Chris Robinson

Yes, this is indeed sad news. I had a pair of his 3.5's and loved them. I had bought them "used", and came to find out that they had been heavily modified to the point of being nothing like the original design. I called him and George said "send 'em back" ... and he restored them to the original design for the cost of the parts; all his labor was free. That says a lot about the man. Rest in peace, George.

Great rock and roll speakers ... and sound really great with old vintage amps (HK 430's come to mind). Have that setup in my daughter's room and it rocks ... Chris

Here was an excellent post by Andy about four years back (HDRBuilder) The advantage of those old H/K's is that they are easy on a budget...generally costing LESS than what many tube folks drop for a pair of tubes alone. As for comparing then to top notch tube components...you get a tuner, preamp, and amp in one unit for around 50 bucks with an H/K 430...and LOTS of headroom considering it is only rated (conservatively) at 25 wpc! Now, let's look at just ONE of the old vintage Citation H/K tube "cousins" for a price comparison. Citation II...puts out 65 wpc, generally runs 600 bucks or more, often MUCH more, for this AMPLIFIER ONLY in original condition, then you drop another 300 bucks or so for its "modernization upgrade"...and you STILL don't have a pre-amp OR tuner yet!(BUT YOU HAVE ONE HELLUVA TUBE AMPLIFIER!!) For Citation V...you are looking at initial cost for original condition of around 400 plus, then another 250 or so for modernization upgrades, and yet again you still don't have a tuner OR preamp yet! (BUT YOU HAVE ONE HELLUVA TUBE AMPLIFIER!) The advantage of the 430??? IT IS CHEAP, and a GREAT SOLID STATE match to Heritage speakers...very likely the BEST in its current used price range. It is bulletproof, and it will NEVER need any tube rolling! So, for those with skinny wallets but who have a desire to get good performance out of Heritage speakers...at least until they can save up some big bucks, the H/K 430 is an EXTREMELY viable alternative that can be had RIGHT NOW...no waiting at all! It is better to many folks to have GOOD performance RIGHT NOW for about the price of a couple of tanks of gasoline, than it is to wait a year or two before they can save up for the big buck stuff! AND...there are quite a few folks who have surprisingly found out that their minimal investment in one of these units has ALREADY brought them so much listening pleasure that they just can't see a real NEED to spend any more to upgrade to "audiophile-grade" components! Times are hard for lots of folks right now...and 50 bucks spent looks REAL GOOD to them compared to spending 300+ bucks! If all you have to spend on componentry is 300 bucks, then GOOD LUCK finding ANY good tube tuner/pre-amp/amp combo for THAT!!...ESPECIALLY one that is bullet-proof and ready to provide good or better performance with no additional cash outlay for a good thirty more years! What it all boils down to is what I have been saying all along...it is almost impossible to get more bang for the buck for use with Heritage speakers than a purchase of an H/K 430, 730, or 930 can get for somebody. It is really easy to sit back and say..."my so and so is so much better than..." when your DEEP pockets can afford to be emptied...but quite another thing when your pockets are ALREADY empty and you are looking for some good performance!! Simply put, SOME folks can afford to drop half a grand on a pair of interconnects, whereas SOME folks only have half a grand OR LESS for an entire SYSTEM!! SO...if the person who takes his 500 bucks and grabs a pair of used Heresys and an H/K 430 instead of the interconnects is happier, then more power to him! Besides...with JUST a 500 buck pair of interconnects, you wouldn't be able to get very much listening enjoyment, would you? Think about it...and...all you forum folks who CAN AFFORD 500 buck interconnects might want to just stop for a minute and realize NOT EVERYBODY CAN AFFORD THAT...and act accordingly. I am NOT pointing any fingers here...just MAKING A POINT! I may be stupid, but I can lift heavy things! (And when building LaScalas pretty much with little or no help, you gets lots of chances to lift heavy things!!)

