Woodog

Decided to go and listen to some expensive audio equipment today, and so I dressed nicely and headed out to one of the local hi-fi dealers here and headed into their very nicely appointed, extremely comfortable, seductively lit demo rooms and talked like I really had money (COUGH). My son, who was with me, had been clued in to the ruse and went along with me shamelessly. I spotted B&W speakers that looked really high tech and sexy, and asked what something like that might cost. $1100 each, I was told, the top of the line that they had there, I was told. Great, let's listen to them! They had a Journey SACD and since I wanted to hear a SACD player as well I asked them to demo that machine as well. It was a DENON DVD-2900. (the only model number I remember since I got fliers about it and the DVD-2200 before I left). So here comes 'expensive' sound. Turn it up, I asked. They did. About a minute in to the CD, Gavin, my son, whispers to me 'our speakers sound a lot better than these'. I smiled. Yep. We listened a bit more to other speakers and had much the same conclusion. My old Cornwalls are such a great bargain. It makes me feel really good that after spending what is, to me, a large sum on audio the past year I got a really good deal because I decided to graze in the Klipsch/vintage tube pasture. Left there and went to the bargain store and picked up what looked like a cool album, Ben Webster/Coleman Hawkins Tenor Giants on Verve. 99 cents. (probably scratched, I thought, but hey, for a buck why not?) Turns out the record is nearly pristine and oh so well recorded. I like the sound and the music. What a good day! I just had to share. forrest

---------------- On 1/27/2004 2:54:27 PM DeanG wrote: I'm rather disappointed in this Push-Pull crowd. See, the SET guys are right, we have no sophistication. They would have had pictures, with full cardboard circuit diagrams above the gear, and more commentary than Gibbons. What a bunch of wieners. ---------------- LMAO! that's funny forrest

What a great picture. congrats to you! as Lou Reed sings (I think) 'It's the beginning of a big adventure'. cheers! Forrest

---------------- On 1/27/2004 9:00:27 AM maxg wrote: Bows head to Randy...4 kids....all in diapers - holy s**t. ---------------- not really holy, just lotsa woo

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4619&item=3656891141 woo

---------------- On 1/25/2004 11:16:22 PM garymd wrote: ---------------- On 1/25/2004 11:14:12 PM MarkBK wrote: BTW...I do have some pics - will post if all attendees are comfortable. ---------------- Screw the attendies. Post them pics! ---------------- THAT'S the forum spirit!! You tell 'em Gary! forrest (p.s. Gary, I was really imressed with your use of 'ain't' in another thread the other day! Great word, ain't it?)

---------------- On 1/25/2004 11:16:22 PM garymd wrote: ---------------- On 1/25/2004 11:14:12 PM MarkBK wrote: BTW...I do have some pics - will post if all attendees are comfortable. ---------------- Screw the attendies. Post them pics! ---------------- THAT'S the forum spirit!! You tell 'em Gary! forrest (p.s. Gary, I was really imressed with your use of 'ain't' in another thread the other day! Great word, ain't it?)

I was figuring that they were iced in and unable to leave at this point. But yes, Audio, I want the review. I was figuring that the 'post happy' smilin would have written a rather large tome by this point. What say ye? How'd it go? forrest

I'll be able to be there depending on the date. I would have gone to Chicago except for the timing. I'd bring my Scott 355/208 combo. forrest

Bowling Green, Kentucky, where most gruesome deaths begin with the phrase 'hey y'all, check this out!' Woo

I really think Belles are the most beautiful of all of Klipsch speakers. Congrats on those! Enjoy! Woo

---------------- On 1/19/2004 10:36:24 PM larryclare wrote: ---------------- On 1/19/2004 8:52:20 PM Woodog wrote: ---------------- Ha! I am totally unfamiliar with Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, so I'll be looking that one up. Rachmaninoff is great winter music. I'm currently learning two preludes, Dminor from op. 23 and the G#minor from op. 32. the Virgil Fox CD, Digital Fox (the first direct to Disc digital (classical music) recording in the U.S. (or so it claims) is on BainBridge, 1983. It is probably out of print, but it shows up on Ebay from time to time. there are other works besides the 2 Bach works on this disc, but those two are the gems. I have to admit that Fox's interpretations are overly 'romantic' vs. 'pure baroque', but goodness his playing is sweet. As for the Brahm's requiem, John Elliot Gardiner has a decent interpretation out. ---------------- OK, great. I found one Fox CD when I picked up the B minor Mass -- it has the Toccata in D Minor but not the C-major item. I have the Biggs recording of that, which maybe will do. I've never heard any Fox recordings, as I said. Do you think the Gardiner is special, as opposed to, well, merely decent? Wolfram mentioned the Gardiner, too, and the Herreweghe (not known to me). I.e., will I be captivated by either of these? Please let us know what you think of the SJChrysostome -- Larry ---------------- E Power Biggs is a 'big time' interpreter, that's for sure. John Elliot Gardiner is the same conductor as the B minor mass that you picked up. It is a fine recording, but then again it is the only one I have of the Brahms Requiem, and I'm rendered silly by the headiness of this beautiful, thick, exquisite choral work. The opening chorus gives me chills every time. Whenever I use the word 'decent' I usually mean 'high praise'. ciao! Forrest

