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Salk Sound

R Swerdlow

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I'm also late to this party, and I also have Salk Veracity ST speakers, as does gramp above. I completely agree with him.

I've had a DIY version of the Salk Song Surround I speakers since 2006. They're designed by Dennis Murphy, called CAOW1 speakers. They use the same drivers and same cabinet dimensions as in the Song Surround Is. The only difference is in the crossover. The CAOW1 uses 2nd order L/R crossovers, and the Song Surround I uses a 4th order L/R design. I know I cannot hear the difference, but Dennis Murphy says he can. I don't doubt him.

I liked the CAOW1s so much that a year later, I bought Salk SongTowers when they first became available. They are an MTM tower version of the Song Surround I, using two of the same mid-woofers and a similar ¾" dome tweeter. I kept them 9 years. As a retirement present to myself, I got the Veracity ST speakers.

For small book-shelf type speakers, I cannot recommend the Salk Song Surround I speakers enough. They're what started me as a Salk fan. Dennis Murphy's style of "voicing" all his speaker designs pleases me like no other speaker I've known. It is the sound quality that I hold all other speakers up to. Jim Salk's wood work and finishes are better quality than any furniture I've seen or owned. If there ever was a speaker that I'm comfortable in recommending to others, who haven't heard them, but know of their reputation online, it would be these.

I also cannot deny I'm a Dennis Murphy fan-boy. He lives about 15 miles away from me, and I've known him since about 2004. I've heard most all of his designs.
 
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e135800

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Oct 8, 2021
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On the pricey side, but they are custom-finished in your choosing, and they can even do some physical customizations, so it’s to be expected. They choose good drivers, their crossovers were mostly all designed by Dennis Murphy, and they at least show the on-axis frequency response (and state it’s phase coherent); I’m not surprised that most all the reviews are positive.

They also do fully custom work if none of their offerings fit your fancy.

Long wait time though; again, to be expected as it’s built to order in your chosen finish.
Pricey???? Absolutely not. Flagship model SS 9.5 that jams with the best of them with exotic wood veneer for 11k and that's pricey? If these weren't sold direct then they might be pricey but with no dealer markups 11k is a steal
 

e135800

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Well, I have a pair (or three) of Revel Salon2's that I am rather fond of... But I lived quite happily with Magnepan MG-IIIa's for many years before that. Preference is a huge factor in choosing speakers, as well as the room in which they are going.

My short list when considering the Maggies' replacement (probably forgot some, order is alphabetical):

Magnepan
Revel
Salk
Sanders

I read about many, and listened to a fair number, to find the few that stood out from the crowd to me in performance and/or value.
Replaced my Maggie 3.7i with a pair of Salk SS 9.5. Been a maggie owner for over 26 years. Best move I've made.
 

ahofer

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Well, I have a pair (or three) of Revel Salon2's that I am rather fond of... But I lived quite happily with Magnepan MG-IIIa's for many years before that. Preference is a huge factor in choosing speakers, as well as the room in which they are going.

My short list when considering the Maggies' replacement (probably forgot some, order is alphabetical):

Magnepan
Revel
Salk
Sanders

I read about many, and listened to a fair number, to find the few that stood out from the crowd to me in performance and/or value.
I had the same Maggies, then Thiel CS3.6, then Harbeth SHL5+. The Harbeth feels to me like a balance of the prior two speakers’ best qualities.
 

MZKM

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Pricey???? Absolutely not. Flagship model SS 9.5 that jams with the best of them with exotic wood veneer for 11k and that's pricey? If these weren't sold direct then they might be pricey but with no dealer markups 11k is a steal
Pricey in absolute terms, not relative.
Though pricey is I guess relative to your salary and your disposition to this hobby.
 

digicidal

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Pricey in absolute terms, not relative.
Though pricey is I guess relative to your salary and your disposition to this hobby.
This. Dropping 6-8 times as much on a car I want, or over half as much on a PC build - I do that every 2-3 years. Yet when it comes to dropping 10K-20K on a pair of speakers, I balk at the price for some reason. I do the same thing with furniture... the income isn't a problem but the disposition to the product definitely is.

I think it's mostly a case of fearing I'll change my mind a year or so after pulling the trigger and be left with the hassle of trying to sell and ship/move some heavy, bulky item (while taking a huge loss as well). Luckily I'm also reasonably happy listening to almost anything that's decently performant so while Jim's speakers are both beautiful and relatively inexpensive for what they are - I don't mind using my Adam/JBL monitors and Polk LSiM's enough to pursue it (yet).
 

e135800

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So I had to cancel my Order for SS9.5. I found a pair of Revel F328BE at great price and my Salks weren't in production yet, at least not the custom finish. Jim is a great guy, refunded deposit with no issue. I bought sound towers from him previously and loved those too.
 
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