[DarienJax]

I would like to thank fishinbob for opening up his home to me & my wife this morning to listen to his ST RTs.  The black finish with silver baffle was very nice looking.

The listening experience was very interesting to me.  I know speakers are notoriously hard to compare if you don't have them right next to each other to listen back-to-back, but I really felt that today.

Last night I had gone through some of my CDs to pick out a few to take with me to audition.  I recently got a new Pioneer 1018 receiver, and an Emotiva UPA-7 amp in preparation for a new sound setup I'm building, and had them hooked up to my low-end Klipsch speakers, and had run the room auto-correction (which definitely did balance the sound better).  When listening to the CDs last night, I was impressed by the sound just from new electronics, and was really enjoying my current setup.  I went in this morning expecting to be blown away by the SongTowers, but... I wasn't.   

When I listened, I noticed the instruments were a lot clearer and well-defined, the bass was also well-defined, but not boomy (it seemed well-balanced and actually musical), and overall the sound was very clear.  I spent probably an hour-and-a-half listening at reasonably loud levels (not ear-bleeding, but I don't normally listen at super-loud levels) and didn't find them at all uncomfortable after so long.  Overall, I certainly enjoyed listening to them, and felt that the SongTowers were better than my current setup, but were they really that much better?

I had some time to listen to my setup back at home this evening, even putting on some of the same music I had listened to on the STs.  Suddenly I noticed how muddy my speakers seemed, how there was no clear bass, how they didn't reproduce the sound nearly as clearly, and how they could get fatiguing after listening to them fairly loud for a while.

Now I'm very impressed by the SongTowers.  They reproduced the music as it is supposed to sound, probably about as accurately as the recording allows.  They played the music the way I expected it should sound (and I just didn't quite realize before what I wasn't hearing).  It's almost like hearing the sound directly from the disc (OK, I know I'm exaggerating a bit; I'm sure the HT3s do a better job... ), such that there is no surprise or astonishment because of the sound from the speakers; they just sound right.   

I plan to audition the ST QWTs soon, thanks to ArthurDent; my big question now is if I'll be able to tell the difference between the QWTs and the RTs...

[fishinbob]

It was nice to have you folks over to share your music with me, and as you found out, most of mine isn't very contemporary but I'm working on that. After the GTG at Arthurs' your welcome back anytime to compare.

I'm sure you also noticed that the STs did no favors to your not quite so well recorded selection(s) as I have with a few of my own. As you stated you pretty much hear it warts and all.
One thing since receiving my new speakers, is that all to be had is not revealed in an instant. Over these few weeks my ears are becoming educated, or should I say, acclimated to the new sound and I manage to be impressed a little more each day. Certainly the ability to listen for extended periods has been one of the nicest surprises to date.

I would wish you and Erica success on your system building quest but suspect your already there, or very close. The Salk line, no doubt, has the match for you new components that can make you realize your goal and will give you many years of listening enjoyment.

Bob

[Big Red Machine]

For a minute there I thought I was going to have to give you a beat-down.

[fishinbob]

For a minute there I thought I was going to have to give you a beat-down.

Give 'em a break...... I forced them to listen to Glenn Miller

[zybar]

For a minute there I thought I was going to have to give you a beat-down.

Give 'em a break...... I forced them to listen to Glen Miller

That's a treat!!   

[Philistine]

If it helps I was not sold on the HT3's the first time I heard them at an owners house - they didn't sound that remarkable, just average with only an incremental improvement over my B&W's which I had at the time.  I can only guess that this is related to the natural and neutral 'house sound' from Jim's speakers, they don't immediately hit you in the face with an exaggeration of any particular part of the music spectrum which some other speakers might do?  I then listened to them at Casa Salk, and played the same music when I got back home.  This time my B&W's sounded more HiFi (artificial) in comparison, whereas the HT3's sounded more natural in their presentation, this was enough to convince me to take the plunge, which I did 2 years ago and never looked back or considered changing them.

You're on the right track, just try and listen to them a few more times before taking the plunge.

[DarienJax]

Hey, Glen Miller was pretty good  -- I'm always open to new music, and I appreciate hearing anything new (to me).

I think I am still learning to really listen to music & sound systems.  I had never really listened for things like separation of highs and lows, being able to clearly identify particular instruments, and the difference between boomy bass and well-articulated bass.  But I am noticing a lot more of that now.  And as Bob said, you can tell what isn't recorded as well (one of the CDs I brought is a rock band that I like, but some of their songs are very busy/messy -- there is so much noise going on that it's just not possible to separate everything cleanly.  It's not something I had really noticed until listening to that CD this weekend).

So I am excite to spend some time listening on my current system, and then go back to a pair of STs to see how they sound again.

Thanks to all on this board; it is a good learning experience for me, and I appreciate all the info and nice, helpful people.

[Nuance]

Glad you enjoyed yourself DarienJax! 

Your situation reminds of mine, in which I could never get the sound of the SongTower's out of my head after I first heard them.  It's as if my current speakers immediately become less fun to listen to.  Ultimately, I listened to my ears and heart and purchased a pair of SongTower RT's.  Never once have I re-thought my decision.  I am so very happy!

I wish you the best on your quest.  Enjoy!

[Manowar]

Are the RT's on the Salk website?  If they are I couldn't find them...very interested!

Thanks,
John

[Atlplasma]

I don't think Jim has any pictures of the SongTower with the Ribbon Tweeter option on the site. In terms of appearance, it looks like the online samples shown except that the standard Hiquphon 0WII tweeter is replaced with an LCY ribbon. You can see examples on page 5 of the Members Gallery.

I have the STs and a SongCenter with the ribbon option, and they deliver an exceptional listening experience compared to my M&K 750 monitors. When I was considering a speaker upgrade, Jim arranged for me to visit an owner who had a pair STs with the dome tweeter. (This was before the RT was available.) They sounded great as well, and I wouldn't have been disappointed if this version had ended up in my living room.

Hope this response addresses your question.

Steve