BillH2121

I agree with others who have posted that the Palladium specs regarding range are somewhat surprising. I assumed the new speaker would dig as deep or deeper than the RF7 and perhaps deeper than the RF83. Could an "engineering type" explain the similarities and differences between these three speakers based on the specs given and perhaps provide a little light on the "extension" spec. I'm not familiar with that term (I'm actually not all that knowledgeable in this whole area) and would appreciate a little education. Of course I realize that you can't judge a speaker on specs alone and I'm really anxious to hear from those who do get the opportunity to listen to these beautiful speakers Thanks

McIntosh with tubes! Tubed Mac and Klipsch is a match made in heaven!

I spent the better part of a year experimenting with RF-7 speaker placement. They must be away from the back walls and away from corners in most cases. With my speakers, I ended up with them approx 20 inches from the back wall and towed in several degrees. You have to get those speakers out of the cabinets so they can breathe. Also, make sure that the foam on the inside of the speakers is pushed down to the speaker cabinet floor and against the sides. You can examine the foam by looking and reaching in through the ports. The foam in my speakers had come loose and was partially blocking the ports, reducing response.

tubes = McIntosh

Its a powered sub - you should be able to plug it into any ouput on your preamp. Then set the crossover on the sub to the point where your speakers drop off.

In fact, I got online and found some of Eva's cds - ordered "Songbird", a posthumus collection of songs. The more I hear her voice, the more I appreciate what a unique talent she was. "Fields of Gold", "Autumn Leaves", "Over the Rainbow", "Songbird" - incredible!

Re Eva Cassidy - I had never heard of her until this thread. Perhaps with better production value of the videos and audio, our impression of her as a performer would be better. BUT, she has incredible phrasing, great intonation, and I like her ability to take a standard and do something a little different with it. To me, those are some elements of a great performer. I am sickened to find that she is no longer with us.

To me, critical listening requires at least a basic understanding of music theory and music history. Listening critically involves attention to, among other things, melodic and harmonic progression, rhythm, compositional form, and the style of the muscial era during which the piece was composed. The interpretation of the artist, whether solo, small ensemble, or large group, can then be gauged as technically and stylistically accurate or otherwise. Of course, there are many other things to listen for, but these are some basic thoughts. The term "critical" used in "critical listening" or "critical viewing" indicates to me, the ability to critique and that requires some basic understanding of the techniques of whatever art form or endeavor is being critiqued. For example, I can look at an impressionistic painting and enjoy its aesthetic value, but I may not be able to look at it critically in that I don't know much about the techniques and stylistic considerations that embody that period of art. I can enjoy the beauty and function of a Porsche 911 but I don't understand the details of the engine and suspension so as to able to discuss such in a critical manner with the designer. I think for most of us, we listen to music for its aesthetic value, but rarely do we listen to it critically - at least for me, I haven't done that much "critical" listening since I studied music during my college days and for a while afterwards as a professional musician. Critical listening can be hard work and I don't listen to music to work, I listen to relax.

Take a visit to AK and look at Masterlu's (Ivan's) set up - it'll make you cry!

McIntosh MC-2102!

Thanks Gil for the advice - I'm off work Friday and I plan to go through all the connecting and unconnecting as needed for diagnosis. Plus, I plan to hook up my C-26 in place of the C-41 and see if that answers the question. Thanks again.

Gotcha - when the innerconnects are removed from preamp to the amp, there is no hum. Yeah,I was confused at first, but now I see what you mean and I'm greatly relieved its not the amp. Ok, I guess I move up the chain now and consider the preamp? I've checked all the connections to speakers and amp/preamp/cd and still the hum is there.

Alright - I disconnected the output innerconnects to the amp and no hum. Replaced the output innerconnects with different ones and still a hum. Looks like the amp is the culprit? I don't know if I can bear to send it back to McIntosh knowing how far behind they are on warranty work.

I'll try that - Jeez, it better not be the amp, I just spent 5 months without it waiting for warranty work to be done. Supposedly, McIntosh went through it and made it like new. Thanks for the suggestion.

