ibanezhater

OK, in my continuing quest for my new system, I've decided on the Klipsch Heresy IIIs, and the system will be built around them. I was thinking about getting a Linn Classik to save space, but the more I think about it, the more I am drawn to the whole idea of horns, tubes, and vinyl. Thus, I am thinking about getting a Blueberry tube preamp. Any suggestions on a good tube power amp to pair with the Blueberry? I'd prefer a stereo power amp, like the Vincent I recently saw in a catalog. Any owners out there? What power amps are you using, and how much wattage are we looking at? Tube or solid state for a power amp? The Ah Njoeb Tjoeb 4000 (or however you spell it!) tube CD player is also on the shopping list. It's reviews from owners is amazing, and so is its price. Thank you to all who give sound advice. --Mike

Joe, How do you think the Classik would pair with Heresy III speakers?

Linn or Arcam gear is hardly bargain basement. I like the idea of tube gear, but I don't know where to begin. Integrated? Or a tube preamp and poweramp? Besides Juicy Music, I am not even really sure what companies to look for - sorry, not buying Chinese made gear - my little political statement against a country that sh*ts on its people on an everyday basis. As for a nice CD player, I like the Rega Apollo. I love the whole getting back to where it all started: horns, tubes, vinyl, but I also want to be able to hook up a laptop to the amp or preamp to hear streaming music or MP3s, maybe through a DAC with an optical link. What tube companies make gear that can accomodate this?

Sure, horn speakers, tube amps, and turntables!

Perhaps a Linn Classik used? Not a bad idea, if I can find one. I really do like the idea of a one box solution RIGHT NOW, as I could later use this with the Heresys as either a bedroom or office system when I buy my house out in the sticks. Of course, then I'd have to save up for Khorns, high end American made tube gear, a reference CD player, a Linn LP12 turntable, etc. for a proper listening room. Sticking to one system boxes, I thought the Arcam Solo looked really nice. If I can find one to audition, I'd consider it if it sounded good, as it lists for something like $1,500, about $800 cheaper than the Linn box. I also think the Arcam has an optical input so I could run my laptop through it, or through a DAC. I don't know if the Linn has this.

I THINK I might know what you're talking about, but it's selling for $3,000, isn't it? It's a CD player, integrated amp, and power supply with a valve thrown in for sonics?

I listen to mostly rock music, especially heavy metal. I would like to be able to connect my laptop to my system to hear my MP3s without having to use an iPod, and I'd like to be able to connect a sub later if I wanted. I like the look and idea of Rega amps, but can I connect a PC to a Rega integrated amp? How? How about a sub? The Mira and Apollo would complement each other well. Some Dayton interconnects and Blue Jean cables, and we're in business. However I heard some people say Rega and heavy metal is a bad mix. Why?

Yep, I am still living in my tiny bohemian bachelor pad, and I have little space for a new system. All I know for certain is that I will be getting a new pair of Heresy IIIs to replace my 16 year old KG 2.2s very soon. I was considering the Linn Classik Music - a one box system with integrated amp, tuner and CD player all in one neat box. It's pricey, $2,300 list, and I was wondering if I can do better by going the separates route. I really don't listen to the radio, so I'd be looking at a CD player and integrated amp. The listening area is small, and the amp would also power a Toshiba LCD TV in two channel stereo only. With $2,300, what is the best I can buy? I would be building the system around the Heresy IIIs. Costs would also include cables and interconnects. Thanks, --Mike

I still cannot understand why people think Slash is a great guitarist. He's not. He was in a very popular band, and may have helped Gibson sell a lot of Les Pauls, but he blows as a soloist. There's literally hundreds and hundreds of metal players who can smoke this guy. Chuck Berry? Yeah, he influenced a lot of people, like Angus Young, but c'mon! Guys like Yngwie, George Lynch, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, John Petrucci - those guys can play. And Kirk Hammett?: no.

Blose may indeed have the best marketing campaign in the history of home audio. Too bad their products suck.

I'm sorry, but that particular track in that style, is musically elementary and lackluster performance, give me a break. OK, I got your point, you feel that based on that video clip, Priest suck. You feel they are on a level of a garage band. If that's an example of your insight, I will be sure never to ask your opinion of any speaker or set up ever again.

Rolling Rock - another PA beer - was recently bought out by one of the big boys, either Miller or Anheuser Busch. It will be slowly phased out. Another competitor gone. Stock up while you can.

Pete's Wicked Winter Brew was a good one. Too bad it's not made anymore. Here's some more: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout Arrogant B*st*rd McEwan's Scotch Ale Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale (yummy!) Harp's Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Di Anno had attitude, but he couldn't sing! Bruce all the way!

[+o(] no chops, that is exactly right. important??? Idk meh I just hope you know more about home audio and speakers than you do about heavy metal. Ha ha ha. Yes, very important. No chops = nu metal pop crap. Go listen to Beyonce and leave the metal discussion to people who know and understand metal.

The Strat Plus was a wonderful guitar - too bad Fender discontinued it. The Lace Sensor pickups were great; an overall kick butt axe. Your Ibanez is very nice. Again, great bang for the buck. I used to play my instructor's George Benson model. Sounded great through a Fender Twin.

