codhead

!

Yep, that's a dared. I saw one of their 845 amps on Audiogon a couple of years ago. Almost all of the chassis lettering was missing after the seller's cleaning lady wiped it off with glass cleaner. I used to have an internal picture of another Chinese 845, which actually had strips of wood under the chassis (think slats on a bed frame) to keep it from collapsing under the weight of the transformers. Sorry for the small picture, but I believe it's this one:

Actually, that Shanling is one of the better Chinese amps. This is what I think of when I hear "cheap Chinese amp". Calling this thing "monoblocks" is really stretching it:

Zappa: Why does it hurt when I pee? Why does it hurt when I pee? I dont want no doctor To stick no needle in me Why does it hurt when I pee? I got it from the toilet seat I got it from the toilet seat It jumped right up n grabbed my m*** Got it from the toilet seat My b**** feel like a pair of maracas My b**** feel like a pair of maracas Oh God I probably got the Gon-o-ka-ka-khackus! My b**** feel like a pair of maracas Ai-ee-ai-ee-ahhhh! Why does it Why does it Why does it Why does it hurt...when i Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

You've got a PM!

Go to her reunion. If some guy starts to act too familiar with the wife (or you know his name in advance), look at him and say "Hi... you must be 'Tiny'." A statement like that would haunt any self-respecting guy for quite a while.

"I also thought the warm sound from tubes was mostly "fuzz"..." Perhaps this explains the popularity of the "Peach" preamp. []

Pre-approved, bidder's ID hidden, 3-day listing. May he sleep with the phishes.

"First, why do you think these didn't sell?" Shipping cost, finish, price. Who knows. "How old do you think they are?" 1981 "Are Khorns that much better than La Sala?" Khorns are are usually regarded as having better bass, but placement is more critical. I guess how much better depends heavily on your personal taste and the kind of music you listen to. "What is the best year for both and an average price for both from their respective "best" years?" Don't think there's a specific year that stands out. I like early to mid 70's models, but that's my subjective opinion. Someone here bought a pair of black LaScalas a year or two ago that were drop dead gorgeous. Same goes for late model Khorns. Myself, I'd consider the cost and condition ahead of the model year. Price is harder. I've seen speakers sit on Audiogon for 2 months, then sell for $500 more than the asking price when the seller listed them on eBay. I don't track the average prices, but someone here may. You can look at the completed eBay auctions to get an idea, but eBay is known for some pretty wild price swings. Audiogon has a bluebook, but it's subscription only (I believe). P.S. I'll resist the urge to make sport of that account name: http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/music0_name.html

I had a $2,750 bid set up through auctionsniper.com but looks like I was a little short. Would have been a nice score (50 miles away). []

Y'all are gonna love this... The neighbor kept the volume down tonight, but I could hear the same beat for an awful long time. I finally put my ear up to the wall to hear what he was listening to... he had the 70's song "Kiss You All Over" by Exile playing on repeat for over 3 hours! There's just something wrong with that. Hope he's not sitting on the crapper muttering "This is my rifle, this is my gun..." []

A next-door neighbor with a new subwoofer - apartment living at it's finest. Perhaps I'm getting old and cranky. Or maybe it was the "club" music coming through my bedroom wall until after Midnight last night. Or the sound of explosions tonight. Whatever the cause, this camel's back had seen one too many acoustic straws in the last week. So a quick reconfiguration of the bedroom system was in order. Out went the Heresy's, and in went the Chorus I's. Out went the Moth s2A3, and in went the Crown D-45. Out went the Clapton, Dire Straits, and Steely Dan. In went the AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, The Offspring, and finally... Jackyl. Nothing like lighting up the Crowns IOC indicators while playing "The Lumberjack" (while wearing my David Clark Straightaway ear muffs). While Klipsch speakers do an outstanding job of reproducing music, their ability to accurately render the nuanced sound of dueling chainsaws is something that everyone should experience. You can almost smell the oily exhaust fumes hanging in the air. And now... total silence. And it's only 10:00. Looks like I'll be getting a good night's sleep for the first time in a week. []

"The TEAC apparenty has a reputation for being sensitive to RFI/EMI -- which might account for some of the mixed reviews." Great observation. I was less than impressed with my Teac, but it just so happens that there are a couple of dozen transmitting antennas on the roof of my building. I've got so much stray RF energy that I can't even use a VCR without getting artifacts in the picture. Never considered that at the time, but now that you mention it, it makes a lot of sense.

