[HumpATree123]

I was reading craigsub's, nuance's, and funkmonkey's perfect speaker threads and I see a lot of praise about the Salks and Rockets. The reviews in craigsub's thread seem to place the Salks and Rockets on a par with some people favoring the Salks over the Rockets and others favoring the Rockets over the Salks.


I was wondering which is the better sounding speaker? If anyone who owns or auditioned both could provide some input it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Nuance]



Quote:
Originally Posted by HumpATree123 /forum/post/14306092


I was reading craigsub's, nuance's, and funkmonkey's perfect speaker threads and I see a lot of praise about the Salks and Rockets. The reviews in craigsub's thread seem to place the Salks and Rockets on a par with some people favoring the Salks over the Rockets and others favoring the Rockets over the Salks.


I was wondering which is the better sounding speaker? If anyone who owns or auditioned both could provide some input it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

In short, the Salk's have a superior midrange in that it's very detailed, thus nothing gets overlooked. The word "transparent" comes to mind. The Salk's also convey a more believable sense of instrument timbre. In other words, instuments sounded truer to the real thing (live) rather than just sounding like instruments being played through a speaker.


The Rocket's extend a little lower and had better bass slam (as they should with 4 wooofers). They are also more dynamic because of the higher sensitivity.


In the end, I preferred the Song Tower's due to their more realistic presentation of music in comparison to my reference (how the instruments would actually sound live). I own a pair of Rocket 850 Sig's and am waiting for my pair of custom Song Tower's to be completed. I can't wait!

 

[Steve Burke]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuance /forum/post/14307865


In short, the Salk's have a superior midrange in that it's very detailed, thus nothing gets overlooked. The word "transparent" comes to mind. The Salk's also convey a more believable sense of instrument timbre. In other words, instuments sounded truer to the real thing (live) rather than just sounding like instruments being played through a speaker.


The Rocket's extend a little lower and had better bass slam (as they should with 4 wooofers). They are also more dynamic because of the higher sensitivity.


In the end, I preferred the Song Tower's due to their more realistic presentation of music in comparison to my reference (how the instruments would actually sound live). I own a pair of Rocket 850 Sig's and am waiting for my pair of custom Song Tower's to be completed. I can't wait!

Would you say that the SongTowers are better for music, and the Rocket 850s better for movies?

 

[remodeler]

Nuance, would you say this is a major difference or would it be hard for an untrained ear to pick up?

 

[Chu Gai]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Burke /forum/post/14308023


Would you say that the SongTowers are better for music, and the Rocket 850s better for movies?

Just based on efficiency considerations alone, one would require a substantially beefier amp for the SongTowers to level the playing field with respect to dynamics.

 

[thirdeye11]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Chu Gai /forum/post/14308838


Just based on efficiency considerations alone, one would require a substantially beefier amp for the SongTowers to level the playing field with respect to dynamics.

Well that's assuming that both manufacturers rated their efficiency in the same manner. I know for sure that Jim Salk rated his speakers in a very conservative way in terms of efficiency. I'd take those specifications with a grain of salt, but you may be right. The fact that the Rockets have twice the number of woofers helps its efficiency at least getting down low. I've read that numerous times over on the forums.


The bottom line is that both of these are excellent products. At the end of the day if you really want to know how these sound then try as hard as you can to find an owner. You'll only know which one YOU like best by hearing them with your own ears.


I'm quite surprised after Nuance's comments directly comparing the two that people still had questions. It seemed like a pretty cut and dry comparison to me. After all the guy can't be held accountable for your speaker purchase, he can only give you as much objective information as possible.


Seriously find owners and go listen

-Chad

 

[thirdeye11]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Chu Gai /forum/post/14308838


Just based on efficiency considerations alone, one would require a substantially beefier amp for the SongTowers to level the playing field with respect to dynamics.

One other thing that you should note is that even many AVR's can handle 4 ohm loads wihch the SongTowers are. The Rockets are an 8 ohm speaker. With 3.5db of difference in sensitivity (according to the specs) between the two speakers the sensitivity would be nearly identical in terms of the amplifier's ability to get loud with these speakers due to the difference in resistance.


-Chad

 

[DamageMcRamage]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuance /forum/post/14307865


I own a pair of Rocket 850 Sig's and am waiting for my pair of custom Song Tower's to be completed. I can't wait!

Hmm. I'm not sensing any excitement from you whatsoever

.

 

[Nuance]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Burke /forum/post/14308023


Would you say that the SongTowers are better for music, and the Rocket 850s better for movies?

I think the ST's would be amazing for HT, but the Rocket's can go louder without distortion.

Quote:
Originally Posted by remodeler /forum/post/14308316


Nuance, would you say this is a major difference or would it be hard for an untrained ear to pick up?

