[kenJay]

Hi All,
I just bought a pair of used Salk Silk monitors.
Rarely see them on the used market and now I know why.
I bought based on reviews and my experience w/ the very good Salk songtowers.


They are simply AMAZING speakers and simply the BEST I have ever heard or owned. (NOLA/Paradigm/Aerial Acoustics/KEF/BA/ Etc etc)
I cant stop playing music on these gifts from heaven.
The bass is so deep/clear, accurate & fast /no sub is necessary
The high are clear with no over brightness.
Sound-stage is huge and mid-range is so pure that it brought a tear to my eye.
I actually replaced a pair of KEF reference 1 at twice the price.
The Silks IMHO blow them away !
The search is over, I will enjoy these gifts until my time here ends.
 
THANK YOU Jim & Dennis for ALL that you do as your work is magnificent
You are both masters of your craft and glad you have blessed the audio community with your talents ! 
 
Peace
ken

[jsalk]

Glad you are enjoying them.

Thanks for the kind words.  Much appreciated!

- Jim

[oem-wheels]

kenJay... may I ask which Paradigm you used to have ? I'm currently using the last Studio 10's and ready for upgrade... I've been wanting the Signatures S2 v3's for a long time but recently Salks been catching my attention... I'm torn between the 2...

[kenJay]

Hi OEM-Wheels
I Had the Paradigm Studio 20 v4.
Very clear/ articulate speakers but for me on the bright side of the audio spectrum.
Also, the low end was not as clear and pronounced as the Salks
The salk silks are just pure clarity.
To my ears the Salk line is much better than any of Paradigms offerings.
For me, I would only will purchase Salks as tired of trying/hearing so many speakers lines and the Salk silks do it all for me.

Hi Jim,
The high raise and kind words are well deserved and to my ears MORE should be given to you and your team.
Only issue is that my wife thinks the curly cherry finish clashes w/ her furniture so eventually will need to have them re-finished in satin black or Mercedes grey.
Thanks Again
Kenjay

[Joe Frances]

Hi KenJay,

Could you tell us what kind of amp you are using, and how many watts it puts out?

Thank you for highlighting this most interesting speaker.

thanks,

Joe

[kenJay]

Hi Joe,
I have a really simple set up
I use an Edge i3 integrated amp w/ 100 watts output.
& a Cary CD player.
w/ decent cables.
Very simple set up w/ modest electronics.

As a side note:
My wife always thought I was crazy buying/selling multiple speakers etc.
I forced her to sit w/ me and listen to the salk silks.
The biggest compliment I could give these speakers are my wife words.
quote
OK now I understand , these are the best sounding speakers that we ever had in our home.
They really are special
unquote
She sat w/ me for 2 hours and loved every minute.
Simply the BEST upgrade I have ever purchased.

That said everyone's set up/ears/environments are different.
I am not a true audiophile but I LOVE music,&  try to keep my system & life simple.
Trust your own experience/hearing BUT you have to audition the Salk Silks , if you REALLY LOVE music !
& remember  "Music is food for the SOUL".
Thanks again JIM SALK
Peace
ken

[Joe Frances]

Hi Joe,
I have a really simple set up
I use an Edge i3 integrated amp w/ 100 watts output.
& a Cary CD player.
w/ decent cables.
Very simple set up w/ modest electronics.

As a side note:
My wife always thought I was crazy buying/selling multiple speakers etc.
I forced her to sit w/ me and listen to the salk silks.
The biggest compliment I could give these speakers are my wife words.
quote
OK now I understand , these are the best sounding speakers that we ever had in our home.
They really are special
unquote
She sat w/ me for 2 hours and loved every minute.
Simply the BEST upgrade I have ever purchased.

That said everyone's set up/ears/environments are different.
I am not a true audiophile but I LOVE music,&  try to keep my system & life simple.
Trust your own experience/hearing BUT you have to audition the Salk Silks , if you REALLY LOVE music !
& remember  "Music is food for the SOUL".
Thanks again JIM SALK
Peace
ken

I understand and I am with you all the way.  I am a very low level audiophile.  My current system is very similar to yours.  I am not so much about the equipment as the music.  Really, I only listen to stereo to have the musical experience.  I love classical music and jazz; and would prefer to go to live performances all the time.  Current system needs upgrading and I am ready to do it, but have found it psychologically impossible to "pull the trigger" because I haven't been able to hear what the Silks actually sound like and whether I WOULD LOVE THEM, not whether someone else would.  I never hear anyone use the words "refined" to describe the sound; or "warm".  I don't mean too warm; thick or overly euphonic, I just mean not bright, aggressive or too sharp.  I have strange hearing and tolerate overly loud or overly sharp music.  What generally passes for great "modern" equipment to me sounds too sharp; too dry and way too analytical.  I dislike almost all the name brands except Harbeth, which I think makes a great speaker.  Diapasons are pretty good too; but a bit dry.  Recently I heard Axis Voice Boxes, which are small and pretty nice, but only come in piano black.  In one of his comments Jim Salk said that the Silks sound more "digital: and the Exoticsas sounded more "analogue" that confused me a lot.  Digititis is another sickness of modern hi-fi.

