Tillerman

+1 unless you have a very large listening area. I use a single Aegir with my OG Chorus speakers and have no need for more gain/power in my medium+ room.

And almost 3 months later: So, I am a big fan of low jitter digital chains for optimal sound quality. My vintage setup is an Audio Alchemy DTI 2.0>I2S> Audio Alchemy DDE 3.0 DAC. The DTI 2.0 is comparable to a DDC and the DDE 3.0 is a multi bit R2R DAC. As I have been updating my system, I have a Schiit Gungnir DAC on order that has the DDC built in (i.e. their Adapticlock system). The Yggdrasil also has this system.

And almost 2 months later: +1 on running a single Aegir, in my case with Chorus 1 speakers. Very happy with the sound quality and quiet noise floor. More than adequate power for ~2100 cubic foot room.

You don't like to live dangerously? The fuse is part of the IEC connector. Dave Thanks - Another new thing I learned today. Out of curiosity, how many amp fuse do you need for the F5?

GotHover, Do you have a fuse in this build? I couldn't tell from the photo.

I chased an issue like this myself. My conclusion, after swapping interconnects and speakers, was that my room's furnishings had the most to do with the L/R imbalance. I find that I need to adjust the balance control to favor the L side somewhat. My listening room is symmetrical, and the speakers are equidistant from the back and side walls, but there are more large pieces of stuffed furniture on the L side than the R side. Hence, I think my imbalance of furniture is absorbing more of the sound on the L side of the room. As others have said, I set to mono with a center recorded vocalist or FM DJ and adjust the balance control until the voice is dead center.

I bought mine from a friend in the mid 90's for $600. They replaced a set of large RTR 250 bookshelf speakers. I have added popbumper's K-Stack crossovers, other wise stock. My speaker swapping ended when I got these - perfect for my tastes. I run them through Class A solid state amps (Rod Elliott's Death of Zen or a Pass F3 clone) or my restored Sony V-FET TAN-5550.

Chip, I am sure you have made your choice by now. As you gain experience with the Chorus in your room, you may discover that less maybe more regarding the power characteristics. I have owned a pair of the Chorus for about 15 years and use them in a 16 x 17' room. After many equipment changes in the front end, I have settled with 2 different amps, which I rotate seasonally in my system. My winter amp is a class A (Nelson) Pass F3 clone, which has < than 20 watts/channel. My summer amp is a restored Sony VFET TAN-5550, which is ~ 55 watts/channel. My listening habits max out at about 85dB at my listening position. As such, based on the very high efficiency of the Chorus (and most Klipsch speakers), I am using less than 1 watt of power on average. My point is that the quallty of the first few watts of amplifier power are the most important with high efficiency speakers. That said, if you have a large room and/or listen at higher levels, you may need more power to properly drive your speakers. Enjoy and good luck on your journey!

My CD players are collecting dust. I bought a Squeezebox Duet a couple of months ago. The SB receiver's digital output is fed into an external DAC. I rip my discs using EAC into lossless FLAC files. Having access to my music, with cover art, track listings, etc., in the palm of my hand via the SB Duet remote is so much nicer than rummaging through 1000+ discs. All the noise of the computer is gone, due to a wireless connection. Plus there is no noise (or personal effort) from the CD player changing discs, especially with multi discs sets. Sound quality is excellent, and seems to be limited only by the quality of the external DAC. Create playlists, store favorites, access internet radio, play multiple file formats - this piece of equipment has made more difference in my system than most - probably because I listen to more music now. MSRP for the Duet is $399, but you can get them for less. The Duet also has analog outputs, if you do not have an external DAC.

Yep, both my son and I like her music. Make sure to check out her previous band, Frou Frou, for more fun.

Do you have the Cornwall's in a symmetrical room (i.e. parallel walls are equal in length)? If yes, you might also want to make sure that the distance from the side walls to your speakers are equal to each other. I did this with my Chorus speakers and it refined the image another step better.

Regarding the design of the Chorus (I) crossover, what order or orders is it?

Don't know if you have already looked into this, but it has worked for me and many others: http://bfdguide.ws/ Basically, for a very reasonable cost I have nearly flat bass at my listening position. Scott

I have found that as my system's synergy has improved over the years, the lower my average loudness when listening. These days I will listen at 70 -75 dB for most music. I still rock out when I am in the mood, and will listen then at 90+ dB, but usually only for 10 -15 minutes. Part of the synergy I mentioned has to do with good integration of my passive sub with my Chorus speakers. This has taken a few years of tweaking and the addition of some new equipment for bass management. The end result is good bass impact at lower volumes. In the past, it seems the main reason I turned the loudness higher was to get more chest impact from the bass.

