Songer Audio: Simple is Best!


I have been an avid audiophile for decades. I own a large collection of high end gear that I use in multiple rooms, frequently rotate, and listen to constantly. I attend AXPONA and CAF perennially and regularly visit audiophile friends to experience their systems. I’m really into music and audio!

My long audio journey has brought through my system many different speaker configurations, including multi-driver box speakers (B&W, McIntosh, Raidho, YG, Wilson Benesch), panels (MartinLogan, Magnapan, TSW Apogees), omnis (MBL), horns (OMA), open baffles (PureAudioProject, Linkwitz, Cube), various subs (MartinLogan, JL, Linkwitz), full rangers (DIY, Voxativ, Cube, and Songer). I’ve experienced myriad tube and solid state configurations as well as most analog and digital source types. Additionally, I’ve experimented with numerous DSP and analog processing devices including some state-of-the-art components.

My ultimate litmus test is my long-term engagement. No matter how sophisticated, resolving, acclaimed, or expensive a speaker or system may be, if I find myself disengaged, distracted, or just bored, then I will move on from it. I have found that the systems and speakers that hold my attention most are typically the simplest. I tend to increasingly gravitate to simplicity.

The Songer S1x speakers are both the simplest and the best speakers I’ve ever owned. Source to the minimalist conrad-johnson preamp to a magnificent AirTight 300b amp to the single-driver, full-range, field-coil, Songer S1x speakers is a truly magical combination. These speakers are my favorite that I’ve owned (preferable to even my significantly more expensive and sophisticated Wilson Benesch Resolutions which are otherwise superb speakers). They hold their own to anything I’ve heard at shows.

The Songers have bass that should be impossible from a single driver and a 9 watt amplifier! The resolution is superb, the stage is huge, the dynamics are excellent, they are the epitome of musical and natural, and I could listen to them for hours at a time without ever losing interest. Every time I rotate in one of my other speakers, I quickly gravitate back to the Songers.

I credit this incredible accomplishment to Ken Songer’s magnificent driver design, no crossover, the field-coil motor, a superb cabinet, high efficiency, and the perfect point source single full range driver.

At $45,000 a pair, the Songers may be one of the greatest bargains in high-end audio. They’re in that rarified club with the world’s truly great speakers.

If you’re attending CAF, the Songers are a must listen. If you’re in the $50k price range for speakers, contact Songer and arrange a demo. You will not be disappointed!

One more thing….since purchasing my Songers, I’ve had the great pleasure of getting to know Ken Songer. On top of being a brilliant designer and a master craftsman, Ken is also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in the audio world. I do not consider myself to be his “customer”, I consider myself to be a proud patron of his art!

(This is my current system configuration. It’s a temporary set up. I’m in the process of building new equipment racks and tweaking my cable configurations.)

audionutjeff

@larryi 

Thanks for the shout out!  You have both Songer S1 and S2 versions?  Are they the x versions?  I upgraded from the S1 to the S1x, it was a substantial improvement.  

I’m not familiar with the Charley speakers   Beautiful cabinets   

I have PureAudioProject Quintet 15s with the Voxativ AC-1.6 and the Songers are in a completely different league.  I also have the Cube F10 Neo drivers that I’ve used in a few DIY configurations.  The Cube falls in between the less expensive Voxativ and the more costly Songers.  
 

We have very similar tastes!  Nice to meet you Larry!  

@bacch 

I agree, there is a real magic to a full-range driver and the lack of a crossover is a big factor.  True point source is a major contributor as well.  On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to get a full range speaker just right.  Design, materials, and motor are all critical.  The field-coil really takes it to the next level.  
 

I’ve been a big fan of full-rangers for quite awhile.  I started with the Voxativ AC-1.6 in the PureAudioProject Quintet 15s and then did a number of DIY builds with a Cube F10 Neo.  They were all excellent speakers, but room for improvement remained.  I’ve also heard a variety of Voxativ and Cube full-range and hybrids, as well as the very good Rethm speakers at numerous shows.  I always enjoyed these types of speakers.  There’s a musicality and beauty that is very unique to this configuration that I really love.  
 

To my listening tastes, the Songers are in a different league.  These are indeed my endgame speakers.  

@ronboco 

I’m very familiar with Rockports.  I consider them among the world’s greatest conventional box speakers.  I once did a direct A/B between a pair of Atria’s and Magico S3’s.  The Rockports absolutely smoked the Magico’s, it wasn’t even close!  Andy Payor is a true master of his craft.  
 

The Songers are a completely different concept and execution.  No conventional multi-driver speaker can do what a crossover free, true point source, field-coil speaker can achieve.  It’s a different type of speaker and a different sound.  My personal preference is a truly optimized full-ranger and the Songers is the best I have found.  
 

If you’ve not heard the Songer’s, I highly recommend checking them out.  I believe they’ll be at Capital Audio Fest next month.  

I had a pair of Pearl Acoustics Sibelius (renamed the Model 1) single driver speakers that gave me that same feeling. Those are the only pair of speakers, of many, that I wish I had kept.

 

 

 

@abd1 

Great description of the Songers, I completely agree!  
 

The Nenuphars are terrific speakers, I am very familiar with Cube Audio.  It’s a speaker that you can enjoy for hours at a time.  Definitely in the same sound characteristics family as the Songers.  The Songers just give you more of everything, particularly dynamics.   

What sources and amps are you using?  I find high efficiency full-rangers to be extremely amplifier sensitive.  

Enjoy your audio journey!