Travis In Austin

I'm going to puke

Jay, It is so humid in NOLA that I would think it would have to be a rainbird to get it any more humid[] What does the humidity run there in the winter? Travis

Marty, I am so glad to see your organazational skills and food tastes have improved since your visit to Woodstock. Travis

To my great Forum Friend Michael Happy Birthday. I wish I was up there to celebrate there with you, along with a belated one for Roger. Travis

Mung, Looks like you went with a great choice. You cannot go wrong with Trane, I have never had a problem with a Trane product. I didn't realize you had already made you decision when I posted above, I'm glad you got the info on the tax credits. Travis

Why do you need a water source for a heat pump? Is that a northeren U.S. thing? We have heat pumps all over the southwest (It is simply an air conditioner run in reverse with aux. heat source when the temp gets too cold), and none of them are on a loop connected to water. Heat pumps work great down to about 40 degrees, so that is why they are popular in the south. They are efficient as gas. As far as oil vs. gas, it is just a matter of comparing the ratings of one vs. the other. Here is something I found right quick at Consumersearch.com. Look at the last paragraph about a tax credit that is available. 80% or high efficiency? The EPA requires furnaces to have at least a 78% AFUE (annual fuel-utilization rating). This means that a minimum of 78% of the fuel consumed is directly converted to heat your home. The rest escapes through the flue, literally up the chimney. Currently, the most efficient furnaces you can buy have a 97% AFUE. If your furnace is more than 15 years old, it probably has an AFUE of only 65%, so it's easy to see how improvements in energy conservation can have a direct impact on your fuel bill. Keep in mind that these energy efficiency ratings do not take ducting into account. According to the Department of Energy and to other energy experts, anywhere from 20% to 40% of heating energy ends up leaking through ductwork. Expert posters to the HVAC-Talk forum acknowledge the importance of the AFUE rating in determining fuel consumption, but stress that contractor experience and warranty length are equally important. A high AFUE rating does not promise quality or satisfaction with the product after the furnace is installed. James Dulley's latest report highlights the advantages of the new super-efficient condensing gas furnaces which range from 92% to 96% AFUE. Dulley highlights four two-stage units, including the Trane XV 90 (AFUE 93%), Bryant Plus 90i (AFUE 96.6%) and the Rheem modulating furnace (AFUE 92%). According to Dulley, the additional cost for these furnaces is offset by the decrease in heating bills which, when multiplied by the expected life of the furnace, can be a substantial savings. Units with over a 90% efficiency rating make the most sense for those who live in areas with severe winters and high fuel prices. That's because these models can cost $1,000 more than 80% gas furnaces, and higher usage in cold climates means you'll be able to make the investment pay off in the long run with decreased fuel bills. The other big reason to consider a 90% furnace is to cut down on wasted energy and help decrease the production of greenhouse gases. To help recoup the cost of buying a more efficient 90% furnace, you'll get a tax break from the federal government. Until December 31, 2007, taxpayers who purchase a replacement gas or oil furnace or boiler with an AFUE rating of 95% or higher can claim a $150 tax credit. An additional $50 can be claimed by those who buy a replacement gas or oil furnace with an "advanced main air circulating fan," with an estimated electricity consumption of the motor being no more than 2% of the total estimated energy use of the furnace. Other tax breaks are available for those who purchase efficient gas or oil water heaters and other efficient HVAC equipment. See our Best Research section below for more information. Though a tax break is nice, most experts say there's not a huge performance gain from a 90% furnace to a 95% furnace, so you may be better off going with a less costly 90% model. http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/furnaces/review.html Travis

Now that is funny. Travis

I wanna play!!!!! Gosh what a hoot. Travis

Hmmmm doing a search of the Klipsch site for "Klipschorn Jubilee" brings back no return............interesting. When did Klipschorn get added to the Jubilee name? Craig I believe it is in the book written about Paul Klipsch. The term Jubilee was selected because it was the anniversary of the Klipschorn. So it was actually the other way around, the Jubilee was added to the Klipschorn name and then eventually Paul let Roy use it in the Pro-Theater line. Travis

Luther, Are you going? Travis

I think we would be up for that. Hopefully it will rain all weekend, because if it is one of those rare sunny occassions, there won't be anyone inside. Travis

I believe Clarksville is in West TN and I'm in East TN, just outside of Knoxville. perhaps a 7 hour drive? Very cool, we are back on the topic of JubeFest in TN. I did not have time to pick up where the diversion took place, did you set a date yet? How far are you from Memphis? Travis

Roger, I wish I had been there to enjoy it with you. I am very much looking forward to getting up there to see you again. I hope you had a very Happy Brithday. Travis

You are so right Paul, some of the best looking stuff I have ever seen. Also, very expensive. There is a guy named Weeks I believe, makes rocking chairs out of em, for triple the cost of oak. Travis