I have a late 80's CDP that displayed this kind of problem as well. I cleaned the drawer sliders and used silcone on a Q-tip. The problem was improved somewhat, but still the drawer was erratic. Upon further sleuthing, I figured out it was the drawer mechanism belt that was the problem, as it was stretched out. Since I have a tape deck around, I pulled the belt off and cleaned it with (pinch roller) rubber rejuvenator and let it dry. Upon reinstallation of the belt, everything works perfectly. If your drawer mechanism uses a small belt, the above may provide a solution. The belt can also be replaced.

Some new favorites: The Allman Brothers old stuff is fun and the new stuff with Warren and Derek is really fine. I like the way they do their old songs in new ways. Speaking of Warren, Gov't Mule gets a fair a mount of play at home. If you like guitar, especially slide, check them out. Any other Marillion fans out there? Another fav of mine. Speaking of Porcupine Tree (earlier post), Steve Wilson also produces and performs on current Opeth releases, such as Damnation, as mentioned in my original post. I have In Absentia and Signify by PT. Any other PT recommendations?

I am listening to it now....great song. Thanks for the heads up! Two other bands I am checking out (CDs are on order) are Ozric Tentacles (prog/trance/jam rock) and The Bevis Frond (acid/ psychedelic rock). There is more to rock music than what is played on the top 40. Scott

My musical interests keep spreading. My latest discovery is a very fine recent CD by Opeth called Damnation. Those of you familiar with Opeth will know them as a Swedish death metal band. Most of their CDs have contrasted very heavy metal with a lighter melodic side. Damnation is not metal oriented, but a very musical rock album with dark lyrics (typical of Opeth). Musicianship is excellent and production, along with dynamic range, is very satisfying. What have you found that is new and enjoyable? Scott

I use the Harrison Labs line attenuators with a 12 dB cut. They plug inline with your cable...work great for me. Scott

Here is a useful link on CD player diagnostics and repair: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_cdfaq.html I had a skipping problem develop on one of my CD players. I followed the lens cleaning technique and the laser rail clean and lube...skipping problem solved. It took about 15 minutes total. Scott

My reasons for owning some vintage SS equipment: - nostalgia plays a part. - cost to own. As mentioned previously, many of these pieces are very inexpensive to buy. - recycling. I like saving otherwise useful gear from the landfill. - build quality for current cost to own. - performance. As mentioned previously, the 70's gear usually had discrete components and huge power supplies. While I don't endorse all equipment from the 70's, there were some wonderful designs that still sound excellent today. Obviously, many of the vintage tube afficianados on this forum have found that restored classics bring new meaning into their listening. My restored vintage SS power amp is a wonderful sounding piece that I have compared to a Scott 299B and Heath W5Ms, and I preferred the SS amp. Scott

I also have found my audio nirvana in vintage SS gear with my Chorus speakers. Take WardsWeb's advice and check out AudioKarma. Regarding a SS tech that can be recommended... do a search for EchoWars on the AK site. IMO, he is to vintage SS what Craig (NOS Valves) is to tubes. I have sent my rare pride and joy to him for a full restoration with fantastic results. Scott aka Tillerman at AK

Hi Mace, I find this an interesting topic. I also have thought I heard distortion from my CD player through my vintage preamp. I wound up reducing the CDP output with a pair of Harrison Labs 12dB in line attenuators between the CDP and preamp. Inexpensive experiment that I still use, as I found the distortion (if there was any) to have disappeared and I have more "control range" with my preamp's volume control as well. Scott

To all (Kelly particularily), Thank you for the info on the Wright. It appears that low gain preamps are a bit uncommon, although they seem (to me at least) to be a natural choice for use with sensitive speakers. I use a pair of Chorus speakers and a VMPS larger sub in my system, which is my reason for a pair of outputs. I like having useable control through my volume/attenuation knob of more than 1/4 rotation. Just for info, my web research has turned up the Grounded Grid preamp by Bruce Rozenblit (Transcendent) as a low gain, single output pre. In searching his builder archives, it appears that his and other preamps could be set up with dual outputs if I wanted to go the DIY route. BTW, can anyone define what unity gain means? Thanks, Scott

I have searched the archives and did not find an answer to my question, so here it is: I am looking for suggestions for an active preamp with the following features: - low gain, say 10-12 dB or less. - 2 pair of outputs (mandatory, as I don't want to use a Y connector) - tube or SS - at least 3 inputs - quality sound (obviously) - used (< than $500) or new (< than $1,000). - phono stage not needed. - remote optional. Thanks, Scott