franczyk

Which part of Chicago are you in?

I have a NAD 916 6 channel amp. I also have a NAD 917 Surround Processor/Preamp with Tuner. However, the power button is broken and it won't turn on for me. :-( An extra pair of NHT SuperZeros in black.

Will you ship?

Thanks! Reviews like that are the best, because there isnt much reason for you to be biased one way or another, and it gives us a good idea of how these amps sound in comparison to each other.... Thanks again. I wish there were more shootout reviews.

---------------- On 4/15/2005 5:48:50 AM Chris Robinson wrote: My question relates to FM programming these days. There is a dearth of uncompressed, high quality programming anymore. Sadly, my XM Radio gets the most exercise these days simply because it's commercial free for the most part. How far we've retreated from the good old days. ---------------- I would be even be fine with compressed mid-fi quality programming if it werent the crap that most radio stations play nowadays. (I sound like an old fart!) No really... about 3 to 5 years ago everything seems to have gone to crap... Most of the stations sound the same now adays... all Clearchannel and Infinity broadcasting.... all pre-recorded and the same playlists. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have the inane banter and puerile chat in the mornings and afternoons. It seems that EVERYONE is a shock jock nowadays. Fortunately, there are still about 3 decent stations around south Florida. I once thought about buying a Magnum Dynalab, and then realized that there is nothing but crap to listen to on the radio.

---------------- On 4/15/2005 1:03:51 PM ben. wrote: That assumes that cost and quality are always directly proportional, of course. ---------------- Of course!! Price = Quality in high end audio, right? At least, everyone acts like its true. Of course, I bet a $500 rebuilt Scott 299A or Dynaco 70 sounds better than 85% of the new equipment for sale today... and thats including stuff in the multi-kilobuck range. The manufacturers would love to have you believe that their newer equipment is clearly better than the stuff they were making even 10 years ago. I say that is crap.

---------------- On 4/14/2005 7:55:40 PM sberger wrote: i've been living with my '79 heresy's now for a few days. i'm running a nad c370 ss amp with a bottlehead tube foreplay pre, and a mostly, fairly expensive vinyl rig. i've heard the complaints about the heresy with a ss amp, but i'm here to tell you these speakers are absolutley terrific. i don't know if it's because of synergy, because of how they make me remember my 70's systems,because im using vinyl, but i have none of the harshness that i've heard exists when you use ss with vintage klipsch. now of course ive heard how great tubes can sound with efficient speakers, and went ahead and bought a decware taboo amp(6 wpc) to try out. really looking foward to it. but the message here is that i believe a good pair of heresy's can sing with any decent system. love these things... ---------------- Thats good news... The NADs tend to be a warmer amp than most others, and maybe thats why people tend to like them with Klipsch. I bet the taboo will sound fantastic. It sure is cool looking with the hardwood base. Now that Ive compared my NAD amp to my Dynaco, im not impressed by it, but it could be because I have relatively inefficient speakers. Congrats on the new amp. Please post a comparison review after you get to listen to it for a while.

I've found that amps are pretty darn important... To me, the amp is what makes a system sound mid-fi or high-end. True, a cheap speaker is going to sound crappy, but as long as the speaker is pretty well designed, with no crazy resonances or frequency abberations, it can sound high-end with good electronics. I used to think that the speaker is the number 1 (and only) most important part of the system, but now, I can see that you can't make a speaker sound high end without good amplification and source. I would take a good tube amp on some inexpensive NHT speakers before I would take a NAD on a set of ProACs. Come to my house and I will make you a believer. :-)

Same here... Looking for Cornwalls in Central to South Florida.

---------------- On 4/14/2005 10:18:49 PM jdm56 wrote: $10,000? Hm, let me see...OK, I got it: B&W 803D's ($8000), and the biggest 2-channel amp NAD builds. That oughta do it. I'd use my Pioneer Elite 55TXi receiver for a pre-amp. ---------------- No way, man! Ive had a NAD 916 amp for close to 8 years now, and have been happy with it for almost the entire time... Then a little while ago I bought a Dynaco Stereo 70 for my office system. Holy CRAP! They got it right when they built the Stereo 70. The Dynaco makes the NAD sound like crap in a large way. Piano sounds like mud on the NAD, while on the Dynaco it sounds much closer to realistic... More like music, to be sure. I am truly ashamed that I ever thought that the NAD was a good amp. I will be putting the 916 up for sale on Audiogon soon, with my head hanging in shame.

For 10K, I'd be tempted to go with: NHT SuperZero minimonitors $250 Bottlehead Foreplay Preamp $175 (its more now, isnt it?) Cary 805C monoblock amplifiers $8700 It would shame just about anything out there with sheer purity and beauty. Of course, the lack of any bass under 100Hz might be noticed... for a few minutes... until you got caught up in the music. I think the bottlehead would be the weakest link in that chain (assuming you dont mind the lack of bass).

For 10K, I'd be tempted to go with: NHT SuperZero minimonitors $250 Bottlehead Foreplay Preamp $175 (its more now, isnt it?) Cary 805C monoblock amplifiers $8700 It would shame just about anything out there with sheer purity and beauty. Of course, the lack of any bass under 100Hz might be noticed... for a few minutes... until you got caught up in the music. I think the bottlehead would be the weakest link in that chain (assuming you dont mind the lack of bass).

