audiobliss69

Wow, those are pretty amazing. As large as they are, I'm almost surprised that they only go down to 45Hz. This leads to the assumption that it takes very large horns to make low bass. Having assumed that, I now must ask....how low can you go with a bass horn? I mean, and still fit it inside a room? Meaning with some practical limitations.

I would also say you should definitley try vertically biamping your RF7's before passing any kind of final judgement on your amps. Bridging an amp has the same effect (if I'm not mistaken) as cutting the impedance level in half. Thus, the amp is working much harder when in bridged mode and doesn't have near as much headroom for dynamic passages. In short, it will run out of steam a lot faster. Also, it seems as I've read the RF7's often times present low impedances to amps at certain frequencies.

Indeed, that is cool. How much output are you expecting from these monoblocks?

Nobody has any thoughts on the Rotel RCD-02 or comparable CDPs?

I did a search, but came up with nothing on Rotel's RCD02. I'm currently using a portable CDP as my source, and have been looking at such relatively cheap CDPs as the AMC CD8b, Cambridge Audio D500SE, Azur 540C, etc. Does anybody here have any experience with the RCD02? I've heard very few, but positive comments about it. How do y'all think it would compare to the others I listed and anything else in the $300-$400 range (I can get the RCD02 for $350)? Thanks! audiobliss

Definitely stay away from the FM modulators if you're wanting any kind of serious sound quality at all. I'd look into the HU's that have Sirius built-in, or the add-on processors from whatever company made your HU. If you're looking to buy a HU, I'd suggest Pioneer Premier, Alpine, and Kenwood Excelon. Why don't you consider XM radio, too? I've heard more praise for the sound quality for XM. As for home audio, I'd seriously recommend Polk's XRT12. I honestly don't think anything else can touch it. I've heard it compares to CDP quite favorably. (Now I'm not saying it's as good as CDP's; keep in mind it is still a compressed signal. That statement was made relative to other tuners.)

NOTE: All the below comments are based on what I hear running my (portable) CDP directly to the monoblocks, completely avoiding use of the Yamaha, as I have no humm that way. I still haven't had a good listening session with these ASL's yet, so I'll refrain from posting a 'review'. However, I have listened to them for probably around an hour or so now, and I'm pretty sure I hear some differences. One of the biggest things that stands out to me is the bass. It's just totally different from the bass I had with the Yamaha. I always had a pretty good amount of bass (enough for me to marvel at), but I'm now addicted to the bass I get with these monoblocks. It just oozes from my speakers, and it just doesn't stop. It's a smooth, continuous, relentless source of bass. (I'd like to point out that it in no way seems to be 'inflated' or 'boomy'. Just more pronounced.) I originally listened to some Eric Clapton and Bruce Hornsby on them, and that sounded quite good. However, I then popped in some Anna Nalick. Now, let me say this first. When I'm listening to someone sing, I want to be able to hear their enthusiasm in the song. I want their voice to scream (not literally) that they're 'into' the song and aren't just going through the motions. Paul Simon, Mark Knopfler, Jack Johnson, and Norah Jones can do this 'quiet thing' and still convey some emotion quite well, but pretty much everybody else has to be really belting it out for it to seem from the heart. Did I make that clear at all? Probably not, but oh well... Anyhoo, when I listened to Anna Nalick, it didn't seem like she was really into the music. The highs and the vocals seemed to just be there without much enthusiasm or life being injected into them. Unfortunately, I don't remember if this is how she sounded on the Yamaha or not. I commented on this to Russ (the seller), and he said the Ei tubes were brighter, so I rolled them in to compare things. (One of the reasons some music is seeming to be lifeless may very well be due to the fact that I'm practically running a passive pre. I'm thinking that by adding a tube preamp, I could add some life and body to the music and gain whatever little bit I've lost back. Comments on this?) At this stage I still can't say anything definitively, but I am pretty certain things were brighter with the Ei tubes. I can't say that Anna Nalick had anymore enthusiasm this time around, but the 'brightness' was very appearant when I popped Bruce Hornsby back in. Every cymbal clash and everything else similar to it was very pronounced. Those sounds effortlessly punched through the air and pierced my ears. It was really amazing the impact they had with these tubes. Based on the fact that I didn't notice that with the Sovteks, I'm going to conclude that the Ei tubes are brighter. One interesting thing to note is that the Ei tubes are running considerably cooler than the Sovteks did. Either that or something happened to the monoblocks. There is no way the difference in heat is in my head - it's an appreciable difference The overall impact of the monoblocks is very amazing. They just fill the room with sound so well, and everything has new weight and emphasis. The overall presentation and greater impact has got to be the biggest difference, and it's pretty indescribable - so, I'll stop trying to describe it. Just so you know, the albums I listened to were: Bruce Hornsby - Here Come the Music Makers (disc one) Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II (The Stranger) Anna Nalick - Wreck of the Day (Breathe, Citadel, Paper Bag)

