The Official Salk Sound Owner's And Discussion Thread - Page 218

So on Audiogon.
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...ull&1329924332

Wow, I can't imagine parting with such a huge investment so quickly. I imagine he only has 5 hours on them because he hates to part with them and doesn't want to know what he's missing more than he already does. That sure is frustrating. Hope someone can take advantage of them!

-Chad

I bet if these were sold at the current asking price, it would be a great investment to the seller. These are ordered prior to Jim price adjustment, so the seller did not paid at the current 16000 list price.

So you're simply saying the guy's turning the speakers to make a buck? If true, that reminds me of ticket scalpers.

If someone can sell their speakers for more than they paid, good for them. Scalpers take advantage of those who cannot get tickets by legitimate means (ie - tickets sold out). The owner selling his SS didn't buy all the available SS's just so that he could sell them for a profit. Comparing him to a scalper isn't fair, IMO.

All im saying is this:
I bet if these were sold at the current asking price, it would be a great investment to the seller. These are ordered prior to Jim price adjustment, so the seller did not paid at the current 16000 list price.
Interpretation from readers varies..

Opportunities comes and goes. But this one could actually stay quiet long, unless Jim stars to lower their price

[quote=jsalk;21403866]
Jim,

I'm glad to see that you had the best year ever. Although it doesn't surprise me as your speakers and service are among the best in the industry. I have no plan of changing speakers anytime soon. My SongTowers and SongCenter continue to impress me even after having them well over a year. I have two friends that have them as well and they are just as happy as I am. Its funny as our systems have changed with different component changes here and there. But there have been no speaker changes, not even a mention of it. That is unless you consider adding Salk Surrounds (voigtskins) or SalkCenter (screener).


Happy New Year to you and your crew! I'm still amazed at the craftsmanship of your speakers and that is a direct reflection of yourself and your crew. I have a feeling 2012 will be another great year for Salk Sound.

Bill

You're right, this is probably worse. I don't think scalping is a bad practice from an economic standpoint. If the pricing on the tickets was correct from the box office, there would be a balance of supply and demand, and no one would pay more than the box office price.

In this case, if the guy did pay something like an introductory price of $12,000 knowing full well that the price would increase to $16,000 in a few months and intended ONLY to turn a profit (let's face it, he admits only listening to them to 5 hours total, he never intended to own them) it's really just profiteering and nothing more.

If i have that kind of money to throw on to a pair of speakers, i wouldnt bother to save a 1000 or so. I would go straight to Jim and get my favorite veneer and options. At least i know where my money goes.

[quote=Bill Mac;21421822]
+1 Hey Bill, You said a mouth full!!!

We recently received an email from The Absolute Sound with the following:

Your product is included in The Absolute Sound 2012 Editors' Choice Awards feature. This annual feature publishes January 30th in the March 2012 issue.

Also included was this logo...



This is the second year in a row. I don't have any other details, but its nice they thought of us.

- Jim

^^^

good deal jim... congrats...

Congratulations to the Salk team!

I wonder which speaker model got the award?

I imagine is was the SongTowers as they were probably included in a review of one of AVAHiFi's amps.

- Jim

we don't know how much he paid total. some of these high end customers are spending extra for esoterics caps and inductors.

There is a good reason why those upgrades arent mentioned in the description. And i dont see how someone could be so careless not to mention it if those have the upgrades. Pointing that info out is only letting prospective buyer to better counter offer the deal.

Right. There were several upgrades with this pair. The veneer itself was highly figured quilted maple that cost over $800 (just as an example).

- Jim

Jim, you know better then us but based on his audogon descriptions, there is not much upgrade mentioned other then the tiger maple veneer and the special finish process applied. The seller went on to mention the current list price of these would be $16586, and since a new pair of standard SS12 are $16000, it seems to me $586 would be the cost of upgrade he paid.
The seller did order prior the price adjustment, and if i remember correctly it was in march, while price adjustment was on july. So im not ssaying anything out of ordinary. I know people dont like to hear the obvious. I wish the seller and the buyer good luck, it looks like its gonna be a win win situation.
Like i said, if i would spend that much, it would be straight to Jim.