---------------- On 1/19/2004 3:11:48 PM larryclare wrote: ---------------- On 1/19/2004 12:56:56 PM Woodog wrote: Here are a couple of CD's that remain among my most often played...Bach: B Minor Mass: Monteverdi Choir.... Virgil Fox: Digital Fox (for the Toccata and Fugue in d mol as well as the Toccata Adagio and Fugue in C ... monster piece THE most beautiful Adagio.. I swear).... Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit : Martha Argerich (anything piano with her name on it is good). A VERY well done interpretation of this ultra-virtuostic piano piece.... Rachmaninoff: Vespres, op. 37. The Choral Arts Society of Washington w/ Mstislav Rostropovitch as conductor.... If you wish to sample choral music, and I golly gee do hope you do, anything put out by the Robert Shaw Choral, or Chanticleer, or King's College Choir (Stephen Cleobury, conductor) is a good bet. enough for now, Forrest ---------------- Forrest, Thanks very much. I've been wanting a good Mass in B Minor, and, with finally a good recommendation, I just now bought your rec. What CD brand and how do I find the Virgil Fox? Many on the Forum have mentioned him, and it's time for me to do it. I don't recall having heard the Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C. Also, while you're at it, do you have a recommendation for a good Brahms Requiem? Anyone else -- Max? I have the old Klemperer LP album with Schwarzkopf and Fischer-Dieskau which I don't find exciting, and a 1977 von Karajan. The Rach Vespers haven't ranked as high with me, and I've heard it live and have a Rob't Shaw CD. The Rach I find VERY impressive is the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, by Charles Bruffy and the Kansas City Chorale on Nimbus. Larry ---------------- Ha! I am totally unfamiliar with Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, so I'll be looking that one up. Rachmaninoff is great winter music. I'm currently learning two preludes, Dminor from op. 23 and the G#minor from op. 32. Andras Schiff also has the complete Bach Preludes and Fugues for the clavier out on London records. Superb! His recording of the Mendelssohn Songs without Words (various ones) on London are also magnificent. ok.. I went off on a tangent... to the question at hand.... the Virgil Fox CD, Digital Fox (the first direct to Disc digital (classical music) recording in the U.S. (or so it claims) is on BainBridge, 1983. It is probably out of print, but it shows up on Ebay from time to time. there are other works besides the 2 Bach works on this disc, but those two are the gems. I have to admit that Fox's interpretations are overly 'romantic' vs. 'pure baroque', but goodness his playing is sweet. As for the Brahm's requiem, John Elliot Gardiner has a decent interpretation out.

You found Jimmy Hoffa! woo

---------------- On 1/19/2004 12:35:36 PM T_Shomaker wrote: also could I please have some info on how to use this thing, dosen't it have to warm up before you use it ---------------- Patience! Son, you gonna have one MoFo fine sounding setup! As an aside, how do you like the Archos Jukebox you list? I got one (a 20 gig Jukebox 2) for my son this past Xmas, and it fizzled on the third day. Had to send it back for a replacement. It was a bummer! Hopefuly that was just a bad piece and not indicative of the problems to come. ciao, Forrest

---------------- On 1/19/2004 11:57:45 AM larryclare wrote: The Classical Music for Dummies CD sounds very interesting, Chris. Larry ---------------- The Classical Music for Dummies book (IDG PRESS) is actually a very good guide to the available field of recordings. Their recommendations point to well interpreted, sonically clear recordings. Here are a couple of CD's that remain among my most often played. Bach: B Minor Mass: Monteverdi Choir Virgil Fox: Digital Fox (for the Toccata and Fugue in d mol as well as the Toccata Adagio and Fugue in C ... monster piece THE most beautiful Adagio.. I swear). Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit : Martha Argerich (anything piano with her name on it is good). A VERY well done interpretation of this ultra-virtuostic piano piece. Rachmaninoff: Corelli Variations, Vladimer Ashkenazy at the piano. (London) Rachmaninoff: The series of piano concertos preformed by Zoltan Kocsis w/ the San Francisco Symphony. very nice. Rachmaninoff: Vespres, op. 37. The Choral Arts Society of Washington w/ Mstislav Rostropovitch as conductor. and lastly (at least for now).. Arvo Part: Te Deum. A modern choral work performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (BMG classics, ECM 1505, 78118-20003-2, 1993) this last piece of choral music will bewitch you. It just draws you in and leaves you thinking 'My God what a beautiful sound'. If you wish to sample choral music, and I golly gee do hope you do, anything put out by the Robert Shaw Choral, or Chanticleer, or King's College Choir (Stephen Cleobury, conductor) is a good bet. enough for now, Forrest

