Salk WoW1 Bookshelf Speaker Review

[Cahudson42]

Well, we don't buy a speaker to listen to the pretty veneer.

At least most of us don't

Thanks for another great review, Amir. All that's missing is the Piggy Bank Panther..

 

[Tks]

Does one have a reasonable argument for making a return if the speakers don't come close to the specs provided? This person should not have to keep these. I feel bad for Salk too. Something went wrong. They are gorgeous, though. That's a beautiful "dark orange." What this site dreams of, lol.

Sure, if you're dealing with a company filled with normal people. If you're dealing with Devialet or something like that, you're getting the door closed in your face (unless your influence is wide, then they'll make exception like any hypocrite would).

As for the idea "I feel bad for Salk too. Something went wrong.", not sure what you'd feel bad for, as seemingly the only thing that went wrong is their production and manufacturing. Too much focus on flair it seems. If you mean this is perhaps a lemon, that's possible, but I get tired of people always thinking Amir's bench is a lemon magnet, and always when a device is doing bad it happens to reach him always as a lemon. People also think the reverse "oh he got a Golden Sample" if the device did exceptionally well.

 

[pjug]

If the dip and other uneven portions of the response are from the port, will foam in the slot help these?

 

[Tks]

Makes me think twice sending my stuff. Reality bites.

You've seen the Matrix movie right? Where the guy tries to renegotiate with the System, by giving the System what it wants, in return the System will allow him to go stay in the Matrix peacefully with a life of luxury and ease, even though he knows the Matrix is just a fake simulation.

So there are people who don't want to know the truth sometimes with valid reason.

 

[amirm]

I'm not making excuses for Jim but is is possible something is broken/defective with the speaker you tested?

I don't know what would break and result in those measurements. I do have another unit here. I don't want to unpack it though unless there is a good reason given the nice finish on them.

 

[MZKM]

The response here was the worst I have heard from any speaker. Bass was muted, muffled and overall fidelity just wrong.

The rise in distortion in the tweeter is also there which is unfortunate.

https://www.hiquphon.dk/page4.html

 

[MZKM]

Wow, that's disappointing at $225 a shot.

At least we can say there isn’t a crazy markup. With a 10% bulk discount, this ~$1400 base price speaker is ~$600 just in drivers, add in the cabinet and crossover and the profit margin is far from big box brands. However, the choice in drivers is sad, so bang for buck is not present.

EDIT: Wrong pricing for tweeters

 

[dtaylo1066]

Ouch. Bummer. I have heard varous Salk speakers at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest on numerous occasions over many years of shows, and I thorougly enjoyed most of them. I have followed their creation and designs on the DIY networks. They get lots of positive feedback. I wonder if this was a bad apple or just a bad design? As to their cabinetry, as you mention, it is second to none.

 

[Pepperjack]

This had to be a hard review to post. If it were me I would definitly want the second one checked, at least if they were not in sync I could argue to get one replaced, and if they were I would look at my options. But, it is an Interesting read! If he had it drop shipped though it is possible he forfeit any buyer protections, which could make it more difficult to win any case that might open, depending on how he paid. Hopefully there is some reason for this and it can be solved, but if the results are normal then of course the company is not going to be happy about them being sent in for a review!

Of course, it is beautiful and may sound excellent in his room so, just speculating here! Love reading the reviews either way!

 

[amirm]

Very hard to write review indeed....

 

[KEW]

I almost wonder if Salk mixed up crossovers from a different speaker model or something.
Every speaker I have heard from Salk has been a good listen.

 

[Worth Davis]

I thought of a new service that you could sell here - a 14 days warning that a beloved brand is about to get shit all over so I can dump my pair of speakers before this comes out! I have the original CAOB1 which have a different woofer and rear port...ill use them for a boat anchor I guess. Terrible results.

 

[Sonny1]

Interesting review. Thank you as usual, Amirm for your professionalism and diligence. I’ve heard other Salk models at shows and have spoken with Jim over the years. His solid reputation is well earned and I’ve never met a person who was unsatisfied with Salk’s customer service. Poor performance aside (and that’s asking a lot, I understand), Salk can’t be making much money on these. The driver and crossover component costs are very high and the cabinets are beautifully hand made. I’m not saying this is an excuse for the performance and I have never heard this model. I’ve heard other models that used the same tweeter (Ellis 1801, etc. ) and thought they had a nice airy top end. Maybe a little bright for my liking but overall, the Hiquphon (sp?) sounded good.

