Salk Song3 BeAT’s have arrived!

For a while now I have been tempted by the pictures and reviews of the Salk lineup of speakers. After moving a bunch of my gear(I do have some other things still to let go) i felt there was no better time than the present to reach out to Mr. Salk himself and see what he had to say about his speakers.

Due to my wants and my wallet it pretty much came down to the Salk BeAT and Encore models. I was trying to decide which speaker I wanted to wait months to be built for. As fate would have it, a few days later Jim reached back out to me to let me know there was a set of BeATs that just got finished and the customer was possibly going to order a different pair due to the finish not matching his home furnishings. Well it just so happened the veneer on these BeATs were pretty much exactly what I was going to order anyway.

So long story short I was able to purchase them and skip the whole wait for building a new pair. I was leaning towards the BeATs anyway for a couple different reasons (mainly the mid range driver) so this worked out great.

They showed up last week and man am I thrilled with my purchase. Between the fit and finish, they are just excellent all around. This was the first time I purchased anything audio related brand new of this caliber. I’m normally looking to save money on slightly used pieces but I have no regrets on this one. Of course with my luck, there was some damage to the bases and one of the grills during shipment but the speakers themselves are flawless. I’m not worried though as Jim and company are working on getting me replacements even though it was of no fault of theirs.

I wish the pictures showed the wood finish better as they look 10 times nicer in person than pictures but here you go anyway!
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Comments

  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    Very nice.
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
  • monepolk
    monepolk Posts: 1,140
    Congrats, looking forward to your impressions.
  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,350
    edited October 2020
    Congrats and welcome to the Salk family! Those are gorgeous! Enjoy!

    The wife and I drove 12 hours round trip to pick up my SS8's. Got a factory tour, met the Salk crew, scoped out the veneer vault and listened to some speakers.
    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
  • aprazer402
    aprazer402 Posts: 3,087
    Beautiful speakers, congrats.
  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 859
    SCompRacer wrote: »
    Congrats and welcome to the Salk family! Those are gorgeous! Enjoy!

    The wife and I drove 12 hours round trip to pick up my SS8's. Got a factory tour, met the Salk crew, scoped out the veneer vault and listened to some speakers.

    We were actually planning on making that trip as well when I thought we would have to wait at least a few months for a new pair to be finished. But this worked out in its own way B)
  • They are beautiful!!

    Self Christmas present in October!
    "Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"


    Harry / Marietta GA
  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,640
    Jim is a great guy and truly loves what he does. Congrats on the new speakers. They are gorgeous.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    Beautiful pair of speakers that you have there. Congrats and enjoy :)
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,633
    Congrats on the new speakers Danny. I was curious what you were going after with all the speakers you were selling.
  • Congratulation on the speakers. They do look amazing.
  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,314
    Congratulations on your new Speakers B) I secretly frequent the Salk Sound site more often than I care to admit ;)
  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 859
    I’ll tell you guys, as nice as these things look...they sound even better. From top to bottom they are just so smooth, musical, and airy. They are able to portray emotion in music better than any other speaker I have owned. Pretty addictive sound so far.
  • gyosa
    gyosa Posts: 675
    edited October 2020
    Fantastic!

    Welcome to the Salk club !

    His speakers really are works of art , hard to comprehend until you actually see them in person , and they all sound fantastic as well .

    My SCST are the best sounding speakers I’ve owned....

    Congrats again !

    Bk
    Parasound A21 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Polk SDA 1c’s ( my first love .. ) , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 42” - BEDROOM

    B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Yamaha wxc-50 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL

    PS Audio Stellar S300 , Eversolo DMP-A8 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Salk Supercharged Song towers ( difficult choice between these and my family if I had to choose ... 😩 ) , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN RIG

    Cambridge Audio 851n - sitting in the closet , for now

    Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sharp 65” TV - PATIO

    DAYENS AMPINO ( thanks Verb ! ) , KEiiD streamer ( this was only 60 bucks ?? ) , Polk atrium 8SDi’s - KID’s BEDROOM
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,481
    Very nice indeed.
  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,056
    Congratulations beautiful speakers love the Salk sound enjoy.
    Home Theater
    Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable

    2 Channel
    Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+

    Stuff for the Head
    JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365

    Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
    Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin B)
  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,908
    Great looking speakers, congrats!
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    edited October 2020
    Gerres26 wrote: »
    I’ll tell you guys, as nice as these things look...they sound even better. From top to bottom they are just so smooth, musical, and airy. They are able to portray emotion in music better than any other speaker I have owned. Pretty addictive sound so far.

    I agree with your assessment of the Salk sound. Here's what I had to say about their SS9.5 Satori speakers ($9,995) when I experienced them at the 2019 California Audio Show:

    "When I walked in, my eyes were immediately drawn to these large tower speakers and their stunning high gloss finish. The workmanship of the cabinetry and the real wood veneer were both skillfully executed. They projected a sound with a slightly forward presentation that offered excellent imaging, allowing the speakers to disappear.

