Sky Hits

Thanks Blvdre, while we're on the topic, I'd love to highlight two incredible reggae reissue labels out of the UK: Blood and Fire http://www.bloodandfire.co.uk/ and Pressure Sounds http://www.pressure.co.uk/ Both with excellent taste, excellent sound quality, excellent liner notes and packaging. They show tremendous respect for the original artists. And vinyl is always available. - Seth

Buckster: Indeed that's King Tubby: maker and user of fine audio wizardry. (For extra skankery, look for Joe Gibbs' productions, particularly his African Dub series.) Russ: Thanks for the tips. Small and musical will do nicely in my fairly cozy listening room. - Seth

Yeah, I know. It's my next logical upgrade. Hopefully the fates and finance gods see a velodyne for me in their crystal ball!

Well, my UP FOR THE DOWNSTROKE is not as bottom-generous as I would wish. But my COSMIC SLOP on the other hand...

Well, it was a great party. Funny that you should chime in from Texas, Lonelobo, as one of the most dangerous vinyl traders I currently know in Chicago (dangerous because he's always supplying me with more tempting offers) is originally from Ft. Worth and still retains his tall Texan dialect. The party was a great success. It worked it's way through the night in three separate stages: First the vinyl swap, where we placed a big table in the center of the room for swappers to eye each others' wares and kept the sound system warm and open for people to preview records. I made off with an excellent copy of Brubeck's TIME OUT and a 45 of Errol Gardner playing "Sonny Boy". After 9 o'clock, the rest of the partyers began to arrive. Kevin (mono) began the night playing some great soul and r&b and then I took over with classic disco and house music, eventually winding down the dancing with a side each of Chick Corea (from THE LEPRACHAUN) and Joni Mitchell (from DON JUAN'S RECKLESS DAUGHTER). We used two turntables, my technics 1200 and Kevin's sonographe sg-3 both with grado gold cartridges. I used my creek phono pre for the technics and Kevin used the phono card in his sonographe sc-1. For power we used Kevin's cambridge P500 and of course, Kevin's 1976 La Scalas. When I came by to Kevin's loft to set up, I brought with me my handy B&O testing record, and we utilized the balance test, phase test, and imaging test (which pans hard left, left center, center, right center, hard right) to calibrate a nice center stereo image with a sweet spot centered in the middle of the dance floor. The La Scalas showed themselves off brilliantly, boy it's fun to really open them up and let them sing for a party. As the hours progressed from late to early we gave the sound system a much-deserved rest and finished the evening with a spontaneous hootenany, featuring the collected wealth of talented musicians in the room, playing guitar, piano, trading songs and having a real great time. It was a great night, and I'm lucky to have a friend with a wonderful place for a party. I'll be sure to announce the next one at the forum in case any of you audio-faithfuls would like to come by! -Seth

Will do, buckster!

[] The above is my abbreviated review of bringing the Sophia Music Baby into my system. Brad (wpines), responded to my initial post with a really generous offer of his Sophia Music Baby, and I am really, really glad that I took him up on it. The Baby is a very simple and accessible as well as attractive piece. It was no trouble to insert the six tubes and secure my speaker cables. More difficult was the anticipation while I waited 30 minutes (the instruction manual says 20 is sufficient) for it to warm up. After the warm-up period, the fun began: When I first posted on these forums after obtaining my La Scalas last spring, someone responded with the recommendation that tubes go with horns like maple syrup with flapjacks. They weren't foolin'. I have this incredible Nat King Cole record where he plays piano (no vocals this time) with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. The piano sounds so lovely, warm and expressive and when the horns start hitting....wow! As predicted (by Brad and the many reviews I read of the Baby) the mid-range detail is really lovely (tangible and airy) with this pairing, voices, pianos, strings, all sound really beautiful. Also, there is a much better extension into the high frequencies than I was hearing with my old Sony. The squawker and tweeter seem to be coordinating much better now. As for the bass, I think I'm noticing more clearly now (thanks to the Baby) the limitations of the La Scala low frequency extension. Perhaps in the future I will consider finding a suitable sub to introduce into the system. Bass playing is not quite as visceral as I would like, especially for reggae, jazz and dance music. My only complaint with the design of the Baby is that the gold volume knob tends to heat up from being so near the tubes. Not to an untouchable level, but a nice touch would have been a volume knob that doesn't conduct heat so well (perhaps it could be coated with latex or the like, I'm no expert.) All in all, this was a big improvement in my sound for a very reasonable investment. The clarity that I have now at lower volumes (a real limitation of my old Sony) is tremendous. My room is roughly 13' x 13' and I am achieving a very full sound with the volume knob of the Baby just under half way up, and if I go down from there, I am still satisfied with the detail and balance of what I am hearing. Aside from the Nat King Cole, I've so far enjoyed Bobby Caldwell, Ella Fitzgerald, Alberta Hunter, Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone, Burning Spear, Grace Jones, Paul Simon and several dance 12"s that I assume would only interest a small number of you... Lots more listening to do tonight (and on, of course), but let me finish by thanking Brad once again as well as all of you for your sound advice, sound support and collected/collective wisdom and generosity. I'll be sure to post a picture or two as soon as I can pause from listening to get batteries for the camera. Cheers! Seth

