Ki Choi

My original intension for the post was to share my experience in getting the upgrade bug and successfully fighting it back after seeing the Emmy Awards shows - and thought that what I already have is good and good enough to not to upgrade to 1080P. However, if you are consderding buying a new display or projector get the best image possible to suit your budget. Aviserated: Even feeding our Panasonic with the BluRay, you will get the best possible 720P can produce- no more than 720P. If you already have top upsampling DVD player such as Oppo, I would guess you would not see any differences. OTOH, if you have BluRay player with the true 1080P mastered program vs. conventional DVD upsampled to beyond 720P-BluRay would have better image, IMHO. Maybe others who has actually compared the different set ups can add.

Not knowing tubes as much as I should... So Allan, is 5U4 tube an exact replacement for GZ34/5AR4? Ki

Used to like the Lobby shoot out scene in the original Matrix...

JJK: It's been a while since I was deep into getting the maximum out of the OTA broadcast HDTV programs but most of the networks send their signal in 720P max. So, what you saw on Super Bowl was 720P...[] It was still good though.. For truely 1080P mastered programs in Blue Ray would certainly be better than 720P on any size screens but my opinion is that when you get farther away than ~10', I am not sure if human eyes can differentiate the image resolution between 1080P and 720P- not my tired eyes anyway... Ki

We visited our son at his college and stopped at the Sony Styles store near the campus of University of Washington where they had the latest Blue Ray players and 1080P dislays. One of their large 50" Plasmas had "before" and "after" images demonstrating how much better the 1080P was but not sure what the lesser resolution images were... It was quite convincing demo viewing it less than 6' away. Then I came home... watched Nora Jones story on 60min (didn't know that her father is Ravi Shankar...) and proceeded to watch the Grammy Awards on CBS over the air broadcast in 720P HDTV images projected 13' away from Infocus 720 on 110" Black Hawk screen. The details are so good, I just can't see how much better it can be than 720P for distant viewing... I am thankful I don't know any better...and told my wife she doesn't have to worry...I would not be upgrading to 1080P anytime soon...

Digital storage scope would be very nice... Thanks for your insight on how the less than perfect sine wave out of my wall power would be handled by the audio gear. My guess was that if the device has properly designed power supply section, rectified, filtered and regulated DC should be as good as it can get without the help of power regeneration devices such as PS Audio. BTW, I switched the output level switch on the Wright WLA12A to -10db position and the volume is working at around 12 o'clock volume knob with almost no noise with AC power straight from the wall instead of working at ~9 o'clock. Ki

Pure object of lust... Has any of them show up in used market? If so how much did they go for? Used ones might be the only way I can justify the purchase for me also... However, I am keep telling myself how happy I am to be listening to the Trachorned and Beymad Khorns with BEC AAs...for now...

Seti: I hear you... I am probably a bigger skeptic than you are... The fanciest cables in my set up are 15+ year old Monster M1 speaker cables that are mechnically sound with more fliexible construction than I can come up with for the equivant gauge wires... Having EE background in my younger days, it is hard for me to get on the band wagon for the gagets that makes sound of your source better than what it is... OTOH, I do have collection of fancy power cables, interconnects, and speaker cables...that did nothing for me other than look impressive... but then again, I may not be qualifed to hear the differences... However, I have dealt with power as a serious ingrident in having stable operations when I used to design controls for industrial robots that could kill people when it malfunctions due to power situation in factories. Most of the factories I used to visit would have truely dirty power with spikes and fluctuations from the arc welding operations and variable speed AC drives and motors (the variable AC frequency drives use same principle as the PS Audio I believe). The PS Audio devices do work... I am not sure what the true benefits are in terms of sonics. Wright Sound WLA12A (used) came with all different brands of 6SN7 tubes that were all noisy through the Khors. I pulled out a pair of GE NOS 6SN7s I was saving for a future project in restoring a pair of organ amps. It's too early to tell if it sounds any better but certainly quieter than those that were sent to me. I'll have to check the two other tubes. Let me know if you know of a pair of WPA3.5 monos for sale somewhere. For this setup, I am using a Sony SCD-1 as CD source. Efzauner: The scope is a Tektronix....sorry. I do like HP instruments as well. left EE field many years ago so I am a dangerous amature than a competent pro... The scope was set up for 20v/div with a Tektronix 10x probe. I had a ground isolating plug for the scope power and plugged it into the wall outlet. The probe was calibrated by a certified (nuclear...) tech at work few months back and was measuring an AC cord with stripped wires plugged into the wall then moved to one of the conditioned AC outputs of the PS500. I'll have to get back to you with the rest of the settings. Ki

This is the screen shot of after...P500...no changes to the scope settings.

