kevinmi

I recently built 2 tube amps from kits. These are the Decware SE84 single end kits putting out 2 watts in stereo and 5-6 watts bridged in mono. I didn't take pics of the build since they are the same as the ones that Gothover built a couple years ago, and his builds are much nicer than mine! The only difference is the new pc boards have the Hazen mod built in to the board. I'm using Russian 6N15P output tubes and JAN 6922 driver tube at the present time. Volume control is the Alps Blue Velvet. I am bi-amping the KevHorns using my ST120 for the bass bins (60W/channel) and the SE84's bridged to run the mids/highs. Crosover point is 400hz on the bass bins. Next step will be to build another SE84 amp for the tweeters and go active!

OK, I have to chime in with my own 2 cents, and to see how many people I can piss off. First of all, let me say that I am not an engineer, nor am I a carpenter, and I'm not selling any product. I am a tinkerer and here's my story: I was intrigued with the idea of upgrading my Khorns to a tractrix wood horn after reading so much about it here on the forums. I couldn't afford to buy one, so I made my own 1 inch throat horn and used the original K-55 driver. The improvement was amazing! Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so after reading about 2 inch horns, I built a pair myself. Again, the sound improved, but the gain wasn't as drastic as the first change, and I had to buy new drivers for the 2 inch horns. My next step will be trying an active crossover system as soon as I get done building enough amplifiers and can afford the active unit itself. What I've found out through my upgrade journey is that there is definately a law of diminishing returns at work here, but it is worth it to me. I used the knowledge gained from everyone on this Forum and put it to use for my own benefit, and I post my builds so others can benefit from my experiences. Without the knowledge of of people like ALK, Greg Roberts, Gothover, and a whole host of other smarter people than me, I wouldn't have been able to do my modifications. I am thankful for all the knowledge shared on this Forum, and I wish I could afford to have the "Professionals" build my stuff for me, but it's just not in my budget right now. In conclusion, this is what I've learned pertaining to the original question of this thread: a 1 inch tractrix horn is a vast improvement, a 2 inch horn is better, but way more costlier, a good crossover is essential in getting the most out of any configuration. As a side note, I discovered that the more improvements I made to my Khorns, the more disappointed I got with my solid state equipment I was using. Now I have all tube amps, and am really happy I made the switch. The upgrade bug is snowballing out of control!

Hey Matt, glad to see you back on the forum. Sorry to hear about your heart attack. But it is always better to wake up alive. And to think that I thought you were in jail all this time! Or just avoiding us. Welcome back, bud.

I saw on the news yesterday that there was going to be some kind of disturbance on the surface of the Sun that would allow the Northern Lights to be seen in lower areas. I'm in the middle of Michigan, and with clear skies tonight there was nothing but stars at 3 am. I can usually see the lights a few times a year, and they are awesome to behold. Kinda like God's Light Show! Glad you had a chance to see them.

I grow a small garden in my back yard, and I also make homemade wine. This year I found a recipe for zucchini wine! Hopefully this will be a refreshing answer to the problem of what to do with all that extra zucchini.

Mike, I'm running 1959 thru 1961 vintage Western Electric 396a tubes in the Shanling. I have some JAN tubes as well, but they seem a bit harsh.

Truley one of the great (and under appreciated) guitarists of our time. You are a lucky man!

I must have close to a thousand CD's, and a fairly expensive player, but I get excited when I find a great LP at the local Goodwill for 49 cents!

I sold my Big Block Corvette and plan to use the money for a down payment on a retirement home up north. We are currently working 55 hours/week at Flint Truck. We cannot keep up with the demand for our trucks, so some parts of the economy must be recovering. Of course we will be laid off half of the winter when things slow down.

Come on down to Flint anytime! I'm working Monday thru Friday 5pm to 4 am, but still have Sat. and Sundays off.

This may or may not be relevent. I have a Shanling T100 (CD and HDCD player-no SACD) and I've had problems with it cueing up cd's before. One time I found out that the laser lens had become dirty, so a simple cleaning took care of that. I've also found that some CD's don't sit evenly on the center "clamp" unless pushed down tightly. I know these are simple things, but sometimes it's the simplest things that we tend to overlook. Hopefully it's not a transport issue!

Extremely beautiful! You can't beat the sound of a big horn!

I'm using the Crite's CT125 driver on my homemade tractrix horns, and I thought the output was a tad lower than the K-77's. I thought it was the horn design causing it, but after reading Greg's report, maybe it is the driver after all. I'm going to try out the Selenium D220Ti next and see how that sounds. Thanks to Greg for taking the time to test the tweeters in a "real world" environment and report the results to us!