Holy wow! Cheers for bringing this to everyone's attention. Can't wait to look into this...and viva Rudy Van Gelder! PS For the off-topic topic, from wikipedia: (Jimmy) Cobb is one of the most sought-after jazz musicians today. He leads his own band (Jimmy Cobb's Mob) in New York City.

I'd play Barry too. Frankie Valli + horns sounds dangerous, in theory. []

Four Seasons or Barry Manilow?

Don't know why I didn't think to post this earlier: My friend Kevin (posts here as mono) and I are hosting a vinyl swap followed by a dance party this Saturday night (July 19) in Chicago. Click through here for details: http://vinylquest.wikispaces.com/vq_iii We started VinylQuest a while ago to combine two of our great passions: bicycle riding and vinyl record shopping. Chicago is home to many a great record shop (and a very diverse selection of shops to boot) so we've organized a few bike tours where we jump around to various record shops (with a hand-made trailer attached to one of the bikes) and hunt for gems (we are big fans of good finds in good condition for a good price.) This party will be a little different: At 6:30pm you're all invited to stop by Kevin's place and trade vinyl with us. We're expecting a handful of people with broad tastes, so don't be too concerned about the styles of music you'd like to contribute. I myself will bring some jazz, reggae, classical, rock and dance music at bare minimum! Kevin has a two-channel system featuring a beautiful pair of La Scalas that we can preview tunes on. Come sunset we've invited a bunch of our friends over for a proper dance party. Have a look at the VinylQuest website link above and if you have any questions feel free to drop me a note. Cheers! - Seth

Dusting off another old thread! A good friend of mine tipped me to an internet special on APC's Model H15 H-Type Power Conditioner. It came in the mail yesterday. A few things: When I lift the unit, there's definitely a small screw of some kind loose and rolling around inside. It doesn't seem to affect the performance of the unit but I'm wondering if you folks would advise me to send it back in...or open it up! Secondly, the "Wiring OK" led does not light up like it should when I've got the unit plugged into the wall. The instruction manual claims that this means one of three things: missing ground, overloaded neutral, or reversed polarity. The missing ground seems possible to me, considering that the majority of the outlets in my apartment are not even three-prong. Any advice here? Beyond those issues, I do have it plugged in and did some listening this morning. The difference noise-wise is really amazing! There is significantly less surface noise from the turntable, everything is really a great deal quieter. I definitely can't wait to do some more listening but I'm really happy to report this positive addition to my system.

Looking for a recommendation on a phono preamp under fifty dollars (30? 20?) for a friend. She has a mini-system combo receiver (nothing special) but would like to get into vinyl. New or used ideas welcome!

If Raven knew she was getting the photoshop hatchet job, she'd probably really be POd! Thanks for the edification, out come the old tshirts and tacks! I'll find an Earl Grey pic to contribute later on. - Seth

Curiosity peaked, I found this price at google products: $9,842.68 I wonder what the experts would say about the quality you can cull from this machine. It better be more than a toy for that price.

Klipschers: I have discovered the search function and am now dusting off a contentious (cats as "things": sheesh) old thread, huzzah! Earl Grey (my girlfriend's cat) loves getting into small places, nooks and crannies, and hidden spots, INCLUDING THE BACKS OF MY LA SCALAS AHHHHRRRGH! She likes to jump up into the non-crossover side (left of the horn), but I have real concerns that she could take to nibbling connections. My La Scalas are toed-in (seriously improving the 'center channel' definition of the sound stage, thanks all!) and the right channel has a record shelf and electronics stand to barr Earl from getting behind the speaker. Currently for the left channel speaker I'm actually using some old boxy bookshelf speakers stacked on top of each other to keep her from getting behind. I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a good material that I could possibly tack over the opening in the back, of course leaving a space for the speaker connects. OR, am I not realizing that these openings work as speaker ports, and need to be left open for optimal sound. In that case, I suppose I will continue to make-shift a barricade, and perhaps to work through some of the 'carrot-and-stick' advice from above. Cat haters (and animal haters...as if we're something else) need not post. We love Earl Grey, she loves listening to music and has a very distintive singing voice. - Seth

