[jsalk]

Richard had visited Dennis Murphy a few times during the development of the SongTowers and when we went into production, he placed one of the first orders.  He wanted cherry.

The photos are a little washed out and the finished speakers actually look darker than this, but here are some photos...



And a close-up...



Happy listening Richard!

- Jim

[BradJudy]

Cool - I was hoping to see a pic of these in cherry sometime.  Natural cherry is one of my favorite woods, in fact, I have a cherry bowl on the lathe right now.

[R Swerdlow]

Now that I have received one SongTower, I can confirm that the unstained cherry veneer looks MUCH BETTER than the photos.  It is probably difficult to capture the depth of the "curliness" of the cherry grain with flash photography, but I'll try to see if I can do any better with daylight.

Last Friday, I got two out of three boxes - one SongTower and a smaller box with the plinths, hardware and grills.  DHL screwed up and left the other speaker somewhere in Ohio over the weekend.  I think it was probably some mean spirited Ohio State fans who saw boxes from Michigan and decided to rub it in (U of Michigan has lost two in a row!).  So over the weekend, I've been listening in mono to one SongTower and admiring its gorgeous cherry veneer.

I just returned to work after receiving the second ST (Monday at about noon).  I didn't unpack it yet, but the exterior carton looks OK, and considering how well the first one was packed, I'm reasonably sure it will be fine.  Tonight the menu is SongTowers in Stereo!

Jim - I don't know what the delivery terms were that you ordered from DHL, but if you ordered 2-day surface shipping, DHL dropped the ball.  Two boxes did come in 2 days, but the 3rd took 5 days.

[Toka]

Richard,

Bummer about the shipping hassles, but I'm sure it was worth the wait.  Hope to read your impressions about the speakers once you get some time with (both) of them.

[jsalk]

Richard -

Now that I have received one SongTower, I can confirm that the unstained cherry veneer looks MUCH BETTER than the photos.  It is probably difficult to capture the depth of the "curliness" of the cherry grain with flash photography, but I'll try to see if I can do any better with daylight.

Hopefully you are a better photographer than I am and you can get some nicer shots.

Jim - I don't know what the delivery terms were that you ordered from DHL, but if you ordered 2-day surface shipping, DHL dropped the ball.  Two boxes did come in 2 days, but the 3rd took 5 days.

Well, I used ground shipping, not 2-day.  So I guess you get what you pay for.

The only problem I have ever had with DHL is delivery times.  Once I shipped a pair of speakers to California and 10 days later they found one of them on a dock in New Jersey.  Go figure.

But, the most important thing is that I have had very little damage compared to other shippers.  One (I won't name them) damaged almost every speaker I ever shipped.  And then they had the audacity to deny the damage claim, even though we always pay for insurance.

So, despite inconsistent delivery times, DHL will get my business.  Better safe than fast I guess.

- Jim

[R Swerdlow]

Jim

It wasn't so much a complaint, as a heads up for you.  I see you are already well aware of this, and still consider DHL the best option because of their better damage record.  I guess I agree.  What difference does a few days make as long as the speakers arrive intact?

Now, I find I'm looking at the clock more & more, to see when I can slip out of here and do some SongTower unpacking.

On the more positive side, when my wife came home last Friday, I was listening to Graceland by Paul Simon (at least I was listening to the left channel of Graceland).  She sat down next to me and excitedly said, "Its all so clear - the highs - the mids - and the deep bass - ITS WONDERFUL!"  She had a big smile (as I did also) as we listened to several more songs from Graceland (an older but very well recorded CD).

[jd3]

Richard,

It sounds like you and your wife's initial experience with the ST's (albeit mono!) was very similar to the experience my wife and I had.    My wife had to purchase the Beatle's Love CD/DVD after she heard it on the radio...she told me she couldn't wait to hear how it sounded played through some 'really good speakers'...the ST's!  I'm happy that she is enjoying them as much as I am.  I'm still blown away with how great they sound.

John

[dB Cooper]

Hey! I was the one who came up with the SongTower name! Where's my pair????!?!?   

[jsalk]

db -

Hey! I was the one who came up with the SongTower name! Where's my pair????!?!?   

No speakers, but did you get your t-shirt yet?  If not, PM me with your name, address and shirt size and I'll send one out.

- Jim

[R Swerdlow]

I recently took a few photos of my SongTowers.  try this photobucket link:
http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c384/drsdr/rich%20salk%20speakers/?action=view&current=Picture010.jpg

Jim, I emailed these photos to you as well.  Thanks for the t-shirt!

There are 10 pictures all told.  Some of them do show the grain of the cherry veneer nicely.

[jd3]

Richard,
Wow..those look fabulous!  Jim really does a great job.  I'm happy with my honey locust but that cherry finish sure is something to behold.

John