yaffstone

I've gone backwards to a McIntosh MX132 5.1 which I like because of the knobs. My Outlaw 950 is now for sale for $400 to fellow forum members.

Charles, You want CW instead of Belles? Is it the space or the sound?

When changing tube type you have to watch the bias current. There was a significant change when I went from EL34 to KT-88, presumably becasue of the increased efficiency of the beam design. I had to change a resistor in the bias circuit to get to reasonable bias levels.

Some no-name crap out of the back of a white van. Really! This was the last year of college and I hadn't learned much so I went to grad school and used guaranteed student loan money to get a pair of Fortes. Those were my first speakers worth mentioning.

My wife, my child and I love my JJ KT-88's in the heavily moded ST-70 driving a pair of k-horns.[]

Forte is approximately Heresy + passive radiator to get improved bass response. Hold out for Forte. Cornwall is approximately Heresy on steroids; larger woofer, lots larger cabinet. I prefer the Forte sound but that's personal preference. Good luck.

I did not believe that tubes could be better than good SS either but for grins I gave it a try. I got a Dynaco ST-70 for around $300.00 and rebuilt it myself with the best components I could find, including an all triode driver board, a new power supply capacitor board, and KT-88 beam power tubes. I was shocked that the tube system blew doors on my crown. The Crown is now in the basement.

You might also check the rectifier tube and high voltage capacitors. These age and make humm. There's often a coupling cap on the center tap of the filament supply. Check that as well.

I originally built the system for home theater but I found that 7-stereo mode is fantastic for music. I listen to old time (pre-bluegrass), acid rock, classical (mostly strings), and jazz. I am astounded by the full sound in this configuration. With all that said, I would not go with 200W/channel into heritige again. Sure, there's a lot of headroom, but it's really a waste of rack space and money. I've got a pair of k-horns in a stereo configuration and I can't even turn the volume knob to half way on a 35W/channel tube system without disturbing the neighbors. Good luck making a choice. I don't think you'll be dissapointed if you do go with Outlaw.

I've got a surround sound system built around Outlaw 990 pre and 7 m200 amps. The speakers are all Heratige. It sounds fantastic. That being said, I'm going to build a surround sound tube amp to compare. All in all, I like the Outlaw gear.

I know you're focusing on tube pre-amps, but you might conisder a crown PSL-2. They're pretty cheap these days and are REALLY clean. 0.002% THD etc. There's a loudness button which fades with volume, phono input, two tape inputs, an aux, tuner, and tone control defeats (flat). Just a thought.

You don't really need the taps on the volume potentiometer, just use a tripple gang pot and make a reference voltage with the redundant stage. Then use the wiper to drive the gain on the loudness circuit. A trim pot could be used to 'tune this in'. I suspect loudness is gone from modern pre-amps because of the high end appeal. Most people after the high end tube stuff want straight through signal path and would use a sound processor if they wanted to alter it.

What's wrong with K33?

Shove your fingers in your squaker, or use a cloth, and put your ear right in the tweater. You will hear if it is working. If it's silent, you probably need a new diaphragm.

I don't usually bet but I'm with you on this one.

I got a pair of DIY khorn bass bins out of a barn, cracked them open and found Wharfedale W15/CS drivers inside. Any info? I'm going to build top sections and while I'm at it, I need to know if the bass drivers should be replaced. Thanks, David

I got a pair of DIY Khorn bass bins out of a barn (the price was right!). I've cracked them open and find Wharfedale W15/CS drivers inside. Does anyone know what the specs are on these drivers? Thanks, David

I had been under the impression that K-horn and LaScala used the same drivers. I'll have to do some research on the EV's before I can make a call on whether to sell them. As for the networks, I might just rebuild the A's for initial testing purposes. The caps are long gone in any case; I doubt there should be anything wrong with the inductors though. Connector strips are easy to come by at Radio Shack. The real hold up here is going to be the woodwork. I've built a 5 string viola, but cabinet work will be new to me. Vaneer could pose something of a chalange as well...

I'd like to express my gratitude for other members not bidding agianst me. This is a great community. I am working with a pair of khorn bass bins I scored out of a barn about a month ago. They were home made in the 60's and are in relatively good shape. I plan to build top sections and re-veneer the bass bins in matching wood. What all this boils down to is that for now I need all but the LS dog houses. BTW, the crossovers appear to be type A. Michael, I'd trade for your AL's if you want since I plan to purchase ALK ESL in the long run. All the best for the New Year, David

The driver section of the amp makes a huge difference as well. Was this tube amp used or new? Older models need their caps looked into. I rebuilt and modified an old Dynaco ST-70 and it blows doors on most any SS I've owned. It did not start out that way when I got it 40 years old and stock.

JC, I'll be thrilled to see you get the dog houses since I don't need them. Let's make a deal. I sent you e-mail. Merry X-mas and /or Happy Hanukah David

I purchased a new pair of Forte I in '85 or so with guaranteed student loan money. Mahogony finish, odd 4 ohm networks. I figured they were for mental health purposes while in grad school at MIT. They came wrapped in plastic in styrofoam (not the blow in type). They still sound great, even flanked by Belles and LaScalas. Fortes are good sound. Take off the plastic and turn on the sound!

Yep, I'm the high bidder for now. I need the squawkers, tweaters, drivers, and network for a couple of k-horn bass bins I found :> I'll be happy to share the dog houses and bass drivers with anyone who needs them. The networks could be negotiable as well since I'm interested in Al's ESL design. David

You've got mail.

The driver stage will probably have more effect than the output tubes. Having said that, I've tried EL-34 and KT88 in the same push-pull ultralinear amp (modified ST-70) and I like the KT88 better. Stronger bass and more well rounded over all. It may have more to do with an individual set of tube's characteristics than a particular tube type. Note that some tube vendors sell the same tube type with various "hardness" ratings.