russ69

The Cambridge CD is towards the smooth side (I have that unit) and the Rotels have a smooth sound in my experience. You might want to try a few different interconnect cables like one of the Kimber copper or silver if you want even more top end. You can do a lot of sound contouring with a cable change. The right cable (speaker wire also) can make a system go from flat sounding to something full of life. It's cheaper than buying new gear. Thanx, Russ

wpines, I've never had much luck running a CD player direct drive. You really need a pre-amp. The sound I got from direct drive set ups was a bit harsh. I know it seems unnecessary, but it's never worked for me. Thanx, Russ

They are good amp according to Stereopile (no misprint). With that many EL-34's it's going to be a better room heater than an amp, not for hot summer days. Thanx, Russ

I forget what an RS4 Infinity is, but if they have the EMIT tweeter they are often blown. I'm not sure if you can get replacements anymore. I've owned many Infinities and the EMIM midrange drivers are impossible to find. Thanx, Russ

I had to jump in. I owned a pair of 901's way back in the early 70's. I liked them when I had them. They were power hungry, I had a Phase Linear 400 and a lot of guys ran Super Bose (2 pair of 901's) with the Phase 700. I also heard the factory demo at an audio show in LA (dark side of the moon, at 120db!). Anyway, they provide an "interesting" presentation. They are strongest with classical music but also play rock fairly well. The biggest drawback is the wide sound stage, single voices are spread across the whole back wall. It's also true that they are weak at the frequency extremes. Having said all that, I still liked them. They are very forgiving of the source material, but to be honest, they are not hi-fi. That is not to say that you can't enjoy the music that comes from a well driven pair, but they have their limits. I'd buy another pair but they would be my 2nd or 3rd system, on the other hand if you just have 900 bucks and an arc welder of an amp hanging around........... rock on, dude and enjoy the ride! Thanx, Russ

LOUDSPEAKERS, DUH!

A quick check is: The house lights dim to the beat of the music! Then you know the volume is just right! If the lights go out completly, you might have a little too much current demand. Thanx, Russ

Joe sport, Are you doing anything that might be causing reliability issues? Tubes powered on all the time? Lack of ventilation? Overdriving? Except for the rare bad tube I've never had any problems??????? hanx, Russ

Matching subs is hard, I know because I have $5000 in my subsystems and It's still not perfect. I had real good luck with adding a small 8 inch Velodyne to fill in the mid/low bass and it added a nice bass bump that filled in a hole. I haven't got it perfect yet but I'm close. Thanx, Russ

I'm not familar with those particular speakers but let me try to give a general opinion that might help. You can assemble a satisfing music system with almost any collection of half decent components, it's all up to you. If you like what you have and just want to slowly try to improve or change something, you can start with upgrading the weakest link, buying cables that help with the systems weakness and gererally tayloring the system to your liking. Just remember there is no perfect system or one perfect solution. Just decide what you like and don't like and try to improve it. I still have some cheap *** systems that are just plain fun to listen to. Remember, have fun, play music and enjoy the sounds. I use my critical system less than any of my other systems, sometimes I just want to blast some tunes and bounce around to the beat, other times I want to hear the lips pressed tight against the reeds and the breath blow across the flute holes, it's all good, just enjoy. Thanx, Russ

Coyote, Speaker wires do have a sonic effect. I prefer solid core designs over stranded. Try a pair of Audio Quest Type 4 for a nice bump in dynamics. Go for some silver if you want a hotter top end. You don't have to spend a bundle on cables but the right ones are really worth the money. Try some different kinds, I'll know you'll like some, and zip cord will be history. Thanx, Russ

DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER, DANGER! Total scam. Thanx, Russ

I'm living on the edge lately so, what the heck: 1. Klipsch was well known when I got stated in the early 1970's. Klipschorns were an icon. As tube equipment was replaced with high power "and grainy" solid state gear it seems horns fell out of favor. Maybe some one from Klipsch knows the sales history better than me and can chime in. Now that tube gear seems to be in full swing again (for most of us) horn loudspeakers are more popular. My guess is that orders are up? 2. What's that joke about a band is made up of 3 musicians and a drummer? I thought everybody knew that one? Thanx, Russ

I hope I didn't set him off with my "too late to ask about the new wife" comment? Oh, heck I'm not kidding anybody, I didn't like the bozo right from the first post. Thanx, Russ

