Impressions of Salk SongTowers

[cpp]

cpp...don't sugar coat it like that. You left out all the girly stuff you have to buy before she goes off to college.

Seriously though, congrats Jerry!

cschang I didn't want to scare the man...

 

[cschang]

I guess he can hope he doesn't get a "shopper".

 

[JerryLove]

You got the same SCST's that were at the show just afterwards right?

Yep. I have the pair from the Tampabay GTG.

That's the not-so-well-known secret of nearly all Salk and Philharmonic speakers designed by Dennis. They all sound more similar than different. Often, its only in the bass response that you can readily tell differences.

I have Salk SCST's in my bedroom and Phil 2's in my family room. To me, the vocal range is different. I prefer the SCST in that range.

I've listened to the SCSTs and SS8's side-by-side and the only real difference I heard was in the bass.

I wonder if that's attributable to the quality/size of the woofers on the SCST's. I wonder if moving up to (say) HT2-TL's might result in a slight worsening of the bass (fixed again with the ceramic mids on the SS8s), or if it would sound just as good throughout.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Yep. I have the pair from the Tampabay GTG.


[/COLOR]I have Salk SCST's in my bedroom and Phil 2's in my family room. To me, the vocal range is different. I prefer the SCST in that range.

I've listened to the SCSTs and SS8's side-by-side and the only real difference I heard was in the bass.

I wonder if that's attributable to the quality/size of the woofers on the SCST's. I wonder if moving up to (say) HT2-TL's might result in a slight worsening of the bass (fixed again with the ceramic mids on the SS8s), or if it would sound just as good throughout.

Well, we'll have the SS8's and Phil 3's in adjacent rooms at the Capital Audio Fest, and also the new SoundScape Song Tower. I know the Phil 2's and 3's sound identical in the vocal range, and you know the SS8's and SCST's sound identical there, so by laws of transitivity we should be able to determine whether there's really anything different about the vocal range of the Phil's. I'm kind of doubting it, particularly if the Phil is heavily stuffed.

 

[Swerd]

Well, we'll have the SS8's and Phil 3's in adjacent rooms at the Capital Audio Fest, and also the new SoundScape Song Tower. I know the Phil 2's and 3's sound identical in the vocal range, and you know the SS8's and SCST's sound identical there, so by laws of transitivity we should be able to determine whether there's really anything different about the vocal range of the Phil's. I'm kind of doubting it, particularly if the Phil is heavily stuffed.

SoundScape Song Tower

Here's hoping my jury duty is over long before CAF begins.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

SoundScape Song Tower

Here's hoping my jury duty is over long before CAF begins.

I need to find a way to get there...

 

[Alex2507]

I would have that front ported center by now.

In your language does 'now' mean like in 10 years or something?

It's me who would like to see you and Adam in a footrace based on y'all's history with refusing to buy new stuff. Don't bull**** me. You're an open book, my lad.

Anyway I did have something to add other than breaking his balls: My most recent rec'r had EQ'ing going on from the previous owner. I just turned it off and watched a movie but I also had the TV speakers on without knowing it so ... I still don't know what that center sounds like on it's own.

I did think it sounded better with the EQ'ing off though. I can't wait to hear it on it's own. Maybe tomorrow I'll play that Adele Blu-ray and see how it handles that.

 

[fuzz092888]

I still don't know what that center sounds like on it's own.

C'mon man. You paid all that money for it, you might as well use it once in awhile

 

[GranteedEV]

I've found that with my Phil 2s, they seem to excite a mode around the 125hz-150hz range that can make male vocals chesty. I would probably attribute this to needing to pull them out into the room, and i'd imagine they've got a lot of power response in that range too (which as Dennis knows is typical of any box speaker that won't be next to a wall).

I would bet that for whatever reasons, some other monopole speakers would be less prone to exciting that exact range. Less so-called BSC, different placement, different midwoofer height being key reasons.

