Chris' New SilkTower design

jsalk · « **on:** 10 Dec 2013, 08:23 pm »

Friends visited the shop a few months ago and fell in love with the Silk Monitors. But they also liked the new Veracity ST's. It was a tough decision. In the process of debating which way to go, they asked if we could do a version of the Silk Monitors, but with dual woofers in a transmission line cabinet.

Paul Kittinger modeled the Illuminator driver. And while the advantages of a TL design for this driver were not as dramatic as some others, it was a viable candidate. So he worked his usual magic and generated a cabinet design.

Dennis Murphy then took over and did what he does best, exacting the best performance possible out of these stellar drivers.

Here are the results...

And a close-up...

And here is a frequency response plot...

Happy listening Chris!

- Jim

Austin08 · « **Reply #1 on:** 10 Dec 2013, 08:33 pm »

Nice!!! So the name is Silk-TL???

jsalk · « **Reply #2 on:** 10 Dec 2013, 09:34 pm »

I think is will simply be called the Silk Tower. That way we would have the Silk Monitor and the Silk Tower. But Silk-TL is not bad either. We're willing to consider other ideas as well.

- Jim

Saturn94 · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 12:33 am »

Has a price been set yet? What are the dimensions?

Ern Dog · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 03:37 am »

Gorgeous woof finish! What finish is this Jim?

glangford · « **Reply #5 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 10:49 am »

What's the bass response?

martyo · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 01:20 pm »

Beautiful Jim.

Quote

What's the bass response?

Good question because the monitors where very impressive and it was a powerful bass response. With dual drivers there should be more energy.

rockadanny · « **Reply #7 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 01:48 pm »

Stunning!

Kinger · « **Reply #8 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 02:52 pm »

I would love to hear some listening impressions between this pair and a pair of ST's using the standard (non SEAS) woofers. I already feel the midrange in my ST/RT's (with LCY tweeters) sounds amazing so I'm guessing with these Scanspeaks it just makes that magic even better.

jsalk · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 03:51 pm »

Quote from: Saturn94 on 11 Dec 2013, 12:33 am

Has a price been set yet? What are the dimensions?

I haven't had time to cost everything out yet. But my best guess is that it will be in the $4500 - $4700 area.

As for size, the cabinets themselves are 40" tall, 8" wide and 9.5" deep. Plinths and spikes add another 2 3/4" to the height. So they are small in stature, but big on sound.

The frequency response is about 41Hz - 60kHz +/- 3db. While the extension is not as great as some other models, the bass performance is quite impressive. Listening to them, you would assume the extension is much lower than it actually is. Like the Silk Monitors, the sound is very smooth top to bottom. The mid-bass is more prominent than with most Seas drivers, so the speakers tend to be on the warm side in comparison.

Although the owner does not have a pair of SongTowers to compare them to, he does have a pair of SongBirds and I'm sure he will chime in with his impressions.

- Jim

jsalk · « **Reply #10 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 03:52 pm »

Quote from: Ern Dog on 11 Dec 2013, 03:37 am

Gorgeous woof finish! What finish is this Jim?

It is pepperwood burl.

- Jim

jsalk · « **Reply #11 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 03:55 pm »

Quote from: Kinger on 11 Dec 2013, 02:52 pm

I would love to hear some listening impressions between this pair and a pair of ST's using the standard (non SEAS) woofers. I already feel the midrange in my ST/RT's (with LCY tweeters) sounds amazing so I'm guessing with these Scanspeaks it just makes that magic even better.

Kinger -

All the SongTower drivers are Seas drivers. The drivers in your speakers are from the Prestige series and the drivers in the Supercharged SongTowers (and the Veracity ST's and HT2-TL's) are from the Excel series. Hopefully the owner will chime in and give you a feel for the differences in the woofers since he has SongBirds with the same woofers you have.

