Lurch

You really should not base your decision on which speaker gets more votes on this forum. The way to make this decision is to go out and listen to both types, and decide for yourself. Everyone has different tastes and no two people hear alike. Get the ones that YOU like, not the ones that others say you should like. There's only one problem with this argument: nobody sells either speaker at retail any more! I have never heard Cornwalls and I've been listening to stereos since 1983! I have heard the KLF-20s and they sounded good. But, then, they weren't built particularly well. Jeff

I tried the 7300 out and ran into two problems: 1. Fan noise. Too noisy in my setup. Constantly sounds like water is running somewhere in the house. Per HK tech, I had worst setup for this: open rack with wall directly behind. 2. Didn't want to stay in 7-channel mode. It went back..... Jeff

Do you need phono? Any other switching requirements? I've heard only a couple of ARC preamps before. The LS-2 and LS-7 both sounded very good at different times in different systems. The LS-7 I think I liked better. It is all-tube, not hybrid. It only uses 4 6922s, which means new production (or $$$ for NOS) tubes. What amp are you using? According to the numbers from the site below, the preamp would like to be mated with an amp with a 60Kohm input impedance (or 20Kohm min). http://www.arcdb.ws/LS7/LS7.html Haven't heard the Merlin, so no help there. One bad thing about ARC is how complex they can be...... Jeff

Whenever you look thru Audioweb's ads just make sure you always note the poster's location. Recently, there seems to be a LOT of international ads with very low prices....

Based on the used prices for the amps you list, I would look at the B&K, Aragon 4004, or McCormack DNA-1 for a ~200 watt amp in the $600-900 range.

More importantly, look for specific types: Audio power tubes are worth $$$$, if associated with the names above and in new or as new condition: KT-88/6550 EL-34 6L6/EL-37/KT-66 8417 (let me know if you find any of these!) Preamp tubes can be worth bucks too: 6DJ8/7308/6922 12AX7 12AU7 6SN7 Certain brands of each type are worth more because of their particular qualities, but sometimes it is dependent on the particular internal construction of the tube. There are lots of websites which can provide you with some general guidance, but it is not a simple question. The other problem is that you have no idea whether the tube is functioning or about to die. When you sell a tube as unknown condition, you'll take a significant hit compared to someone who has tested it on a calibrated tube tester. Good Luck! Jeff

I wouldn't spend $700 on a pair of old Carver "monoblocks" when they need updates and service. When you had the one working M-500t on there, how high were the "useless" meters going? This could at least provide some sense of how much power you really need. Then, do some looking on Audiogon or ebay and see what you can do with your $700. There's a Threshold S/250 on audiogon right now for $795. If you absolutely want to go with the bridged M-500t set, you can always send them back to Carver for repair/update. I've seen several ebay ads where folks had sent them back to the factory for updates/repair. That would probably be the optimal answer. Jeff

The Outlaw 990 is also a good choice. Basically, the same as the Sherwood but with balanced outputs and DVI switching for $1138 shipped. The downside (*compared to the P-965) is the cosmetics and remote. BTW, I would not be jumping into a new processor right now. I'm still making do with my Outlaw 950. The BIG capability you're going to see in the next year or two is HDMI. Supposedly, DD and DTS will be different for HD-DVD and will be decoded in the player and sent in PCM-format to the pre-pro via HDMI. SACD and DVD-Audio are also allowing digital output over HDMI and IEEE-1394. If you don't have a pre/pro, I'd look at something used....

Does anyone know what the frequency response of the port looks like? Ports can get pretty ragged above the crossover point. If it is ragged, you might be better served with leaving it in the rear of the speaker!

Timmikid, Go back to the same site and find their list. They have several tuners also..... Jeff

Check this out: http://www.classicaudio.com/forsale/hk930.html I am not affiliated.....

Check to see if your sub has an "LFE" input. If it does, connect there and you can bypass the sub's crosover.

No clue on price...when I visited him, I didn't realize that he was selling the C-28!!! He had put the 2100 up on ebay for $350 BIN and I got lucky. It's in fantastic shape! He's selling all his McIntosh gear. I'm working with him on his 2105. He had a tuner (can't remember the model), a 2505 and the C-28 as well. All had cabinets and looked great from the front. He is also selling his JBL L250s. If you haven't heard them, you ought get him to fire them up for you. BTW, he lives off of the 120th Ave exit north of Denver, so not too far for you! Jeff

The MC2100 is now at my house. The C-28 is still available (as far as I know) and is in beautiful shape w/cabinet. Sounded great over his JBL L250s. Gilbert is a great guy to deal with!!!! Jeff

Why don't you just buy a good stereo D/A converter? If the cheap SACD player does a good job with SACDs, you can still use it to drive the DAC for CDs. I liked the CAL Alpha....just make sure your preamp has at least a 50K input impedance...usu ~$400. But, there are lots of options out there, depending on how your tastes run. I think you'll save some money and end up with better CD performance. Jeff

That guy's a dirtbag! I bought a "minty" pair of Forte's from him. I think he just reuses the same description over and over..... The wood was seriously hammered by sunlight. There were little white paint marks as well. The binding post cups were actually warped from the sunlight damage! It was so bad that I could feel the air escaping from the cabinet!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!

---------------- On 6/19/2005 9:40:27 AM dougdrake wrote: Resurrecting an old post, cuz I'm confused (so what else is new)... What's the benefit of upconverting to 720p in a DVD player? Wouldn't my 720p native resolution PJ do that anyway, if passed a 480p/480i signal? ---------------- In some cases, the DVD player's upscaling may be better and have less artifacts than the tv/projector. If you feed it a 720p signal, then the internal upscaler is bypassed.

I've always thought that burn-in was not a gear issue, but an ear one. I think it takes a while for the ear to really grab onto the subtle differences that a new piece of equipment presents. As far as tubes, that's easy....I'd prefer tubes every day and twice on Sunday. Now that I've gone multi-channel (and of necessity all solid state), I have a very hard time sitting through an entire CD. This was not the case when I had tubes in the preamp and amps. Maybe I'm deluding myself, but if it means I can listen to the entire CD then so be it. Jeff

Not affiliated, but... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14984&item=7328657728&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW It was under musical instruments.....serial #s are 8P929 and 8.

Not affiliated, but... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14984&item=7328657728&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW It was under musical instruments.....serial #s are 8P929 and 8.

My own personal opinion is that Denon SUCKS!!!!! It sounds pretty good, but reliability and service are terrible. Maybe it's just me, but I lost a channel on an integrated amp and it only took them 4 months to repair it under warranty. Some 15 years later, I thought maybe things would be better. I bought the DVD-3800 and the center channel was dead out of the box. Away it goes for 2 months and I get it back. Now, it has a purple haze at the top of the screen and it occassionally freezes up in spots on DVDs. I wonder how long this will take? If it's working when I get it back, consider it sold! Jeff

Please note that the folks with 0 feedback bid it up past $1000. I wonder when we'll see these again??? Jeff

---------------- On 6/1/2005 10:40:14 PM Seadog wrote: 'Iron Giant' was a favorite with my kids for a long time. Unique antimation style and Good sound effects too. ---------------- Great recommendation. Also, about the only film with Vin Diesel where his horribly thin talent is not overwhelmed.

I went over to the Outlaws' site and they emntioned that they used an existing design and then customized it for their line. Take a look at the back and tell me this isn't a Sherwood Newcastle?!?! The Sherwood has garnered a pretty good reputation at $1500 MSRP and without DVI or balanced outputs! Jeff

The Princess Bride.....