Impressions of Salk SongTowers

[fuzz092888]

It's a theater room for me now. I did the living room thing and it's not fun.

I second that. Living rooms make awful HT rooms unless you're a swinging bachelor

 

[Alex2507]

Get Jim Salk to match your furniture and use pretty wires (and hide them well) and you should be fine

It's lucky for you that we all have different budgets. I've been peeking in on Audiogon for local stuff. There's a lot of steep wire around me. Shoot, I ought to make my own and sell it there. I'll be Tim or Gary. Anyway I popped in a BR Neil Young concert and at first though his voice sucked and he was singing some heavy tune but then he shut up and just played like a spanish thing on the acoustic guitar and I waqs happy I owned the BR. Then he went into a new tune that he did pretty well but they must have enhanced the bass because I had to go into the rec'r and set a x-over pointr of 80. It was too bassy. So ... neil YUoung is playing on the front 3 while I wire up the rears and subs. Trim's done but not ready for new pic's quite yet. Not even enough time for spell check.

What's the center's F3 or it's rated low. I'm confident 60Hz isn't a problem especially at low volume. There's plenty of bass coming out of them (STs) when they're set to large. I've got that one NY tune as a reference. Anyway, back to the task at hand.

Note: It was only too bassy for me because of neighbors. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that they could hear every low note. I think that for condo dwellers the buck stops here in terms of allowable bass. A Phil3 would likely brake the floor. Okay, that's it and that's all. later.

 

[Swerd]

What's the center's F3 or it's rated low?

I'm guessing the SongCenter goes down to about 50 Hz, same as the CAOW1 or SongSurround I. The Fs and cabinet tuning frequency will be the same for 1 woofer or 2, but with 2 woofers it will be more sensitive.

I forget which woofers are in your center speaker, but it shouldn't make much difference whether they're CA15s (coated paper - shiny black) or ER15s (paper with reed fibers - dull black with little tan fibers).

 

[fuzz092888]

I'm guessing the SongCenter goes down to about 50 Hz, same as the CAOW1 or SongSurround I. The Fs and cabinet tuning frequency will be the same for 1 woofer or 2, but with 2 woofers it will be more sensitive.

I forget which woofers are in your center speaker, but it shouldn't make much difference whether they're CA15s (coated paper - shiny black) or ER15s (paper with reed fibers - dull black with little tan fibers).

Salk's website says F3 is 45hz. I can't find the measurements I took of that center, but I remember it being pretty darn good with both in room and quasi-anechoic. I remember experimenting with the crossover from 40hz on up to 120 and IIRC my own sweet spot was right around 60 for all but the loudest volumes.

 

[Alex2507]

I request more pictures of your room once you get everything set back up again.

This is a shot of the trim in. I need to tape off and cut in my caulk line but having it in I'm getting everything hooked up in the rear.

This is the rear right corner. You can see my approximation of having a big enough room to support 7.2.

Same thing just a different angle.

*The couch hides all that sub and rear surround madness. Sounds good in 3.2 so far. I've got a little EQ'ing going on with the subs to cut a couple of nasty peaks. Any way I got the other surrounds to wire up yet. I've been level matching as I go but I digress.

I wonder how many other people out there have these set ups. The RAALs are wicked steep, huh? This was like the STs on a budget.

 

[Matt34]

Ugh, I don't need a used pair of Salk ST, I don't need a used pair of Salk ST.......

 

[fuzz092888]

Ugh, I don't need a used pair of Salk ST, I don't need a used pair of Salk ST.......

I agree. Go straight for the HT2-TL.

 

[Matt34]

Sure, you get to tell my wife though. The Salk's will have me running for cover as it is.

 

[fuzz092888]

Sure, you get to tell my wife though. The Salk's will have me running for cover as it is.

As long as I can do it via e-mail it's a deal.

 

[Swerd]

I agree. Go straight for the HT2-TL.

I never fail to be amazed at the people with chronic Audio Nirvana Nervosa.

That guy had his HT2-TLs for less than three years, and he is selling them to allow buying one of the SoundScape models. He wants to unload what is, in my opinion, one of the best speakers available at any price, so he can 'upgrade'.

I don't want to deny Jim Salk the benefit of repeat customers, but sometimes I think we really need a palm-face emoticon on AH .

 

[fuzz092888]

I never fail to be amazed at the people with chronic Audio Nirvana Nervosa.

That guy had his HT2-TLs for less than three years, and he is selling them to allow buying one of the SoundScape models. He wants to unload what is, in my opinion, one of the best speakers available at any price, so he can 'upgrade'.

I don't want to deny Jim Salk the benefit of repeat customers, but sometimes I think we really need a palm-face emoticon on AH .

On the one hand, I completely agree. On the other, if I had $3000 lying around I'd be on the phone with Jim Salk or whoever I needed to be on the phone with discussing veneers for a new pair of Phil Slims

 

[Alex2507]

Ugh, I don't need a used pair of Salk ST, I don't need a used pair of Salk ST.......

I know that angst well. Try to 'not need' a matching center while you're at it.

My girl sort of gave up on trying to keep score on the speaker deals but she sure knew the amp had not been discussed at all. You're probably going to 'not need' one of these too.

 

[Matt34]

Well, I put an offer in on a pair, lets see what the owner thinks....

 

[Matt34]

Well, I put an offer in on a pair, lets see what the owner thinks....

He came back with a counter offer but I think I'm going to have to pass. It's going to be more than I'm comfortable with after shipping and I would still be out a center channel.

 

[fuzz092888]

Hmmm, double the budget and go with the Phil Slim. That must be the only option. Then tell your wife that they are the Salk ST's you were looking at and the guy accepted your offer. Congratulations on your new speakers

 

[Matt34]

I wish. Still have to get a new TV stand and I have a couple firearms I'm picking up as well as vacation costs.