I went to the Doctor's today and had my catheter and staples removed. The Doctor said the pathology report looked good. The cancer had spread to top of prostate, but there wasn't any indications that it had spread outside the prostate. We won't be 100% sure until a follow up exam is done in 3 months. In the meantime I have to get used to using the bathroom again. I am using my recouperation time to listen to some good vinyl/tube/Khorn music and am also building a Decware SE84 amp kit .I think it's time to slow down and enjoy life's little pleasures. This has definately been a wake up call for me. No more taking life for granted!

You might have better luck posting this question in the home theater forum, where the Home Theater Gurus hang out. I'm just saying that sometimes not all knowledgeable people read all the forums. As for me, I'm interested in 2 channel stereo, and I hardly ever go to the home theater forum. There is a wealth of info on here, it's just a matter of getting in touch with the right people. Good luck with your quest for knowledge!

Are those Belles in Oak? They sure would look nice with my oak K-horns. Very impressive lineup. Lemme wipe the drool off the moniter...

I have a HDCD player (Shanling T-100), and the difference between a HDCD and a regular CD is that the HDCD sampling rate is 24/96 insted of the regular rate of 16/44. My CD player also upsamples regular CD's to 24/96, so they sound the same as HDCD. There doesn't seem to be a huge difference between a HDCD and a regular one, and I think there are a very limited amount or releases on HDCD. You would be better off buying a deck with upsampling features rather than buying a HDCD capable deck, IMHO. Another one of those formats that didn't quite make it to mainstream. Also, these days it is pretty common to find decks that will upsample to even higher rates than 24/96, thus making the HDCD sample rate even more obsolete.

I personally shop at Meijer, mainly because it's a Michigan based union represented store. I can sleep at night knowing that I didn't support unfair child labor practices in third world countries, along with the horrible treatment of the staff at their stores. Besides, I don't see a real difference in price, either.

Hi Tom, I did get your email about the radiation vs surgery. I thought I wrote you back. At any rate I did appreciate the info. I have talked to several people who have had one or the other, and from what I've gathered, there are some who had the radiation treatment who weren't 100% satisfied with the results, although most are. I haven't heard of anyone who had it removed regret their decision, but I'm sure there are some out there. The other option is whether to have the surgery done the traditional (incision) way or robotic. I had mine done the traditional way, due mostly because of which Doctors could perform the surgery at which hospitals, etc. It turned out that my Doctor couldn't perform the surgery at the local Hospital that had the robotics. I have an incision from my belly button all the way down past my hairline, and it is painful dealing with ab muscles that have been cut open and stapled back together! Ther is a shorter recovery time with the robotic surgery, but the time on the operating table increases from 1 hour to 3 hours with the robots. Seems there are tradeoffs no matter which route you choose. I'm just going to relax for the next 6 weeks or so and enjoy some quality time in the man cave. I might even build that Decware amp kit I got in the mail yesterday!

I am kinda liking the convenience of the catheter and bag. Not having to run to the bathroom every 15 minutes is a plus! I just hope I don't get too used to the idea of not using the bathroom. It would be embarrasing if I forgot I didn't have a catheter after it is removed!

Happy Birthday Bruce! Having another birthday is sooo much better than the alternative!

I had my prostate surgery done on Thursday,and the Doctor said the cancer was contained to the prostate. Glad it was caught in time! I'm now at home recuperating, and thanking God that I get another chance at life. I can't wait until I feel up to going downstairs to the man cave for a little "tube and horn" therapy! Thanks to everyone for keeping me in their thoughts and prayers! -Kevin

Normally you will get better sound from a passive preamp than an active one simply because there are less components in the signal path.An active preamp may also amplify unwanted noise. You might want to borrow another preamp before purchasing one just to make sure you are not taking a step backward.

Here is my personal Hi-Fi disaster: I purchased my first lp back in the 60's. I continued to collect lp's through the 70's and early 80's. I had amassed a collection of original Beatles, Stones, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, etc. Not re-releases but the first pressings. Then along came the CD in the mid 80's, promising to be the "Savior" of the music. I jumped on board with both feet! After a few years, my CD collection was growing nicely. When it was time to move one year later, I looked at all those old lp's (500 to 600), and decided there was no reason to pack up those relics. 25 years later, you can find me lurking at thrift stores and flea markets looking for the very same "relics"!

I have found that one of the most important "tweak" for any turntable is a good set-up LP. Without the proper set up of the tonearm/cartridge, even the most expensive combos will sound bad. I personally use a HI-Fi News test LP, but there are many others out there as well. Easily the best $30.00 you'll ever spend!