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troutboy

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Everything posted by troutboy

  1. I have one of the GF 09 dacs and with the right tube in it the thing performs as well as a couple of other dacs i have that cost twice as much. I have been very pleased with it's performance. It also allows you to bypass the tube and run ss output which is a pretty neat feature. Looks like the GF 11 also has that option. The new GF 11 dac uses a different tube so not sure if my results with the 09 will hold true with it or not. Probably so new that there aren't a lot of units out there right now to get feedback from.
  2. The Western Electric 396a is the tube of choice for the GF. The others don't even come close. PM sent.
  3. The GF dac is a nice little unit for the money and can be used as a preamp or dac by moving a couple of leads (see the GF website). If you get one the first thing to do is replace the stock tube. You will notice a pretty large jump in performance when you do this. I have rolled several tubes in mine and there is definitely a tube that is a must have for it if you go that route. The tube is a little expensive, but the difference is remarkable. Feel free to pm and i can give you info on the tubes i have tried in it and what you should expect. One of the nicer units available at that price point.
  4. RH, Can highly recommend a tube pre with ss amp setup for the Corns. Delightful sounding setup.
  5. Recently did some remodeling and had to move the Cornwalls temporarily to get it done. While i was putting them back in place i noticed that the grill fabric had accumulated quite a bit of dust and stuff over the years. Besides giving them a good vacuuming, what is the correct way to clean the fabric on the grilles? Mine are oak finish with the black grilles in case that info is needed. Thanks in advance for any info.
  6. I have my KLF20's running with a tube pre and ss amp and couldn't be more happy with their sound. Every now and then i will switch them over to run the tube pre and a 2a3 amp and it is very nice. Check out the Bottlehead 2a3 kits if you are a builder. I think you will notice the most change switching to a tube pre as opposed to adding a tube amp. However, i do like the tube pre and 2a3 setup for classic jazz stuff.
  7. I have a couple of systems that use 12au7 based preamps. How do you guys that have used both the 12au7 and 6sn7 preamps describe the difference between the two? That being said, any recommendations for a preowned 6sn7 preamp in the $800-$1K range that i should be looking for? So far i have come across the Rogue 99 and Metis and some of the Cary units that use the 6sn7 tubes. Thanks in advance for any input.
  8. I recently moved the 300b's i mentioned to the back room where i have KLF20's in the system. They are probably a better comparison than the Cornwalls in my other system because i think they are rated at 99 db SPL also. Took a little more gain on the preamp, but they still performed very well. The classic jazz stuff sounded very nice through the KLF20's. Listening to classis rock or something more modern, i tend to want to turn on the sub in the system for that deep bottom. I should mention that i am a bass player and my system output may be leaning towards that heavy bottom, so most "normal" people might be satisfied without the powered sub, but never hurts to have it there avaiable.
  9. The Marantz ST6000 can be found used in your price range. Very nice unit.
  10. Nick, I recently bought a pair of 300b monoblocks to use with my Cornwall II's. Like you i was skeptical that 7 wpc would do much for me, but they opened my eyes very quickly. My room is of similar dimensions with an 8' ceiling. I had the pre set at about 50-60% gain, a surround processor with the volume set at around the same levels, and you couldn't stay in the room with the system. I was expecting to have to run every component wide open, but there was plenty left if you wanted to go louder. I do have a powered sub in the system, so not sure how that compares to your setup. Previously i had been running a Yamaha M80 with 200+ wpc in the system. Most of the time i am listening to classic rock and classic jazz on this system, but the classical stuff is very appealing because it sounds so good through the tubes. Hope this is the type of info you were after. Any specific questions feel free to pm me.
  11. If the HK is setup to take a preamp input, consider using a tube preamp with it. You can see how your system does with the tubes fairly quickly in that manner. One of my systems that i keep on most of the time i am home is a tube pre with a ss power amp and it is addictive to listen to for sure. This setup will most likely be more budget friendly than pursuing a tube amp if you look for a used tube pre. In most cases, if you buy a used tube pre you can sell it pretty close to what you gave for it if the sound just doesn't work for you.
  12. I got to thinking a little after my original reply and if you went to buy one online and had to ship it, i would guess you would be around $175 including the shipping, so there is some advantage to buying locally. You might offer that and see if they take it. Also make sure all the lamps and meters function like they should if you do. The auto class A option is definitely worth a little more from what i have heard in my systems.
  13. That seems a little on the high side from what i have seen over the last 6 months or so. Do you know if this model has the auto class A operation option? Some model numbers do and some don't. The models that have the auto class A option are more desirable and in my opinion better built amps because of better components to handle the class A operation. I would consider going 25% higher on price for an amp with the class A option over one that doesn't. I have been offering a M50 model amp without the class A option locally for as little as $125 for about 3 months and have had no offers. I don't want to ship it because the amps are so heavy the shipping costs are pretty steep. The Yamaha M series amps are very clean and powerful and depending on what you are used to listening too maybe "sterile" sounding because they are so clean with very low THD numbers. I am and have been a proud owner of several M series amps for 20+ years and will not part with a couple that i consider keepers.
  14. I am running my Cornwall II's with a Rogue Audio Magnum 66 with a Yamaha M65 and the sound is luscious. A used Magnum 66 is well within your listed budget and so far mine has been well worth every penny i paid for it. I have a second system with a chinese tube pre and a 15 wpc class A ss amp running with KLF20's. The 15 wpc is plenty and the M65 amp in the other system is probably overkill, but hey it is what i have on hand and sounds really incredible. The tube pre/ss amp combo is a definite consideration you should make. Start out with the tube pre and go from there. Then if you want to go all tube with both pre and amp, you are already halfway there. I am sure you will catch the fever after a few hours listening. My satisfaction with the tube preamps i have dealt with so far have been highly dependent on the tubes i have in it, so expect to have to go through some tubes before you find the right set to your liking. You will learn a lot about tube details in a short amount of time as you chase the sound. Hope you have as much fun learning as i did and still am experiencing every time i power the system(s) up.
