RichardP

There it goes. That didn't take long, did it?

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SPOKEN FOR BY KRITON 11/6 8 pm (sorry to others) For any of you retro-types who need a turntable for your vinyl lps, here is one for free. Just pay shipping and its yours. It is a Yamaha YP-D6 direct drive model I purchased around 1978, for about $275. Since getting my first CD player in 1984, this turntable has been stored in its original box in an interior closet (yes, for 22 years!). It is used, but not abused. Woodtoned base with silver top. Mounted is a Shure M97 cartridge, which at the time, if memory serves, was about third from the top of the Shure line, below the V15 Type III and IV models. Critical specs include: wow & flutter less than .035% wrms; S/N better than 70 dB (DIN-B; 60 dB IEC-; speed adjustment +/- 3%; 3.5 lb platter; manual start, auto return; damped arm lifter; wt 23 lbs. Owners manual included. I do not know if any parts "go bad" from age or non-use, so it is clearly an "as-is" item. I don't have any lps to test it on. I did plug it in; it started and speed seemed to be stable, according to the platter edge strobe markings. It is fairly large and heavy, so UPS shipping may be $20 or so. I will reinforce the box with extra cardboard, bubble wrap, and other padding. If convenient, we can use Paypal (you pay the 3% transaction fee), or else some other direct method. First come first served; PM me from here if interested. Pictures follow.

Price reduced to $750. They're still here... http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/thread/789973.aspx Between here and Audiogon, over 3200 views in the last month! Unfortunately, no takers yet. In fact, only one inquiry at all[]. I check E-bay a lot, and there seem to be several CWs offered for well over my price, i.e., $900-1100 (vs. mine at $750). Is my price fair? It seems only ones in mediocre 7/10 shape or worse are going for less than my price. These sure would make somebody happy who is ready to take the big box plunge. They would also make nice surrounds for those of you with CW, LaScala, or Khorn mains (hint, hint[]). There must be several million people within my delivery/pick-up range, especially in the DFW area, so I am surprised at so little interest. I have considered listing them on the DFW craigslist, but on there you are dealing with the general general public. Any interested parties, or just suggestions, are welcome.

This Audioholics reviewer was extremely impressed with the THX Ultra 2 system, using a Denon AV-3806, which, to my knowledge, is a good but not necessarily high end receiver: http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/loudspeakers/KlipschUltra2Systemp1.php As wuzzzer said, the speaker system is a platform to build on; it shouldn't require an ultra high end, high $ power source to sound great. However, I would guess that anyone who can afford a $10K speaker system can probably afford a $1K amp/receiver (if not now, eventually).

The SVS subs are known for going very deep, but many do not consider them necessarily "musical," which to some means they are not "fast" or don't have a lot of "punch." (I use the quotations because there is subjectivity in what those terms mean). Klipsch subs seem to have the punch, which may be what you want with music, especially in a party mode where the bass is likely to be jacked up far beyond a balanced level anyway. Here is a thread of mine from a while back which asked for sub suggestions: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/thread/736822.aspx

marems - note that on the reseller's ratings site mentioned above, Abe's is among the lowest rated sites in the list. That is consistent with my reading of reviews for photo equipment on numerous forums over the last 5-7 years; readers were consistently warned to stay away from Abe's (also CCI, Marine Park, and several other NY mailorder stores [b&H and Adorama excluded]) for their unscrupulous practices, including selling gray market products; irresistable low prices combined with absurd shipping and handling costs, or taking your order, charging your card, then 10 days later you were notified that it was all backordered, etc. Here is link to a photo forum with stories from customers: http://www.photo.net/neighbor/subcategory-index?id=2&limit=f Apparently the latest ploy is to offer a discount to customers who post a positive story on photo.net. Despite the good experiences of the posters above, there are obviously a lot of dissatisfied customers of those stores. I wouldn't want you to get burned.

What about a subwoofer? I think Heresys roll off below 50 Hz or so, and even a "budget" sub (relatively speaking; around $400) would fill in the bottom end and enhance the sound much more dramatically than any change in the electronics. Would your room size allow the addition of an 18" cube?

Copperwire: While I would never think of disputing any poster's recommendation about tube amps vs. SS, the Forte I or II should not be bass shy with any amplifier that is working normally. Assuming a relatively flat frequency response in an amp/receiver, there is far more variability in any speaker's bass output due to room characteristics and placement than due to subtle amp design differences. Fortes were not designed specifically to "go with" tube amps, so that should not be a requirement for good sound. To me, a perceived lack of bass would be most likely be caused by a room placement/room mode/standing wave issue; there might also be an amp/receiver/connector problem (but that is not an endorsement of "special" expensive speaker wires; just adequate ones); it also could be a setting on the amp/receiver that is limiting the bass (is it an HT receiver, speakers set to "small?"); and lastly, there is always the issue of what your previous speakers sounded like - they may have emphasized various bass frequencies above a "flat" response that you have gotten used to, and by comparison, the Fortes seem lacking in bass. There are bass test tones on the web which can be downloaded and burned to a CD; you might do some testing of the Fortes vs. your old speakers. Last year I posted a copy of Julian Hirsch's Stereo Review article from 1986 (you may find it with a search); he stated that the Forte had the flattest freq response (down to its limit of around 32 Hz) of any speaker he had tested. In sum, there should be no lacking of bass if everything is within spec and speakers are placed optimally in your room. I would definitely attempt to rule out all these possibilities before deciding you need a new amp.

i say a big water heater Not just a water heater...Darth Vader's water heater.

