[johzel]

A very exciting day . . . my "sort of" Song3's shipped today.  A BIG thank-you to Jim, Dennis and the Salk Sound crew for tackling this project during a time when they were very busy. Such a class operation - at every phase.  I guess we're referring to the speakers as Song3 BEATs . . . BE for beryllium tweeter and AT for the Audio Technology midrange.  Pictures and listening impressions to come . . . I'm sure 

[Tomy2Tone]

Sweet!

Is the AT mid on these the same as the one you had on the Silks?

[johzel]

Sweet!

Is the AT mid on these the same as the one you had on the Silks?

Yes it is.

[johzel]

The Song3 (BEATs) arrived today.  Here's a couple of pictures. As other SALK owners know - it is very difficult to capture the cabinet's real beauty.  The finish is a Ropey Cherry with black dye.  My wife actually said, "Wow, these are really pretty!"    Lots of breaking-in going on with the new speakers and the Exogal Comet/Ion power DAC. The Song3 BEAT's will be seeing 2-channel duty along side a Gallo HT set-up in our media room.  If I were reviewing this Salk and Exogal combination I'd title it, "A Disappearing Act".  They image like crazy.  More to come on that . . . at some point. But the music is spectacular - right out of the box!!

[Tomy2Tone]

Salk never disappoints! Awesome looking speakers!

When you get more time with them would love to hear what you think between these and the Silks you had. As great as the Raal tweeter is it's not for everybody and I'm curious if this was one of the the reasons for your move to the Song3 BEATS.

[ArthurDent]

Nice pics, very nice speakers, great setup ! Nice variation on the Cherry finish.   

[abd1]

wow, these look nice. I would have a hard time not using the salks for HT duty as well. No matter how good the Gallos are I can't imagine they're better than the Song3's.

[johzel]

Salk never disappoints! Awesome looking speakers!

When you get more time with them would love to hear what you think between these and the Silks you had. As great as the Raal tweeter is it's not for everybody and I'm curious if this was one of the the reasons for your move to the Song3 BEATS.

When Jim and I were talking about the design he suggested the beryllium as it has the extension of the Raal, the dispersion of a dome, and would work well in this 3-way speaker.  I noted its successful use in the Soundscape 8 BE's.  I had liked the beryllium tweeter in a former pair of Ushers I owned.  I was looking for fast, detailed, dynamic and lack of harshness but also something that would smoothly integrate with the midrange. I love a great midrange. So, I followed Jim's recommendation.  From a design standpoint, Jim might choose to step in here???   We'll see if I like this as much of the Silk AT's  . . .

[johzel]

wow, these look nice. I would have a hard time not using the salks for HT duty as well. No matter how good the Gallos are I can't imagine they're better than the Song3's.

Absolutely correct.  I'm running my 2-channel through the Exogal Comet/Ion which doesn't offer a HT Bypass and rather than looking for a different alternative - such as simply switching speaker cables back and forth from the two amps, I just decided to have two separate systems.  The 2-channel was going to be upstairs once upon a time and the Mrs. stepped in . . . we had a discussion . . . it's not upstairs. 

[abd1]

Absolutely correct.  I'm running my 2-channel through the Exogal Comet/Ion which doesn't offer a HT Bypass and rather than looking for a different alternative - such as simply switching speaker cables back and forth from the two amps, I just decided to have two separate systems.  The 2-channel was going to be upstairs once upon a time and the Mrs. stepped in . . . we had a discussion . . . it's not upstairs.

At some point you may have to switch the cables for a movie or 2, but then it may be hard to switch back. BTW, I almost tried those Gallos on a closeout deal. I don't want to change the subject of the thread but do you like them?

[johzel]

At some point you may have to switch the cables for a movie or 2, but then it may be hard to switch back. BTW, I almost tried those Gallos on a closeout deal. I don't want to change the subject of the thread but do you like them?

Different league, obviously, from the Salks . . .  But for what they're closing these Gallos out for they're a ridiculously good deal - no brainer.  Back to the regularly scheduled program, the same "ridiculously good deal" label applies both to the Salks and the Exogal equipment. Maybe even more so . . . talk about value for the dollar.

[robcentola]

Congrats. They look awesome.

Nothing like the smell of fresh Salks!

[zybar]

What did the speakers cost?

As usual, they look great.

George

[johzel]

What did the speakers cost?

As usual, they look great.

George

With upgraded drivers and standard finish with shipping . . . about $4500.  Don't know if that will be the price if Jim should choose to make this a regular "model". 

[DMurphy]

The Song3 (BEATs) arrived today.  Here's a couple of pictures. As other SALK owners know - it is very difficult to capture the cabinet's real beauty.  The finish is a Ropey Cherry with black dye.  My wife actually said, "Wow, these are really pretty!"    Lots of breaking-in going on with the new speakers and the Exogal Comet/Ion power DAC. The Song3 BEAT's will be seeing 2-channel duty along side a Gallo HT set-up in our media room.  If I were reviewing this Salk and Exogal combination I'd title it, "A Disappearing Act".  They image like crazy.  More to come on that . . . at some point. But the music is spectacular - right out of the box!!

6[/img]

Interesting that you should mention imaging.  I asked Jim this morning what he thought of the Beats, and he mentioned that a particularly hard-to-please crew member had extolled their imaging qualities.  That's something that's very hard to predict.  Although the Be dome tweeter does have superior vertical dispersion compared to the RAAL ribbon, its horizontal dispersion isn't as wide.  So that's not what explains it.  I suspect it has to do with the way the off-axis response rolls off very evenly, and to how easy it was to optimize phase relationships between the mid and tweet.  Too bad those drivers are so expensive. 

[Folsom]

What midrange is that? I'm curious how they compare as well, given the AT monitors are no slouches.

[johzel]

What midrange is that? I'm curious how they compare as well, given the AT monitors are no slouches.

It's the same Audio Technology driver used in the AT monitor.  By the way, I also asked Jim if he'd recommend a different bass driver for this speaker and he said keeping the Satori 7.5 woofer was the way to go. So, that's unchanged from the original Song3.  Here's the thread which led me to asking Jim about using the AT in the Silks.  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=125934.0

[Woodsman]

I have 4 words for them, BEE YOU TEE FULL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would love to hear them with those different components used. My Silk AT's should be here soon, hopefully anyway. Agonizing wait 

[johzel]

Would love to hear them with those different components used. My Silk AT's should be here soon, hopefully anyway. Agonizing wait 

Agonizing wait . . . that pretty much describes it      You'll love the AT's . . .

[Kinger]

Wow those are absolutely beautiful!  Congrats on your purchase!  Just curious, do you use the subs when listening to music with the songs?