Just bought a used Wright WLA 12A preamp that sounds a bit "hotter" than my other tube preamps but very transparent. I liked the way it sounded overall but it also had low 60Hz hum came through the AudioPrism Debut II Silver Signature amp (same as the Red Rose Model 2 Silver Sig) in Triod mode (~18W/ch) driving the Khorns. So I drug out my old oscilloscope and looked at the power from the wall. We live in not so crowded area with very good power (with no fluctuations or spikes although we have few power outages due to trees falling on the main power lines. I used to use P600 and P500 in my system and used to monitor its display on P500 to be rock solid 117V all the time. So, I haven't been able to use P500 with big SS amps and didn't hear much difference with Debut, 8B, Cit IIs, or WM5s so it had been resting in the closet. However, when I looked at the wall power with the scope, I was surprised to see less than perfect sine wave. Its amplitue was somewhat flattened at the top and saw no so smooth wave. The Wright preamp has all tubed retifier section and guessed it would more sensitive to power condition than other gear. Well, I plugged in the PS Audio P500 into the wall and hooked up the scope again... perfect sine wave... The mode choices in the P500s would modify the sine wave a bit and I could hear the noise from the Khorns change in level and frequencies, etc. Let me know what affects the less than perfect sine wave would in sound in general. Here's the before and after photo of the scope screen:

Thanks Skonopa. I have been thinking of 60th Annis as the Jubies... It's the 60th Annis I must have...

Could you point me to a thread where it shows good photos of Jubies and 60th Annis for comparison?

So, what's the list price for a pair of Jubies?

For your entertainment, http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1176062039 if they were just a little closer to Seattle... Nah. Ki

Say no more, say no more... I am passing on them. You guys saved me. thanks, Ki

Speakerfritz: The link doens't work... What was the point? " The requested page is no longer available or has moved. Return to the www.yamaha.com home page to continue browsing.

If no one had spoken for the single Heresy, I would like to buy it. I have a similar vintage single Heresy and it would make a nice mate. Please email me your payment option and total for shipping. Ki

Just talked to the seller. He confirms they are not Speaker Lab Ks but Speaker Factory made from the same period. Also he was honest enough to tell me the photos came out better than the speakers' actual condition...

I am sure you would be asking...what's the $$$? The seller wants $650. So the end of the project could be K-77 tweeters, K-55Vs, in Klipsch motor boards(?) sitting on top of Speaker Factory bass bins with mistery woofer (the seller thought they had EVs but couldn't be sure) and BEC AA's. I could even butcher them to experiment with closed backs, etc. (You can see I am self-justifying why I need to get them...but I need your help to come up with a compelling story to tell my wife). Thanks.

Guys: As I need another hole in my head, I am considering a pair of "Speaker Factory" Khorn clones located less than 20 min. from my house. The owner couldn't confirm the driver details but thought to ask the group if I should pursue... I figure, it would be good keep the base bin as is and put in the original Khorn frames with drivers and horns that came out of my '76 Khorn from the Trachorn/Beyma upgrade...

Multitasking? I waited till half-time. Hope Prince doesn't get electric shocked...

Slaved over weeks installing Heritage HT with 110" screen in almost sure (but hope) Seattle win last year. Invited 15 of my closest and loudest friends and reserved three kegs of the finest NW microbrewed beer for the occation... and had to go out of town a week before the kick off - had to watch the painful loss all by myself from a hotel room in Osaka Japan... Although Indy isn't enjoying the momentous event in his own HT but out did himself by being there... It's like listening to the Khorns in your room vs. being at the concert, I guess. Ki

Mark: It's a compromise set up based on fixed position of Khorns. I don't move the Quads (now sitting on top of Gradient SW-63s instead of the stands) when I play them. I did get a fuller soundstage when I had them directly in front of the Khorns' paths but having them way out near the side walls, I get almost unnatural headphone effect from the Quads. The way the center image is so vividly presented and gives me the depth perception so missing with my other two speakers systems. It is very intoxicating...The B&Ws do image the best when I pull them out near the middle of the room but I lose bass... As others have said, in different dimensions and portotioned room, it would certainly work differently. I'd like to find a permanet place for either the Khorns and Quads somewhere else in the house. I should get rid of the B&Ws and other too heavy to lift SS amps and preamps - focus on tube stuff once again. Speaking of tube stuff. Since you have graciously replaced my Peach when it had abnormal ground noise right out of the box, it had been performing well but I am interest in getting three more 6DJ8s that would you had supplied with the preamp. Let me know if they are available. Ki

So what are the prices you are asking for them? Ki

Dean: I put the orange rubber gasket in the Trachorn when I installed mine. I can see the original horn was cast aluminum and the driver also being metal, the rubber gasket was needed. But for the plastic Trachorn adapter, the metal driver can be installed without the gasket and have max opening. If my guess above is right, I'll take then out! For the packing of the Trachorn assembly, I had some issues and had informed Al with photos to correct for the future. Send me a PM if you want to know what had happend.