tom b. 57

In the area'scraigslist there is a pair of what look like superior condition Belles. The asking price is $1,650. Is this a fair market price? I don't know much about pricing for these. They don't seem to come up for sale too often. The pictures that accompany the ad portray a pair of beautiful condition Belles. What is a good price? Tom

Rear firing radiator. The seller has not responded to any of my emails. I am starting to think they are gone and the ad has not been cancelled. Thank you all for your input. What do you guys think of Soundcraftsman equipment? Any good? I like the way it looks. Tom

Does anyone know anything about these ESS speakers. I am a bit familiar with the ESS AMT line but not these. I read that the specs. are pretty good. They incorporate a 12" woofer and what looks like a 5" midrange. It also includes the Heil Air Motion Transformer, although a much smaller transformer than the AMT line. Does anyone have experience with this particular model and would they like to share their oppinion and experience. I have wanted some AMTs for awhile but have not had the opportunity to find a pair for a reasonable price. I loved these speakers back in the 70's, ever since I first heard the Nazareth rendition of Morning Dew on them. I still remember the goosebumps. The PS1220's are for sale in my neighborhood and if I get some favorable feedback, I may just get them, depending on the condition of them. Tom

I picked up a pair of Heresys last night for $425.00. The cabs are 8 out of 10. The bottom end sounded much better at the sellers home than when I hooked them up at home. Of course I haven't really placed them where they should go yet. Being a sealed cab. I assumed that placement is not that critical for bass response. Am I wrong about this? I like the sound of them. They have a big sound for such a small box. How far from a wall or corner should they be placed for better base response? I know some of you will think I payed too much for these, but, I've been wanting a pair for quite awhile. When I seen a pair available a short distance away I jumped on them and got the guy down from $475.00. So, I guess I could have done worse. I could have payed full price. Now I just need several more models of the Heritage line to fulfill a quest to own at least one example of all the Heritage models. Peace, Tom

The 5.5's are great speakers. I have a pair that I purchased several months ago for $220.00, and quite frankly I wouldn't think of letting them go for less than $600.00. I also own a pair of Fortes. These are, in my oppinion, a better speaker. If you have the opportunity to pick up some Fortes, you should do it. Can't help with the SF3s, I haven't any experience with them. But, I believe you would be very happy with the 5.5s or the Fortes, what ever ones you can get the best deal on. Tom ( I live in the Seattle-Tacoma area and I believe I saw the ad on Craigslist for the KG5's, and yes that was a mistake.)

Any thoughts on the broken post? Is the issue basically a cosmetic thing or should it be repaired asap?

I finally received a return email from the seller. He has owned it for over 8 years and has only used it sparingly. He thinks there should be plenty of life left in the tubes. There is one issue. A broken plastic post for a rectifier tube. He assures me that it does not affect the performance one bit and is only noticeable when the tube is removed. He is taking best offer. Does anyone have a comment on the steatement about the performance with a broken post? What would be a really great price to offer for this unit? I am in no hurry to spend more money and will purchase only if I can get a great deal. So what do you guys think? Tom

Are Cary amps worthy of Klipsch? On a scale of 1 to 10, how does Cary rate? 10 being McIntosh. Seattle-Tacoma Craigslist has a SLA-70B for $795.00. Good price or not? I am waiting for seller to answer an email where I threw a bunch of questions at him/her. Tom

GREAT TOPIC! I own a pair of KG5.5s and a pair of KG4s that I have hooked up to an HK3480 in my secondary system. The 5.5s are an awesome speaker. I paid $220.00 for them and to tell you the truth I don't think I'll be getting rid of them any time soon. The 4s are pretty good spkrs. also. For their size and cost, they sound better than many other comparably priced speakers from various manufacturers. I notice that the KG5.5s are very seldom on ebay and are very rarely discussed on this forum. Why is that? Am I the only one who is impressed with these? Tom

There is a gentleman with one of these for sale. He is asking 750. I emailed him and he said he would take 650. I have tried to do some research on this amp and have only found one review. The review was very favorable. I know nothing about the manufacturer and not much about SET amps. I am hoping someone has had some experience with this amp and can tell me if it is worth the money. The pics. that I have seen are impressive. Anyone have a clue? Tom

I have owned an HK3480 since July. I really like it. It seems to perform well and I too like the looks. The VMAx in two channel music listening performs as a really bad loudness control that makes any recording lose what ever imaging (to borrow the word from wuzzer) it has. I believe it is intended to give the illusion of some sort of surround sound when used in conjunction with DVD's. I have not checked this out yet. I am not in to movies a whole lot and a simple tv with stereo speakers built in does the trick for me. Tom

I would like to wish one and all a Happy Holiday, CHristmas, Qwanza, Hanukkah,etc. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Holiday Season. Including New Years. Tom

I've had my Fortes for a couple of months now and have grown quite fond of them. I purchased mine for $400.00 and was able to pick them up. No added shipping charge. I have two pair of Cornwalls that I have hooked up to the same system with them and use a speaker selector switch. It is kind of cool to be able to choose which speakers I want to listen to at any given time. I have a small listening area and I must admit I listen to the fortes quite often. When I feel like rockin' out the neighbors I run them all and wouldn't you know. the Fortes really add to the complete sound package. They seem to enhance the mids and the upper lows. I believe you will enjoy them with the Cornwalls. Tom P.S. Congrats on the purchase.

Well, sounds like more money. A stepup device will run how much$$$? Boy, its never easy is it. I know I can use a MC cart. with my Phase Linear preamp, but I was wanting to use the Scott. My HK tt. does have a low mass arm, I believe. I will have to get the manual out and check. So, if it does, what MC cart. would be compatable with it? Any suggestions?

What he said! Nice cart for the money.Mine was $160.00 shipped. Larry Larry, do you remember where you purchased the cart? I have searched a little and am finding it for over $200.00. $160.00 sounds alot better. Tom

I know you guys have some answers for me. I am wanting to upgrade my phono cart. and I believe a moving coil cart. is the way to go. After doing a little research, I find I can spend a small fortune on one. My dilemma is, I'm not a rich man but I do want the best available performance and reliability for a modest price. I figure you guys have had some experience with carts of varying price and performance. I am using a Scott 299D JVC turntable and ,or, an HK T60 turntable. Oh, and of course some Klipsch. I think I will be replacing the Grado on the HK first. Tom

John, it does my heart good to find that there is someone out there still using 8 tracks. Even if it is only occasionally. I didn't realize that 8 tracks were still in production in the 80's. I find that pretty wild. I'm just having fun with these things. I am, finding alot of bad ones though. Time has not been kind to the lowly 8 track tape. Tom

"I realize they were the first form of music-to-go, but after 30+ years of steady improvement in sound, how can anyone really go back a listen to 8 tracks, with a straight face. Radio's today sound better than old 8 tracks...............I don't miss hearing 2 tracks at once, a track change in the middle of a song, oh my, stereo's have come a long way since the 70's......................I think.................................. " AAHHH!!!! Now thats the response I was looking for. There is nothing serious about my journey back into the 8 track world. This is something to do for fun. Yes it is hard to keep a straight face. Some times I read these threads in this forum and come to the conclusion that alot of us are pretty wrapped up in the serious side of audio. If we have come so far since the 70's, why does there seem to be a pretty good market for the vintage gear? Yes, 8 track sound and design is certainly flawed, but, ahhh, what sweet memories come with them. The old 65' Impala, the buddies, and the girlfriends. A trip down memory lane. Tom

I picked up a Panasonic 8 track player/recorder tonight for $10.00. It seems to work pretty good, although the unit is mechanically noisy, but if I remember correctly these things did make noise while running. It plays the 8 tracks ok. The sound is pretty good for 8 track. I had forgotten the poor quality of this form of recording. I hooked it up to my Marantz 2275 in the bedroom. It's kind of nostalgic and to say the least, fun. I get a kick out of listening to these things. I had been wanting to use these old 8 tracks for quite some time now. I was just waiting for the right deal on a player to pop up. If anyone has some 8 track tapes that are playable they want to get rid of shoot me an email or a pm. Tom

Got my poster yesterday. #48. Still in the tube, will stay there until I have a home for it and can afford to have it framed properly. Tom

I am also using a Scott 299D with a pair of Forte's. They do seem to have plenty of bass and sound fantastic. I must admit that the purchase of the Forte's was one of my wisest purchases. The 299 really kicks butt when I get the two pairs of Cornwalls and the Forte's going at the same time. The Forte's are some great speakers. Tom

On the back of the Scott 299D, where the speakers connect, there are three options. 4, 8 and 16 ohms. I hooked up to the 8 ohm connects and the right side played but the left side did not. So, I tested the 4 and 16 ohm connects on the left side and they work just fine. Is there any problem with running the right side off the 8 ohm connects and the left off the 4ohm? Will this create any adverse affects? I have been listening to the amp this way for a couple of hours checking for any difference in sound quality or level and there does not seem to be any difference. The thing sounds great through the Cornwalls or the Fortes and through all three pair at the same time, (73 Vertical Horn Cornwalls, 75 Cornwalls and Fortes). I am just concerned that this situation might lead to a problem of some sort. So far no sign of that. Tom

"Tom- you must not be German or Italian. My wife's Italian grandparents have a gorgeous Stromberg-Carlson floor model. The government came out and gutted the SW during WWII." As a matter of fact, my grandparents on my father's side came from Germany. It was some time before 1916. I know this because my father was born in Bawtle South Dakota in 1916. I don't know much about my lineage, but I do know that much. My father served in the army during WWII. He spent time in England and was wounded in France. I have no idea where the short wave radio came from and do not remember the make of it . I remember that it was a huge floor standing model that had all kinds of pushbuttons and 4 or 5 knobs.

Yes Ben, this is my first tube amp. When I was young, I remember my family having a large tube powered radio that got shortwave signals among many others. I believe you could pick up signals from all over the country with it, possibly other countries. It has been quite some time since then. I am 49 now, and when we had the radio, I think I was no more than 10. Tom

Well, I took a drive today and experienced the Scott 299D. Everything seems to work and it sounded pretty darn good over some old JBL's. I got it for $200.00 and am waiting till tomorrow to incorporate it into my system. I am going to pull the bottom plate off and take pictures of the whole thing and email the pics. to Craig for his opinion and advice. Thank you guys for encouraging me to check it out. I think I will enjoy this, being a new experience and all. While I was out I happened across an HK T60 turntable for $30.00. It is in excellent condition except for the belt. I have ordered a new belt for it online at the price of $23.00 including shipping. If that is all I end up putting out for this turntable, I believe I have just made a fantastic buy. We will see. It is a beautiful turntable. I was not aware that Harmon Kardon built turntables until last night. I went online and checked out reviews and was impressed with what I read. Thats what prompted me to check it out. I am excited and can't wait to get both of these new purchases up and running. Tom