"Item Details
Time Left: None
Ending: 12/06/2011
Asking Price: $15,000.00
New Retail Price: $16,586.00Condition 10/10 ?Help
Pay methods Money Order/Certified Check, PayPal
Ships from 80126
Ships to USA
Shipping dimensions 425 lbs
Shipping paid by Buyer Pays
Shipping methods , Freight
Original accessories Box, Manual
Item Gallery
Item Description
For your consideration is an essentially-new pair of Salk SoundScape 12s. These are Jim Salk’s cost-no-object flagship speakers. They were only delivered a month ago and currently have less than 5 (yes that’s FIVE) hours of time on them. They were fastidiously unpacked and are absolutely perfect and immaculate both cosmetically and functionally. It is only personal reasons that force this sale otherwise these would have been my reference speakers for the indefinite future.

They were custom ordered in a gorgeous silver-grey tiger maple finish. Jim picked veneers with absolutely superlative figuring and then put them through an additional finish process to accentuate the figuring/grain. The result is an incredible achievement as you can see. Even they look gorgeous in the pictures, they are even more breathtaking in real life. Jim Salk and his crew really know a great deal about designing, constructing, and finishing speakers.

If you peruse through the many recent show reports including RMAF 2011, these speakers have had nothing but positive comments. The RAAL tweeter images like nothing else I have heard. Even though they have not even started the break-in process yet, my very brief stint with them reveals that they produce a reference-standard sound surpassing those of other tour-de-force speakers at multiples of their price. Current list price is $16,586 with the custom finish. Salk Signature Sound only sells at list price. Buyer to pay for freight. The speakers have been returned to their original packaging and will be placed on a pallet for shipping. Paypal OK if buyer pays fees.

Currently these speakers do have a fairly lengthy production time as demand is increasing. These are available without delay! I have excellent feedback and you can feel free to contact me with any questions. Jim Salk can also vouch for the status of these speakers.

"

The best to the SALK TEAM on winning this AWARD for the second year.I own the Song Towers,Song Center and Song Surrounds and the are all fantastic sounding speakers for Music or Movies. Bruce

Doesn't Jim have a 30 day money-back guarantee? Given he said they were delivered just a month ago, why wouldn't he just return them instead of selling them for $15,000 if he really paid $16,586?

They are a gorgeous pair though, love the finish.

No you're correct. Only standard finishes are eligible for 30-day money back guarantee. Custom built are not.

Very similar to off the rack clothing versus something custom made by a tailor. One is made for you, the others are made for many and can be resold.

Back in late 2010 when I was talking to Jim about this he told me the 30 day return policy applied to the Songtowers in standard veneer. He said that for the more expensive models, such as the HT2-TL (the model I was interested in) and up, that most buyers prefer custom options so it makes them more difficult to resale if returned, so he generally didn't take returns on those models (he would help you sell them, however).

So I would think that there is no 30 day return policy on the SoundScapes.

BTW, I don't understand why there's such a big discussion about the price the seller of the SoundScapes is asking. It really does not matter what he paid. Even if got them for free there's nothing wrong with him asking current market value, or any price he wishes, for them.

Even if he purchased them at the introductory price knowing he could sell them for more later, so what. Jim publicly announced in advance that prices would be increasing, so everyone had the same opportunity to to the same thing if they wanted.

I agree completely. What business is it of anyone's what someone wants to resell these speakers for? It isn't as though there is a limited supply of the speakers and thus someone has cornered the market on them and engaging in price gouging. And as Saturn94 points out, everyone had the opportunity to purchase the speakers at the intro price so if they didn't take advantage of it, shame on them. I don't understand why some people get in such a huff over something that is none of their business.

^^^

it gives people something to talk about...

otherwise, we'd just sit around and partake in group reinforced self gratification...

Not everything has a reason. I dont see how you would see this as wrong. Infact i agree with you, thats why i even mention it is a good investment.