Doc, Mike told me all about your box when I was in Washington. I want you to make me one. Shoot me a line and we can talk. Travis

They will be made for any Palladium-authorized dealer who orders them, regardless of their location in the world. They are not the flagship of the Reference Line or the Heritage Line. The P-39F is the flagship model of the Palladium Line. We do not have specs at this time because we have not done measurements on a completed production unit yet. It's like a fine wine, guys. Don't rush it. [] Since no one wants to hear the opinion on sound from a Klipsch employee, I will remain mum. [:#] However, I will say it is the opinion of some folks around here who knew PWK the best....that he would be quite proud of this product. I have no qualms or dispute with any of that Amy, especially that they will be available from any aitjprozed, regardless of location. However, I am sure there was forecasting for this product, and a target market. While it is none of my business what the predictions were, or who is targeted, I would bet a bottle of Booker's that it is anticipated that the big demand is going to be in Asia, as opposed to Europe or North America. In other words, the target market for the P-39F is Asia. I would love to hear your opinion on how they sound. If you said they sound better then Jubs with 402's properly set up I would buy them on your reccomendation alone. Of course I would want to know if you were listening to prototype drivers, or the production drivers that are going to actually go into them. As far as how long it takes, I am willing to wait as long as it takes and I for one said I will be happy to come to a P-39F listen in Indy. Put me at the top of the list. I was even ready to fly to Denver to listen to them at that show until I found out that they were just mock-ups. I am hopeful they will be up and ready for CES, but I heard that is not for sure, that it is all dependent on when the drivers can go into production. I accidently saw prototype cabs in July and have been wanting to hear them from that point on, and after the anouncement in August I was really looking forward to hearing them. We are now almost in November and I have heard they are still not ready for production or even a listen, but I am looking forward to that day. Any idea on how long it is going to be? Travis

I just got a box from New Haven, CT, shipped by me, to me. It is full of thebes rejects and other stuff. Great packing job Marty, thanks a bunch, everything arrived in perfect shape. What do you have left from your score you want to sell. Travis

Where the big demand is coming from is China, but only for products made in Hope. They will pay big money for anything from Hope, thus, guess where the most expensive speakers in the line are going to be made? They are going to be capitalizing off of the goodwill that exists for Hope products in the Asian markets. Now if we can only figure out a way to put all of the lead and poison dog food back into the speakers and give it back to them. Travis

I hope that you make it to Acoustic Sounds in Salina, I have been wondering what the showrooms are like there and how they have the Khorns set up. They have a blues fest there every year I have always wanted to go to. If you end up going there please give us a full run down. I buy a lot of vinyl from them and they have always been great to deal with. Chad has put his money where his mouth is when it come to backing vinyl. Travis

I too am really looking forward to hearing the P-39F, it is going to look great! However, from what I hear it is going to be quite a while before there is a pair that is going to be up and running. The drivers are a ways off in terms of production. I hope they are going to be ready for CES but I hear that is even in doubt. Amy said that if there were enough people interested they would have a demo in Indy when they were ready for a go. I think they are being primary made for the Asian market and most of them are going to be sold outside the US. Travis

Joe, I don't have the experience as others do on this, but just having gone through about 10 carts on deciding which one to purchase I do know that every manufacturer mounts their cantilever in a different fashion. Different length, angle relative to the cart, etc. I would think the only way you would be able to tell, by looking at an unmounted cartridge, is to have a reference to compare it to. The second this is that I have not heard of a cantilever wearing out before the diamond stylus does. I think what is more likely is that it is bent or twisted as mentioned by Larry above. Travis

Luther, some bad news. There is even one more to buy, the Universal Ltd. Ed. 200 gm. See below: This title was originally not expected to be released on Japanese Vinyl... But, it just showed up on our doorstep today...Surprise! Extremely Limited Quantities, Get Yours Now! P.S. We are saving copies for everyone who pre-ordered this title originally! Elusive Disc, Inc is proud to bring you these very limited edition Universal Japanese Import 200g LPs. As many of you already know, the Japanese are meticulous in the packaging and pressing of their LPs. These LPs are pressed on ultra-quiet 200g Virgin Vinyl. These are available for a short time only with a strict one-time pressing run with extremely limited quantities. Be sure to get your copies before they're all taken.

Sat. a.m. at Larry's in Bethesda. More photos tomorrow

I wanted to capture of the essence of Gary with his incredible vinyl collection.

Things got pretty dicey for moment when Marty (thebes) told Gary that his turntable needed adjusting and he wanted to fix it. Gary immediately began to take up the crane position he learned from watching the Karate Kid 75 times (if don wite, no can defend it). Mike Lindsay was ready to jump in between them as I moved for safer ground in order to be able to capture the moment for our Forum friends. Actually Gary is giving Marty driving directions which Marty ignored anyway.