If I could hear the Silks, maybe that would do the trick, I don't know.  (Maybe I would think: what's all the fuss about?! But even then it would resolve the situation.)  Maybe I am just not the guy for internet blind buying.  Also, I am not sure I want to stop using my old 60 watt Copland amp which is indeed old (18 years old almost) but it is still good and I like it. I do need a new CD player and DAC. So, I am thinking of upgrading, but since I would definitely need to buy a higher powered integrated amp for the Silks, I am not sure I want to go that way.  It would be a shame if they are perfect for me, but I might never know......Thanks for your posts.   

Joe

[Woodsman]

Joe, there is a beautiful pair of Silk monitors with nice stands for sale here on this forum. Just a couple topics down. One of the most beautiful set of speakers I have ever seen.

[kenJay]

Hi Joe,
The silks are not digital/cold/analytical/sharp/bright.
I would classify KEF & Paradaigm that way
The Silks are clear/detailed but still manage some warmth & at the same time musical.
They made such an impression on my wife and I that we cant stop listening to music through them.
They are the best audio investment that I have ever made and worth the risk.

Worse case scenario, you don't like the sound then you can always sell them as they retain their value.
Best case scenario , you love them and are in musical heaven.
Like everything there is a sweet spot (investment vs reward).
To me , my current modest  system w/ the silks hit that spot. & well worth the risk.
Good luck w/ your search and decision.
Peace
ken

[johzel]

Hi Joe,
The silks are not digital/cold/analytical/sharp/bright.

As someone who owns Silk AT's I can 100% agree with this . . . "digital" is a word that has never come to mind when listening to the speakers.

[jsalk]

In one of his comments Jim Salk said that the Silks sound more "digital: and the Exoticsas sounded more "analogue" that confused me a lot.  Digititis is another sickness of modern hi-fi.

While perhaps not a very good analogy, I think my comments were comparing the SoundScape 8's to the Exoticas...not the Silk Monitors.  And it wasn't a comment directed at the SoundScape 8's which are a very capable and detailed speaker, but more so a comment on the "analog" sound of the Exoticas.

"Digital" is the last word I would use to describe the Silk Monitors.  In fact, the name of the speaker was chosen as it was the most apt description of what they sound like - silky smooth from top to bottom.

Gene DellaSala of Audioholics listed the Silk Monitors as the best bookshelf speaker in the world.  I would never make a claim like that.  But I can say I haven't heard a more well-balanced bookshelf in all my years in audio.

- Jim

[kenJay]

Gene DellaSala of Audioholics listed the Silk Monitors as the best bookshelf speaker in the world.
and I agree 100%

Thank you Jim Salk for taking the risk in making these speakers.
I am in Audio Heaven
Peace
Ken

[phoward]

I am using the standard Silk's for my home office and am delighted with them.
I cannot come up with a better descriptor than "smooth"
I also have Jim's HT2TL's - have never been fatigued from listening to either pair, and amazed at how much of the HT2TL's sound quality that the much smaller Silk delivers.
Not bright, not digital, just right IMHO

Thanks again Jim!

[oem-wheels]

kenJay, instead of shipping your speakers and getting them refinished and then shipped back, maybe it would be better if you sold them to me less the cost of refinishing and order yourself a new pair.. I'd pay for shipping to me... we'd both save some money...

[kenJay]

Hi, No interest in selling mine right now.  They also have 4 small holes on the side (last person screwed them to a stand) so even if you had them , you may want to get them repaired. Also, relative to the cost of the speakers shipping and refinishing is fairly in-expensive.
My suggestion is to make an offer on the used pair of silks on this website or contact Jim to have them built, they are worth every penny.
Peace, Ken 

[Joe Frances]

It is interesting, and I don't disagree with Jim at all, but I am looking for some further "short term" guidance, since there appears to be no shot for any potential customer to ever hear the Silks without buying first.  I guess my father was the only one who ever said don't buy anything unless you know what you are getting.  Anyway, I heard the Axis Voice Box small bookshelf monitors the other day at Park Audio, and I thought they were quite good.  I am sure, and I accept this, that they are not as great at the Silks, but they are really nice.  Anyway, Andrew was playing them through a 60 watt or so integrated amp, and for the session they played very well.  They are 84 db but could handle the 60 watt juice all right.  Since I haven't settled on a 100+ watt amp, what would happen if I played the Silks with a 60 watt tube amp?  Would it be awful?  All right?  What exactly?  I am in the dark on this.  Thanks.

[jsalk]

Since I haven't settled on a 100+ watt amp, what would happen if I played the Silks with a 60 watt tube amp?  Would it be awful?  All right?  What exactly?  I am in the dark on this.  Thanks.

Due to the soft clipping nature of tube amps, a general rule of thumb is that you only need half the tube power to obtain similar performance to solid state rated at twice the power.  So a 60 watt tube amp will provide roughly the same performance as a 120 watt solid state amp.  Solid state will normally provide tighter bass than a tube amp.  Tube amps generally provide a "liquid smooth" midrange (due to higher distortion which is interpreted as warmth).  Of course, these are generalities and it depends a lot on the particular amplifier design in question.

The bottom line is that a 60-watt tube amp should drive the Silks just fine.

- Jim