Pete, Those Schons are sweet! From what I understand, they were built by Grover Jackson and are top quality. Today's Jacksons are made by Fender, which isn't really a bad thing. Quality control is awesome, and if it weren't for Fender, Jackson would be no more. Don't feel the same about Charvel, and the prices Fender is selling them for, not to mention Eddie Van Halen putting his endorsement on them to justify such prices. Wayne Charvel still makes guitars - Wayne Guitars. Funny, Hamer got bought by Kaman, and they are better than ever. Bernie Rico sells BC Rich, and they haven't been the same since.

Pretty much. However, I am almost exclusively into the power and progressive metal. Some examples of bands, that I have listened to and very much enjoy - Pagan's Mind, Rhapsody (of fire), Sonata Arctica (saw them twice, and will seem them again at the beginning of October), Stratovarious (also saw them twice - even shared a couple drinks with Timo Kotipelto), Communic, Firewind, Mystic Prophecy, Angra, Kamelot (saw twice), Dionysus, Altaria, Gamma Ray, DragonForce, Narnia, Warmen, Primal Fear, HammerFall, Dream Evil, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Blind Guardian, Leaves' Eyes, Nightwish, Epica, After Forever, Beyond Twilight, Pyramaze, Symphorce, and many, many, more. I don't particulary care for death metal - in fact, I find the growling vocals to be pretty annoying for the most part. I also never did care for Disturbed, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Korn, Limp Bizkit, and similiar. I just don't like that "nu-metal" sound. I've also pretty much have given up on many of the older "mainstream" bands such as Metallica and Ozzy Osborne. Yes, I did like some of the older Metallica, but in my opinion, that band is pretty much becoming a bunch of "has-beens". After that atrocious, sorry excuse for an album, St Anger, as far as I am concerned, Metallica is pretty much done. The only bands that I am actually still interested in are Iron Maiden, Queensryche, and Rush. However, I do have a couple of Tool's albums, although I don't have the new one. They are not my favorite by a long shot, but I've found thier stuff to be pretty interesting. As to what I play this crap on? My RF-7s powered by a 200 watt B&K Ref 200.7 amplifier. Bass duties are handled by a REL Storm III sub. I was a Denon DCM-380 CD player, as well as stream MP3s from my server via a Roku SoundBridge M1000 device. Yep, that setup will pretty much let the neighbors know what I am listening to. The clarity and dynamics are just incredible on this setup. You're not into Opeth? I find them to be one of the most interesting bands out there. They got their own thing, ya know?

Not for its time it wasn't. It was meant to appeal to adolescent metalheads, a la Beavis and Butthead. To be honest, a great deal of metal lyrics are silly - that's part of its "charm" I suppose. Besides, it's all about the riffs, and Breaking the Law had a cool riff that's easy to play and remember.

And there'in lies one of the main reasons why I listen to Power/Progressive metal instead of most of the other genre's. Get something like Angra's new album, Aurora Consurgens! Wow! Real, melodic singin! Beautifully complex with an awesome command of thier instruments, and it even comes across with some emotion. Yes, there is still a ton of good music like that - just you are not going to find it in the typical "mainstream" channels. Believe me, if you are interested, I'll be more than happy to play a ton of this stuff for you when I am out there this summer for the Pilgrimage! Angra is a great band. Sounds great through my Klipsch kg 2.2s. I can only imagine how'd they sound through Khorns. Funny you mentioned power metal, most of today's power metal bands owe Helloween a great debt, as Helloween owed a great debt to Iron Maiden, as Iron Maiden owed a great debt to Judas Priest, since Priest took the blues out of metal. All of today's modern metal bands owe the Priest for at least part of their sound.

Wait a minute, you're from England, and you prefer Bud or Miller?!

A favorite Pennsylvania brew! I also like their porter, maybe the best "cheap" beer currently brewed. They sell Yuengling in Hong Kong? A decade ago, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it for sale in Vermont. Cool.

No, most of their guitars are not crap, especially now since they FINALLY realized that not all players want a double locking trem, and now offer fixed bridges on their higher end guitars. The "ibanezhater" moniker is from my days on the Harmony Central forums. It's a resentment towards Ibanez for endorsing no talent floggers like the guys in Korn and Staind - the flavor of the month. Back in the day, their roster was amazing: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Alex Skolnick, Reb Beach, Paul Gilbert - real metal players who could flat out play. The Jem models were cool, and the jazz boxes were great bang for the buck. Today, it seems Ibanez has turned its back on the real guitar playing community. By signing no talent nu metal players, it sends a really bad message to any of us who bothered to take lessons. Now, the 1970s Ibanez models were a whole different breed. The Ice Man, The Destroyer, and the Les Paul "Lawsuit" models are killer collectors models, and cannot be compared to today's stuff. The Ibanez Les Paul copy is considered by many to be superior to that era's Gibson Les Pauls. To be honest, Ibanez recent low end models are still OK for beginnners, but their high end models are overpriced, even their neck-through models. Hell, you can get a USA Jackson for that kind of money, or even better, a Carvin! I love 70's and 80's BC Rich guitars - handmade and appreciating in value everyday. FYI, I play two Carvins, both of which IMHO are far superior instruments to any Japanese made Ibanez of similar style.

I'll start it off: Bass Ale. Thank God for happy hour.[]

Rick Rubin is supposedly producing the new Metallica album. They dumped Bob Rock...finally! They haven't made a good album since And Justice For All, even though The Black Album is good to blast on a kick *** system.