I'd happily take either (or both)! []

It mest bee trew, 'cause I sawed it on TeeVee!!! []

And if you went with a 'starter set' of candles for temporary illumination, you'd probably end up using it for longer than you had anticipated. Thus, you would also need to look into the various types of matches, match cases, how easy they are to light, how long they stay lit, how hot they get, etc. You'd also need to look into a snuffer for putting them out, some device to trim the wicks, a way to dispose of all the melted wax, and an efficient procedure for lighting them all. You should also consider the different candle holders and how appropriate they'd be for your particular applications. Of course, you'd also have to make sure they're heavy/sturdy enough not to be knocked over, so that you don't set your room on fire. An illumination system based on candles may also be sufficient motivation to investigate various sprinkler systems for your room and possibly your whole home in case a fire does start. This could prove to be a huge task. Then you would also need to look into some kind of fire damage AND water damage insurance policies, in case either a fire and/or the sprinkler system got out of control. You see, this 'minor' decision of replacing a bulb, especially based on the advice of so many 'smart' guys (read that whichever way you want []), is really a very deep, complex problem requiring very careful and concentrated thought. []

Yup, the song is Darlin' Corey. I have on the album "Big Mon" by Ricky Skaggs and friends. Bruce Hornsby does it. I just love that song! I guess that means you're up!

I feel that if I post any more lyrics, I'll give it away! But, here you go: "She was sitting on the banks of the sea Had a forty-four around her body Quit hanging around my bed Your liquor has ruined my body Can't you hear those bluebirds a singing Don't you hear that mournful sound" Name that tune!!!!

Man, those are beautiful. Do you have any more pics of them? Those are some pretty big magnets on those woofers!

I bet it doesn't. That's why we're asking you to take the grill off. []

Here are some more lyrics, though not neccessarily in order with respect to the last lyrics I posted... "Your liquor has ruined my body, Pretty women gone to my head" Name that tune!!! (It's beautiful. Could possibly be my favorite song.)

Ahh, that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. Wow. Some of that math even makes sense. But not all of it. Can you break down what some of the numbers mean and where you got them? Thanks! audiobliss

Indeed, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks, man. You, too! I love this song, too. I sure hope it's not too easy! lol "Can't you hear those bluebirds a singing, Don't you hear that mournful sound" Name that tune!!

Eric Clapton -Wonderful Tonight!!! I acutally knew one!! And I love that song!!!! Challenge to come soon...

Not a clue.

Since you mention a disc doctor, I assume you're talking about 'fixing' scratched discs, rather than just cleaning dirty discs. I personally wouldn't recommend a disc doctor. I have one and am not very fond of it. Admittedly, I've only used it on about 2 or 3 discs (that didn't need it), but I haven't been impressed. I guess it may be worthwhile if you have some skip-inducing scratches, but it takes a lot of effort. You have to spray the CD with a supplied solution (water would probably work just fine), and then let it run through the doctor. The doctor gets rid of scratches by making lots of tiny scratches that remove the first layer of plastic off the CD and hopefully the scratch(es) that were causing the CD to skip. So after you finish this step, you have to use a supplied cloth and buff those tiny scratches out so the disc regains its sheen. This can take FOREVER. It really wears out my arm, too. I dont' know of what else is available for removing scratches, so you may be interested in the skip docotr, but if there is something else you can try, I'd probably try it. audiobliss

A picture without the grill would be cool.

Oh, ok. I missed that. My bad.

Now I'm confused. The seller is asking $700 for the ST70, and then you say that that's a good deal and say it could easily bring $400 to $450 on the bay. What's up with the disparity (sp?)? What am I missing here?

Yep. The cord for my Yammy is only a two-prong. Kind of surprising seeing that the HTR series has three-prong plugs. Again, I'm not questioning any of the advice I'm getting, I'm just not understanding the reasoning behind it. Why would I want to plug the Wave 8s into the Yammy (which will, indeed, require some cheater plugs), and then plug the Yamaha into the wall? How will this be different from plugging it into a power strip? And how would that be different from plugging the Wave 8s (with a cheater plug) into a power strip? I guess the only real way to answer those questions is to get two cheater plugs and try it. Looks like I'll hafta give it a try. Thanks! audiobliss