Salk Song 3A or Song 3 BeAT?

I would like to hear this too, my gut says go with Salk Song 3A based on my research. It seems like a very decent set of speakers but I too would like to hear more than just from Audiocircle where the fanbase emanates from. 

To others to own, what is the advantage of the encore over the 3A? Are the mid drivers and tweeters on the encore that much better? 

reggy

I ended up going a completely different direction ultimately, but I was able to audition the Song 3A at an owners house, using my integrated. They are very nice speakers with a very very clean, detailed and pretty dimensional sound. Bass is solid though perhaps not quite as deep and strong as I had expected from the looks. I could easily live with the 3A and the finish is impeccable. I don’t know the encore at all. As far as the 3 beat, if one likes the detail of the 3a but wants a slightly warmer presentation, I understand the 3 beat would be the way to go and I hear it has a slightly sweeter top end but I can't confirm. With the 3A I would probably pair it with electronics that err slightly on the warm side.

I've heard them all at Jim Salk's shop and ended up buying the pair of Encores he had.  I don't care for the Accuton midrange on the 3A as I find it too 'edgy'.  A bit too strident on my ears.  It was a close call between the BeAT's and the Encores but both my wife and I preferred the Encores.  Encores had a wider and deeper soundstage (probably due to their ability to go lower) which is what I was looking for.    As with all Jim's speakers, the finish is flawless.

@og33 That sounds wonderful. I wish you many years to come for those speakers. I hear the sound of the Salks is first and the finish is second. And what a finish it has.

That's not too strange you prefer the Encore's, it does have a higher price, but would you say they would be suitable in a medium size living room?

How much better is the Encore's compared to the beats in terms of overall listening enjoyment to details and vibe.

I would certainly be ok with the soundstage albeit narrower of the beats if it is still very good. Would you say the Encores is a must compared to the beats without a subwoofer?

Thanks.

reggy

after discussions with Jim Salk, i went with the BeATs, which are currently in the hands of FedEx, and should arrive in a couple of days.  

I was looking at either the BeATs or Encores, but due to musical taste (all over the place, but with generous amounts of 70s-90s rock/metal)  he suggested the BeATs would be more forgiving than the 3As or Encores on lower quality recordings.   He also mentioned that as i do not listen to EDM or need LFE for movies, i would probably not miss the extra bass from the Encores. 

 I'm replacing 20 year old  Magnepan 1.6s that died and Monitor Audio RX 6 Silver (were in secondary system until Maggies died).  The  RX-6 will go back to the secondary system.

reggy,

I think most people might prefer the BeAT to the Encore.  At the time I was looking I could have purchased either at approximately the same price as the Encore pair was Jim's show demo.  I really did like the BeAT but I think most might prefer them over the Encore.  In my case I was looking for a bit more bass and the Encores have that.  My current room is not huge but we have 12' ceilings and they do fill the space.  Bass might be a bit overpowering in a smaller room.   For me, they are the best overall Salk speaker I've owned, and I've owned a lot of them.

This is why the 9.5 model is interesting.  Uses the BeAT tweeter and midrange, combined with the Encore woofer supplemented with passive radiators.

@twoleftears That's nice but the way I see it the $10,000 price tag destroys any value for the money. Might as well get the song 3a or beats with an added subwoofer.

@og33 what characteristics would people prefer the Beat to the Encore if I might ask.

I have a pair of the BeATs and really like them.   I started out with Song3 and upgraded.  I was fortunate that Jim was building a pair of BeATs for himself and decided to go to the ss9.5.   By taking Jim’s speakers saved me 2 months of waiting.

reggy,
The BeAT would likely be better in a smaller room than the Encore.  I'd say that the Encore's bass might be too overpowering in a smaller room.  I've got a fairly open room and I feel the bass from the Encores.  In my experience, I haven't been afforded the luxury of a large listening room (and neither do most of my audio friends) so the BeAT would excel in those rooms.

I had the opportunity to listen to a friends BeATs in a large room....easily 4000+ cubic feet....and they had plenty of low end, 5' out from the rear wall and 10' back to the listening position....

check out the latest BeATs finish.
Also, if you go much larger than the BeATs...the return cost is a small fortunate if you don't love them.

Just came back to this forum, I'm loving the discussion on the BeATs.  I have a 19'8 x 14,7 which is fairly open would you think they would be suitable for that type of living room.

@snapsc that's a really nice finish I will definitely take a look at that website, I think I'm going for Chocolate mousse to match this in my living room TV stand:

 https://www.wayfair.ca/furniture/pdp/darby-home-co-blackwelder-tv-stand-for-tvs-up-to-78-drbc8895.ht...

What type of veneer wood would you guys suggest for that chocolate mousse color? I'm guessing it really doesn't make too much of a difference on acoustics?

Go to the galley page and search by color you can choose standard or custom veneers to view examples.
http://www.salksound.com/gallery.php

Yes I am aware, I am just wondering what type of material people usually go for. Oak?