JBryan

I've been listening to Nina Simone a bit recently (rest in peace) and would especially recommend her 'Baltimore' album. I'll give some of the others a spin on occassion but I really try to catch a live show. There's just something about a woman singing in front of me that's...well, exciting. -Bryan

If Isabel hits NC (and I pray it doesn't) Kelly shouldn't try to outrun the storm heading north but would be safer heading wes. Besides the lastest forecast predicts that there is a possibility that Isabel will hit as far north as Long Island. BTW Kelly, if the storm does hit the southern NC coast, would you go check and see if Oak Island is still there? This will be the 3rd hurricane in 10 years to hit the Cape Fear area and my folks finally finished the repairs from the last 2 a couple of years ago. A real PITA but the contractors are making a fortune.

"Alright, now don't anyone do anything drastic, and this might even be common knowledge for all I know, but I read the other day that Diana Krall is engaged to Elvis Costello! Engaged in what?, you say. Well, engaged to be married, apparently. Talk about wanting to hurl!! "" I know what you're saying! What could such a creative and influential artist see in a commercialized over-the-top jazz singer wannabe with fat ankles and a breathing problem - or maybe its just bad breath and she's too embarrassed to really sing. Who does she think she is after all...Celine Dion? And what was Lyle Lovett thinking?! He didn't have to marry that lanky, overacting trollop with one good movie under her belt to sell his records. He could've just put nude pics of her on the net and be done with it...

What testers do you have? You may have a real diamond in the rough that only needs a bit of polish and care to get going. Also, which tubes are you trying to test as some very reasonably priced testers do an excellent job on some tubes - just not all. Check out eBay, as there are plenty of testers listed with lots of info and you can get an idea of the value of your testers (although its always a bit higher on eBay - go figure) and determine if they're worth the effort.

Welcome back Groover and congrats on your new purchase, Take your time and enjoy the CWs for what they are before funking around with them. It'll take a bit of time and experience just to get your new CWs set up properly in your room. Also, I would think that the Mono8s match very well with the CWs. I've tried several SET amps on CWs and I think the 300b offers enough power to really drive them comfortably (the 45 and 2A3 may run out of steam at high dB and complex passages) while still offering most of that midrange magic. I suggest you stick with the amps for a while before making a change. Besides, you know how the amps sound with your other gear and you can use them as a reference as you tweek your system.

I wouldn't recommend using LS oil on your cabinets. I had raw Birch Heresys and the best way to clean it was with a damp cloth and if necessary, a bit of dishwashing soap (you can also use Murphy's oil soap but just a drop). If the cabinets are still dirty, I would recommend sanding them down with 280-300 grit sandpaper (I used a orbital sander) and then 600 grit sandpaper by hand - with the grain. Only sand down the wood enough to remove the dirt and be especially careful around the edges as the veneer is very thin. You shouldn't use oil and don't need a sealer unless the speakers are in a dirty, smoke-filled enviroment. If they are then you should consider finishing them with an oil stain, laquer, etc. Just my experience - hopfully HDBR will pipe in with the correct method.

Congratulations Rick! I'm pretty close as well but I really don't have anything remotely interesting to say. I guess I'll have to wait awhile but I wont be far behind.

I checked their Alpha Core's website and the MI2 is 10GA flat speaker cable. Do you think 10GA is a bit overkill? Yes its overkill and probably a pain to work with to boot but I have yards of the stuff and the tech and I were discussing uses for it. I only plan on using the MI-2 for the woofers which should be just a bit overkill. I may even try it on the mid driver but I'm not confident that it will work out well. A smaller wire will certainly work as well on the mid and tweet.

I'm in the (long) process of building type A xovers for a pr of Khorns and a tech has recommended that I use Goertz Alpha Core MI-2 wire for the woofers and possibly the mids. The MI-2 is 10 or gauge OFC flat wire with very low impedence charactoristics which matches well with most SET amps. I will also use the MI-2 to connect the amps to the speakers in a biwire config. and give that a shot. The only caveat is that the MI-2 can be difficult to work with - especially when connecting to small terminals. I report in when (and if) I finish.

At least in the Carribean markets, here are 2 distinct prices - local and cruise ship. Just as a ship arrives and the tourists disembark, the vendors mark up the prices of their wares as much as 100% (maybe more). As soon as the ship departs, the prices drop back. Next time you're in such a situation, look around and notice how many of the locals are actually buying.