    The mid and high frequencies blended perfectly into a layered and nuanced sound. I always love it when the sound is not directional or localized to the speakers themselves.

    The treble was just slightly too far forward for my taste, but it was easy to look past that when the imaging and overall top to bottom soundstage were so enjoyable. The passive radiators provided just enough low-frequency fill that never drew any obvious attention to itself. It was a very clean and musical way for the speaker to communicate the basslines of each song.

    This system had a high-fidelity sound and it wasn’t being pretentious about it. I think I could listen for several months and still discover new characteristics and nuances about its performance. These Salk speakers reward you and keep you coming back for more."

    Salk4.jpg
  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,506
    SCompRacer wrote: »
    Congrats and welcome to the Salk family! Those are gorgeous! Enjoy!

    The wife and I drove 12 hours round trip to pick up my SS8's. Got a factory tour, met the Salk crew, scoped out the veneer vault and listened to some speakers.

    Wow
    Your wife is a saint.

    My wife would never agree to that haha
    Magico, JL, Emm, ARC Ref 10 line, ARC Ref 10 phono, VPI, Lyra, Boulder, AQ Wel, SRA Scuttle Rack, Bluesound
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    @Gerres26 What kind of speaker cables are you using on the Salks? Looks like it has a fancy braid/jacket.
  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 859
    Clipdat wrote: »
    @Gerres26 What kind of speaker cables are you using on the Salks? Looks like it has a fancy braid/jacket.

    They’re nothing fancy, just some Canare 4s11 with some nice sleeving on them and cardas ends.
  • coolsax
    coolsax Posts: 1,824
    Congrats on the purchase those look gorgeous!
    Main 2ch -
    BlueSound Node->Ethereal optical cable->Peachtree Audio Nova 150->GoldenEar Triton 2+
    TT - Pro-ject Classic SB with Sumiko Bluepoint.

    TV 3.1 system -
    Denon 3500 -> Dynaudio Excite 32/22
  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,350
    Joey_V wrote: »

    Wow
    Your wife is a saint.

    My wife would never agree to that haha

    You have to know it cost me in some way. ;)
    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Nice speaks man, good choice too, enjoy.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • gyosa
    gyosa Posts: 675
    Beautiful veneer !
    What is it ?

    Mine are curly walnut.

    Bkfuaup40z4tgg.jpeg


    Parasound A21 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Polk SDA 1c’s ( my first love .. ) , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 42” - BEDROOM

    B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Yamaha wxc-50 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL

    PS Audio Stellar S300 , Eversolo DMP-A8 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Salk Supercharged Song towers ( difficult choice between these and my family if I had to choose ... 😩 ) , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN RIG

    Cambridge Audio 851n - sitting in the closet , for now

    Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sharp 65” TV - PATIO

    DAYENS AMPINO ( thanks Verb ! ) , KEiiD streamer ( this was only 60 bucks ?? ) , Polk atrium 8SDi’s - KID’s BEDROOM
  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 859
    gyosa wrote: »
    Beautiful veneer !
    What is it ?

    Mine are curly walnut.

    Bkfuaup40z4tgg.jpeg


    Curly cherry with dark brown burst edges
  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,350
    A shot of Jim from the tour.

    mv39fflkoozx.jpg

    Mine are Black Limba.

    voi873qaic7p.jpg
    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
  • gyosa
    gyosa Posts: 675
    Gerre,
    May want to check and see if you have magnets under the veneer on the back for grill storage .....just in case you didn’t know ....it’s an option if the previous owner ordered it.

    Bk
    Parasound A21 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Polk SDA 1c’s ( my first love .. ) , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 42” - BEDROOM

    B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Yamaha wxc-50 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL

    PS Audio Stellar S300 , Eversolo DMP-A8 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Salk Supercharged Song towers ( difficult choice between these and my family if I had to choose ... 😩 ) , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN RIG

    Cambridge Audio 851n - sitting in the closet , for now

    Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sharp 65” TV - PATIO

    DAYENS AMPINO ( thanks Verb ! ) , KEiiD streamer ( this was only 60 bucks ?? ) , Polk atrium 8SDi’s - KID’s BEDROOM
  • Gerres26
    Gerres26 Posts: 859
    gyosa wrote: »
    Gerre,
    May want to check and see if you have magnets under the veneer on the back for grill storage .....just in case you didn’t know ....it’s an option if the previous owner ordered it.

    Bk

    He didn’t mention it but I’ll check once I get home
  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,084
    nice score, Danny!
    I’m glade you trusted the recommendation to check out the Salk offerings ...

    You’ll be happy and rock’n for a long time, my friend 😎
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampi Baltic 4
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    Congrats on the Salk's, those look amazing! I'm sure they sound amazing with the Be tweeter. I listened to the Song3 Encore at 2017 AXPONA. Plus I can never forget my first listen to a Salk speaker the Exotica at the 2014 AXPONA show. The craftmanship and the sound was/is great.
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2