naimnut

An initial impression and reaction here, only. Wow! First off, we've got to give propers to our hosts Sheltie Dave and CJGeraci. Great hospitality, excellent equipment and good choices of music. Nice also to meet Bob A (bob, what's your forum name? I'm drawing a blank right now. Also Larry LO123. Very nice guys who made a beginner and newbie like me feel right at home. Oh, btw, I now know that there are apparently three gigantic black holes in St. Louis which tend to suck in any heritage klipsch gear that comes within, say, 400 miles of the Arch. Dave's selection of speakers must be seen to be believed. His choice of electronics was excellent (I'm now a big fan of Juicy Music and those VRD's). But Carl and Bob also are quite the centers of gravity for vintage gear, too, judging from their stuff. Care was taken to make everyone feel welcome, the gear was ready to go, and the only regret I can voice is that, in retrospect, there are some combinations I would have really liked to hear, like the Monarchy class A solid state dudes. Also, you know what? we should have put that dynaco st70 into the sytem. Altogether, the whole event exuded class and taste. Bob A brought a 1958 Holy Grail Marantz preamp (Sorry, which model was that? Well, I don't know, but it is the expensive one) Also, an oddball, 1963 vintage Hadley tube amp which sounded great, and a big Marantz SACD player. I'd never heard SACD before, and it sounded very fine. We also inserted a DBX decoder into the system and played some dbx encoded vinyl on my LP12/Linto. Lots of fun and great sound. Hey, my kids are callin' me for dinner and I'm starved. Will post more later. ======back now from a quick bite======= This was billed as a battle of the amps. Never having been to one before, I can't say we worked very hard at having one amp beat another. I'd say that the juicy music preamps are really, really good. But Bob's vintage Marantz was, too. I could live with either one. The VRD amps are really, really good too. But I was surprised at how well the Hadley acquitted itself. Impressive for a 40+ year old push-pull tube amp. The k-horns ruled the roost, but the cornwalls were no slouches either. I think a lot of it comes down to the electronics, which really were sounding fine. Later in the day we went over to Carls house and listened to his setup. I can only describe it as monster. 3 Belles in front, all modified with new crossovers, tweeters and midranges, 2 modified Altec VOTT for rear surrounds, driven by a marantz 8b. The front speakers were driven by some kind of 200 watt solid state monsters. Plus a big SVS sub woofer, big enough for a doghouse. Don't remember the make of the front amps. we listened to dvd-a, watched a couple 6.1 videos, listened to vinyl, his modified jolida cd player (hey, I liked that!) and just heard an endless series of great tunes. The whole day can only be described as awesome, from one peak to another. Over dinner I was trying to explain it to my kids, and it was just impossible. How can you describe the sound of big klipschs driven by big amps playing great music? Naimnut

To late to RSVP? I'm a "lucky" man this weekend, as my wife is out of town and I've actually got some free time. BTW, I can bring a Linn Linto phono stage if anyone would like to hear it. I doubt that you guys would want me to bring over my whole naim setup. my phone 314-727-0189 I'll keep looking through this thread for possible contact info. Mark

I actually need to do more research on this board, back on the older pages, to see what things are going for. Aren't Belles/lascalas selling for somewhere around $700 up to, say $1200? I'm truly guessing, based on very limited data. I think I'll need to either pick up a used tube amp/preamp or get new life breathed into my vintage (dead and retired) dynaco st 70. I can use my naim 135s but have been advised that they'll be too noisy for a highly efficient speaker. I see there is a pair of Altecs down in Florida for $1500. Those are tempting but the distance to StLouis is a bit of a downer. She who must be obeyed has recently undergone a change in perspective and I actually can spend, oh maybe up to 3-4k for all changes combined. If I did so I suppose I'd ultimately sell off my current system and money wise it would be a wash. Markus

Reading here has got my mouth watering for some big horns. But where to start? I don't have any corners to put k-horns in, and I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to these kinds of big speakers, but they sure sound like fun. Can anyone make some recommendations about what I should be watching for? Truly, I don't know the klipsch line very well and only have the vaguest notions about how everything fits in the line-up. Sign me, Looking in St. Louis. Markus

I may be able to help by connecting you with a buyer. It will, of course, depend on whether he is interested in what you have. Please call me at my office at 314-777-7001. I live in St. Louis. Mark

Greetings Folks. I'm brand new on this board, having just discovered it and thinking back to the times that I heard Klipsch speakers back in the 1970s. I am very curious to hear about your systems and sonic priorities, because I've been a long-time music lover but, for sixteen years or more, I've been in the Linn LP12/Naim camp, though my speakers deviate from the typical box type most Naimies use, being Apogee Centaurus minor ribbon/conventional hybrids. I have long enjoyed the sound of my system, even though I know it is full of compromises, but discovering this forum, and learning that there are horn listeners in St. Louis has really awakened my curiousity. For years I've posted on two brit-hi-hi boards-- the Naim audio forum and also on the Pink Fish Media audio forum. Both of these places tend to be pretty solidly in the british camp. But for years and years I've wanted to hear for myself the sound of tubes (especially triodes) and horns. I've just never had the chance! Hi-fi seems to be one of those hobbies where people can have an epiphany and suddenly hear equipment which completely transforms their musical and listening point of view. For so long I've heard about fanatics using horns and tubes and wondered how it would compare to the sound I'm familiar with. I'm considering upgrading my lowly naim preamp (72) but this would cost about $1k at least, and more like about $2k. Which really shifts the realm of possibilities. For example, I could liquidate my naim equipment, buy some horns and triods, and very possibly end up with a more transparent and beguiling sound, plus have some cash left over. It is typical that those who post on boards like this are enthusiastic about their marque and approach. So I clearly expect to hear encouragement to give horns and triodes a try, but I'm actually looking for a little more insight. It is one thing to hear someone say "I bought a bigger/better amp and it sounds fantastic"--it is something else entirely to hear someone say "I thought I was happy with my system with X, Y & Z (like naim) but when I heard A, B & C I went out and sold all my gear and bought new stuff". Here's what I like about my current system: 1. solid state, trouble free listening. I previously was using a dynaco st70 which developed some kind of problem and I just finally threw in the towel. This was helped by finding a pair of mono naim amps at the then unheard-of price of about $2400 (replacement cost around $6500). The system now has some guts, plays loud but has finesse, too. 2. the subtlety of the apogee ribbon tweeters. Much of the transparency of quads, but melded with a conventional woofer. While these speakers punch above their weight, cost-wise, I know they have many compromises. Here is what I recall about the Klipsch speakers I heard back in the early 70's--they played REALLY loud without strain and I think I would enjoy cranking up some hendrix occasionally. They also seemed to possess a tremendous sense of scale and a huge, room-filling sound. I realize no one cranks their system up all the time, but sometimes its fun, right? So, if anyone would like to share their personal hi-fi journey, what they've been through, why they made the changes they made, how their equipment compares with other gear they may have dabbled with, then I would love to read it. I also recognize the possibly the first thing I should do is put a lingo power supply on my LP12 and get a new arm, but, that would be several thousand $ and I just don't think the finance committee would go for it. So, looking forward to reading your thoughts, Markus

Greetings from a complete newcomer to this Forum, also from St. Louis. I'm very curious to hear these combinations of tubes and horns. How might I obtain an invitation to attend this event in August? Also, are there any hi-fi shops around which carry equipment like this? Since I've mainly been a Naim owner the only place I ever seem to get to is Music for Pleasure. Any recommendations about other shops I ought to try out? Who carries Klipsch? Thanks, Markus