This one really shocked me! I expected bad performance from Tannoy, PMC and even ATC but Salk has a solid reputation and the workmanship is always first rate. Sad to see this type of performance but I trust Amirm’s measurements. Curious to see how the other speaker measures but I understand if it’s too much trouble to unpack and measure another speaker.

 

[Selah Audio]

I've used the Seas W12 and it performs well as a midrange. As a woofer it's very limited (as Amir measured) due to the small cone diameter and minimal excursion capability. The response problem in the midrange isn't due to the driver or crossover. It's a cancellation / resonance from the port. The sensitivity rating is obviously wrong as well as the stated -3dB (48hz) which is really closer to 60hz. For a driver of this size 60hz isn't bad but the output capability limits you to nearfield or desktop listening.

 

[pozz]

Does one have a reasonable argument for making a return if the speakers don't come close to the specs provided?

This is good, smart reasoning.

 

[richard12511]

Dang. I really expected these to do well.

 

[Colonel7]

This had to be a hard review to post. If it were me I would definitly want the second one checked, at least if they were not in sync I could argue to get one replaced, and if they were I would look at my options. But, it is an Interesting read! If he had it drop shipped though it is possible he forfeit any buyer protections, which could make it more difficult to win any case that might open, depending on how he paid. Hopefully there is some reason for this and it can be solved, but if the results are normal then of course the company is not going to be happy about them being sent in for a review!

Of course, it is beautiful and may sound excellent in his room so, just speculating here! Love reading the reviews either way!

30-day in-home trial period on standard finishes. As for warranty from faq cut and pasted from Salk website:

"We have a very informal warranty policy, but one we feel protects your interest better than any “formal” policy. The way we look at it, you purchase speakers from us in order to obtain stellar audio performance. If our speakers fail to perform, you do not get the benefit you paid for and we find that unacceptable. If you have a problem with our speakers, it is our problem and we will work until it is resolved and you obtain the performance you should expect. Customer satisfaction is EXTREMELY Y important to us. We do not tolerate unhappy customers!"

Edit: quotes on website faq

 

[restorer-john]

The cabinet looks like custom/DIY spray stained/airbrushed and lacquered MDF in your pictures @amirm . The photos make it look cheap, but as you say it looks furniture grade in the flesh. Funny how photos can do that.

 

[Colonel7]

I gather you work for the company? That is fantastic news if so and I look forward to reading how it unfolds. And no disrespect was intended in my comment. I sell online for a living (nothing audio related) so am familiar with drop shipping and the risks they buyer sometimes assumes as a result, wasn’t intended to be directly related to any specific company but just something to be aware of, but it sounds like you guys will handle the situation respectfully so, nothing to worry about.

No that's a cut and paste. I'll edit the post.

 

[Beave]

I've used the Seas W12 and it performs well as a midrange. As a woofer it's very limited (as Amir measured) due to the small size and limited excursion. The response problem in the midrange isn't due to the driver or crossover. It's a cancellation / resonance from the port. The sensitivity rating is obviously wrong as well as the stated -3dB (48hz) which is really closer to 60hz. For a driver of this size 60hz isn't bad but the output capability limits you to nearfield or desktop listening.

Agreed. It's almost a stretch to call a 4 1/2" driver a woofer, especially one with a relatively large 'phase plug'/'pole piece extension' that reduces the cone's area even further. It's only a little surprising to see the sensitivity and extension to be so poor.

From what I've read, this speaker isn't meant for full range or loud levels. It's meant for desktop applications and fairly nearfield listening.

The problem with the speaker appears to be mostly in the port, as you noted, and not in the crossover. So either the port wasn't modeled correctly; wasn't ever tested with sufficiently high-res measurement gear; and never should have been put on the front as a slot. Or, if this is a one-off problem with these particular units that isn't on other WOW1s, there is something not right about the inner build of the cabinet (acoustic stuffing? wall liner material?).