tom b. 57

Let me elaborate, I have a Denon DVD2910 that I use strictly for 2 channel audio, two turntables( don't necessarily have to be hooked up at the same time), tape deck, equalizer, tuner, and an 8 track deck if I so choose to use. I would just like to be able to have these options. Does that sound like too much? I really don't know. Does this make me an HT guy in denial?

I was offered a PV-3 for $350.00 but after looking at pics. and realizing that I may want more choices for sources I chose to pass. I would like to find something that can accommodate at least 6 sources, tuner, 2 tape sources, cd, turntable or 2. I would just like to have those options available. I was also thinking that good ss preamps would be more attainable in this price range.

I don't think that mass marketing of any product is going to give me more of what I am looking for, but, I am trying to get decent quality for a decent price. I love the comment about the closet HT guy. That is funny. I watch very little video and quite frankly am not impressed with what I do watch. Whether it be theatre or video. What should I be looking for in regards to a preamp for $500.00 or less. Don't get me wrong, I wish I had the funds to purchase a Blueberry, but it's just not possible at this time. I am just looking for a step in the right direction. Do you have any suggestions in this price range?

Duke, you have given me this advice once before and I appreciate your oppinion. I have been using it for 10 months or so now and have done a little experimenting with a Scott 299D and a Sansui AU-X301 integrated, plus I picked up a decent cd player. I don't consider the Phase Linear a sonic turd, but, I am now convinced that I can do much better. I am seriously considering the Sunfire Symphonic Reference preamp. All the reviews I have read about this preamp have been favorable and they tend to refer to the sonic capabilities as rather tube like. If you have any experience with this preamp throw me a bone.

I am currently mulling over the idea of replacing my Phase Linear 3000 Series II preamp. I would like to take a step or two up in performance. I have a Carver M-500 amp that I would like to match with a preamp that will give me a synergistic quality in reproduction that I have not yet experienced with the 3000 paired with the Carver. Don't get me wrong, I believe the coupling of these two has been good, but I know I can do better. I love vintage equipment and may want to look at that option. I am not sure where I should start looking, ( manufacturer, model, functions, etc.). I know that I will require a phono section. I am hoping that I can get some good info. from my fellow forum members. Your advice and comments have been helpful in the past and I am confident that I can get pointed in the right direction with some help. I am trying to keep the price down to less than $500.00 if possible. That is one reason that I would like to look at vintage stuff, plus I love the 70's era equipment anyway. But, I also realize that as time march's on there is newer and possibly better technology that I could benefit from. Any suggestions? Tom

thebes, you have a PM

Cool, I have apair of 75's with K43 woofers instead of the K33s also. Cornwalls rock. CW's DO rock. The ones below the '73 verts are 1975. Small Klipsch world. How do you like the K43's? How do they differ in sound? My '75's have a few mods also. Pix to follow. tc tc, I purchased the 75's last July with the K 43's already installed. When I first announced the purchase of these on this forum some people told me that the K 43's may not produce frequencies as low as the K 33's. At first I did not know if they did or not. That all changed when I picked up the 73's. To be quite honest, the 75's actually have a bit better bass response then the 73's. Now, this could have to do with placement. I have a fairly small room with several pairs of speakers and needless to say, the placement of these speakers is probably far from optimum. The Cornwalls are very sismilar in sound, with the 75's sounding a bit more rich in the bottom end and the 73's sounding just a bit brighter. Then again, this could be contributed to their respective placement.

Cool, I have apair of 75's with K43 woofers instead of the K33s also. Cornwalls rock.

Can't really tell the finish from the pic., but it will have to do.

That picture of the Cornwall looks exactly like my 73' verts. I could use that for the center channel. Cool

Well it took damn near a year, but, I finally busted the 100 mark for posts. Do I get a pair of Cornwalls or something? Tom

Jay, congratulations on your find. I know you will be happy with this acquisition. I am using mine for strictly two channel listening, as I am not in to video much. It is nice to have such a good audio performer with the ability to perform as a great video player if I ever choose to use it in such a way. For me, this was the best buy of the year. Oh, by the way, your very welcome. Tom

I purchased it at Magnolia Audio/Video in Tacoma WA. It was the last new one they had in stock at this particular store. You could probably check online at www.magnoliaaav.com.

It is amazing and quite entertaining the way a lot of these threads tend to wander off into the unknown zones of the human psyche. I ask myself. Self, raw humor or altered states?

This is the point I am getting at. I A-B'd some CD players that were more expensive and supported only CD format against this DVD player that plays many more formats and this DVD player performed better with detail, seperation, and overall clarity throughout the whole audible range of frequencies. So why would one, or, how could one justify spending an enormous amount of money on a CD only player? Is it the prestige of owning an expensive name? Is it a notion that the more you spend the better the sound, even when the sound that the piece of moderately priced equipment emits is extraordinary? Is it just a perceived fuller richer sound in the very expensive piece? Is there really that much difference?I can hardly believe that a few or for that matter many thousands of dollars more is going to give me that much more satisfaction. I cherish my music. From jazz to blues to classic rock and even a taste of some heavy metal. On occasion some symphonic tunes are quite nice. I guess I don't understand the thought that after you hit a certain level of accurate music reproduction there is this whole other level that costs thousands of dollars more. Please, can someone elaborate on this? Tom

