[ArthurDent]

ArthurDent  - Welcome to the forum!

Glad to hear there is someone local that has a pair of SongTowers and even a SongCenter to boot!!  I think we all would be interested in your thoughts on the SongCenter since it does not receive as much press as the towers - when you get a little more quality listening time with them of course.

Let me know if and when you might be able to welcome me in your home for an audition.  I would greatly appreciate that.  And your music tastes seem right up my alley...I am not a country music fan..Just tell me when, where and how much food/beverages to bring..

Evening godawgs & company,

Apologies for the delayed response, one thing after another as with many. Appears there are at least 4 maybe 5 'locals' who have expressed an interest in checking out the Towers, which is a good number to start with. As noted my listening area is small, and house not that much bigger. Am a bit of a hermit, so may work into somewhat larger groups if all goes well and there are others who wish to hear them. While they won't be everyone's cup of tea I'd imagine someone will find they fit their needs and then there will be others who can share as well. 

Saturday afternoons are best for me as 'free' time fluctuates wildly due to work. If it works for those who have expressed a desire to hear them PM me as to whether one of thee next two Sat afternoons (19the or 26th) works for y'all. We'll see what works best for the majority & work around that for starters. It will probably get spotty after that due to previously noted upcoming construction & remodel work. No offense intended to anyone, but after a week of having construction folks all over the place I'll be reserving my weekends for peace & quiet for a bit. At least until all the work is done, which will probably be a month or so.

Just in case there are those with allergies, this is a dog house, and I am a smoker (trying to quit). Would rather not have anyone getting ill, kind of takes the fun out of things. If you are afraid of dogs, for any of the many justifiable reasons, while my dog is friendly once introduced, you may wish to wait for a different situation for your audition. He is pushey and will figure you are here to play with him.

Sadly, there is no '11' on my system. As noted my listening levels are low to mid, and having done a sound check, the walls of my 40+ year old house are not well insulated. Out of deference to my next door neighbors of 25 years the volume will be somewhat limited in general. The occasional spike may happen, but my hearing is still pretty good after many years of concert going. I've been told recently by a somewhat younger friend I am apparently missing some of the highest frequency stuff, but that's to be expected. Goes with arms that get shorter as we age. There are no acoustic treatments to the listening area as yet, maybe in the future, but I think most will find the volume level satisfactory to determine whether they wish to take the leap.

As to food/beverages, the offer is appreciated and I'll leave that to your discretion, though if you have a preferred porter you'd like to share I'm always up for a new find in that department. At the moment I believe we have godawgs, mca, miklorsmith, and funkymonkey who have spoken up, and jam2001 if you'd like to join in, in spite of having gone for the Rockets already I'll be happy to accommodate.

One additional thing I can confidently restate, which has been noted on the other threads regarding the Song Towers, they will reveal both the quality & limitations of a recording. I've been re-stocking a number of remasters of late, and while they are improvements over the originals, there is a world of difference in the sound from the selections on Jim's demo CD and most of them. A good part of that is the advancement in recording technology I'm sure, so don't be surprised. Pack of some of the reference tunes you'd like to hear, and we'll see if we can't all have a good time.    aa

Arthur

ps  funkymonkey, I messed up the initial reply, if you didn't get the second one since it told me I'd already sent it shoot me another.

[ArthurDent]

Correction on the ps -

That should be 'jackmonkeyhat'. Apologies, short term memory thing.

[jam2001]

AthurDent,

Once you guys decide what time you are getting together, please let me know and I'll try to make it.  I'd still love to see and hear the SongTowers.  This Saturday though the weather's going to be too nice!  I need to get caught up on some yard work.

[miklorsmith]

Yeah!  70 or 75 degrees tomorrow!!  After a long, dreary winter I don't think I'll be able to sit inside tomorrow.

Do keep us tuned in though.

[ArthurDent]

Yes, if our meteorological pundits are to be believed. May mean I won't wake up to snow or frost Sunday morning and can actually play golf.

Tomorrow wasn't on the calendar in any case as there is work work, yardwork here as well (time to start cutting grass already - ugh), and still have numerous piles of this & that to be relocated/re-arranged/pitched so folks can sit and move around.