First, my system consists of Mac 2102 tube amp. C41 preamp, Mac CD205, and turntable. Everything is plugged into a Monster power strip except the amp which is plugged directly into wall socket. No problems with hum until last night. I turn on the system and hear what sounds like a ground loop hum. I unplugged the sub and hum remained - turned off cd player and still a hum. When I move output cables from output 1 to outpput 2 on the preamp, the hum still exists. Turntable is grounded to preamp. Why all the sudden would a hum appear and what's the first step for troubleshooting? Thanks

You'll notice it was about 3 hours after the first reference to his website? Kind of interesting he "found" it so quickly in light of his comment "Yes, it is very far from the Klipschs level of audio inelegance" Makes one wonder if he was a closet lurker or perhaps has a spy amongst us? [:|] Either way, he's clearly keeping tabs on our forum so we should be flattered. [Y] Another example - "Yes, it is very far from Klipsch's level of audio inelegance" - a nice use of language even though reeking of a paternalistic attitude. Yet, in some of the replies posted today, Romy the Cat is unable to string five or six words together using proper grammar to create an articulate statement. I'm getting suspicious......................

Are you translating your posts from another language using an online translator? My question exactly Fini - there seems to be an incredible discrepancy regarding grammar, writing style, etc., between the "Objectives" section of Romy the Cat's website and the responses given here. I wondered if they were actually written by the same person. As far as his system, I think its certainly interesting and I enjoy his attempt to meet certain well-considered listening crtieria, but the arrogance that is found in his replies today, that is not evinced in his website writings, is a little offputting.

"This arrangement, definitely not for purists, immerses you in complex orchestral sound -- lets you swim in it." I had the great fortune to actually perform the symphonic version of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor while in college - to experience those fugue themes moving from section to section throughout the concert hall is incredible - talk about swimming in it! Now, get the flamethrowers ready - you really need a sub to "feel" the piece as you would at an organ recital.

Travis - sorry for your loss and I understand what a difficult decision that must have been. You can take solace in the knowledge that it was the right choice. After the loss of my last dog, I decided that my next dog would be an older one from the animal shelter. My hope was to save an animal from destruction and let him or her live out their lives in a loving home. We found a black lab mix that seemed so gentle and calm, took him home and named him Elvis. He has been a true joy and has brought a lot of happiness to my family. If you decide to get another dog, think about getting a "pound puppy."

Its been said over and over on this Forum and I believe it to be a basic truth re Klipsch speakers - you have to use a quality amp and preamp with sufficient power and quality source equipment to hear what the RF7 can do. I know there has been a lot of debate over what constitutes sufficient power but the bottom line is that these speakers reveal the weak link in a system. At this time, I have waited 3 months to have repair work done on my McIntosh amp - I could easily hook up a cheap 100-watt Sherwood amp that I have for my outdoor speakers while I wait, but I'm not because I know the result would be brutal.

Ditto, Jim Hall....album Concierto....not exactly acoustic but how could you pass this up? With Paul Desmond, Chet Baker, Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, and Roland Hanna all together! From April 1975. Strickly acoustic....don't forget the Brazilians: Joan Gilberto and Baden Powell. The very fine traditional early bossa nova on acoustic guitar/nylon strings...many albums to choose from. Jim Hall's Concierto is perhaps my all time favorite - some of the swingingest playing on one side and beautiful, laid-back on the other. Paul Desmond's solo on Concierto is truly incredible!

I owned a 2125 for approx 30 years - great amp and it sounds good with RF7s (I still own the 7s). The blue for the meters is a plastic filter that can be replaced for little money - take it to a factory-authorized Mac repair and get the big blue eyes back again.

I don't consider myself a musician anymore, primarily because I haven't played in approx 20 years. For approximately 16 years, I was a professional musician and teacher. I have two degrees in music education and was a doctoral student in music education/performance. I played drums in jazz and rock and roll bands, percussion and trumpet in symphonic bands and orchestras, and piano to satisfy the requirements of music school and entertain myself around the house. I now only experience music through this great hobby we all share.

Pure smoke. Sad that artists playing "America's Music" had to go to Europe to be appreciated and make a living. Another weird thing - the drummer in that clip is apparently right-handed but has his drums set up for a left-handed person.

Paul - did you notice the rumble after you repositioned your speakers? When I was recently messing around with repositioning my RF7s, I noticed bass rumble in my TT in certain positions. Move the speakers (in and out from wall and toe-in or toe-out) or get better isolation seems like the answer.