Song3's arrived!

abd1 · « **on:** 31 May 2018, 10:43 pm »

A couple months ago I celebrated being at my job for 20 years. As a gift for myself I ordered some Song3's. They arrived and I set them up last night. Amazing!! I let them play a couple hours while I went out to dinner and have spent about an hour listening so far. There is so much detail it is almost overwhelming at times. I'm glad I went with the base Song3 as the 3-A may have been too detailed for my tastes. They're finished in a ropey cherry veneer that I had Jim color match to my cabinet and they're stunning -- even better in person. While I was waiting for them I made some other changes as well. I upgraded from a chromecast to the Bluesound Node 2 and from an Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Plus to an Exogal Comet DAC. Both generated substantial improvements. The Exogal DAC in particular is fantastic. The way I have my system set up I can toggle between the Bluesound DAC and Exogal DAC instantly by changing inputs on my integrated, and I can do it on the fly without pausing the music. Its such a big difference between the DACs, even when the Bluesound is playing MQA the Exogal is clearly better. When I switch to the Bluesound it almost sounds like I'm muting the sound a bit - everything becomes more recessed and less detailed and softer sounding. The Exogal just delivers so much more "meat on the bones" that things sound scary real at times. There is also so much more space and depth surrounding each instrument or voice. The real star though, IMO, is the Salks. I had Totem Hawks before, and they're fantastic, but the Salks just bring more of everything. The detail and air from the tweeter is amazing. I'm also playing with some solid state amps to use during the summer because the Primaluna can get hot in the summer. Right now I have a Job 225. When I use the solid state I use the Exogal as the preamp as well. I just got the Job amp and haven't hooked up the Salks yet, but I will soon. I can't wait to spend some time this weekend playing around some more. And, yes Phoebe approves....

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #1 on:** 31 May 2018, 11:17 pm »

Congrats!

Can’t wait to see a video of you and Phoebe listening to some tunes on the Song 3’s.

Meicheng · « **Reply #2 on:** 31 May 2018, 11:33 pm »

The speakers appear to match your furniture/cabinet very nicely.

monte · « **Reply #3 on:** 31 May 2018, 11:44 pm »

Those speakers look great. When I go to the CAF, I always find myself in Jim’s room jammin to the song 3.

geowak · « **Reply #4 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 12:44 am »

Nice speakers. Salk has a strong following, although I have never heard a pair. His craftsmanship seems stellar.

ngamountains · « **Reply #5 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 12:58 am »

Wow, those are stunning. Congrats and happy listening!

Empoweryou · « **Reply #6 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 01:22 am »

They look great!! Very nice setup. They match really well with your cabinet. What kind of cables? Can't tell by the pic.

johzel · « **Reply #7 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 02:14 am »

Wow . . . beautiful. Congratulations. I also have an Exogal Comet DAC running with an Exogal Ion Amp with my Song3 BeATs . . . great combo. Enjoy!!! What a nice gift to yourself on your 20 year career.

GlennDog · « **Reply #8 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 12:25 pm »

Mozel Tov!

abd1 · « **Reply #9 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 03:46 pm »

Quote from: Tomy2Tone on 31 May 2018, 11:17 pm

Congrats!

Can’t wait to see a video of you and Phoebe listening to some tunes on the Song 3’s.

soon....

abd1 · « **Reply #10 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 04:10 pm »

Quote from: Empoweryou on 1 Jun 2018, 01:22 am

They look great!! Very nice setup. They match really well with your cabinet. What kind of cables? Can't tell by the pic.

Thanks. The cables are from Mark Tunis Audio. He sells direct on A..gon. The speaker cables are 4 individual strands of silver plated copper. Either 8 AWG or 10, I can't remember. I also have 1 of his power cords. I'm not sure power cords really make a difference (maybe now that my speakers are more revealing I should test this again), but his cables are excellent quality.

NHSkier · « **Reply #11 on:** 1 Jun 2018, 09:02 pm »

Do you move them out from the wall at all when you listen at volume or do they sound great right where they are?

DFpritchard · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Jun 2018, 09:35 pm »

Your Song3s are lovely, a beautiful match with the cabinet. I ordered Song3s in January and am at 52% completion. Will be using a Parasound Halo integrated with DAC to drive them. Will post impressions of this SS integrated with the Song3s and an Emotiva ERC-3 as transport. Speakers are Dennis Murphy's amazing Affordable Accuracy monitors. Everything sounds good but expecting larger improvements when the Song3s arrive.

Happy listening.

Empoweryou · « **Reply #13 on:** 6 Jun 2018, 09:21 pm »

I too am seriously considering the Parasound Halo integrated. Looking forward to your impressions of it. I'll be powering a pair of SC songtowers.

abd1 · « **Reply #14 on:** 6 Jun 2018, 09:43 pm »

Quote from: DFpritchard on 5 Jun 2018, 09:35 pm

Your Song3s are lovely, a beautiful match with the cabinet. I ordered Song3s in January and am at 52% completion. Will be using a Parasound Halo integrated with DAC to drive them. Will post impressions of this SS integrated with the Song3s and an Emotiva ERC-3 as transport. Speakers are Dennis Murphy's amazing Affordable Accuracy monitors. Everything sounds good but expecting larger improvements when the Song3s arrive.

Happy listening.