I've tried several of the tubes discussed here in my DAC and while I agree that there is no one best tube or a pat answer to what will sound good in everybody's system, I did find obvious differences between manufacturers and subtle differences within each manufacturer's version. The DAC came with Sovtek 12AX7s and even after a few months, they still sounded shrill and edgy. I changed to Telefunkens and noticed an immediate improvement in detail and frequency extension. Still, I found them a bit bright and too detailed (if that's possible) so after a while I substituted a pair of Amperex (Holland) BB. There was definitely a loss of detail and maybe a liitle rolloff in the top but they had more pronounced bass and were overall more musical than the others. I also tried the RCA 5751 and Mullard ECC83 and found the RCAs to be nice but more veiled. I think they'd be a good substitute if you needed to take some bite or harshness out of your system> The Mullard is very much like the Amperex - just as musical but I thought the BBs offered more bass. I use tubes to "dial in" a sound or EQ a system. I like to mix and match them along ICs and wires to balance out deficiencies and enhance those qualities I'm looking for. Following that logic, most any tube can be used with varying degrees of success and those vaulted (and expensive) might not offer the results you're looking for while the lowly Sovteks of the world may be just the ticket. I use reviews and comments to glean the basic nature of a particular tube and then try to match the tube with the qualities I'm trying to bring out of my system. Of course, my ears don't hear the same as anyone else's so I just plug in tubes and make my own judgement. Its a shame that there's not a way to try 'em before you buy'em. Anyone want to start a tube depository for wayward audioholics?

Thanks Kelly, et al, I gave it a shot - hope it works.

Kelly, You're absolutely right (as usual)! It (the copy/paste) worked fine on the profile page so I don't inderstand why it didn't come through in the forum. Oh well, you could fill a thimble with my computer savvy. With a nod to ignorance and just plain laziness, I use this technique quite often with good results elsewhere on the net and thought I'd pass along an easy cheat. Sorry for any false hope incurred... have fun, Bryan

What did I Do?! Sorry for the multi posts guys.

On the topic of creating signatures...(are we still on that topic?), here's a quick tip. If you like someone's signature style, font, color, you can simply copy it and paste to in your sig. box. Then just insert your equipment for theirs. Here's my signature using Craig's style... Jeff Korneff 45SE or Sun Audio 2A3/45 modified amp Emotive Audio Erato pre Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 sig. phono pre Oracle Delphi TT; SME IV or Graham 1.5t arm; Shure V15 or Clearaudio Gamma S cart. CAL Alpha/Deta Dac/trans Klipsch '87 Khorn; '71 CW II

On the topic of creating signatures...(are we still on that topic?), here's a quick tip. If you like someone's signature style, font, color, you can simply copy it and paste to in your sig. box. Then just insert your equipment for theirs. Here's my signature using Craig's style... Jeff Korneff 45SE or Sun Audio 2A3/45 modified amp Emotive Audio Erato pre Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 sig. phono pre Oracle Delphi TT; SME IV or Graham 1.5t arm; Shure V15 or Clearaudio Gamma S cart. CAL Alpha/Deta Dac/trans Klipsch '87 Khorn; '71 CW II

On the topic of creating signatures...(are we still on that topic?), here's a quick tip. If you like someone's signature style, font, color, you can simply copy it and paste to in your sig. box. Then just insert your equipment for theirs. Here's my signature using Craig's style... Jeff Korneff 45SE or Sun Audio 2A3/45 modified amp Emotive Audio Erato pre Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 sig. phono pre Oracle Delphi TT; SME IV or Graham 1.5t arm; Shure V15 or Clearaudio Gamma S cart. CAL Alpha/Deta Dac/trans Klipsch '87 Khorn; '71 CW II

1000 milliwatts = 1 watt. My guess is this amp puts out ~1/2 watt and most likely will need a more efficient speaker than Klipsch offers. I bet it'd sound great on 110dB!

Ah...those estate sale moments. So few and far between but when I do find something interesting, there's usually and entire collection with it. Its very rare that I'll find any decent jazz or progressive rock - usually its all either pop or classical. I've been to hundreds of sales and I can count on one hand the times when I actually found some nice LPs in excellent condition. The first time I did, I didn't have a turntable and was going to use that as my excuse. The seller went inside and produced a fairly nice Thorens TT. I ended up with the TT, a Blue Point cart, and a box full of jazz and rock LPs - mostly 60-70s stuff for $25. My brother-in-law still has that table and cartridge - still works like a charm. I guess it'd take some of the excitement away if you came across nice LPs as often as you do corkscrews. Have fun, Bryan

