a lot more receiver than I was looking for but it only cost me nominally more than the average joe junk I walked in for.  I know this life story has become tiring, however I thought it might give you some insight as to where I am at concerning speakers.  More to the point now...this purchase then had me looking into upgrading my speakers...enter Google and many hours of reading threads and reviews.


Here I am now emailing you....

First question:

Should I, honestly,  even be considering a speaker system of the Song Tower QWT's magnitude  with the equipment i have now(sony receiver mentioned above and sony's average blu-ray/dvd/cd player(bps 350 I believe), I will be adding an entry level turntable as well(pro-ject debut III possibly?).

Ok, If so....would it be wise for me to consider the Ribbon Tweeter(I would like all listeners/viewers in the room to be able to participate in the experience provided by the QWT's as well)?

Finally, which LCY ribbon tweeter do you use in the QWT's(I know what your thinking.....what a technical question for such an obvious audiophile hack. 

Best regards,
 

[mchuckp]

Here is a post from Jim Salk himself after I asked him some questions around what gear to choose with speakers.  I think it will help you a lot.

From J Salk (link to thread: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=67565.0)

I think you got some good advice.  The better the speaker, the better the sound.  Speakers will always be the least accurate part of any system and the limiting factor where sound quality is concerned. 

While many people will tell you that you need a high-end amp to get the most out of our speakers (which only makes sense), I always recommend getting the best speakers you can and not worry about anything else.  You can always upgrade amps later, but you can enjoy great sound right from the start, regardless of what you drive them with.

Perhaps a little story will illustrate the point.

A few years ago I received an email asking my advice.  The question posed was which amp would be better, a $1200 receiver or a $1500 receiver, and which of our speakers should be coupled with it to result in a total system cost of $2500.

Since this person was asking my advice, I told him I would give him an answer although I didn't really expect he would agree.  At the time, our Veracity HT1's were selling for $1900.  I told him to purchase a pair of HT1's, purchase a used Panasonic XR-45 digital receiver for about $250 and pocket the rest.  I told him if he did that, he would have the best $2500 he would ever have heard.

He followed my advice and was extremely happy.

The point is, your system will never sound better than the speakers you purchase, regardless of your source equipment.  So if you want the best sound possible, buy the best speakers you can.  Although certainly not unimportant, everything else is secondary.

Alright me again.  As to choosing the Ribbon vs dome on the ST, can you consider getting a center channel as well?  Be it a ribbon or dome, you won't have to worry about someone in your room sitting off axis as the center will anchor the sound for movies.  I think the price of a center is $700 if you order a pair of ST's.

One parting thought, after reading about these speakers for months I finally got to hear them first hand a few weeks ago at AK Fest and I can tell you they went well beyond my expectations.  ALL of Jim's speakers are stellar and you will not be disappointed with any of them.

Good luck.

[Bear]

good info....

Thank you very much.

[mchuckp]

BTW, you mentioned adding an entry level TT.  GREAT MOVE!  I just got into vinyl earlier this year and was reluctant at the time but convinced by a friend.  I'm SO glad I did.  yes, vinyl is inconvenient and a chore to care for, but I have not heard a record yet that did not beat my CD counterpart for overall sound quality.

Not sure what cartridge comes on the Pro-Ject you are looking at, but I bought a Rega P1 with glass platter upgrade and then a few months later replaced the Ortofon OM5E cart with an Ortofon 2M Blue and it was night and day better.  Not even close.  Best $200 I spent.  Not saying you should buy a Rega table or an Ortofon cart.  Just saying there are some upgrades to entry level tables that can make huge improvements.

[Bear]

Thanks for the ideas on the TT  that is very insightful. I have some vinyl that I haven't heard in years....I also have some very crude vinyl recordings from independents that are one take rock/blues recordings in primitive conditions that I am afraid to listen to with a hi-fi system.

Much appreciated.

Shane.