However I don't blame the speakers, as that's too low in frequency for passive filtering. It's nothing a slight ~2db tank at ~125hz doesn't fix for me. YMMV.

That bump in response is most certainly measurable, so it`s not just my imagination. It`s clearly a room issue, so i can`t say what they would sound like in another room.

But once it`s measurably gone, the vocal range is just exquisite. Just goes to show that what you think might be a driver difference can really boil down to topology or room-interaction.

 

[Alex2507]

C'mon man. You paid all that money for it, you might as well use it once in awhile

Now that I think about it the center had zero issues with the other two receivers that I used before this RX-V663. I mean I had those small panels in place and removed them to get them covered down at Eddie's. I noticed no difference. I had the speaker way closer to the wall and didn't notice any difference. Maybe I should have read the manual and reset the rec'r to factory settings.

I've found that with my Phil 2s, they seem to excite a mode around the 125hz-150hz range that can make male vocals chesty.

It's nothing a slight ~2db tank at ~125hz doesn't fix for me. YMMV.

Incredibly enough I have misplaced my SPL meter. Last night I wanted to check a few things and discovered that I am now reduced to just my ears. How pedestrian.

 

[Alex2507]

Maybe tomorrow I'll play that Adele Blu-ray and see how it handles that.

Well I did just that and there are no issues with nothin'.

Itchy a$$ sound panels are doing fine just where they are stuffed into some storage cabinet some 40 miles away.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I've found that with my Phil 2s, they seem to excite a mode around the 125hz-150hz range that can make male vocals chesty. I would probably attribute this to needing to pull them out into the room, and i'd imagine they've got a lot of power response in that range too (which as Dennis knows is typical of any box speaker that won't be next to a wall).

I would bet that for whatever reasons, some other monopole speakers would be less prone to exciting that exact range. Less so-called BSC, different placement, different midwoofer height being key reasons.

However I don't blame the speakers, as that's too low in frequency for passive filtering. It's nothing a slight ~2db tank at ~125hz doesn't fix for me. YMMV.

That bump in response is most certainly measurable, so it`s not just my imagination. It`s clearly a room issue, so i can`t say what they would sound like in another room.

But once it`s measurably gone, the vocal range is just exquisite. Just goes to show that what you think might be a driver difference can really boil down to topology or room-interaction.

I think you're pretty much dead on. Any speaker with as much bass extension and power as the Phil's will excite room modes in some installations. I warn about that when anyone asks for placement advice, or describes their room. I may run into that next weekend at CAF--I'll bring some sound treatment, but active EQ is the only real way to avoid the problem. It's not really a problem in my own listening room because I don't have to place the speakers near corners.

 

[GranteedEV]

part of my personal problem is that the floors and back wall are full-on concrete beneath the drywall and carpet. It's the nature of a basement. A typical plywood sheathed main floor would likely act as a moderate bass trap, because a lot of the lower mids just pass right on through to the floor below.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

part of my personal problem is that the floors and back wall are full-on concrete beneath the drywall and carpet. It's the nature of a basement. A typical plywood sheathed main floor would likely act as a moderate bass trap, because a lot of the lower mids just pass right on through to the floor below.

Perhaps, but the wood subfloor would also act as a sounding board and reinforce bass. Perhaps that happens at lower frequencies, however. I know I get a lot more deep bass out of my 3's in my living room, which has a very tight wood subfloor, than I do when they're playing on concrete, like in a hotel room.

 

[Swerd]

For the fourth year in a row, Salk SongTowers were included in the The Absolute Sound's Editor's Choice awards.

TAS 2014 Editor's Choice

Congrats to Jim Salk, Dennis Murphy, and Paul Kittinger for this excellent speaker.

 

[Alex2507]

For a second I thought you were going to congratulate me.

 

[Ponzio]

This song is dedicated to my Salk ST's, that I picked up on Saturday, and everyone who helped me in way or the other to make it happen with special thanks to Swerd, his lovely paramour Southern Steel, Eric and Britinaca, who gave her blessing. PLAY IT LOUD!!! ... i am.