Will see what godawgs & mca have to say, jackmonkeyhat has noted next weekend (19th) works for him. Enjoy all, maybe Spring has in fact arrived !

[mca]

I think the 19th would work for me.

And as you can see by my pic, dogs aren't a problem 

[ArthurDent]

And a fine looking pair they are. My guy's partner passed almost 4 years ago now, and am going to have to get a puppy for his sanity & mine.

All we need now is godawgs input.

Oh yes, to clarify an earlier statement, it's not the Mr. Van Alstine does not build his equipment with an '11'. It's just I can't afford the health insurance for ear replacement surgery. 

[ArthurDent]

Well godawgs has gone silent, hopefully all is OK. Since the 19th seems a consensus for those addressed/responding, it's on. PM me for directions. Hope you all got your yardwork done last week, as chances are we'll see snow this weekend, at least here.

We can start around 2 or so, and run till whatever works. As I think it's a Formula 1 weekend, which means getting up at 4 AM for the live race broadcast Sunday, probably won't run too late. Who knows, time flies when you're having fun.

Will try to accomodate godawgs after the construction if he's still interested, and without options. Looking forward to meeting you fine gentlemen. 

[Sparks]

Well crap!
I  haven't visited in awhile and totally missed this thread.
In any event, if any of you are interested in a future get together,
I live in Kent and have a trio of HT2s in a dedicated space.
Let me know if there's any interest.
Thanks

[ArthurDent]

Sparks,

Actually I'd be interested in a listen at some point. I was considering the HT2s before going with the Song Towers. And must confess am a little curious as to the differences, particularly the ribbon tweeter.

Going to be hectic here for a bit with construction, but will keep an eye on the thread and if you line up a few others will see if I can join in.

Thanks for the offer.

[godawgs5]

Crap Crap Crap!  Tax time really put me out of the loop.  Good news though I don't owe any money like I thought I was going to.  SongTowers timeframe might be closing quicker than expected!

AuthurDent - looks like I missed it.  Thank you so much for being responsive and willing to open your house to a stranger!  I would not have been able to make it either last weekend or this coming Saturday anyways.

After construction - absolutely would love to visit. 

[ArthurDent]

Hi godawgs5 - good to hear you survived the rigors of the 15th in tact, and the bottom line was positive. Sorry the schedule didn't work out for you this time. There were last minute conflicts with mca as well, so he and miklorsmith didn't make it.

Jackmonkeyhat got lost from mapquest, with our geography even the best map can lead one astray around here. He did get close enough though that with my directions he found me. It was a short but very nice visit. We'll be keeping in touch as a result. As is stated both here and on the avs forum, the Towers are an impressive speaker, and at least as of my last communication with him 'jack' was going to place an order.

My General (contractor) is coming by tomorrow so we can line out things and set the schedule start date. I'll keep an eye on the thread, and once the dust settles (of course not from all the traffic, amazing what changes one sees in 25 years in one location) we'll see if we can't get another date set for you and the others. I'd really like to get jam2001 in the mix too to get his impressions on the differences with his Rockets.

That's it for now, back after the new roof is on.

PS  {re: alias & notes} recognition and credit for any and all necessary & required intellectual property rights to Mr. Douglas Adams, and Thanks for hours of good reading, viewing, & tons of laughs. 

[jam2001]

Let me know when you guys want to get together and I'll try to make it.

[godawgs5]

ArthurDent - I was really hoping for some more first impressions on those towers.  Oh well, tis life.  Hope the construction goes well and it is as painless as possible. 

I find myself more on the avsforum than here but I will check back every so often to see how things are going.

Cheers!
Andy

[ArthurDent]

Andy,

I'm a little hesitant to give my impressions, mainly as I don't really have any experience comparing one speaker to another. As noted I'm still listening to my 20 yr old Dahlq monitors here in the office, and they sound great. I do plan to take them out to the 'listening room' for an A/B, but that will probably be of limited value for anyone else.