---------------- On 1/18/2004 10:09:23 AM fini wrote: I always start off doing it the normal way. ---------------- Visions of toe in and toe out... ah .. well.. ahem.. Be careful with that volume control. the high Solid State wattage has a tendency to fry tweeters if you're not careful. You're gonna find that your pioneer is WAY overpowered for these speakers.. and as far as horns go... man are you in for a treat! I used to really drool over those big ole Pioneer SX series... all those buttons, knobs, big huge tuning dial, ultra cool 'lights off' look of em. these days I'm drooling over extremely small, virtually knobless, 3 - 6 watt SET amps. I've never heard one, but according to these folks around here, they are awesome little buggers. I've found that the folks around here know what they are talking about. Enjoy your Chorus II, and as one organ lover (fini, don't go there) to another, you'll be astounded. Forrest

Oregon's "Winter Light" (this will be the first LP on the turntable I get on Monday!) I can't wait! Murray Perriah playing Schubert Impromptus. and my absolute take me back zone favorite Dark Star from Live Dead

11/30 was a good night in 73.

ah, what the H... . I'm feeling altruistic. Count me in for $10 Woo

Sounds like a really cool way to spend an evening. I've GOT to hear Khorns. Edster in GA has offered to let me hear his with a SET amp when I'm down his way, but that's going to be a while. patience... Forrest

Happy Birthday ! woo

---------------- On 1/12/2004 12:35:09 AM 3dzapper wrote: Craig, you stole the words right out of my mouth. Forest, beg borrow or steal a better CD unit.Will it be as dramatic as going from B to Klipsch? No the Klipsch sound is so much more alive but, it will greatly improve your appreciation of your amp and Corns. You'll be glad you did. Rick ---------------- What would you suggest? How 'bout in the <$300 range (doable right now). >$300, <$500 doable in about 3 months. thanks, Forrest

I decided to take the plunge into tubes and back in November I scored a Scott 355 / 208 combo from ebay. After some emailed pics to Craig of the wiring, I got an okay to listen for a bit before sending it for a rebuild. It sounded bright, a bit uncontrolled, but with a neat 'sheen' to the sound. I didn't listen long... boxed it back up right after Thanksgiving and sent it off to Craig. At first, because I didnt have cables of proper length, I hooked up the Scott from the pre-out of the Harmon Kardon PT2300 preamp I had been using. There was some improvement in sound. Thursday I got some cables long enough to connect the DVD player to the Scott directly. Ah good sound. I don't actually know what I was expecting. Maybe I was expecting trumpets and the second coming, or an electric body jolt, or perhaps something hugely dramatic, but I didn't get the BAM in your face change I thought I was going to get. I'm not disappointed though. It does sound very nice. Warmth, liquid smooth meaty bass, a quality that's hard to describe. I would have to say alive. There is a pronounced 'warmth' 'bloom' 'smoothness' to the midrange/highs. I had been powering my Cornwalls with a 1979 model Harman/kardon PA200 power amp (100 wpc of clean SS juice) and the matching PT2300 preamp. I used to power Bose 901's with that combo, and that combination certainly didn't suck, but when I got Cornwalls they blew the 901's out of the water sonically. The speaker change was a much more dramatic change in sound for me, and perhaps I was expecting the same drama with the Scott. Right now I'm listening to Ahmad Jamal's 'Crystal', a great CD with a very prominent piano, lots of percussion, and a chewy, thick bass. Having majored in piano, I'm really in tune to the nuance of an acoustic sounds like. The Scott/Cornwall combo can reproduce it admirably. I only have the volume knob at 3 and it has plenty of punch! The tuner pulls in stations well, and the overall look is really cool. Plus, I can plug my electric piano straight into the amp for practicing. Last night I listened to Duke Pearson from the Mosaic CD collection. Nice and alive. After that was Mahler Symphony #4. Killer! Much more life than the Harman Kardon. I think, in hindsight, with the total cost of this being around 1000.00 (purchase price + rebuild + shipping everywhere) that there might have been better combinations available at the time, but hey, it is a good piece (I think) and this is all a journey, and I doubt I'll ever get rid of it. Craig does good work and he can count me as a satisfied customer. The only source (besides the tuner) I have currently is a DVD/CD player that cost all of $99 at Best Buy. A friend has offered me her BIC turnable (a 980, I think). I'm anxious to see how a turntable will sound with the Scott since I've heard the phono section is where Scotts really shine. Comments, suggestions welcome. As Dean has noted in another post, you all like shopping for other people. Those are my first impressions. I've been told that the sound gets better as components 'burn' in. We'll see. One things for sure, at some point in the near future I'm going to get a better CD player, use my friend's turntable, dust off the 300 or so albums I have in the basement. peace y'all, Forrest

---------------- On 1/9/2004 9:11:42 PM Marvel wrote: Have you seen "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki? It really isn't a childrens film. I just wish Disney weren't taking so much credit for it. Marvel ---------------- This film was so poorly promoted here in Kentucky, it was lucky that I saw it at all. Amazingly deep and complex on many levels. The color scheme at times just took my breath away. The musical compositions behind it are amazing as well. I recently purchased a copy of 'Inochi no Namae' by Joe Hisaishi and am going to learn it for a prelude at my church. You are correct! Great anime. Recommended for everyone! woo