Well, the more I listened the easier it was to hear the differences, but an untrained ear may not notice as easily. For instance, my brother and good friend were with me when we made the trip to Craig's home. When we scored the 6 speakers we heard, one of them scored the Rocket's better and the other the ST's. This was all blind listening, by the way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chu Gai /forum/post/14308838


Just based on efficiency considerations alone, one would require a substantially beefier amp for the SongTowers to level the playing field with respect to dynamics.

Correct if, as said above, both efficiency specs are in fact accurate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DamageMcRamage /forum/post/14309731


Hmm. I'm not sensing any excitement from you whatsoever

.

HA!

Gents - when the Song Tower's do arrive, I will make a much more in depth comparison in my speaker thread. I'm looking forward to the mini-shootout.

 

[quadriverfalls]



Quote:
I was wondering which is the better sounding speaker?

I am continually AMAZED that people actually continue to ask questions like this. The only speaker that's going to be "BETTER" sounding.... is the one that sounds better to the OP's ears, on HIS gear, in HIS room.

 

[thirdeye11]



Quote:
Originally Posted by quadriverfalls /forum/post/14309982


I am continually AMAZED that people actually continue to ask questions like this. The only speaker that's going to be "BETTER" sounding.... is the one that sounds better to the OP's ears, on HIS gear, in HIS room.

Well there are certainly speakers that sound better MOST of the time to most people. I think what most people fail to realize is that at similar price points, and similar business models (meaning comparing ID to ID and B&M to B&M products) you're going to find very similar quality. The only thing that matters is how it sounds to you.


I doubt there are significant differences in the amount of people who would prefer the Rocket RS1000/RS850's versus the Salk SongTowers. My suspicion is that you would have people on both sides of the fence pretty evenly distributed. They're both internet direct retailers, the prices are within $200 of each other, and they're both trying to get your business designing the best speaker they can for the dollar

-Chad

 

[ProblemHouston]



Quote:
Originally Posted by quadriverfalls /forum/post/14309982


I am continually AMAZED that people actually continue to ask questions like this. The only speaker that's going to be "BETTER" sounding.... is the one that sounds better to the OP's ears, on HIS gear, in HIS room.

I remember back when I was just starting out in the hobby, I had no idea what a trumpet sounded like so how was I to know that the B&W's I was listening to were accurately producing the sound of a trumpet. So I figured that asking which one sounded better to someone with the knowledge of what a trumpet should sound like would help. I know what sounds good to Naunce may not sound good to me but if enough of you with a good ear say the Salk sounds better that would help make a good decision. I would rather see 100 posts with guys new to the hobby ask which is better A or B than to have them come in here telling me that they bought speaker C for $100.00 and it is better than any ID product. I still don't claim to have the golden ear or know what all instruments are supposed to sound like but I am working at it. And threads like these do help in that area contrary to belief. I live in a city full of BB and CC's but not many high end stores so it is not easy to listen to psb's, Paradigm's and companies like that.

 

[quadriverfalls]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ProblemHouston /forum/post/14310591


I remember back when I was just starting out in the hobby, I had no idea what a trumpet sounded like so how was I to know that the B&W’s I was listening to were accurately producing the sound of a trumpet. So I figured that asking which one sounded better to someone with the knowledge of what a trumpet should sound like would help. I know what sounds good to Naunce may not sound good to me but if enough of you with a good ear say the Salk sounds better that would help make a good decision. I would rather see 100 posts with guys new to the hobby ask “which is better A or B” than to have them come in here telling me that they bought speaker C for $100.00 and it is better than any ID product. I still don’t claim to have the golden ear or know what all instruments are supposed to sound like but I am working at it. And threads like these do help in that area contrary to belief. I live in a city full of BB and CC’s but not many high end stores so it is not easy to listen to psb’s, Paradigm’s and companies like that.

I understand what you are saying. But I still FIRMLY believe only your own ears will determine what sounds good or "better." I spent better than six months of auditioning speakers for my HT. Sure, I perused the forums and did some on line research to get some ideas of what I "thought" I might like.... but I wanted to listen for myself. I kept detailed notes in a journal and always used the exact same demo material.


Good thing I did. One of my very early auditions was with a Klipsch Reference 7 system. In the journal I was keeping, I wrote how I was very impressed with the "airy and very clear top end." Yet, after auditioning many speakers for several months and then going back to re-visit the few that were still high on my list.... I couldn't listen to the RF-7's for more than ten minutes. They were simply WAY too bright for my tastes.


I had found the sound that I preferred over ANY other. I've had my HT speaker rig now for better than six years (probably closer to seven) with not that first desire to change or upgrade in any way.


I'm not saying that my way is the perfect way to find what's best for you.... but, I certainly don't think asking a total stranger who could be twenty, thirty, fourty or fifty years apart from me in age and hear things completely different than I do.... what speaker he/she thinks is better.