  15. Just replaced the mid and tweeter diaphragms with the Crites upgrades in my 87 Cornwall II's. Let me get a little more time on them and i will be glad to share my impressions of them with you. When i did the same thing with my KLF20's in my second system, seems like it took about 50 hrs of play time for them to open up. Is the difference in sound worth the $60 per speaker cost to upgrade? Jury is still out for me right now because the original speaker setups sounded pretty decent to my ears to start with.
  16. Just finished installing the second pair in the Cornwall II's and this pair seems to sound pretty decent right out of the box. Can't wait to see if they improve with a little play time like the ones in the KLF-20's. Still a little reserved and not really dynamic just yet, but still sound pretty good. Should be able to tell more in about 40 hrs or so of time on them.
  17. I got to leave work a little before lunch yesterday, so i have run my system almost continuously since i got home. You can start to hear some subtle differences as they get a little time on them. The big difference came when i switched over to the tube integrated and ran a cd changer with an external DAC. I really didn't care for contemporary jazz on the system, but i put on Larry Carlton's Discovery cd and it raised my eyebrows how good it sounded. The acoustic guitar sound was impressive. Biggest difference i have heard so far is in the upper bass-lower mid frequencies. Bass seems to be a lot tighter and defined. Will definitely run it all the time i am home over the weekend to see how much improvement it gets. The classic jazz stuff i normally listen to seems to be a little dark sounding right now, but hopefully that will improve with time.
  18. Well, bit the bullet and have the first set in my KLF-20's playing them quite a bit to see if they improve with time like the titanium tweeter diaphragms did. Ordered the set for the Cornwall II's this morning, so early next week should have both in place. You guys were supposed to talk me out of this and keep me from buying them!! It is now forbidden for any of you to mention the word crossover and upgrade to me in the same sentence.... All joking aside, thanks guys for the excellent input and each of you for your replies.
  19. The price is very tempting i am sure. I have KLF20's in my bedroom system and really like them. I have them setup with a tube pre and a 15 wpc class A ss amp and also an integrated tube with a switch that allows me to change them out. Sounds delightful with classic jazz and classical music. I just recently upgraded both the mids and tweeter diaphragms with the Crites upgrades. If you are listening to rock music, you might want to add a sub though because to my ears it was a little lacking compared to my Cornwalls and a powered sub in my main system. Of course this advice is coming from a bass player, so take it for what it cost you.
  20. I installed the titanium tweeters in both sets of my speakers and so far i like them. Are the midrange replacement diaphragms titanium? I didn't get that impression from the limited info available on the Crites website.
  21. Anybody tried the Bob Crites midrange upgrade diaphragms yet? I would be interested in your feedback if you have.
  22. Matt, The main thing to consider in adding a cd player is to make sure it has digital outputs. That way if you aren't satisfied with the sound you can always add an external DAC. In my second system i currently have a Yamaha CDM 900 player (110 disc changer) routed through a fairly inexpensive external chinese manufactured DAC and the sound very nearly approaches what i get from a Level 1 modded Music Hall CD25 at about 1/3 the price for both the cd player and DAC combined. The DAC allows you to swap out the opamps in it so you can really tailor your sound to your expectations. Congrats on the M80. I have had mine now for a little short of 20 years and am still loving it every time it is on. Mike Knoxville, TN
  23. SS, I am currently running a tube pre with ss class A 15 wpc amp with KLF20's and for classic jazz the sound is incredible. I just recently added a Jolida JD302B tube integrated and have a few hours with it in the system and like what i am hearing so far. Big bottom but not quite as tight as with the ss amp, wide soundstage, great mids, and clear high ends. I would only expect good things from the KLF30's mated with tubes. The system sounds great with the classic jazz and classical music. The rock and classic rock stuff takes a little getting used to, but i am coming around on it. The detail,clarity, and ability to isolate each individual instrument in the mix is a big bonus. This system probaby gets 10x more play time than my main all ss system these days. Try it, you'll like it!![] Mike Knoxville, TN
  24. The reason i am went with a tube pre with a ss amp is because the two speaker sets i am using are low efficiency (mid 80's) sets that require quite a bit of power to make them perform in the system. The cost for a tube amp to provide that same amount of tower would be pretty expensive from what research i have done and in my advancing middle age i am hesitant to drop that kind of money on a single piece of equipment. This system is on all night as background because of some other things going on also, which would probably be not that wise with a tube amp because of the drain on the tube life. The preamp tubes only cost about $50 to replace all three whereas prices on some of the power tubes scare me enough to stay with the ss amp. The change from a ss preamp to the tube preamp gave the system more detail and crispness for lack of a better word. It works wonderfully well with classic jazz and classical music, but doesn't really do much for me with rock and pop music. With either of your speakers a low wattage class A setup would be wonderful for sure.The only way i could consider going to a tube amp would be to upgrade to much more effiecient speakers. I get super clean power from the ss amp with the nice warmth from the tubes in the preamp. Good combination to my ears.
  25. I have found a decent price on a set of new RF-35 speakers. I am going to use them in my second system which has a tube pre and a ss amp. Most of my listening with this system will be classic jazz and classical music. Anybody using RF-35's for old jazz stuff willing to comment on how they perform with this style of music? Thanks for all responses.
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