Cleve

There's been little to laugh at, or about, in the last week. But this Sean Penn debacle is one of those rare rays of sunshine. Two important rules of boating - One, make sure the bilge plug is firmly in place before launching the boat. Two, do NOT "cast off" from shore until the outboard motor is up and running. They probably didn't know to prime the gas bulb, turn on the choke, or loosen the vent cap on the gas tank. Hilarious stuff! []

Astonishing - for once California has significantly cheaper gas prices than NYS. $3.59 for regular is about the cheapest I have seen or heard in WNY. "Cheaper" is also highly relative. A year ago we'd be outraged at $3.09. The economic fallout will be considerable from this.

Condolences, Rick. However, now I understand why your handle is "3D Zapper". I haven't arched in years, and I only did one 3D target shoot, but it was a riot. A lot more challenging than indoor paper-shoots which I did avidly for a couple years.

I agree with this - the auto industry builds what people want to buy. Auto makers introduce many different models of cars - some disappear after a year or two, sales failures. The Ford Explorer was so wildly popular, and sold so well, other automakers simply produced models of their own. The profit was also high because most SUVs, like the Explorer, were based on existing light-duty truck frames such as the Ford Ranger. With higher gas prices, people will again want fuel-efficient vehicles. And the cycle continues.

My recommendation - look for a good used McIntosh 2205. I haven't priced any in over a year - but I got mine for $1050 with cabinet on Ebay in very good condition.

Oh great. Almost 550 posts since December of 2003 and I'm back to "newbie" status. [:'(]

Not *preaching*. The previous poster mentioned the gas costs were now taxing their budget. My suggestion was that there's altenative SUVs out there to consider without any great sacrifice in creature comforts or features and also providing superior fuel economy. You'd think I told them to ride a moped and start reading "Mother Jones". People really need to *read* prior to flaming and jumping to conclusions. [:@]

That's your 2-Channel forum for you. What's your point? []

I guess people need to ask - do you really need something like a Range Rover for mostly city driving? My Montero Sport has all the amenities, and while it's not an economy car, I still get 20-22 mpg depending on the driving mix. It's not great, but it's twice that of a Range Rover. LOL

Mt. Morris NY, yesterday afternoon - I saw $3.19, $3.29 and $3.39 per gallon, all for regular unleaded. In Geneseo, NY, the stations were fairly consistent at $3.40 a gallon. It's outright shocking! Two days earlier, it had been $2.85. According to the local news, in Rochester all the Delta-Sonic locations had closed their pumps - they were out of gas. I hope more stations aren't affected. Here in Portageville, our one gas station was STILL at $2.99 per gallon. Longest lines I've ever seen there (usually there's NONE!) I bought an additional 5 gallon jerry can, filled that up (now I have two stored in the shed - just in case). In an emergency, I could also siphon 20 gallons from my boat if need be. My truck gets 21-22 mpg, so if I keep the tank topped up, I've got 1000 miles of driving available in the event of worsening of the crisis.

haha, your avatar looks like he's just seen the latest gas prices. []

Thank God, Clu. I'm so happy for you - it's so easy to think the worst in such a case. Make sure your mom gets a huge hug when you see her!

I *believe* the highest price for gas ever, inflation adjusted was in 1981 - sparked by the Iran/Iraq war - that equated to ~$3.10 per gallon. Give it a day or two. We're only a few cents away from surpassing that point. Several areas of the country already have. It's like ripples in a pond - the farther away from the Gulf Coast, the longer it will take to reach there. There's news articles on Yahoo right now that major airports in the Northeast may have to close next week due to a lack of fuel - and that there's already been sporadic closures of gas stations in the east and midwest.

Now, now, Michael, I'm sure it's all just a huge coincidence. LOL. As the thought police in "Demolition Man" would say "Citizen, Enhance your calm!"

Regular unleaded was $2.85 a gallon here in WNY yesterday. Well, at least Texas oilmen are gonna make a killing.

Michael, that's terrific! That will work for me. I sent you an e-mail and PM.

I just bought a pair of CF-3s from birdied17. The problem now - he's in Indianapolis, I'm in Western NY, about 550 miles away. Is there anyone from Indianapolis/Cincinnati/Cleveland area who can help shuttle them at least back to Ohio? It wouldn't be so bad to drive 200-300 miles to pick them up, but 550 miles is a long haul. Thanks! Jim

alright, I just read a post where it's mentioned that PMs aren't working correctly, so if you have CF-4s or CF-3s you'd like to sell, e-mail me at clevanator@yahoo.com

Send me a PM if you'd like to sell!

One of the regulars at AudioKarma has this bad-boy for sale for $400 - it's been thoroughly gone over, lots of new caps installed, tuner aligned, blah blah. propGino knows how to properly pack too, which also puts this light-years ahead of the average widget seller on Ebay. He's definitely a straight-shooter. I'd buy it, but I need another receiver like a hole in the head. EDIT - Oh, and I just realized - it's "only" 160 watts per channel - I mistakenly said 165 watts. http://audiokarma.org/ads/showproduct.php?product=355&sort=1&cat=2&page=1

I think if one begins to hear complaints from the neighbors, the best strategy is to turn up the volume until you can't hear the complaints anymore!

The best defense against accidental speaker damage is either a new or used McIntosh amp with the Power Assurance system (Sentry Monitor and Power Guard). Not to mention the fact that such amps usually have highly accurate meter systems which allow the user to monitor how much power is actually delivered to the speakers.

Dean, you have PM.

Marems, I know I've been a bit negative today regarding CF-4 crossovers, but it doesn't take away from the bass performance. Here's some measurements I took in my listening room comparing a CF-4 to a Klipsch RW-12 last December... They are down about 5 db at 22 hz from their performance at their rated 33 hz, which is very impressive, IMO. I didn't show the graph, but with corner placement, it's only down about 3 db at 22 hz or so. They are powerful performers for movies, for certain.

I forgot to mention in my last post - at Audio Classics yesterday they've a cutaway K-Horn on display, and it's got a big burly crossover network - and that's a speaker designed in the era of 5 watt amps, no less. Don't forget - the Epics were NOT cheap when new - I think retail in 1994 was something like $2800 for a pair - hardly "entry level" speakers. I am really dismayed by the shoddyness of the Klipsch componentry - a "Theatre Research" crossover can't be much wimpier.