tk49

I said a few for him at mass, those that serve have a higher calling. Tom

I have a Cayin TA 30 integrated tube amp that would fall in your price range. One just sold on Audiogon that is just like the one I have. Email me if you are interested or have questions. Tom

Have a friend that had 300B's with LaScala's, and the same room size, with the LS on the long wall 12 ft. apart.Sounded wonderful. Helped him move in Belles and heard them the same day. All I can say is, it was outstanding, the Belles bottom end was substanctially better. Some say that can't be, all I know in his setup it was. If they are a fair price I don't see how you can go wrong. t

James, there is a black plastic sleeve that fits inside the counterweight, it is split and has a small nipple that seats inside the hole the thumbscrew rides in. When you tighten the thumbscrew it pushes againt the sleeve nipple, which in turn locks the counterweight in place. If you can look inside the center of the counterweight and can see the hole where the thumb screw rides, then you are missing the plastic sleeve. Hope this helps. Tom

Happy Birthday Bob, thanks for all the help and advice yesterday. Looking forward to the upgrades. Tom

I've had Forte's, Forte II's and the KG 4's, I still have the II's. If you listen to 4's and the Forte's side by side, I think you will find the II's are much better from the bottom to the top. You won't regret buying the Forte's. t

Blvre, did you find that the wright WLA 12 was a better match or just diffferent from the Peach. t

JuicyMusic BlueBerry Extreme Preamp t

pauln, have you ever tried your Wright 3.5 monos with Mark's BBX? I have the BBX and I'm looking for a good SET match. Tom

Thumper you have a PM Tom

If you have the money do it. I have had both I's & II's, still have the II's and they are wonderful. The price is fair, you won't regret it. t

Thanks Mark for all your advice, service and producing a top notch product. The BBX and Merlin are running strong. Enjoy whatever the future bring you. Tom

I have owned Fortes and KG4s and was able to A/B them, there is no comparision in my opinion. You will never regret buying the Fortes over the KG4s. Tom

I ran a RCA connector from the video output on the OPPO direct to my TV and the stereo mix to my Blueberry Extreme/Aleph 30 and found the same hum problem. I then ran a ground lead from the screw directly above the HDMI output to the ground on the Blueberry. It resolved the hum issue. This is my second OPPO, I had the 970 and now 980, I can't believe the machines are doing for that price. I had a drawer issue with my 970 and OPPO was on top of it with a quick solution, I would rate their customer service at an 10. Tom

Sit back and enjoy them for a while. You will get the itch soon enough. Tom

Glad to hear it is all coming together. playing around with placement and equipment is all part of the journey, this hobby wouldn't be much fun if it was all just plug and play. If you are lucky, you will find someone in your area to share the fun with. Tom

I have had both Forte and Forte II's and listened to both side by side and thought the Forte was a slightly more dynamic in sound. I then moved them to my basement and found the bass was too boomy. It's all about room acoustics and placement. I still have the II's in the living room and found a pair of Lascala's for the listening room in the basement, now there is a wonderful speaker. What ever you have is what you enjoy. t

I leave mine on. I tried them off but couldn't say there was a discernible difference. t

My room is 14X25, I don't toe mine in. I tried toeing and found I liked them better firing straight ahead. I put some inexpensive spikes in the risers, screwed the rear spikes down and backed the front spikes out to pitch the speaker back, you could achieve the same results with a 1/2" piece of wood under the front of the riser to see if it helps or hinders. Mine sit on carpet. As a previous poster said, you will have to play with them until you find the sound you like. There is a wealth of info here and many helpful folks. Don't feel like there is only one right way. Experiment. Tom

On the floor 12-16 inchs away from side wall, 10-12 inchs away from back wall, firing straight ahead. I have mine tilted back about a half inch. You are going to love them. Tom

Mark, No I didn't have the Peach with the Aleph, and I'm sorry if I mis-spoke on the Peach not mating well with it. I thought we had a conversation about the BBX being a better match, I know it was prior to your Peach upgrades. Again sorry for any mis-information. Tom

HPower, I first started with the JM Merlin and was amazed with what you get for the investment, I moved to the BBX for the phono section. The Merlin is in my upstairs system at the moment. All I can say is the Peach does not mate as well as the Merlin or BBX with the Aleph 30, impedance issues. Mark Deneen is a wonderful source for far more accurate info on that. The thing I like about the SS amp and the tube pre is you can tweek your system to suit your listening tastes. I can only speak for the Aleph 30 of the Pass Lab amps, it is very clean and accurate. Tom

I have the Aleph 30, JM Blueberry Extreme, '90 Lascala's. The Aleph 30 really put a clean edge on the imaging and presented a more detailed sound stage, it was a dramatic change for the better from the Carver or the HK Citation 12 amps. What are you using for you pre amp? The impedance, at least for the BBX was important. I had read about the F 1-4's, the 3 and the J as well and the 30 was the best match for me. I thought my system sounded pretty good for my untrained ear, but putting the 30 in brought it to another level. I will say it puts out the heat, so make sure it's well ventilated. I have been more than pleased with the Aleph 30. It's alway tough reading what others have to say and not being able to hear it in your system until you make the investment. Good luck in your search. Tom Here are some reviews that I found very helpful: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0701/volksamp.htm http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/firstwatt3/alephj.html http://stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/674/index.html

I just changed the 12ax7 in my Blueberry for a Mullard 12ax7 and heard an improved bottom and mid, full and rich. I have been looking for a sub for the 6dj8, by your discription the Amperex sound like it's worth a try. Where did you source them? Tom

Thanks Mike, I thought the discussion was about vinyl, but was hoping to find it in CD format. Never looked at what else the forum had to offer, guess I should explore more. Tom