Forgot to mention that the Harman Kardon HK 430/630's sound great with them too. They are vintage receivers with amazingly good solid state guts. I believe I have a 630 in the stacks if you want one. It needs a little Deoxit ($6) but otherwise it's mint. Chris

The horn configuration of the LS II's are very similar to Klipschorns. I've been around the block with my Klipschorns and tubes ... I've tried the Eico, Scott, Wright (SET), even solid state vintage receivers. I have custom-built SET amps with a custom pre-amp that would set someone back about $4K if there were to try today. Of course, they sound magical. However, the Scott, by comparison (and $350 rebuilt) sounded great too. Totally different amp ... not the "SET sound" by any means, but it had a "growl" to it that was great. I'd ping Craig Ostby at NOS Valves and see what he's got in his stable. I bet you could get 95% of the way to nirvana with one of his reworked units for less than a grand, perhaps significantly so. Beware of power for power sake with the LSII's. They are amazingly revealing of poor recordings and a poor amplification stage. Some of the lower cost, KT-88 derivations can put a hole in your forehead (I forgot, add a SuperAmp to the list above). I couldn't live with it for more than two weeks. If you don't go a Scott or similar route, you'll need to spend more to get great sound. The exception is the Wright Sound 2A3 SET's for less than a grand a pair. You'll need a pre-amp though and that will set you back at least $500 for a pretty good one. Good luck! Chris

Chicago Pete has taken the MMF7 ... The minty Wright Sound phono pre-amp is still good to go. Great for use with Klipschorns and other revealing horns. Noise floor is very, very low due to the copper case and great grounding characteristics. I'll be putting it up on Audiogon in a week or so but would much rather sell it to a member of our forum family. Thanks. Chris

Posted this over in the "Garage Sale" section, but figured I'd put a plug here since it's only we 2-channel geeks who use this stuff ... Hope you're all well! http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/114989.aspx Chris

I was just browsing George's Wright Sound site and came across the following note: About the Wright Sound Company Dear customers and dealers, I have suffered a set back in my health and am recovering some what slowely. Thise next week in june I have assemblers come back the work to buld up orders. I aslo have some equipment left over from VSAC to offer as inventories reductions, check our specials section for savings on some of our best products, Please note, during this time of fluctuating currencies and manufacturing increases, we are forced to adjust some prices on several models with out notice. Anybody have any idea what's up with George? Obviously, a note written like this was either by a proxy or George was thumbing his message without visual feedback. The communications I've had with George over the years were very articulate. I'm hoping his health returns soon. Chris

Hello?

Those look like Budweiser airplanes [*-)] If they are, they'll have to rename them ... [:@]

Thanks!

With the cost and hassle of air travel being what it is now, I'd think of something driveable ... Maybe the Jersey shore? I always loved Avalon and Stone Harbor. Lived there for a bunch of years. Probably wouldn't recognize it these days. Our home was torn down to make way for something more swishy ... I'm heading home to Hilton Head Island (SC) tonight to hang with the wife and son this weekend. Even though it's "home", it always feel like vacation to me. Five minutes to some of the nicest beaches on the east coast, dolphins, rays, crabs, sunsets. Ahhhh ... Gary and Catherine came down last summer and tried Daufuskie Island. I think it was a little too remote and quiet. The bugs over there can be a little aggressive too since they don't control them. Hilton Head has a lot of things to do besides beaches. The only challenge, for me at least, is the heat index. It can get pretty durned warm at high noon. If you have a pool, you're pretty much in it, or near it, most of the day. Good luck ... whatever choice you make will probably be right [] Chris

Gary, that is so cool. What a lovely home. It's a very doable Fri/Sun commute for weekends near the beach. Perfect. Perfect corners ... Hmmm. Klipschorns ought to be OK [] Chris

Does anybody here have his email address? That's all I'm looking for ... Thanks! Chris

Bump ...

Amen, brother.

Please check your private messages ... or drop me an email @ chris.robinson3@roadrunner.com. Chris PS: It's good stuff.