I will say that floor standing challenge comments from Nuance, Craigsub, funkmonkey, over on avs with regards to the STs was dead on to what I hear. Horns, guitars, piano, are alive from a presence standpoint. Vocal clear, but not too bright. Brushes on snare, delicate, and engaging. Soundstage is often wider & deeper than the room, depending on the recording. One of those guys noted a thought I'd had during an extend listening session with a friend a couple of weeks ago, in that the mid and high freq/ranges were very forward. But not negatively so. The noted friend & I listened for 3.5 hrs at the upper end of my listening level tolerance, and I had no fatigue, which has not been the case with some other speakers I've heard over the years. Poor example, but my old Advents, no way could they be tolerated at that level for that period of time. He has some PSB Silvers, I can't take them at the same level for that long. Nice speakers, good sound, just different. I had considered them a few years back when he first got them.

Much like my golf (par/double bogey = bogey golfer), my stereo expertise is an average of highs & lows. Every few years I get the bug, do some research, make the best 'informed' decision I can, then settle back and enjoy. So in effect, hi-fi/low-fi = mid fi. I feel like that makes my opinions of limited value in the overall picture. A few years ago I did listen to some Dali's at either Definitive or Speaker Lab up in the U District, it was I think relatively early in their introduction of the line to the states. They had one of the upper models (6 series ?) in their main listening room, driven by some higher end gear, and they were not only spectacular in appearance, but the sound was amazing. From a price standpoint I was interested in the 4 (?) series, but they couldn't bring in a pair for listening unless I ordered them. That was kind of the end of that search-wise till this endeavor. {side note - when the sales person went on-line to check the price on the '4's he inadvertently went thru their seller's access, being on dial-up it took a while and he had to do something else, leaving me watching the computer. When the screen came up it showed their price was $750, though the retail was $1500. Just confirmation of what many others have stated}

I can say I discovered just this past New Years a friend who's built my computers for 13 years, was a past speaker designer for Speaker Lab. He has been by twice since his 1st listen, and noted last weekend when we continued listening after 'jack' had left, they sound better each time he hears them. Particularly the bass, which has been my experience as I get more time on them. If you checked out the review on enjoythemusic.com I'd tend to agree with Mr. Ferre with regards to 'break-in'. Not that I would presume to have the expertise to disagree with Mr. Salk, who I believe stated they should be 'there' out of the box. But that's my feeling FWIW.

I still have less than 100 hrs on them, and have re-arranged the 'stage' configuration allowing a little additional spacing between which helped the overall sound. Have 7' between rather than 5', c-c. Due to HT equipment considerations they are roughly 26" from the back wall, but that doesn't seem to present any problems with regards to affecting the bass. I only note that from what I've read here & at avs regarding positioning & possible 'boominess'. They are about -8" in from the sidewalls. Right side has the TV/stand on it's left, the Left side has my equipement cabinet on it's immediate right, between it & the TV/stand.

The Song Center is as could be expected a perfect match with the STs for HT. Sadly have little more time on it than previously noted as my LCD with less than 12 hrs of viewing time developed a screen problem. Service tech was out this week to take it apart so he could get the screen serial # to order a replacement. Hope to have that resolved in the next week or so. Thank goodness for the manufacturer's in-home warranty programs that now prevail for the 1st year. Nothings perfect, but my luck is usually things break the week after the warranty runs out. So am disappointed, but happily so.

Don't know if that helps much, but those are my impressions to date. Offered with a pound of salt.

[godawgs5]

^ Great Post!

AuthurDent - I love the golf analogy, that's how I have been the last couple of years.  Bogey golf because of three or four holes!  Argh!
I am glad to hear the positive feedback on the SongCenter and I look forward to more on it once your LCD is fixed.  I really was looking for a wide soundstage in a speaker and that is one of the biggest pluses I hear about the SongTowers - something that gets me excited everytime someone else confirms it.  I think the hardest part about deciding on the SongTowers - is what finish to get??  That's a good thing.
My only true higher end listening experience was a pair of Magnepans at Definitive in Bellevue - it was short and those things were very large and basically took up the whole room but the sound - quite the soundstage on those.  Size and placement = not for me, but it got the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.  Do you get that when listening to the SongTowers? 

