Hello, Spinerep.
I've put a lot of time recently into reading up on the available monitors from Salk, so I can offer some quick thoughts.
Given your price range, there are three models (to my knowledge) that fit: WOW1, CAOW1, MBOW1. Unfortunately, I have not heard any of these speakers, so I can't comment on their sound.
Enjoy your search/purchase....
Descriptions:
WOW1
Rich wanted a small, high quality mini-monitor that would fit on a bookshelf. So he needed a speaker with a front-firing port. We looked at various drivers and settled on the Seas Excel W12 with a 3/4” Hiquphon OW1 tweeter. While the resulting sensitivity is somewhat low (83db), the speaker plays down to an F3 of 48Hz! This is quite remarkable for a speaker that is only 7” wide, 9” deep and 10 3/4” tall.
When members of the Southeast Michigan Audio Club heard these sweet little speakers at a recent club meeting we hosted, the first three people entering the room asked what kind of sub we were using with them. Of course, there was no subwoofer in the system.
“The WOW1 is no one trick pony. Its presentation is strikingly capable from top to bottom, its abilities just as evident during nearfield use perhaps even more so. It's easily revealing enough to show strengths or weaknesses in a signal chain, yet steers clear of the grating, overly clinical sound chosen by some designers for its "accuracy". Factor in the stunning finish and impeccable build quality, throw in a generous helping of great customer service including real-time build updates and easy access to the company founder, and I really can't think of anything else Salk could add to improve upon this experience. Having sampled much of the competition in this price class and beyond, I'm comfortable placing the WOW1 at the top of the heap, whether in a traditional setup or a desktop system. Highly recommended.” - John Grandberg review - Inner|Fidelity >| read more
applications The WOW1’s are perfect for building a small system with high sound quality. Their size allows their use in spaces that will not allow for a larger bookshelf or tower speaker. available finishes As with all of our custom speaker products, the WOW1's can be ordered in virtually any finish you desire. WOW1 pricing Normally, speakers of this quality retail for $1800.00 to $2400.00 per pair, depending on the finish. But because these are custom produced and you are purchasing direct, you can expect to pay considerably less. WOW1 pricing starts at $1199.00 per pair
MBOW1 and CAOW1
The MBOW1 uses the Peerless of India M130 midwoofer and the Hiquphon OW1 tweeter (same as in the Ellis 1801's). The CAOW1 is essentially the same speaker but substitutes the Seas CA15RLY (same as used in the Song-Series speakers) for the M130. The CA15 is a slightly superior driver. Both models were designed by Dennis Murphy. They are essentially the same speaker as our SongSurround I’s, but the crossover features 2nd order slopes for an extremely smooth transition between the drivers. Many consider this design to be the ultimate bookshelf speaker in this class. You must hear them to understand the difference.
applications The MBOW1/CAOW1 is ideal for mid-sized rooms in either high-end two channel applications or high-end home theater applications when used as left and right mains, left and right rears and even as a center channel. available finishes As with all of our custom speaker products, the MBOW1/CAOW1's can be crafted in virtually any finish you desire. For example, the MBOW1's above were produced in fiddleback mahogany with African bosse pomelle front baffles.
MBOW1/CAOW1 pricing Speakers of this quality can retail for as much as $1400.00 to $2000.00 per pair, depending on the finish. But because these are custom crafted and you are purchasing direct, you can expect to pay considerably less. MBOW1/CAOW1 pricing starts at $999.00 per pair