While you should definitely check receiver connections, the most likely culprit is the crossover; at 33 yrs old, they are very likely to be out of spec. The capacitors do go bad gradually, and it is surely time for them to be refurbished. As a fellow Okie, we are lucky, in that Bob Crites is just over in Russellville, Arkansas. He refurbs crossovers and sells new ones, and is a scholar and a gentleman of highest integrity. He has helped me with both my Belle and Cornwall crossovers. If you find that the receiver connections are sound, and the lower output level stays in the same speaker, swap the crossovers next. It is a small pain, but you can disconnect each driver from its respective crosssover, then unscrew the crossover board from the speaker cabinet. Make sure you reconnect the drivers to the crossovers correctly; hopefully, your crossover labels are still legible, and the wires from each driver are still marked pos and neg. On mine, one wire from each driver has a "dash/stripe;" presumably this is the positive. If the lower output follows one crossover (i.e., it's now in the other speaker), then there is your answer. Bob was able to refurbish mine and send them back in only a week, although the schedule depends on his current workload. If you need to send them, just email Bob through this forum. His prices are quite reasonable. EDIT: Now seeing Al K's response. Coincidentally, when I bought my Belles (used), they had AL crossovers, which were intended for LaScalas. Who is going around putting the wrong crossovers in Belle's?[*-)] I actually ended up buying Bob's new AA models.

Still for sale. Almost 1000 views here, but no inquiries. I listed them on Audiogon about 5 days ago (10/11), and already over 700 views there. Just think: instant Heritage, with refurbished crossovers and tweeters! []

From the thread title, I envisioned something like....the Hal-Horn 9000...or will Michael shed his corporeal body and become an immortal acoustic plasma..

One of mine sits directly beside my Mits RPTV, only a couple of inches away, and has caused no problems at all. Can't say anything about underneath any other type of TV, nor about two side by side. I read that the lower part of the cabinet of an RPTV is the most susceptible to magnetic fields, so if mine at 2" away doesn't cause a problem, then maybe yours won't either. You may want to contact Klipsch tech support directly and ask about shielding.

Tobby, if you go that route, keep me in mind. I have Cornwall's for sale and within easy driving distance: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/thread/789973.aspx

For what it's worth, there is a THX sub system (2 subs, amp) being sold on Audiogon right now, a little used dealer demo, for $2500, by a seller with lots of positive feedback. Located in Tampa, FL. It might be worth a road trip, or a couple hundred in shipping. What are they new, $4K?

El Bumpo. No inquiries yet. If nothing happens in the next week or so, I will list them on Audiogon and/or craigslist.

I stand corrected. It is a true DVD-A, not a DualDisc, but has the redbook CD side, which most DVD-A's don't have. It also comes in a regular CD case, not the usual larger DVD-A case. I was confused.

Over at www.avsforums.com, there is a DVD-A/SACD/Surround/multichannel section, which has been going for a long time. In it are many threads where people nominate their favorite discs. To the above, I would add: Steely Dan - Everything must go any Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat, The Nightfly, Kamakiriad Eagles - Hotel California Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (a dual disc w/CD & DD5.1 mix; not a true DVD-A) Any Porcupine Tree DVD-A In case you see one and are tempted, I do not recommend any of the DVD-A's from the "Live from the front row" series; all I have heard are very poorly done and do not make good use of the format. Unfortunately, you are getting into the format in its dying days. Most labels have abandoned it, in part due to the meteoric rise in the average person's desire for downloadable music listened to over iPod earbuds. Apparently only a relative few of us with 5.1+ HT setups really liked the multichannel mixes. The discs are getting harder to find and more expensive (many over $20) than even one year ago. I am hoping that the new HD DVD formats will somehow keep multichannel music alive.

Thanks for the option, Michael. However, I didn't really listen to much (or own any) Black Sabbath, so I don't even know which tune "NIB" is. Tell us about it. (My, we're up late, aren't we?)

[i wonder what kind of music I should play while plunging...?} AC-DC "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"

I looked up the movie on IMDB, and found that the song is the title you mention, but it was written by Bobby Goldsboro, not Paul Williams (although PW might have sung it for the movie). I tried to look for the lyrics on various lyric search engines, and they are all crap. Some don't have listings of songs that old, and some won't even load in a reasonable time on my paleolithic dial up. You may have better luck. I had to euthanize one of my 16 yr old cats in December and the other last month, both due to kidney failure, so I empathize with you. It will be tough, but you will get over it. The old recommendation about lost girlfriends/wives may apply: you might consider adding a new kitten in the near future. Good luck. EDIT: found 'em (from all places, a Japanese BG fansite): For a Little While> Our time is done The time has come To say good-bye But I won't cry Cause you were mine For a little while And tho' it's done With every sun I'll speak your name And I will smile Cause you were mine For a little while And I'll remember every thing about your love The way you smiled and tossed your hair Tho' you're gone I'll never be without your love I'll simply close my eyes and you'll be there We had it all And I'll recall Each happy day And I will smile Cause you were mine For a little while

Here's the weekly bump. Lots of views, but no inquiries yet. These would sure make somebody very happy.