Hopefully those Crown engineers will get this straightened out prior to the release of their new 500 milliwatt reference amp! []

"Still wondering why Klipsch specifications for the Heresy and Cornwall are ±5dB and every other Klipsch model I have seen shows specifications at the industry standard ±3dB including Heresy II and Cornwall II. Can anyone tell me why Klipsch would do that?" The 5dB figure probably allows them to claim 50Hz, where the 3dB point would be a higher frequency. Sure seems to have impressed the guy selling those Heresy II's.

Check out the calculators over at the Crown Audio site: http://www.crownaudio.com/amp_htm/designstools.htm If you download the .zip file listed under "For PocketPC", they'll run just fine with your browser (Javascript). Great for those "How much power do I need?" questions. Also Power, Voltage, Loss, Ohm's Law. Nice freebies.

I'd suggest a HagUsb (USB to SPDIF converter). Works with Mac or PC. No drivers to screw with - just plug it in and go. I'm currently running one on my bedroom system, connected to a Mac iBook and my Cal Alpha DAC. Works great. They cost $129, and come with a 30 day money back guarantee. Download a copy of iTunes, rip your favorite songs to AIFF files, and you've got an instant music server. http://www.hagtech.com/hagusb.html

Colita is not what they singing . LOL That's an easy one. It's Joey Buttafuco's lover, Amy Fisher (a.k.a. The Long Island Colita).

A pair of Intel Dual-Core Xeon CPU's. Sort of like IN-N-OUT... a Double-Double.

Hate to break the bad news, but tobacco is soon to be overtaken as the number one preventable cause of death. Guess what's going to be the new number one? Obesity! See for yourself: http://www.thedoctorslounge.net/medlounge/articles/obesity_death/ Better start railing against "Big Food". I want to hear your solution for this problem. Fat kids are not going to be able to get health insurance. The Government better do something! Lock up the Twinkies!! Tax the Moon Pies!!! Legislate personal responsibility!!!! Take your kids to the circus, and show 'em the Fat Lady - before it's too late!

So who guessed the correct retail price, and what did they win? Seem to remember a contest for this.

Why stop with tobacco? Might as well throw in alcohol too. And skydiving or any other risky behavior. Stop serving Big Mac's to fat kids, and charge their parents with child abuse. Ban SUV's, quit wearing fur, stop eating fish (those fish have feelings you know). Could raise the driving age to 30 - just think of how many lives that would save. Not long ago, some in England were advocating the termination of social health benefits for overweight individuals who refused to heed their doctor's advice. While I don't think smoking is a very good idea for anyone (or drinking, or over-eating, or skydiving), I tend to side with the whole individual liberty issue. I really prefer to live in a free society vs. a socialist utopia where the state tells me how to live my life. In 50 or 60 years individual freedom could be history[]!!!!

I love the way these sellers throw the "as new" comment into their auctions. I've got a pair of '76 Heresys, and my labels don't look like a cat clawed and pee'd on them. Maybe Klipsch was having a rodent infestation at the time, and set a few cats loose in their warehouse.

Would not expect these to be the last word in quality (build or sound), but they might be a good way to try SET. If you don't like them, you could probably recoup most of your investment at resale. It's interesting to note that both amps and the power supply have a combined weight of 33 pounds, which is exactly what one of my 300B monos weighs. Dared is kind of loose with the use of the term "monoblock", seeing as they share a power supply. Here are some internal pictures of these: http://img99.exs.cx/img99/7637/prettyclearguts6et.jpg http://img99.exs.cx/img99/5835/clearpowersupply5ki.jpg http://img99.exs.cx/img99/8707/nottooclosegutspic6sy.jpg Might be worth a try if the price is right.

Had some nice wax globs on my cain Cornwall grilles - from the previous owner(s). I used my small household steam cleaner, and it removed the wax without a trace. I would think this would be just as effective on cloth, as it heats the wax to the point where it becomes liquid and flushes it away. You can get these on eBay, and at around $75 it might be cheaper than a new grille (like it'll never happen again). http://search.ebay.com/steam-mouse_W0QQfromZR8QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQfstypeZ1