Deang

Darn good advice from a guy pretty new to the tube thing!! Definitely leave it off and send it to Craig if you want to know more about it. After Craig checks it out, you'll have a better idea of what to do with it. As far as I'm concerned, with the prices of most tube gear today -- just about anything is worth saving if possible.

Welcome to the forum!! Excellent first post. Now I just need a little while to figure it all out. Thanks!

How big is your room What do you listen to What is your equipment list

That is the NOSvalves first generation bias mod. The new one Craig has set up is really slick, and doesn't have that stickin up in the air thang going on.

Agreed. Those things are nasty. Just give me roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes -- and lot's of chocolate!!

Happy Passover/Resurrection Sunday Lance! What changed 11 men from fleeing cowards (at the arrest and execution of Christ), to the fierce and persuasive evangelists of Acts 2 -- willing to face death at the drop of a hat?

Andy, Did you ever manage to sell off the beautiful Scala cabinets you built?

I wanted to start a new thread on this, and will probably start a new thread on this every time it comes up until I really understand what is going on with this. In Eric's/ Ed's Moondog thread below, Eric said, "The gain of most tube preamps is really more than the couple of volts the Moondogs need to push them into the clipping region." I know when Leo was getting ready to buy his Moondogs, he had some concerns about this as well. I'm having a really rough time understanding what is happening here. I mean, if the volume is turned all the way down on the preamp, and there is no sound coming out of the speakers -- there is no 'gain', right? So then you turn it up, there is 'gain' -- which makes sound. Why does it just seem to me that the only thing that should be impacted is how far the volume control knob is turned before before the amp is overdriven? I'm clearly missing something here. Most preamps supply between 18 and 20db of 'gain'. Is this number a constant then? I just always figured preamps start at 0 gain, and then as you turn the volume up -- the gain is increased until one reaches the 18 to 20 db figure. Hmmm, let me guess -- it doesn't work this way does it? On the other end of this equation is something like Mike Sanders' Horn Monos. He specifically designed these for Big 'Ole Horns, and they are advertised as being "low gain". Are low powered amps by their very nature "low gain"? What constitutes low gain in an amp, what constitutes low gain in a preamp, and how does one go about determining what should be matched with what? High gain preamp with low gain amp, low gain preamp with high gain amp, low gain preamp with low gain amp, high gain amp with high gain preamp -- did I leave anything out? Can these things be explained in such a way as not to cause my brain to collapse in on itself? How about one of you genius' make up a nice chart for the rest of morons telling us what numbers work best with what numbers. Oh yes, and then there is the output impedance of the amp and the input impedance of the preamp (or is it the other way around) -- doesn't this relate to this whole issue of 'gain'? Thanks to whoever takes the time to help out here.

Excellent work Eric, Ed is going to be so happy -- As far as caps go -- sometimes I think it's a good idea to mix things up a bit. I have the Jensen copper PIO's in my Cary preamp, and what appears to be RelCap MIT metallized polypropylenes for the coupling caps in the Quicksilvers (I say "appears", because the caps are wrapped in light yellow instead of white, with the Quicksilver logos on them -- but I certainly know what the MIT's look like). All of these caps are fine products, and each have their own signature. I think maybe keeping things mixed up prevents the overall signature from shifting too far in one direction. Changing the parts in my RF-7 crossovers, and the experience of listening to the signature smooth out over a month -- forever convinced me of the idea of 'break-in' as it relates to caps.

LOL. That was good. Maron made a funny!! Dammit Craig, you weren't supposed to see that! It's freaking Kelly's fault!!

"So, we're a pretty biased crowd." Hee hee. The Paradigms are excellent sounding speakers, and I almost bought a set of big Studio models before I discovered the diminutive RB-5. Those Canadians are well grounded up there -- pretty much great speakers all the way around. In the end, I went with a set of RB-5's and a Boston PV1000 powered sub because I really noticed the high level of articulation with the RB-5's. I feel the Reference line driver/horns do a much better job of unravelling the layers in the music then straight up tweeters mounted on a baffle. I think the Paradigms will be much more forgiving of less than wonderful sources. The RF-3's otoh, might ask you for an upgrade or two. The thing to remember is the sense of immediacy, openess, and the lack of compression during loud complex muscial passages one gets with horns -- once you experience that in your own listening room, there's simply no going back.

LOL So -- I guess the Scala is a "weapon of knack destruction".

Never mind. Amazing -- I actually got the search function to work!!

Well, I know what transformers do -- but I'm having a hard time understanding what they do in a crossover.

Jeepers Dave -- 100db is pretty darn loud. If you can get there without earbleed you're doing pretty good. If you like loud, and listen to intense music -- then you are going to have to caulk those lenses from the base of the throat all the way to the mouth of the lens -- right up to the motor board. You should also caulk the tweeter while you are in there.

Just goes to show how much you guys REALLY know. Those are frequency modulation devices which curb the doppler effect induced by the bass horn on the lower midrange frequencies of the K33. The "Knick Knack" is actually a custom order piece from Advanced Tuning Systems International. Those run around $400 -- and there is a 6 month waiting list for them. It's amazing the things people do under the influence of drugs.

Oh well, nothing lasts forever. Except Klipsch of course!

The green marker works, but only if you buy the one from Mapleshade for $679.99

I have four kids -- I eat off of it all of the time.

I hate even to admit this -- but I HAVE tried it!! Hell, you can use anything between the cables and the floor -- as long as it's acting as a dielectric. Vibrapods, wood blocks -- your name it. I figured MAYBE -- yeah -- if the carpet is holding a static charge, and the speaker cables aren't shielded. I tried it and just plain couldn't tell if it was doing anything or not. But being the half paranoid idiot that I am -- when I ordered new cables, I ordered 6 footers -- so they wouldn't touch the floor. Yeesh, I can't believe I admitted this -- I pray Craig doesn't read this.

NO STEEL WOOL -- that stuff goes everywhere -- bad, bad, bad. Use a Scotchbrite scratchpad, or go to the hardware store and buy a similiar thing used for wood finishing, often referred to as a "finishing pad". Even if you tape the sockets, make sure you vacuum every square millimeter of the amp when you are done.

Hmmm, I thought they were Niña, Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

Very nice. Maybe someday when I'm old and gray I can get a pair of Cadillacs.

I've taken a somewhat different approach to this age old problem. Those little cable holders are always falling over -- ya know what I mean? It's much easier to use a Telescopic Holeless Hydraulic Elevator. I use one of these, which has replaced my rack. When I'm ready to listen to music -- I raise the system up until the cables are no longer touching the carpet. An unbelievable difference in sonics!

A 2'x2' polished granite slab on cones.