J M O N

Max, I agree with your assessment. As I mentioned in another thread, I have only heard the Uno's. I must say they did sound good, but in the end I was somewhat disappointed. I probably had overly high expectations, but they just didn't knock my socks off. My audition was very brief, so that may have something to do with it. I think their biggest weakness is in the bass modules -- I believe they are using 10" woofers. This is where the Klipschorn thoroughly outperforms it. Those huge AG bass horns could be another story though. However, $60,000 just for the complete set of bass does seem pretty steep (not to mention adding the price of the main speakers). I'm not saying that AG speakers aren't very good, just overpriced -- not something that can be said of Klipsch. I believe there are some former AG owners that traded in their speakers for Oris horns (a very similar looking horn).

I very briefly heard the AG Uno's about a year ago. They were being driven by an 2A3 SET amp from Wavelength with SACD as the source. It's tough to give an opinion as I really didn't get a good chance to listen to them. They did sound good, but I can't say they knocked my socks off. They were being marked down from 10K to 7K as the dealer was no longer going to carry them (couldn't sell them).

Six months going on seven is WAY TOO LONG to be waiting for your Belles. If I remember correctly, your wait has been even longer since you were waiting even before the Heritage availability went on haitus. Someone at Klipsch needs to step up and track down what has gone on with your order.

You can't go wrong with either the Forte I or II. Both are excellent speakers. As far as the electronics go, Nakamichi is very good stuff. I think Gil gave you some very good advice on price.

The "Klipschorns" you mention seem to actually be Belle Klipsch's in Walnut Oil and not actual Klipschorns based on the model number (BKWO).

Formby's Lemon Oil? Formby's tung oil? Watco Rejuvinating oil? Gun stock oil? Gun stock wax? Minwax stain, tung oil and mineral spirits? 2 parts boiled linseed oil to 1 part terpentine? Weiman's Lemon Oil polish? Old English red oil? So which one of these works best without leaving residue that will have to be stripped off later? I'm looking to oil my Walnut Oiled cabinents, but don't want to have to do any sanding during applicaiton or stripping of the finish later on down the road. Thanks for your suggestions.

Great topic! This is something that I have been contemplating myself for some time. I've often wondered if getting into audio equipment meant paying more attention to the sound and less attention to the music. I sure hope not! I sometimes wonder if I enjoyed music any less twenty years ago when all I had to listen to was an all-in-one cheapo system. There is the story of the "audiophile" who owned an audio system worth several tens of thousands of dollars, but owned only three CD's. I don't know if this was a true story or not, but nevertheless, there is a point there. Are all "audiophiles" music lovers? I'm not sure that is necessarily the case. I used to consider myself an audiophile, but now I think I prefer to call myself a music lover. Speaking of musicians who can put their soul into their music, I don't know that I've ever heard a guitarist that can do this quite like Carlos Santana. The more I hear his music, the more amazed I am. What an incredible talent. I need to make an effort to try and see him live in concert while the opportunities are still there.

Hook them up and listen to them. Odds are, you're going to be amazed at how good they sound.

I saw those almost a year ago. Unfortunately, I was there after hours so I had to observe them through the windows from outside the building. They seem to have quite a bit of neat horns and Klipsch stuff there as well. Pretty cool Klipsch museum there.

Ciao Vito! If you're going to build "risers" for the Heresy's, build to suit your needs. Build them so that the speakers angle up directly at your listening position. If you are looking for stands, you will lose some bass response, but Heresy's can still sound very good. Be creative in what you can use as stands, there are plenty of options out there in Italy.

Don't know much more about STASIS other than that it is a Nelson Pass design and is the same he used on Threshold amplifiers as well as a design used on top-of-the-line Nakamichi separate power amps of the same era. It should say STASIS on the face of the receiver. You've got a great one there.

1976

I once had a Nak receiver. I got bought it used with some Heresy's as a package. The guy wouldn't separate them. Everyone else only wanted the Heresy's, I was the first one willing to pay for the Nak as well. Glad I did. It was from the mid to late 80's or so. It was a Stasis design, which means the amp section was a Nelson Pass design. Although I don't have it anymore, It was the best receiver I have ever heard. If you have a Stasis receiver, you've got a great one. I wouldnt' hesistate getting another one if I ever came across one again.