 

[Alex2507]

An online magazine review of Salk SongTowers has been published.

The short version is, "Salk Signature Sound has hit an out of the park home run with the SongTower QWT".

The reviewer, Nels Ferre and I seem to have this in common:

My Infinitys [ ] are heading to retirement

I guess I've been enjoying my SongTowers for about 6 months now. Every time I watch something on TV I find myself thinking about how good the audio sounds. It's like for a second or two I stop and appreciate some aspect of the audio track and then I go back to the show. It might be that I appreciate my set up more because it was so much work to get from 'there' to 'here' but now that I am 'here', I'm here to say that it hasn't gotten the least bit old.

I've been watching a series on Show Time called Homeland. Getting the subs dialed in to where the Show Time theme music produces only a mildly disturbing low frequency rumble has been my test track for setting the sub gain and cross over point. The show has used the surrounds for back ground music and ambient sound which I find less or more noticeable depending on whether or not I'm in the money seat. I sort of take my ques on setting gains for the surrounds based on having them not sound too loud in the less than ideal 'not the money seat'. It's an odd compromise meant to insure that the rest of the system doesn't ruin the audio experience being offered by the Salk front stage.

Since I got the STs I've had 3 different receivers and 2 different amps driving them. That's more work than it's worth but the various electronics like most toys are always more fun when new. The STs unlike most toys haven't lost any of their appeal. If anything I'm liking them more due to getting the rest of the system dialed in better.

It would be nice to have a pair of these for a 2 channel set up. There would be nothing left to do after hooking up the speaker wire.

Signed,
Still Diggin' It

 

[PENG]

The reviewer, Nels Ferre and I seem to have this in common:



I guess I've been enjoying my SongTowers for about 6 months now. Every time I watch something on TV I find myself thinking about how good the audio sounds. It's like for a second or two I stop and appreciate some aspect of the audio track and then I go back to the show. It might be that I appreciate my set up more because it was so much work to get from 'there' to 'here' but now that I am 'here', I'm here to say that it hasn't gotten the least bit old.

I've been watching a series on Show Time called Homeland. Getting the subs dialed in to where the Show Time theme music produces only a mildly disturbing low frequency rumble has been my test track for setting the sub gain and cross over point. The show has used the surrounds for back ground music and ambient sound which I find less or more noticeable depending on whether or not I'm in the money seat. I sort of take my ques on setting gains for the surrounds based on having them not sound too loud in the less than ideal 'not the money seat'. It's an odd compromise meant to insure that the rest of the system doesn't ruin the audio experience being offered by the Salk front stage.

Since I got the STs I've had 3 different receivers and 2 different amps driving them. That's more work than it's worth but the various electronics like most toys are always more fun when new. The STs unlike most toys haven't lost any of their appeal. If anything I'm liking them more due to getting the rest of the system dialed in better.

It would be nice to have a pair of these for a 2 channel set up. There would be nothing left to do after hooking up the speaker wire.

Signed,
Still Diggin' It

I have to read it twice, after that almost wanted to say, I know the feeling...

 

[fuzz092888]

The reviewer, Nels Ferre and I seem to have this in common:



I guess I've been enjoying my SongTowers for about 6 months now. Every time I watch something on TV I find myself thinking about how good the audio sounds. It's like for a second or two I stop and appreciate some aspect of the audio track and then I go back to the show. It might be that I appreciate my set up more because it was so much work to get from 'there' to 'here' but now that I am 'here', I'm here to say that it hasn't gotten the least bit old.

I've been watching a series on Show Time called Homeland. Getting the subs dialed in to where the Show Time theme music produces only a mildly disturbing low frequency rumble has been my test track for setting the sub gain and cross over point. The show has used the surrounds for back ground music and ambient sound which I find less or more noticeable depending on whether or not I'm in the money seat. I sort of take my ques on setting gains for the surrounds based on having them not sound too loud in the less than ideal 'not the money seat'. It's an odd compromise meant to insure that the rest of the system doesn't ruin the audio experience being offered by the Salk front stage.

Since I got the STs I've had 3 different receivers and 2 different amps driving them. That's more work than it's worth but the various electronics like most toys are always more fun when new. The STs unlike most toys haven't lost any of their appeal. If anything I'm liking them more due to getting the rest of the system dialed in better.

It would be nice to have a pair of these for a 2 channel set up. There would be nothing left to do after hooking up the speaker wire.

Signed,
Still Diggin' It

No mention of a kick a$$ matching center..........

 

[Alex2507]

No mention of a kick a$$ matching center..........

LOL !!! ... Speaking of kick a$$ ... look at this!





It's been a long week and I'm a bit sluggish so I tried to keep that post from roaming all over but your point is well taken. These speakers are in a home theater setting. The thing I was most looking forward to and what I am most critical of and what it turns out that I am best able to critique is speech.

That's what was most lacking in my prior Infinity set up and it's still the weak link in this set up. Over time I have learned to nit pick, especially in this one narrow band of the audio spectrum and part of my problem may very well be boundary proximity related.



I'm going to try out some small absorption panels along the boundary to try breaking up the pressure wave from the ports. I've had the panels in place but took them away to cover them in black Spandex. I think TLS has a point about the demands being placed on the center being rather extraordinary considering it's normal placement and size limitations. That's not to say that this center isn't about as nice a center as I have ever heard. I just think it could use a little help with killing a little bit of echo that I sometimes think I notice. I'm most critical of it when we switch over from normal TV to full surround as it provides me with a reference of sorts, not that there is any comparison.

Having said all that I want to point out that the way that this set up is normally used the biggest improvement has been due to the improved center. However the mains are where the real potential lies. When a movie starts to crank out music, it's bliss.