Kevin, I teamed with Jim at Capital Audiofest in 2018 (...and later at Axpona 2019, CAS 2019, CAF 2019) bringing my SA1 amp, and Jim brought the Song3BeAT speakers and Streamplayer. After the show (selected as one of the best sounding rooms BTW) I asked Jim if he could build me a monitor that offered the sound as the Song3 BeAT...basically, just cut the speaker (almost) in half, and build an active subwoofer for the low frequencies. So, Jim told me he would go back and do some number crunching and design, and get back to me later on this new speaker design. Well, that is how the 6M came about....
I’ve listened to the following Salk Speakers at the audio shows using my amps (again, Stellar reviews each time): Song3 BeAT and SS9.5. I listen to the 6M in my home, with the same equipment Jim and I have demonstrated at the audio shows.
As for a direct comparisons on midrange dispersion, I have not compared these speakers ‘side by side‘, but that is why I wanted a monitor to begin with... so I could minimize speaker size/ displacement in my room and ability to adjust for speaker positions and room interactions with a smaller speaker...while having the dispersion of the monitor. Yes, pros and cons with a separate sub vice a full range floor standing set of speakers, but I also can apply DSP corrections to the active subwoofer...and I can move the sub easily around (anywhere in the ) room. However, these monitors are not lacking in bass for my taste and haven’t used the sub much. When the audio shows can return, I want to have the these speaker in a room to demo to everyone what a monitor speaker can do....these sound great to me, but that is my biased preference ....everyone is different and different tastes in what they want to hear in audio reproduction....but I think the rave reviews we have received share a common theme....excellent value and audio reproduction.