I think COL means Cornwall, Oak, Lacquered

Wow!!

Anyone have any experience with this preamp? Any comments, opinions??

JC: I own the PD-15's. They are a home model, but there was an equivalent "Pro" model that was exactly the same except that it was covered with carpet, came with metal corners, and had handles. It has a horn tweeter, horn mid, and 15" woofer in a vented box. The surrounds on the woofers were not made of foam, are made of a cloth-type of material, similar to what you get with Heritage Klipsch. The CV reps told me it was designed after the Cornwall. In fact, it had a similar sound. When I had Cornwalls, I used to play both at the same time and they were a pretty good match for each other, although the CV's were more efficient at 105db. Overall, the Cornwalls sounded better, but I still like the CV's quite a bit. They're fantastic if you just want to rock the place.

Some Cerwin Vegas are pretty decent speakers. I still own a pair that I bought 16 years ago. The ones you see today at Best Buy are not very good at all. The particular models I own, however, are pro quality. Although they don't sound as good a Klipsch, they are still pretty darn good. I had the intentions of selling them, but when I connected them recently and really got to listen to them for the first time in a long time, I was too impressed to try selling them.

You never know. You might get lucky like I did: $500 for a very nice pair of 1978's in walnut oil. Peter Z., I think you're the person I bought my La Scalas from.

Been looking at those two as well. I'm mainly interested in something with preouts, and these are the lowest models that have it. Found the Yamaha for $324.99 here: http://www.shopsunshine.com/Item.asp?Pid=243&Item_Id=HTR-5560 This has been the lowest price I've seen on a new one. They also carry the Denon for $365.99 http://www.shopsunshine.com/Item.asp?Pid=236&Item_Id=denavdoldigd4

I just got a 36" JVC for $579 at Circuit City. The price included a $50 gift card, which they took off the price since their cards were not working. Pretty nice TV, can't beat it for the money.

Just saw this, are you still looking for someone to do this for you?

TB: You're right, that Rowland was never really operating within it's "optimum" operating range and maybe didn't sound as good as it ideally could have. But don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to imply that it didn't sound good. Quite the opposite in fact. It was afterall, the best sounding amp I had ever had in my system (at least to my ears). However, the tube amp took the good qualities the Rowland had (smoothness / liquidity) even further. So the tube amp won with me and the Rowland was the best of the SS amps I have owned. I do admit that my experience with amplifiers is not all-encompasing, and likely not as broad as yours. But until I hear something better, and I haven't, I'm still sold on tubes. I do like they way they sound, at least with my very limited experiences with them. I'm not familiar with the QSC. Is that a "pro" amp? A solid-state amp designed for horns -- hmmmm, I'd be interested in hearing it...

Tubes vs. Solid State? Even with my very limited experience with tubes in my system, I'll take tubes. My previous SS amp was from Jeff Rowland. The thing weighed in at 100 lbs., and as you may know, are among the most highly regarded SS amps available. It was better than the Threshold and Classe SS amps I previously owned. A couple years ago I decided to give this tube thing a try since everyone was talking about how great horns and tubes are together. So I picked up a used Audio Research VT-50. When I connected this amp to my system, I instantly knew it was better than anything else I had. It wasn't even warmed up, and it already sounded better than the Rowland. What about some of the so-called "negatives" with tube amps? Noise: none at all, just as quiet as the Rowland, even with efficient horns Bass: no noticeable lack at all, if not as good as the Rowland, it was very close. I don't have a problem vibrating walls with this tube amp. The biggest difference I immediately noticed was the "air" or dimensionality that it added (probably not a good description). The other was how smooth it sounded. The Rowland is a very, very smooth amp, but not as smooth as my tube amp. Of course this is my opinion and my taste, but I would suggest you go out and listen for yourself and decide what YOU prefer.

I just recently got the Gusdorf 27" TV Stand/Audio Rack from Circuit City shown below (2nd item). It's very sturdy. It's regular $150, but I got it for $99 because it was being discontinued. I'm in the process of painting the posts black. Check it out, I think it's a good buy. Can't seem to post the link, but go to the circuit city website and do a search for "rack". It will be the second item shown. http://www.circuitcity.com/init.jsp This message has been edited by JMON on 08-15-2002 at 05:43 PM