Webmaster, I guess I've been "lucky" and had a couple of the threads I participated in deleted. It's frustrating to express your thoughts and then find the thread deleted. I was wondering if it would be possible to just delete the offending post/user and leave the non-objectionable posts in place, then maybe lock the thread if you need to? It would be helpful to at least see where things went hideously wrong! Thanx, Russ

I hope I don't step on too many toes but the 1970's were a long time ago and I'm not sure much of this vintage solid state gear ever sounded all that good but my memory is fading....... and I'm sure there are exceptions. I'll agree that the Marantz units all looked great and were loaded with features. Having said that, I'd buy a used tube integrated before I'd consider any solid state receiver form the 70's. Thanx, Russ I've forgot all the very top end recievers from specialty companies, maybe you guys remember some of them.

You are right on man. I'm anal and I want it just right, it gives me pride of ownership. Having said that I've bought some used gear over the years and I'm only comfortable if I carefully inspect the item. I know most people are not as careful as me but I do expect a flawless face plate and a clean top. If it has minor scratches on the rear panel or somewhere I don't see it, that's OK if the rest of it is looking good. Vintage equipment is a different story, it's hard to go 30 plus years without some cosmetic damage, in those cases I think about what the damage is and can I live with it or not. If it looks reasonable for it's age, yes I might buy it. On the other hand, I don't feel like my firearms are truly mine until they have the wear of a used but well cared for piece. Well polished magazine lips, powder stained cylinders, well mated parts. My cars are the same, I try to keep them like new but if there isn't a little rubber in the wheel wheels, the leather seats aren't creased just right, and the disc brakes aren't scored then it's not a car I've used and enjoyed. Thanx, Russ

I'm thinking scam....... If a guy had a pair of this very rare and desirable loudspeaker wouldn't you say how you aquired them? I'm the original owner, a dealer, my Dad gave them to me or something like that? Wouldn't you say how wonderful they sound and you hate to part with them? Or maybe you just found a mint Paragon in rosewood and have to sell these to pay for the Paragon? By they way, if you bid on these......... I have a Shelby Cobra 427, mint, in the rare lacewood finish. No minimum, 3 day auction........ payment by other (gold bars prefered), you can pay me in the alley behind my garage. I'm going to have the wife ask a question (In my best Nigerian English) and see what's up. My guess is that he has a friend that owes him money and if I just take his $5,000 check and send him the difference............... Thanx, Russ

The guy went to a lot of trouble making this custom piece, you have to ask why would you sell it? I'd also like to know how he evaluated the performance, by measurement? What replaced it? Just curious. Thanx, Russ

Some amps are noisier than others. My rule is that I can't hear it from my listening position, it's OK. I'm in a real small room and I can just barely hear my servo sub hum, but not from my chair. To respond to your question, if the hum goes away after warm up, you are OK. Thanx, Russ

I'm just guessing but it sounds like you just bolted in the cartridge and plugged it in. You need to set the tonearm angle, tracking force , anti-skate and head angle using the proper tools. Also your phono amp needs to match your cartridge type and impedance. A pro shop can look at the output on an oscilloscope and check the installation. You might want to have an expert set it up for you. Thanx, Russ P.S. If you are an expert........ maybe the cartridge is bad?

Gee this was fun, wasn't it. NOT. Dude don't ever ever order a hand made product. Hand made products take time to make. Sorry, that's just the way it is. If you can't appreciate the difference between a highrate production line and a hand made product, maybe the Heritage products aren't for you. Thanx, Russ

The light bulb is as much fault as the car is for drunk drivers. The problem in California is that they would rather burn coal than make a nice clean nuke power plant. I wish a light bulb would come on in Sacramento. Thanx, Russ

Dr. Who, I think you said it right. I have a significant loss in one ear but until I can't tell the difference between real sounds and my hi-fi, I'm still in good shape. Good listening skills are more in the brain than in the ear and experience does help more than perfect hearing. Thanx, Russ

I don't have the horn mono's but have the mini-monos. I tried a set of KT88's but lost the midrange, although the other ends were improved. I think Mike Sanders got it right with the 34's. If I had a set of speakers that needed more top end, I might be tempted to run the 88's again but I just think the 34's are pure sweetness. Thanx, Russ