Again, just my $0.02, YMMV, IMHO and all that stuff.

 

[Sam1000]

You might have answered this somewhere else, but I was always curious about your speaker purchase decision. When you bought 850 from Craig, I believe you also had a choice to pick up either Salk or Rocket. Since you had heard both speakers at the same time, why did you prefer 850 after direct comparison?

As I said, no knock on you, I was just curious. I'm trying to get an audition of Salk and Rocket locally here in Bay area.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuance /forum/post/14307865


In short, the Salk's have a superior midrange in that it's very detailed, thus nothing gets overlooked. The word "transparent" comes to mind. The Salk's also convey a more believable sense of instrument timbre. In other words, instuments sounded truer to the real thing (live) rather than just sounding like instruments being played through a speaker.


The Rocket's extend a little lower and had better bass slam (as they should with 4 wooofers). They are also more dynamic because of the higher sensitivity.


In the end, I preferred the Song Tower's due to their more realistic presentation of music in comparison to my reference (how the instruments would actually sound live). I own a pair of Rocket 850 Sig's and am waiting for my pair of custom Song Tower's to be completed. I can't wait!

 

[bahorn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam1000 /forum/post/14313059


You might have answered this somewhere else, but I was always curious about your speaker purchase decision. When you bought 850 from Craig, I believe you also had a choice to pick up either Salk or Rocket. Since you had heard both speakers at the same time, why did you prefer 850 after direct comparison?

As I said, no knock on you, I was just curious. I'm trying to get an audition of Salk and Rocket locally here in Bay area.

PM me if you want to hear the SongTowers.

 

[Nuance]



Quote:
Originally Posted by quadriverfalls /forum/post/14309982


I am continually AMAZED that people actually continue to ask questions like this. The only speaker that's going to be "BETTER" sounding.... is the one that sounds better to the OP's ears, on HIS gear, in HIS room.

Agreed. I recommend trying both in your room using your gear. Then just return the loser.

Quote:
Originally Posted by thirdeye11 /forum/post/14310046


Well there are certainly speakers that sound better MOST of the time to most people. I think what most people fail to realize is that at similar price points, and similar business models (meaning comparing ID to ID and B&M to B&M products) you're going to find very similar quality. The only thing that matters is how it sounds to you.


I doubt there are significant differences in the amount of people who would prefer the Rocket RS1000/RS850's versus the Salk SongTowers. My suspicion is that you would have people on both sides of the fence pretty evenly distributed. They're both internet direct retailers, the prices are within $200 of each other, and they're both trying to get your business designing the best speaker they can for the dollar

-Chad

Again, I totally agree. Well said.

Quote:
Originally Posted by quadriverfalls /forum/post/14312792


I understand what you are saying. But I still FIRMLY believe only your own ears will determine what sounds good or "better." I spent better than six months of auditioning speakers for my HT. Sure, I perused the forums and did some on line research to get some ideas of what I "thought" I might like.... but I wanted to listen for myself. I kept detailed notes in a journal and always used the exact same demo material.


Good thing I did. One of my very early auditions was with a Klipsch Reference 7 system. In the journal I was keeping, I wrote how I was very impressed with the "airy and very clear top end." Yet, after auditioning many speakers for several months and then going back to re-visit the few that were still high on my list.... I couldn't listen to the RF-7's for more than ten minutes. They were simply WAY too bright for my tastes.


I had found the sound that I preferred over ANY other. I've had my HT speaker rig now for better than six years (probably closer to seven) with not that first desire to change or upgrade in any way.


I'm not saying that my way is the perfect way to find what's best for you.... but, I certainly don't think asking a total stranger who could be twenty, thirty, fourty or fifty years apart from me in age and hear things completely different than I do.... what speaker he/she thinks is better.


Again, just my $0.02, YMMV, IMHO and all that stuff.

Good point about the different ages and hearing abilities. You just never know...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam1000 /forum/post/14313059


You might have answered this somewhere else, but I was always curious about your speaker purchase decision. When you bought 850 from Craig, I believe you also had a choice to pick up either Salk or Rocket. Since you had heard both speakers at the same time, why did you prefer 850 after direct comparison?

As I said, no knock on you, I was just curious. I'm trying to get an audition of Salk and Rocket locally here in Bay area.

Well, there were a couple reasons why I went with the Rocket's.


One is that my wife had already surprised me by contacting Craig and negotiating a package deal at an amazing price (850 Sig's, the Bigfoot center and a preamp and amp). I liked the Rockets very much so I would have been a fool not to take the deal, especially considering my wife went behind the lines and totally surprised me.


The second reason was, at the time, someone else from this forum had already spoken for the ST's. This person ended up not being able to make the purchase, but I didn't know that at the time and certainly did not want to interfere with the potential deal he had made.


In the end, I'll own both speakers, so I am just thrilled!