[jsalk]

Pete wanted amboyna burl.  But if you've ever checked it out, you know it is expensive - $1700 for enough to cover a pair of SongTowers!  So we looked elsewhere and came up with some very nice Pelin Burl.  It was so nice, Pete decided to finish it in a hand-rubbed high gloss finish.

These are not great photos (none of mine are), but here is a full-length shot...



And a close-up...



Happy listening Pete!

- Jim

[JerryM]

Boy, absolutely gorgeous, Jim!

Congrats, Pete!

Jerry

[fishinbob]

Wow.....WOW!!  Among the nicest I've seen.
Excellent choice.
Enjoy

Bob


Don't normally use exclamation marks but thought these deserve a couple.

[laserboi]

Drop...dead...gorgeous.  Absolutely amazing work Mr. Salk!!!!   

[funkmonkey]

Those look great Jim.  They just keep getting better, don't they.  
Enjoy Pete, very nice choice of veneer, I've heard that they even sound pretty good too.

Cheers
-Funk

[ArthurDent]

Simply exquisite - appearance, and execution. 

Great work Jim.     What a bonus that those new pieces of fine furniture also create such lovely music.

Happy listening ( and looking ) Pete. 

[ThorsHammer]

As usual...simply beautiful work.

I recently received my SongTowers - ribbon tweeter - and SongCenter....cherry, natural finish. And, man, everyone is right...there is no way that pictures do them justice. I just keep looking at them. Not sure whether Jim is a craftsman...or an artist.

Do have a question - my right front is sitting about 1 foot from a french door. So, occasionally it is going to get some direct sun and the temperature variant is going to be more extreme, especially at nite, on a consistent basis. Is there any chance that this could damage the speaker in any way...or alter the way it performs?

[hmen]

As usual...simply beautiful work.

I recently received my SongTowers - ribbon tweeter - and SongCenter....cherry, natural finish. And, man, everyone is right...there is no way that pictures do them justice. I just keep looking at them. Not sure whether Jim is a craftsman...or an artist.

Do have a question - my right front is sitting about 1 foot from a french door. So, occasionally it is going to get some direct sun and the temperature variant is going to be more extreme, especially at nite, on a consistent basis. Is there any chance that this could damage the speaker in any way...or alter the way it performs?

You might think about covering the speaker with a blanket on days that you're not around to use them. Direct sunlight over a period of years will have an effect.

[jsalk]

ThorsHammer -

As usual...simply beautiful work.

I recently received my SongTowers - ribbon tweeter - and SongCenter....cherry, natural finish. And, man, everyone is right...there is no way that pictures do them justice. I just keep looking at them. Not sure whether Jim is a craftsman...or an artist.

Do have a question - my right front is sitting about 1 foot from a french door. So, occasionally it is going to get some direct sun and the temperature variant is going to be more extreme, especially at nite, on a consistent basis. Is there any chance that this could damage the speaker in any way...or alter the way it performs?

hmen is correct.  Sunlight will cause cherry to turn darker and more red over time.  As long as the exposure is even, it will look just fine.  But if only part of the panel is exposed to sunlight over a period of time, the portion exposed to sunlight will be darker.

- Jim

[Nuance]

Pete - those are simply amazing! 

Jim - you are an artist for sure!  Nicely done!

[ThorsHammer]

That's about what I figured. I'll make sure the blinds in that door stay shut so the only light hitting the speaker will be opaque.

I'm still worried about the temperature variance. Being that close to a single pane french door...even though it has a high energy efficiency rating....the temp on the exposed side of the speaker may vary from the high 50s to the low 80s in a few hours. Is this any danger to the components?

[R Swerdlow]

That's about what I figured. I'll make sure the blinds in that door stay shut so the only light hitting the speaker will be opaque.

I'm still worried about the temperature variance. Being that close to a single pane french door...even though it has a high energy efficiency rating....the temp on the exposed side of the speaker may vary from the high 50s to the low 80s in a few hours. Is this any danger to the components?

ThorsHammer

I'm glad to see that you got a 5 channel system finished in natural cherry.  I remember promising you I would post photos of my year-old natural cherry STs to compare to the photos when they were new.  I tried that, but the old and new photos look the same on my computer.  I swear I think I see a slight darkening over time, but I can't seem to get photos that show it.  So it must be suble.  If they have darkened, it certainly hasn't hurt their appearance - I like them better now than when they were new .  Just the same, that Pelin Burl looks fantastic.  I wish I could collect SongTowers in different finishes.

I agree with the others about the sunlight.  Try to keep their exposure even.  Blinds or shades will do the trick.  You don't need to completely block the sunlight, partially filtering it is enough.

As far as I know, temperature changes in that range, high 50s to the low 80s, present no danger to loudspeakers.  When you first turn on your system and start using them, the woofer voice coils warm up after a few seconds.

Enjoy them - Richard

[ThorsHammer]

Thanks...officially going to stop worrying about it.

You were right about the cherry finish...it is darker than it shows in the photos. As good as these look I can imagine that those custom woods/finishes must be off the hook.

[oneinthepipe]

Thanks...officially going to stop worrying about it.

You were right about the cherry finish...it is darker than it shows in the photos. As good as these look I can imagine that those custom woods/finishes must be off the hook.

We have cherry floors in the newer parts of my home, and the cherry darkens in sunlight.  Most people like the appearance that cherry develops with age, hence the popularity of cherry in kitchen cabinets and other furniture.  The only drawback that we found, aside from cherry being a little softer for floors than other woods, such as maple or oak, is that the areas that had rugs did not darken with the rest of the floor, although that was remedied by removing the rug and allowing the wood to darken.  You wouldn't have that problem with your speakers. BTW, other woods, such as walnut, also darken with sunlight.

I received my SongTowers with ribbon tweeters in pau ferro veneer last week.  I'll write a review later this week.  Regardless, the speakers sound great, and they look great, too. 

[carusoracer]

Very nice finish! Looks like the Camphor Burl yet darker and rich in color.


Jim, Are you still making any HT1's?

[jsalk]

carusoracer -

Very nice finish! Looks like the Camphor Burl yet darker and rich in color.


Jim, Are you still making any HT1's?

Sure are.

- Jim

[Big Red Machine]

He needs 6 pairs, right Mark?

[carusoracer]

I like the Size of the HT1's for possible smaller room/Bedroom. Most people are going for the Song Towers but they are to big for my application.

[NealH]

Great looking set of speakers.