One EskimO - Amazing

 

[Swerd]

This song is dedicated to my Salk ST's, that I picked up on Saturday, and everyone who helped me in way or the other to make it happen with special thanks to Swerd, his lovely paramour Southern Steel, Eric and Britinaca, who gave her blessing. PLAY IT LOUD!!! ... i am.

So, now that a week has passed, are you still in the honeymoon phase with your SongTowers? (note that I ask this knowing full well how long the SongTower honeymoon phase lasts for new owners . Mine is still going on.)

I'll have to tell B***** that her new name is Southern Steel. I know who Britannica is – please say Hi to her. But who is Eric?

I need another excuse to go eat at Brasserie Beck.

Rich

 

[Alex2507]

So, now that a week has passed, are you still in the honeymoon phase with your SongTowers?

I've had mine for a year and a half ... right? Anyway I just got through listening to Bill demo his Ascend rig that has a RAAL ribbon in like a 40lb center that has the Vb of a tower. When I got back home I watched Noah which has a pretty dynamic soundtrack and I felt pretty good about how it all sounded despite the fact that I'm not in the same league sub wise and I don't use any room correction. It's cool feeling like I can hang with the big boys in this audio hobby.

Of course to reach the pinnacle of audio smugness some external amplification is required which as luck would have it came with the speakers. I got asked to crank it up ... once. Thankfully nothing went up in smoke and the SPL achieved was sufficiently obscene. In my application I just wouldn't know what to do with more ... and they still look killer. When I first got back home I spent some time just sitting in the living room looking at them not listening to anything. Yeah ... it's like that.

 

[Ponzio]

So, now that a week has passed, are you still in the honeymoon phase with your SongTowers? (note that I ask this knowing full well how long the SongTower honeymoon phase lasts for new owners . Mine is still going on.)

Well they have supplanted the LS50’s as my new no. 2 speaker in the house, here in my office, quite an accomplishment in itself and yes, after trying various positions, we’re still in the honeymoon stage you might say. I’m still playing a lot of my old favorite tunes that I haven’t listened to in a while and astonished how new they sound. Aesthetically it’s a much more handsome & refined speaker, very rich ... hey, I made a funny ... looking but tastefully simple. My greatest relief though is that they don’t overpower the room and they’re very efficient, not just spec wise, but they play just as well at low or high volumes. Like a great sports team I now have 3 excellent starters in the lineup. The depth chart as it stands right now is, 1) Focal Electra 1027Be & CC1000Be 2) Salk SongTower QWT & SongCenter 3) KEF LS50 & R200c. Not bad, huh? The rest of the order isn’t too shabby either with the Epos Epic 2’s (bedroom) and the Triangle Titus 202’s (kitchen). I’ll probably keep my Athena Technologies AS-B2.2’s to serve double duty in my garage and deck for parties, leaving me with the PSB Alpha B1’s, Athena Technologies AS-B1’s or Energy Take Lcr’s, as spares for a set of surrounds for the Winter Quarters. And I've been able to get this done in 3 years and hopefully my eyes/ears won't roam or Brunhilda will swat me but good.

I'll have to tell B***** that her new name is Southern Steel. I know who Britannica is – please say Hi to her. But who is Eric?

Eric is a fellow music collector/audiophile on the site here who’s been a very good sounding board throughout this last speaker quest while I went thru my typical Sybil stage as I considered the pros & cons of the Philharmonitors, AA Sierra 2’s, Usher Audio Be718’s, Focal 1007Be’s, Sonus Faber 1.5’s, RBH SX-61/R’s, etc. … the list was quite long and Eric was very patient as I evaluated them all, either by demoing or researching them and offering some good feedback.

I need another excuse to go eat at Brasserie Beck.

Hopefully next year we can come back on down in the spring and we can come up with a good excuse together to go to Brassiere Beck and try all those wonderful Belgian beers and I’ll have more bad jokes for everyone to endure, including Dennis.