If I were looking into a solid state integrated the Parasound would be on the short list. I'm sure it will sound great. My Primaluna is loving the Salks. They are way easier to drive than the Totems were. Once my build got to the sealing coat stages it moved pretty fast. Although, they didn't update each stage. The tracker remained on stage 1 for a few weeks which is where I got my most impatient, but then it updated and it was on final inspection. Just saying in case yours does the same. Be patient, it's worth it.

Which version of the Song3's did you chose? I hope you post some impressions once you get it set up.

Grbluen · « **Reply #15 on:** 6 Jun 2018, 11:52 pm »

To the OP, congrats on your Song3s!
I have the original Song3s, and I'm loving every minute! I can't wait to get home from work and have been "sick" from work on numerous occasions.
I have them paired with the Parasound Halo. I have never been able to listen to digital music for any extended length of time, but with this combination I'm able to listen FOREVER! I'm starting to rethink my vinyl setup.

Again, Congrats!

DFpritchard · « **Reply #16 on:** 7 Jun 2018, 04:07 pm »

abd1, I ordered the 'regular' Song3 though in a non-standard veneer (Carpathian elm burl with mahogany). My entire system will consist of stuff I had never heard: Salk speakers, Parasound Halo integrated, Emotiva ERC-3 transport and Bluejean speaker cables. I chose everything based on reviews (including this terrific and helpful/supportive community) and a general fit with my preference to support the work of smaller, less 'corporate' entities. Also had to accommodate the realities of budget constraints and the fact that, at my age (presbycusis and too many really loud concerts), hearing is the weak link in the system. Is the Gryphon Diablo 300 'better' than the Halo? Probably, but could I appreciate that difference sufficient to warrant the 10-x cost difference. I'm really looking forward to listening to the music, not the machines. My Song3 are at 58% now, making good progress after being stuck on veneering for over two months.

abd1 · « **Reply #17 on:** 7 Jun 2018, 05:07 pm »

Quote from: DFpritchard on 7 Jun 2018, 04:07 pm

abd1, I ordered the 'regular' Song3 though in a non-standard veneer (Carpathian elm burl with mahogany). My entire system will consist of stuff I had never heard: Salk speakers, Parasound Halo integrated, Emotiva ERC-3 transport and Bluejean speaker cables. I chose everything based on reviews (including this terrific and helpful/supportive community) and a general fit with my preference to support the work of smaller, less 'corporate' entities. Also had to accommodate the realities of budget constraints and the fact that, at my age (presbycusis and too many really loud concerts), hearing is the weak link in the system. Is the Gryphon Diablo 300 'better' than the Halo? Probably, but could I appreciate that difference sufficient to warrant the 10-x cost difference. I'm really looking forward to listening to the music, not the machines. My Song3 are at 58% now, making good progress after being stuck on veneering for over two months.

That's going to be an amazing looking set of speakers. Are you using any of the gear now or putting it all together at once? I made quite a few changes once I ordered the Salks. I upgraded speaker cables, power cables (not really sure they make a difference), fuse, went from a chromecast audio to bluesound node 2 (which made a big difference in sq), new dac, new coax digital cable, new interconnects, even ordered some new KT120 tubes, and added the Job 225. I'm done upgrading for a long time!!

DFpritchard · « **Reply #18 on:** 7 Jun 2018, 06:17 pm »

I got rid of all my 2-channel stuff a few years ago, just Sennheiser HD800 headphones through MacBook, Schiit Lyr and Bifrost. Not bad but I missed the presence of real speakers moving lots of air. Earlier this year, I decided to set up a 2-channel system and started reading reviews. I've had some good stuff over the years (ARC, Cary, CJ, Levinson, McIntosh, Sonus Faber, Harbeth) but wanted to look at a simpler and less costly system. My short list of integrated amps was Parasound Halo, Hegel 160 and Peachtree 300. Ended up with the Halo because the reviews are good and one came up on Audiogon at a great price. Also, it bothered me a bit that there were so many Hegel 160s and Peachtree 300s up for sale on A'gon and elsewhere. Good products but why so many for sale? I'd never heard of Salk but ran into a couple of reviews, looked at the website and the Audiocircle discussions and basically found a philosophical fit. Ordered the Song3s as a result. Bought the ERC-3 to replace a Marantz universal player, which I still use for DVD/Bluray. Added a pair of D Murphy AA monitors just so I could start listening. Everything sounds remarkably good, even listening off-axis. Expect it will sound better with the Song3s in place.

abd1 · « **Reply #19 on:** 7 Jun 2018, 07:35 pm »

Quote from: DFpritchard on 7 Jun 2018, 06:17 pm

My short list of integrated amps was Parasound Halo, Hegel 160 and Peachtree 300. Ended up with the Halo because the reviews are good and one came up on Audiogon at a great price. Also, it bothered me a bit that there were so many Hegel 160s and Peachtree 300s up for sale on A'gon and elsewhere. Good products but why so many for sale?

Yeah, I'm a fan of Peachtree as I've owned 3 of their integrateds and a dac, but I also purchased all as used or demo. I feel like some people chose these products when they first get into higher end hifi or dedicated 2-channel, and then maybe sell to upgrade to seperates. They're the gateway drugs! That's what I did when I got my first Peachtree Nova. Didn't want to use a spare AV receiver anymore for 2-channel so tried the Nova and loved it, and then moved up to the Nova 125 and then Nova 220, then eventually to the Primaluna.

I'm looking forward to hearing your impressions compared to some of the great gear you've owned before.