I heard the original version of the Salk STs and really did not think anything of them. Even the larger coffin design models were nothing special to my ears. I was just not impressed. Not sure how they have changed over the years. Daedalus Audio has a very musical sound, almost like the old time speakers I used to listen to. Very emotional and involving. I own a pair of Alon V MKII speakers which are great sounding especially for the used prices. They need some tweaking to upgrade the X-Overs, etc, but they have a great sound. I was not that impressed with the newer Nola speakers. I felt that they lacked deep bass and the top end was very slightly diminished. Very hard to tell unless you know the material you are listening to. Could have also been the components used in the system. I compared them to the Lawrence Audio speakers which in the same system brought the music to life. I was disapointed with the Nolas. But that being said, at the show in Brooklyn recently, my friend heard the Nola ($25K models) and he said he would buy them if he could afford them. Best he had heard. Go figure!
Anyway, my preference would be Daedalus Audio or another listen to the Nolas. I know that Carl builds a great product and services he customers.
Happy Listening.