Look at the Outlaw 1050. Its a great amp with stellar reviews and best of all, they don't sell through retailers so there's no mark-up in the price. The 1050 sells for $500 at outlaw.com - here's the link...http://www.outlawaudio.com//products/1050.html Also check out their cables and ICs. They are cheap (in comparison) and well regarded. Have fun, Bryan

Gary, Thanks for the tip. I visit Wheaton/Silver Spring quite often to pick up audio gear from a tech and check out the music stores. Never tried the library though - sounds like fun. I did check out a sale at the Towson library but came away with nothing as I try to avoid classical music. I appreciate the music, its just that I don't want to start up another collection. Besides, I have tons of classic LPs that seemed like a good idea at the time only to have never been played. I look for jazz mostly but haven't found too much of it in the normal outlets (Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc). I did find quite a few classic LPs at a DAV in B'more the other day. They were all minty for in plastic jackets and sleeves and most were imports from Europe (Holland) and Japan (Toshiba). My guess is that there were 70-100 LPs priced at 66 cents each (less if you buy more than 10, much less if you fill a box). I picked up copies of "Switched on Bach" I and II and a Michael Manring album. I'm heading that this afternoon so if you're interested send me a list or an idea of what you're looking for and I'll stop by and see if there's anything left.

SWR makes some nice gear. I use the Triad cabinet with a Ampeg SVT-PRO head when I want to make a lot of noise. Normally though, I use a Ampeg N15 Portaflex and if I really don't like what I'm hearing, a Bassman.

I listen to most rock music at 95+dB; orchestral music at 90-95dB; jazz at 85-90dB and so on trying to mimic how the music is actually presented in the real world. My goal is to create the illusion that the musicians are performing for me - not necessarily in the room and ultimately, the audio system and the room should just disappear. Much to my wife's chagrine, I can't keep myself from playing rock at very high levels. For a real aural treat, get a Reprise "pink label" copy of Jimi Hendrix's 'Axis, Bold as Love' in mono or the Classic records reissue, also in mono and turn the volume up to where you'd expect Hendrix would play (or as loud as you can stand - whichever comes first). The LP oozes with warm, beautiful distortion and some great licks from a fellow who knew what a Stratocaster should sound like. Just an awe-inspiring experience and a view into the recording gear and engineers at their best and just before the fall into all-SS recording (my opinion). Have fun, Bryan

I keep putting limits on my LP collection too - only to blow right by it with a "must-have" purchase or a "too-good-of-a-deal to-pass-up" find. About 15 years ago, I left all my LPs (@2K) and TT at my folks home in NC when I moved to B'more. I had decided that CDs were the future and LPs were just too much trouble. Within a couple of years, I had stumbled on several great finds at yard sales and thift shops and had even found a nice TT at a garage sale. Soon the apartment was becoming full and my future wife was becoming concerned so I drew the line at 500 LPs, then 1K, then 2K. Luckily, we bought a house or I'm not sure she'd have put up with my compulsions. I don't bother counting LPs anymore and just limit myself to cheap LPs (mostly jazz) in excellent or better condition and those nice reissues from Classic and Analogue. My only regret is that I can't possibly clean and listen to every LP I buy before I bring in another haul. I've concluded that I have no control and this pasttime borders on obsession but how would I find a cure - and why? Somebody help me...

Refinishing a "63 Fender PB - are you kidding me?!! I realize it will look better if the finish is destroyed but it won't sound better and a beat up but original '63 PB sells for almost twice that of a refin'd one. Of course, its your guitar and to each his own but I have a '61 PB with chips, dings, missing paint and scratches that I cleaned up and have displayed on my wall while a refin'd "59 PB lanquishes in its case in storage. This reminds me of a show on TV a few years ago (Antique Roadshow, I think) where a couple had brought in a late 1700's American Highboy. They told the appraisor that when they bought it, it had been painted black with chips and scratches galore. They spent something like $3K to have it refinished to show off the piece's beautiful wood. They were quite proud of the piece and when the appraisor told them it was worth @$15-20K, they were patting themselves on the back for their find. The appraisor then added that the piece was from an area in the NE where it was common pratice of the period to use black paint and if the couple had not refinished the highboy, it would be worth upwards of $40K. He went on to berate them for not researching the piece before they acted and basically said that they ruined it historically. Needless to say, they were stunned and crest-fallen. I'm sure you're aware of the situation and I'm not trying to preach but I just wanted to express an opinion - take it for what its worth.