---------------- On 4/14/2005 2:10:06 PM mdbrien wrote: Can someone tell me if expensive CD players really sound better than less expensive CD players. Also, are there any tricks to help a CD player not skip. The reason I ask, there are times when I really want to crank the volume up, and the vibration from the bass will make the CD player skip. I have an 8x oversampling player, and really don't have much knowledge about the different types of CD players. Thanks, ---------------- Well, in practical terms, the higher end cd players dont sound THAT much better. As long as you have a pretty good cheap player, it costs a LOT more to get just a tiny bit better. If your system is pretty modest, then you would probably be better off putting your money into better speakers and amps. There are plenty of good isolation platforms that you can set your amp on to prevent vibrations from disturbing it. Many of them are made for turntables, since they are even more sensitive to vibration. A lot of the vibration is probably coming through the ground and through the platform/stand that your cd player is sitting on. http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0404/ginkocloud10.htm If you are interested in a DIY stand, there are several ideas.. You can cut some racketball balls in half, and set a board on them, then set the cd player on that board. Some people also place the equipment on a heavy board, like a 2" thick piece of maple cutting board, like the kinds you would use for your kitchen. http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/tweaks/platforms.php http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=BSBR4BGR&product_name=Big%20Rock%204%20Isolation%20Platform%20in%20Black

Does that Forte still fit in the definition of a floor "standing" speaker?

Has anyone ever bi-amped any of the heritage line? I know they arent wired by default to be biamped, but I figure you could either split up the crossover, or use a second crossover and run two connectors to the back of the speaker... I think it might sound good to have a solid state on the bass and tube on the mids and highs.

---------------- On 4/12/2005 10:37:19 PM ben. wrote: What the heck were you searching for with those search terms? Scary!! ---------------- Actually, I was searching for Klipsch in the news, but when I saw that article, I changed my search terms so that the words would be made bold.

Google Video catalogs and allows search on the closed captioned subtitles of broadcast tv shows, and while looking through some of the news programs, I found this: http://video.google.com/videopreview?q=finger+tip+in+her+klipsch&docid=1739528213870840952 Look at the second paragraph. Gee, I wonder what was on the typist's mind when he typed that...

Or another question: How do the Welbornes compare to the Wright 2A3 amps?

Ok, what about this: A cornwall designed to work well with Single Ended amps? 8 to 10+ ohm impedance, smooth impedance curve... 98+ db sensitivity... Then again, I can just buy a classic cornwall and plop in the ALK crossovers and use the 4ohm tap of the amp. I guess Id prefer the same thing, except with 8 or 16 ohm impedance instead of 4, so that I have more freedom to use different amps.

---------------- On 4/10/2005 10:36:55 PM Dflip wrote: You are kidding, right. A $1500+ set of monoblocks in kit form vs. a homemade kit that is good value for the money. I'm sure others will chip in, but if you do a search you will get some responses and I think the overwhelming consensus is the Moondogs hands down. These amps are not in the same category and shouldn't be compared against one another. ---------------- No, I wasn't kidding. Im new to this, so I was asking an honest question. Now Im glad I did! Im looking to get my first SET at some point, and I think Ive settled on getting the Cornwalls (as soon as a nice pair become available). It sounds like 2a3 amps are really "where its at" with Cornwalls and other Klipsch, so I am feeling it out and asking questions. Thanks for all your help. Now for a followup question: How do the 300B amps and the 2a3 amps compare when driving Klipsch, in particular the Cornwalls? Should I start a new thread for that?

Has anyone ever done a side by side comparison of the Paramours vs the Moondogs or DRD 300Bs from Welborne? I was wondering how they compare. Does one have any distinct differences/advantages over the others? Thanks

Well, if you are going to listen to it until it smokes or catches fire, take advantage of it! It probably sounds better super hot than it ever did. Talk about having a system "warmed up"!

Whoops, I forgot the part where you wrote "16 x 20". Then 3.5 watts should do ok with those speakers. That is about as small as I would go, however. Figuring at 3.5 watts, you would be putting out 104-105 db each speaker at RMS power, which is what I consider bare minimum for a large room. Since your room is mid sized, you would be fine. By the way, vinyl (and SACD) sounds fantastic with tubes.

---------------- On 4/10/2005 1:46:17 PM mike stehr wrote: You need a bigger SET amp ---------------- I agree, but what is going to fill his needs at under $600? There are only maybe a small handful of SET amps at that price range... even when buying used equipment. The Paramours and... well.. the Decware Zen. Thats all I can think of. And the Zen is a questionable choice. The Paramours might be a nice choice. They definitely should get the midrange right... The question is the bass. You can pick these up used for under $600 all over the place. He might like the ASL Wave 8s or ASL AV-20s. Fortunately the Cornwalls are super efficient so you can get away with small but good quality amps, rather than larger but poorer quality amps. snilsen13: How large is your room?

---------------- On 4/10/2005 11:30:25 AM snilsen13 wrote: I'm probably somethig of a bass-head, but what I rally love are mids. ---------------- Yea, Im really thinking that you should try a good push pull amp. A Dynaco is a good choice, though I can't say how it will sound since I havent heard it on your type of speakers. Now, the vintage tube amps like the Dynacos arent commanding with the bass like a solid state, but they will put out plenty for any type of music that doesnt have throbbing electronically generated bass. Ive had a Sonic Frontiers SFS-80, which had pretty good bass, close to solid state, but didn't sound as good as my Dynaco ST-70. I can listen to the Dynaco all day. I hear a lot of good things about some of the Scott and Eico stuff too. I would look for one that has been recently rebuilt/refurbished, so that it sounds like new.