I'm posting a link here for those of you who may be interested in trying "top shelf" SET and don't browse the Garage section too often ... http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/106588/1074993.aspx#1074993 Chris

I found him posting on the Outside Asylum but he won't be accepting unsolicited emails there. Anybody have his email address in Perth, Australia? If you could email me with that address @ crobinson@hvpsi.com, that would be great! Chris

"Extraordinary People" ???

Leo, Many thanks for the suggestion. I think as I don't have a signal generator or breaking in CD, I will just live with the more lengthy but maybe safer process of running in on normal audio. I have seen quite a few posts on other audio websites which recommend against such a strenuous breaking in procedure and council more patience, especially with loudspeakers. Wilson Leo, Many thanks for the suggestion. I think as I don't have a signal generator or breaking in CD, I will just live with the more lengthy but maybe safer process of running in on normal audio. I have seen quite a few posts on other audio websites which recommend against such a strenuous breaking in procedure and council more patience, especially with loudspeakers. Wilson Leo, you crack me up !! You are indeed "the engineer's engineer". Funny, I couldn't quite figure out why all your neighbors had abandoned their homes for OSHA-regulated domiciles ... Miss you guys. Best to the boy and the Missus. Chris, Carrie and Jack

Craig, While life keeps me from this board more often than I'd like, I'm one of the "old guys" and I haven't "wandered away" ... Happy birthday to you, you young f*rt ... I had the pleasure of owning Daddy Dee's 299B for awhile, before I gifted it to a friend who also has a pair of Klipschorns from Rochester, NY. He's got them hidden in a barn while he goes through marital negotiations, but I know what your work sounds like and it's pretty durned wonderful. Great group here ... many friends made over the years. God bless you all. Chris

BD, your comments address Chris's point about how these Jubilees have changed his listening habits. When you have such a revealing rig like his, you lose patience and run waaay short on satisfaction when listening to the normal compressed cr*p produced today. Sure it may sound fine on your car's FM radio, but put it in a hopper like Chris's, and it winds up sounding like ground beef. When going to an all-Heritage system, I found exactly the same thing. The compressed stuff I listen to in the car. The well-recorded, wide dynamic, clear-as-glass recordings I'll listen to in the house. Unfortunately, of the 2000+ CDs I have at home, maybe 100 sound good enough to throw on my main gear, and 20 sound great enough to seek out, even if I'm not totally in the mood for it. Go figure. Double-edged sword? Yep. Good?? Definitely. Chris

I'd like to pass along a huge "thank you" to Chris for his hospitable invitation and great spread that he put out for Rick and I. Chips, dips, spreads, sodas, cubes, stacks and stacks of CD's ... and of course, the JUBILEES. I was trying to think of the best way I could describe them, but Rick said it at the end of our visit, and I thought it was right on. He said, "Those are really easy to listen to ..." I couldn't agree more. Ever have gear just scream at you and try to drill holes through your forehead? Well these are definitely not them. The two-way design and HUGE 402 horn just put out a seamless sound field that follows you around the room like Mona Lisa's eyes. The integrity of the music remains intact, and the emotional impact of the music is supreme. Whether or not a pair of these are in my future is hard to say. If my wife decides to leave me someday, then definitely yes. I sure hope that doesn't happen because I love her dearly, and in the meantime, Klipschorns sound pretty durned good. The Jubilees are just a cut above ... or better yet, entirely in a class by themselves. Thanks again, Chris, for a wonderful afternoon. It was great meeting you. I hope to return the favor when we get settled down a little later this year. Bring the missus and Tommy too, a funny and wonderful Border Collie. Chris PS: Rick, let us know if Kansas is in your future. Best to you all.

I had a honey-do like as long as my arm today, but she gave me a kitchen-pass to head over to Chris's today and hear what all the fuss over these dang Jubes is all about. Just have to do laundry this morning, pre-pack, and see if I can find a CD or two in the car. EVERYTHING I own is back in Hilton Head. Looking forward to meet Chris and Big Daddy [] Chris seems very nice, and he's sure kind to open his home to us. Best wishes. Chris