Tarheel TJ

I have a pair I'll sell you. Then you'll have a spare. $100 plus shipping if you are interested.

Absolutely beautiful!

Interested. Sent you a message

Price?

You are off to a great start. There are better speakers in the world than Klipschorns, but not many, and not by much! You really are starting pretty close to the top of the heap. I think your amp choice is great for getting started. You might be able to do better, but I wouldn't go rushing off spending a bunch of money just yet. My recommendation is get your new amp and crossovers hooked up and just enjoy for a while. You may later discover that you want to treat your room, or add a sub, or upgrade your amp etc., but take your time deciding. It takes listening for a while to really determine what you like and don't like about a system. Live with it for a few weeks or months, play a bunch of different types of music and just get used to having a really good hi-fi setup. You'll probably re-discover a lot of old favorites and truly hear them for the first time. Enjoy!

Beautiful home and system. Good luck with your repair!

I have never been one to chase imaging. Sound stage... maybe, but not imaging. It always seemed like a hi-fi salesman's gimmick more than anything that represented reality. I have been to lots of live concerts; the only time I have ever noticed any kind of imaging is small-scale, non-amplified settings. I think hi-fi systems and products that are designed around imaging largely miss the mark about what makes hi-fi, and music, great. Smooth, wide frequency response, flat phase, even dispersion and dynamic range are what it is all about. Thank you PWK! However, I have found that as a system gets better, so does its ability to image. Though I have never chased imaging per se, my system images quite well. It turns out that a well-treated room, flat phase, smooth frequency response and even dispersion actually make for great imaging as well. So while I don't find it a worthwhile characteristic to pursue, it can actually be a good indicator of system performance, all else being equal.

Those look great! Well done. What veneer did you end up choosing? Is that Walnut?

Was yours an HD? I have no noise floor issues at all with mine.

MiniDSP 4x10HD user here. Unfortunately, there is no automated solution that provides what you are looking for. The process of setting up an active digital crossover and EQ is an iterative on that involves measuring, adjusting and repeating the process until it sounds and measures right. It really isn't too hard once you get it all figured out, and I find the flexibility on tailoring my system to sound the way I want to be amazing. I can't imagine going back to analog electronics again. As far as sound quality of the MiniDSP units goes, I have never heard a non-HD model before, so I can't comment on those. I have also never used any of the Xilica products. However, I can say unequivocally that my sound quality improved DRASTICALLY when I ditched the analog crossovers and switched to the MiniDSP setup. If the MiniDSP is messing with my sound quality, I sure can't tell. And it is certainly degrading it FAR less than an analogue crossover would. I think the doubts about sound quality with any modern-generation DSP based crossover are likely unfounded. They are at least as good as any other piece of equipment in a typical system.

World War Z right now, haha. I just finished reading two pretty heavy books, so I went for something a bit lighter this time. Just finished Midnight at Chernobyl and With the Old Breed. If you have never read With the Old Breed, you should. It gave me an entirely different perspective on WWII and also on life in general. It has made me extremely grateful for the life I have.

I run a THT with my setup. You are right, the output and depth is very impressive. I have considered building a second one, but they are huge. I could fit one, but it would take up space that I'm not sure I want to give up. Maybe when the kids are grown....

Rebuilt my Marantz last year. Before, during and after photos: