RossVTaylor

John, Interesting suggestion - just to get this right in my mind, do you mean lining the inside edges of the motorboard in the cutout? What does this do or how does the "new" sound sound? (nice sentence, huh...) Did you do this to your LaScalas, also? Thanks much, Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." This message has been edited by RossVTaylor on 10-18-2001 at 07:16 PM

Mr. Big, You'll have to let us know more about your experience! Did you leave a voicemail or an email? Did you get a response? Has the President become tired of getting involved and changed their directory? Curious minds want to know, Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Yeah, Doug, I may experience the old uBid blackball now! Of course, that couldn't be much different than their normal customer service... I've got no gripe with uBid - they provide a popular service and they're simply overloaded, it seems. But, their communication does stink and if there's a problem with your order you sure wouldn't want to hold your breath while awaiting an email reply (or sitting on the phone, either). I'll tell you, though, my voicemail to the Prez sure got a speedy response! Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

I don't remember if the tweeter's were on the bottom or top, sorry... I think they were still right side up, but I'm not sure at all. ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Hi Highnote, If Doug Drake's extension cord advice solves your problem, then that means your ground hum issue should be pretty easy to solve permanently. It's likely that the other receptacle you're using across the room is on a different leg of the power drop to your house. It's fairly easy to switch this, if that's the source of the problem. First, identify the breakers that control the circuit your other equipment is on and the circuit that you want to use for the subwoofer. I'm assuming they're on different circuits, otherwise that's not the source of your trouble. Where are the breakers in relation to each other in the circuit panel? If they are directly next to each other (one on top of the other), then they are most likely on different legs. Each of the 110V legs coming into the box is run to a buss bar - the buss bars usually run from top to bottom on either side of the box. Although it would seem that all the left-side breakers were on one leg and the right-side breakers were on the other, this is usually not the case. In most residential panels, the buss bars have "teeth" and the result is that adjacent breakers (one over another) are on opposite legs of the service. Whew... talk about long winded. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah... if the two circuits you wish to use are on different legs, you can swap breakers (or the wires to breakers) and move them around so they're on the same leg. Just, PLEASE, make sure the incoming power is OFF! Try out the extension cord fix and, if that works, take a look at the breakers. Plug lamps into the receptacles and turn off breakers until you find the right ones. Once you've identified the location of the breakers, report back to us and we can guide you further. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

I, too, experienced some of uBid's "growing pains" during the purchase of some Acurus amps and a couple of other things. After they promised one amp was cancelled, they sent it out anyway a week later. After I returned it, it took a month to get my credit back. I suffered through several of the "customer service" waits on the phone, and I got nowhere there or from their email help. I finally looked up their corporate info on the net and left a voicemail for their president (Greg Jones), followed by an email to him. Amazingly, I got a return call the very next day and an immediate credit! uBid.com's corporate number is (847) 860-5000. If you call during business hours, the admin staff will take direct you to call customer service. However, if you call after hours, they have a corporate directory and you can punch in the first four letters of JONES to be transferred directly to his phone. His email address is on the voicemail - if I remember correctly, it's gregj@ubid.com or something like that. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Eq, I'm planning on building "little" Heresy-sized niches into the rear wall, into which I will place my Heresy surrounds. I've got room to build in a recess for each speaker, laying on its side and angled downwards to aim towards the listening area. Or, at least, that *was* the plan... I've also got four RS-3 surrounds, and I had intended on using them only for movie surrounds and using the Heresies for DVD-Audio and other surround music. My receiver will let me switch like this and I thought it'd be great to have five full-range Heritage speakers for music. To be honest, though, I haven't noticed a lot of full-range content in the rear of any of the music discs I've tried and I'm beginning to think that I would be just as happy (and it would be much easier) if I just stick with the RS-3s for everything. I'm certainly open to other opinions and experiences, though. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Eq, Try a search for a thread from this past February or March that has pics of the Hope trip some of us made. I think "hope pics" might get you there. In there, several of us posted links to online photo albums. There should be some pics from the Klipsch demo theater room we spent some time in - they had 8 (yes, eight) Heresy speakers as surrounds. They were mounted on simple plywood brackets with angled bottoms. They didn't require holes or hooks in the speakers, which was a plus. If you can't find the pics, let me know and I'll dig one out and send it to you. Of course, you could always hang yours from rope like mine are (temporarily, of course...). There are pics of that in another thread here, too. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Craig, You should be okay. Your AV receiver should have a distance adjustment in the speaker setup area of the menu. That adjustment will let you specify the distance to each speaker in your HT, including the rear speaker. You can also adjust that channel's volume to match the other, closer, speakers in your setup. Since I don't have that receiver, I can't comment further on how you access that menu. But, your center should work fine back there. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." This message has been edited by RossVTaylor on 10-13-2001 at 04:02 PM

Bryan, Good points about the 5800 upgrade. I'm keeping up-to-date with the rumors on the unofficial Denon AVR-5800 site. There's been mention of a firewire card, new software and a few other things - but no one's mentioned a new door yet. Yet, your points are well taken and make damn good sense. I'd be really surprised if you weren't right on about that. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

SlaggBot, If only all decisions in life were this "tough." I've got a 5800 with my LaScala/Heresy HT setup, and I absolutely love this receiver. It's got great power and a great feature set. But, most importantly, it sounds great. The Aktis remote is pretty disappointing - especially if you're used to a Pronto - but it works okay. I'm running my 5800 into an Acurus 200X3 for the front array, but not because of any lack of power from the 5800. The Acurus was a closeout "impulse" purchase (with which I'm very happy) but I'm very firmly convinced that the 5800 really has all the ooomph that I'd ever need. A very well-built piece. That said, there are concerns with the 5800 too. The biggest is the rumored upgrade. There is, as of yet, no confirmed detail on this upgrade and I'm the first to admit that Denon has been terrible at communicating with their customers. Their customer service and commitment to product support/upgrade is pretty poor. I've got the 5800, a Denon DVD-Audio player and a Denon CD player. I like their products, but I think their support stink. I'm really torn here - I hate supporting (enabling) this behavior. I think the Onkyo is also a great piece of equipment. I recently helped a close friend shop for a receiver (the lenghts I'll go to to help a friend!). He ended up getting the Integra DTR-9.1, with which I'm very impressed. Although I'm really biased towards the 5800, I don't think you could go wrong with either one. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Hiya, Fini and Colin. The neutral wire (the wider of the two plug prongs) is, eventually, connected to a ground. This normally happens in the service panel box. So, in a sense, the equipment is already grounded. Of course, this "ground" wire (the neutral) also acts as a current path so you may desire addtional grounding sometimes. Adding a three prong supply cord would work, as long as you attach the ground conductor to the equipment case. Plugging the equipment into a surge protector can reduce noise, but doesn't really "ground" the equipment any more than it already is. Of course, the filtering may be all you need. If you still need grounding, or want to try that instead, just crimp eyes onto the ends of a wire and use that as a ground - put one eye under the screw on the wallplate at the receptacle and put the other eye under the ground screw your Sansui most likely has near the antenna jack. If there's no ground screw (usually marked with a symbol that looks like an upside down Christmas tree), then any chassis screw should work fine. Keep in mind that using the wallplate's center screw only works on grounded outlets and won't offer any grounding in old ungrounded wiring (usually pretty old homes). As far as the instructions asking you to ground the equipment, that's a pretty standard warning and it's probably in the front of the manual with all the other warnings, right? Like don't use the receiver in the shower, don't block the vent holes, etc. Properly functioning house wiring does offer a ground path through the neutral. Adding the extra (separate) ground is extra security in case of a ground fault. Best wishes, Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Bryan, You should be able to diagnose the floating-ground aspect of the problem pretty quickly, to see if that's the problem. Using the AR cable, run another wire from a metal part (like a amp panel screw) to your Denon's ground screw (near the antenna jack). You can use any type of wire to do this. With both units grounded together, see if you get the thump from the fan now. If not, then your setup just "doesn't like" the lack of a full-length ground connection in that floating ground AR cable. You could then either connect the other end of the ground conductor in the AR cable (if there's enough there to solder), or you can revert to the RS or another cable with a full-length ground, or you can run an independent ground wire from sub to receiver. Best of luck, Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

The quality and variety of information available from this BB's membership never ceases to amaze me! The father of my oldest friend used to have Bozaks back when I was in Junior High - they were huge (to me, back they, anyway) and he had them driven with some unknown Mac tube amps. They sounded awesome, as I remember. Thanks for the detailed info, Andy! Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised at the positive responses! I was a bit concerned about going down in a ball of flames... I'm here every day, reading and learning, and I'll continue to participate. I enjoy this place too much! I just hate seeing well-intentioned people get slammed or insulted. I certainly don't mean to imply this BB is in the toilet or that it's not still one of the most friendly places on the net. (I'd say the happiest place on Earth, but I think Disney's got that copyrighted.) But I just seemed to notice more negativity and lack of respect from some people, and I felt compelled to remind them that we are guests here. And, of course, to express my thanks and admiration to those positive providers of insight and humor. Thanks, to all, for taking this in the constructive tone in which it was meant. And thank you for making this forum the exceptional place that it is. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Peter, You're absolutely right! The RB-5's are, indeed, underappreciated gems. Until I found myself drawn back to the Heritage series, I loved my RB-5s. Happily, they're now giving one of my best friends great service in her home. Last year, one of the Canadian audio mags did a "equipment list" issue and in the speaker section they only highlighted about 5 speakers with little sidebar articles. One of those was the RB-5 and they referred to them as "near monitor quality" and a great value (if my memory serves...). Paired with a good sub, it's a great combo. Enjoy! Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

My friends in the Klipsch community, I have, for some time now, considered writing this letter to the forum. But, each time I sat down, I always hesitated - it'll get better on its own, I thought. Well, it's not... So, here's my rant: Although I don't know TV (Mr. Vodhanel), I sense from over a year of reading his posts here and on the AVS Forum that he's a man of integrity. Although he has a growing company, he doesn't toot his own horn and he frequently offers suggestions and positive comments about competetive products. I have read nothing but praise for his professionalism and customer care. He seems to be, in all ways, a true gentleman. Oddly, I feel the need to apologize to him for the actions of others - TV, please know that *we* appreciate all your impartial assistance and help!! This is as much a community as my neighborhood or yours. This is a community of distant people who share a common interest and love. Like any community, however, there are the good and the bad. The kind and the mean. The helpful, caring, friendly people and the rude, inconsiderate jerks. I've made some true friends through this forum - heck, I even drove 1300 miles to meet up with some of these "strangers" in Hope last February. I felt comfortable doing so because this was a warm, helpful forum filled with people who would go out of their way to help fellow board members, both new and old. People like (in no particular order) DougDrake, SteveP (and Mystery Guest too, of course), WillJam, Tony Reed, John Albright Al K, Gil McD, Ray Garrison, Phil Hatch, Bob G, Trey and Matt and any number of others I obviously missed here. And, of course, TV. These people took their time to donate their positive comments, their suggestions, their humor. They went out of their way to guide, help and smile. Am I alone in noticing a change? It seems to me that many of these participants are notably absent, of late. If not truly absent, they seem to participate much more rarely and briefly. I'd like to invite them back. They, and all who wish to keep the positive, friendly tone of this forum, are appreciated and missed. This is a unique BB, made possible by a company that allows uncensored discussion about their products and their competitors'. They don't panic if someone mentions Paradigm or SVS or even Bose - well, maybe there *are* limits... Let's *all* remember that this is a community, and that positive social skills and the common rules of decency still apply. Thank you Klipsch and thank you my friends, Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." This message has been edited by RossVTaylor on 10-04-2001 at 06:22 PM

Wolfram, Call Matt back and ask him if he'll toss in one of his own demo CDs! He's a very talented musician and it'll give you a great taste of some homegrown rock. You'll enjoy this with your new tweeters! Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Mr. Doug, my friend... I'm absolutely LOL! Methinks you've been hanging around this hobby too much - you're starting to sound like an ordained minister of music, an evangelist of audio, a preacher of theater... Now that you're done with your system, would you consider doing an exorcism on *my* humming demons? Ross (Edited to add a serious note - I'm also noticing a low level hum with my new 200X3 installed. With no connections to my Denon, the Acurus is dead quiet. But, with the RCAs connected there is that slight but annoying hum. Maybe if I switched to less efficient speakers, it wouldn't be so evident. Could that explain the fascination with "audiophile" speakers?) ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." This message has been edited by RossVTaylor on 09-22-2001 at 06:42 PM

Tom, Cool setup! Your Heresy should work fine on its side. Some of the original Heresy documentation indicated that this was one of the install options for the "first center channel speaker." I had stereo Heresy's mounted on their sides, and I found it actually helped with imaging in my old setup. In my new HT room, my Heresy center will also be on its side. Once I move the drill press, of course... R0ss ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Now *that's* a comparison I'd like to hear! I heard (should I say "experienced") the RSW-15 in Hope during the Mecca. It was an incredible sub and worked very well with the Heritage setup they had (can the Jubilees be called Heritage speakers?). I now own a Servo-15, and it too meshes very well with my LaScalas. It's punchy, musical and powerful. There's no way for me to properly compare these two subs, separated as they are by 6 months and about 1500 miles. But, I think the RSW has more output than the Servo-15. My Servo-15 works cranks out a huge amount of bass in my smallish HT room, but we heard the RSW-15 in a really big room and it kicked *** there. I'm pretty sure my Servo-15 wouldn't provide that same amount of bass in a similar sized room. If Klipsch would see fit to send me an RSW-15 for a while, I'd be happy to do a proper comparison! Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

The new Stereophile Guide to HT that arrived today is just now including coverage of the May HT show. I noted, with some interest, the comments about the Avantgarde horn speakers: "The biggest surprise was the lack of coloration from the very visible horns, which reproduced all but the extreme low bass in these speakers. And the Avantgardes' ability to play loud with only a few watts means that you don't need a big amplifier to drive them. BAT's amps... were having no trouble working with the Avantgarde... to create an impressively big, dynamic home-theater sound." PWK couldn't have said it better himself. In the 40's no less!! Something we Klipsch fans have known for some time... Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

I'd second the PW-2200 recommendation. It worked well with my LaScalas (bettered only by the Servo-15 at almost twice the price). But, at least here, it's more like $700. "10% off is the best I can do for you, sir..." I also agree that the new RSW's will be contenders, but even the 10's going to be close to a grand. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Hi Foost, I can't help you with the SVS info, but I can direct you to a very knowledgable site - www.hometheaterforum.com - in the event you don't get any feedback here. That seems to be *the* place for SVS discussion. Tom at svs told me i could pickup a cheap stereo receiver at best buy to power a cs for now. Do you really think so? From what I've read and heard... if Tom says it, it's honest. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

I think the new RSW subs sizes are: Tall Grande Venti ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."