Thanks to all for the advice! Email sent to the kind fellow in CT. And I have a creek audio phono pre. Thanks as always to the posters at this great forum. Seth

Hello again, brothers and sisters of the good sound: I last checked in here after I'd discovered that my old sony integrated amp is falling apart. In the middle of a great Fourth of July weekend of entertaining guests (including the parents) with the fantastic sound of my La Scalas, the Sony finally kicked the bucket. So, I'd like to take some suggestions on a new or used intergrated amp...or possibly seperates. The trick is, I'm on a tight budget. I'd really like to spend no more than $300 to $500. Here in Chicago there is a great shop called Saturday Audio Exchange (saturdayaudio.com). They sell new and used gear and I plan to stop by tomorrow afternoon. On the new side, they sell Jolida tube integrateds (albeit probably pricier than I am looking) and the latest NAD for solid state. I'd love to go tube, but don't know if that's feasible. Oh, and if it's of interest, my source is a technics 1200 with a Grado Gold cart. Any advice/suggestions? Advice specific to Chicago is welcome too. Thanks as always! -Seth

Well, problem solved! But it wasn't the La Scalas' fault after all. My circa 1980's Sony integrated amp has two pairs of output channels. Apparently there is degradation in channel A left side. I switched to using channel B and have restored the sound. Using an old B&O tester vinyl, I can hear the two channels at just about equal strength. Thanks as always for the advice, Bob. Perhaps it will be useful for another Klipscher down the line. Much appreciated. Seth

I'll give it a shot, thanks Bob.

Esteemed sages of Heritage Heaven: I haven't written in a long time because I've been enjoying my 1977 La Scalas with no trouble. Until the other day when the left channel midrange seemingly conked out. No sound at all. I swapped the drive witht the right channel and can confirm that it isn't a problem with the driver at all. I checked all of the connections in the AA network, looked for anything loose or clipped, and can't seem to find the culprit. Admittedly, I'm in a little over my head. My friend has a voltmeter I can borrow, but I'm wondering if any of you have advice to offer. Thanks as always! Seth in Chicago

Is it? Not sure if the "M" matches mine. Mine are cylindrical, does that give an indication?

Hi all, I haven't posted in a long time because I've been enjoying my speakers without problem. Except for one thing: One of my K-77 tweeters has been turning on and off since I brought the La Scalas home last summer. Sometimes jiggling the wire made a difference but sometimes not. Most often if would just come back on on it's own inexplicably. Well, assusming it was a simple re-soldering issue, I finally decided to do something about it last night and reached back there and took the K-77 out of the cabinet to inspect it. The first thing I noticed is that the solder bonds on both elements seem totally solid. No problem there. My friend (who was going to do the soldering with me) decided to open up the metal cap over the diaphragm to see if we could spot anything else. Once opened, we were really out of our league, it seems as though one of the copper-looking contacts is a lot longer than the other, and it's possible that the short one wasn't touching properly. But not really knowing what to look for we decided to put everything back in it's place. Now, though, the sound of that K-77 hasn't come back on. And I'm ready to do what I need to. My question(s): Is there someone on or off the boards who repair old K-77s? Does mine sound like it can be repaired? If not, should I go to Klipsch and replace both of my K-77s? Thanks in advance! Seth

Thanks to everyone for advice here. I did contact Bob Crites and purchased his AA cap kits. I even gave myself a little time after updating one speaker to do some proper A/B-ing. Used a mono recording, (Johnny Hartman's "Just Dropped By To Say Hello") and listened back and forth. There is definitely a significant improvement in the clarity of the midrange. This was noticed separately by me and two friends. Also, there had been a lack of overall output when comparing the right channel to the left, and I assumed this was my clunky olde sony integrated amp. But, sure enough, replacing the caps has gloriously restored balance between the two channels. So thanks Bob, for guiding me through it, and to everyone who responded with advice in this thread. So far I've enjoyed Burning Spear's "Marcus Garvey" and am currently listening to Miles Davis' beautiful "Someday My Prince Will Come". Happy Listening! Seth

Hi everyone! Any recommendations on power conditioning / surge protection? I live in an old apartment building with who knows what quality power. I'm interested in spending a little money (in the low hundreds) to insure that my sound system is protected from menace. All suggestions are welcome.