- Jim

Kinger · « **Reply #12 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 04:09 pm »

Thanks for the clarification Jim! Much appreciated as always.

mintchris · « **Reply #13 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 05:43 pm »

Here is what I wrote to Jim:
"Love the speakers! They sounds so sweet and it is the first time that I have experienced a really palpable midrange. They are super smooth and easy to listen to. Also had them hooked up for a few movies and they do an amazing job with dialogue. It comes thru very deep and rich."

I have heard a lot of the Salk line up and these are easily my favourites. They put up such a defined image that you really feel like you can reach out and touch some of the instruments. These things just make you want to listen all night.
As I said with movies the dialogue is so deep and engaging. Overall we couldn't be happier with the speakers, the finish and as always the service from Jim and Mary.

I am not a technical guy so it is hard to put the comparison between the Silks and Songbirds into words. I will say that if the only speakers I ever owned were the Songbirds then I would be a happy guy. They are also a sweet sounding speaker and a great value. The Silks just do everything better. The sound is more robust and detailed and rich. Not to say that the woofers that come with the Songbird/towers aren't great because they are but the Illuminator woofers are just that much better.

Best way I can say it is the Silks are a warm blanket on a cold winter night:)
I am going to do some side by side listening this weekend and will post any other impressions I have then.

SCompRacer · « **Reply #14 on:** 11 Dec 2013, 09:23 pm »

Beautiful! High marks!

front242 · « **Reply #15 on:** 17 Dec 2013, 12:36 am »

As a Silk owner already, it's all I can do to keep the drool off my chin. I actually imagined this speaker at home while listening to my rig a while back!

Do these present an easier amplifier load, Jim? There sure is not a lot of difference in bottom end extension given the extra driver, TL feature, and bigger cabinet.

jsalk · « **Reply #16 on:** 17 Dec 2013, 02:14 pm »

Quote from: front242 on 17 Dec 2013, 12:36 am

Do these present an easier amplifier load, Jim? There sure is not a lot of difference in bottom end extension given the extra driver, TL feature, and bigger cabinet.

Yes, these are about 88db sensitive (compared to about 84db for the Silk Monitors). Each 3db increase/decrease in sensitivity is roughly equivalent to doubling/halving the power requirements. So these would be easier to drive. That, coupled with increased power handling due to the woofers sharing the load, are the main advantages.

- Jim

pslate · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 Dec 2013, 06:29 pm »

At Axpona the Silk was my favorite Salk speaker regardless of price or size. I think these towers will be something special, maybe something that does not translate to a spec sheet as much, but it is simply exceptional.

front242 · « **Reply #18 on:** 19 Dec 2013, 02:27 am »

Here's my take. Silks require stands, and the ones I bought (26 inch four post Sound Anchors) cost about $700. So the Silks plus stands worthy of them will run you $4200, while the Silk Towers will cost an estimated $4500-$4700. So for $300 - $500 more, you get a speaker that takes up essentially the same space, but plays lower and works with more amp choices. No brainer!

mresseguie · « **Reply #19 on:** 21 Dec 2013, 02:56 pm »

I just stumbled upon this thread and really like how the Silk Towers look. They are beautiful--especially in that burl. Congratulations to the new owner and to their creators! Are these ported or sealed?

I've been researching Salk speakers for a few months now and I am very interested in hearing any of them. (I'm aware there is a thread for auditions.) I have never heard a Salk speaker.

I own ProAc Response D2 monitors that I suspect may be similar in sound to the Silks or the Ellis 1801s, but that's just my wild guess. Has anyone in this thread heard my speakers, and can you share your thoughts or your impressions?

While researching Salk speakers, I have wracked my brains, checked my wallet, and carefully judged my wife's flying wok in an effort to decide which speakers are right for me. Every time I think I know the answer, a new model (or two!) is presented. Before I discovered Salk speakers, I had thought my 'dream' speakers were ProAc D28 or D30R floor standing speakers. Now I am not so sure....this is why I must hear some of them. I know....hop on a plane and fly to Michigan. Easy, but not inexpensive.

I think I need to email Mr. Salk, huh?

Regards,

Michael