Take it easy!
Andy

[ArthurDent]

Hey Andy, (and other interested parties) Glad you found my comments of some value. I do seem to recall, or possibly reminded by a post elsewhere, the Dali's I was looking at are/were the Icon series I believe. And yes, a buddy in Spokane back in the late 70's had some Magnepans driven by Phase Linear gear. Incredibly detailed, if not a little short in the bass dept, but they were monsters size-wise.

Got the LCD fixed, only took 3+ weeks, and by then they'd started on the roof. Haven't had time for further HT analysis due to work. But things are progressing fwiw. Old roof gone, trusses up, sheathed, and papered. With luck it will be shingled & inspected by week's end. Last week was not kind to the crew, but they worked thru the rain to get it dried in. Still have wiring, siding to put back up, and exterior paint to do, so Phase 1 completion is probably still a couple of weeks away.

Been too busy to spend any real quality listening time, and as we did have some minor leaks I may have to 'disassemble' the system so the drywall-er can make some repairs to the ceiling above the system area. Sad since the guy just did the whole room 2 years ago (& did a great job), but could have been worse. One of those unforeseen glitches that goes with major construction.

Yes, the STs do raise the hair on the back of my neck on the proper material. Sadly they don't grow any back on top of my head. But then I don't recall Jim covers either issue specifically in the Song Tower literature & specs, and as such can't be held responsible. 

Just wanted to check in, let you know I haven't forgotten y'all, and when the dust has settled we'll try to pull together another listening session.

[mca]

Good luck on getting things wrapped up. I look forward to a future listening session 

[godawgs5]

Hey Andy, (and other interested parties) Glad you found my comments of some value. I do seem to recall, or possibly reminded by a post elsewhere, the Dali's I was looking at are/were the Icon series I believe. And yes, a buddy in Spokane back in the late 70's had some Magnepans driven by Phase Linear gear. Incredibly detailed, if not a little short in the bass dept, but they were monsters size-wise.

Got the LCD fixed, only took 3+ weeks, and by then they'd started on the roof. Haven't had time for further HT analysis due to work. But things are progressing fwiw. Old roof gone, trusses up, sheathed, and papered. With luck it will be shingled & inspected by week's end. Last week was not kind to the crew, but they worked thru the rain to get it dried in. Still have wiring, siding to put back up, and exterior paint to do, so Phase 1 completion is probably still a couple of weeks away.

Been too busy to spend any real quality listening time, and as we did have some minor leaks I may have to 'disassemble' the system so the drywall-er can make some repairs to the ceiling above the system area. Sad since the guy just did the whole room 2 years ago (& did a great job), but could have been worse. One of those unforeseen glitches that goes with major construction.

Yes, the STs do raise the hair on the back of my neck on the proper material. Sadly they don't grow any back on top of my head. But then I don't recall Jim covers either issue specifically in the Song Tower literature & specs, and as such can't be held responsible. 

Just wanted to check in, let you know I haven't forgotten y'all, and when the dust has settled we'll try to pull together another listening session.

ArthurDent - thanks for the update.  Glad to hear things are progressing, except for the leaks!  Yikes!

[ArthurDent]

Morning mca, godawgs5, miklorsmith, & jam2001 -and any others following. Hope you all enjoyed our summer yesterday, was close to 90 here. And with the new attic & fan, sans insulation as yet, it never got hotter than 76 inside. Truly a delightful change. 

Work is 85-90%, and have a 2 week respite awaiting a new door to complete things. So, I think I can get things cleaned up by next weekend, does that work for any or all ? I presume all will have plans for the following weekend of the 4th, but if there's interest, other than work nothing much will be going on here. System(s) will be cranked up, and Mr Steed will be on doggie-downers most of the time to combat the fireworks.

Haven't put a lot more time on things, almost none on the HT/Center so can't offer any further comments there. I will refrain from future volume level referencing by using the clock, as I wouldn't want anyone getting 'peeved'. 
Will just stick to low, mid, and bleeding ear.

PM me on what works for you, and we'll see what we can put together. Next opportunity will probably be around 7/19.
Back to work....