On Saturday I purchased a Denon DVD 2910 after doing some comparison shopping, several weekends to be exact. I wanted a good quality player that would support more than just CD or SACD formats. I wanted to be able to use this player for MP3 and any other formats, like JPEG. I did not want to spend more than $1000.00 or so. I finally settled on this Denon after doing some AB comparisons. The denon actually sounded better than a $1300.00 Primaire CD player, which was held in high regard by several people I spoke with. The Denon listed for $749.00 but since it was a clearance item I was lucky enough to pick it up, brand new, for $279.00. This thing is fantastic on delivering smooth accurate audio. It is SACD capable among many other formats. Has anyone else found that some of the middle of the road priced DVD players perform better when it comes to audio? I must mention that I compared it with a couple of Marantz cd players and a couple of different Sony units also. This thing actually blew them away. I just wonder how one justifies purchasing a much more expensive source for audio when I can't imagine that there could be that much of a difference in the audio. The seperation, soundstage. the subtle nuances of the music seem to come through with this moderately priced unit. The highs are sharp but not overly bright and the lows are present and crisp. The killer price didn't hurt either. Thoughts and comments are welcomed. Tom

Got another piece I'm interested in. This thing was built in the '70s and is rated at 73 watts per channel. The seller is asking $125.00. I believe this is a bit rarer to come across than the Sansui AU-X301. I am thinking the quality may be better too. Any comments, oppinions or words of wisdom to pass along to me. I do appreciate all the input I can get. My knowledge of stereo equipment is limited and I hope you guys and gals can shed some light on this subject. I am not very familiar with Technics stuff and am not sure of the value. Tom

Does anyone know anything about this amp. I have tried to do a little research on this and all I have been able to come up with is man. 1989-91, msrp $450.00, and 200 watts rms. I can pick one up for $60.00 or less and am curious if it is worth even considering. Hopefully someone out there has some info.- knowledge about this thing. Tom

Welcome to the Great Northwest. I live south of Seattle, about 45 minutes down I-5, in a city called University Place. It used to be a suburb of Tacoma but several years ago we became a city. I am just a few miles from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. They are building a new bridge right next to the existing one and are pretty close to completion. Pretty cool to have been able to see the ongoing construction of this thing. If you get an opportunity to check it out you may want to do that. I know of a record store on N. 45th st. in Seattle called Golden Oldies. They have a pretty large selection of used vinyl. I venture up that way on occasion to look for records that I want. I have a hard time buying things off the internet, ( I guess that's the old school thinking of mine). I would be happy to come by on a weekend and drive you to this store if you like. I know they are open on Sundays. Let me know if you are interested. Tom

I too have a copy of the marbleized album. Would mine also be a first release? How would I check? Mine is in good condition. I wished it was in mint or near mint. Good score, congratulations no the find. Tom

Well, I was able to finally purchase a pair of these classic speakers. I posted a week or so ago about the wonderful opportunity to have first dibs on these babys. I brought them home last night and the memories of my first experience of listening to these in the mid 70's came rushing back. How cool. I ended up paying $500.00 for them, but, they are in very good cosmetic and sonic shape. The gentleman I purchased these from has several replacement parts, including transformers and woofers (original). Some brand new, never been used. He has informed me that if I require parts he will be more than happy to accomodate. O.B. referred to owning a pair in the past and sometimes missing those AMT's. I understand completely. My Heritage speakers are still my favorite but these add a different flavor. My 30+year desire for these babys is over, its a reality now. Happy Camper

I forgot to mention he has Infinity stuff too. Lots of components for various makes and models of speakers.

Was that pair of ESS PS1220 speakers from Tacoma Craigslist? I got my frankenspeakers bi-amped using a audio control PCA unit with 2-way active crossover. The AMT variant is hooked up to a vintage JVC AS-5 integrated solid state amp for hi-pass, and a Nikko NA-1050 integrated A/V amp for lo-pass to the woofer cabinets. I have the center frequency set for 2 kHz on the active crossover, and may play with some different center values. This AMT type dipole driver is a rather interesting driver to play with. Two weeks ago I couldn't tell what a ESS speaker was much less the Heil air motion transformer. Now I wanna hear a pair of AMT1's. A or B or whatever.... Yes the speakers were from the Seattle-Tacoma Craiqslist. I think the ad is still current. Shoot the seller an email. He is a good guy.

I posted a few days ago requesting info. and feedback on these speakers. The results were helpful in making my decision in acquiring these speakers. I picked up the pair for $100.00. I think this is a pretty decent deal. They sound prety good. I have them incorporated in my bedroom system along with a pair of SF-1's powered by an old Marantz 2275. Pretty good match. In making this contact with the seller I have opened up a door to all kinds of ESS products. Seems the seller's uncle had passed away and left him a storage unit full of ESS, Yamaha, and ADS speakers and a plethera of raw speaker components of various makes. This is a good contact, for he has a couple of sets of ESS AMT1B's and will test them and give me first crack at them. I have always wanted a pair of the AMT1's. The Belles I posted about a few days ago I had to pass on. The seller would not budge from his $1,650.00 asking price. Oh well, my day will come. Tom

They are close, so I would pick up. No shipping,no chance of damage. Just not sure if the price is right. Seems high. I just don't see these up for sale very often at all and have no clue of the price range.