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I wouldn't call it a speed demon, but my S560 is quick enough for me. I haven't timed it but I'm pretty sure I'd have to chug my beer to get it down before the show started! ;-) Frank W.

That does look like a pretty good deal, especially considering the OP's limit of $200. I have the TD-160 & think it's a great "entry-level" to the big time. ;-) I fitted my TD-160 with a Goldring ELECTRA & it sounds wonderful. The AGON ad doesn't say what cartridge is in it so you might have to (want to?) replace it to take full advantage the TT. Lots of inexpensive "mods" for this TT, as well. Frank W.

Thanks Dennie, Probably as easy in the Forte as in LaScalas. Did the titanium diaphrams & it was a snap. Frank W.

Jim, Thinkin' about a set of these for my Forte IIs. How was the install? Pretty straight forward? Frank W.

I run a ST-70 & PAS-3 with Forte IIs & couldn't be happier. Actually, right now I've got the Fortes running on the Marantz combo shown in my avatar because the Dynaco gear is getting a tune-up but I can't wait 'till the Dynaco separates are back. There's a ton of synergy between them & the Fortes, that's for sure. From the posts here on the Klipsch Forum, I imagine that's the case with both original Dynaco & the clones. IMO, you can't beat Dynaco & Klipsch Heritage. (Well, you can but it will probably cost you a whole lot more!) Frank W.

WOW, that's beautiful! Did you do the plinth? What wood? What model is it? Kinda looks like my TD 160 but with a different arm. Frank W.

Thanks for the info! What a great resource this forum is! I think I'll start using the lower case, just to be different. ;-) Frank W.

Interesting. The "review" suggested there might be some sort of difference but I'm pretty leary of that claim. Any ifno out there on the numbers built each year? Frank W.

In a recent thread it was suggested that Forte II production stopped somewhere in the middle of the '89 to '96 run with some sort of "re-issue" coming toward the end. As the owner of a pair of '92s, I'm just curious whether there is anything to this. Any Klipsch historians out there able to clear this up? TIA, Frank W.

You are too funny wuboy! Mine are '92s. The Klipsch product page says they were produced between '89 & '96. It doesn't say anything about about a "re-issue" of the Forte II or any mention of differences among the years of production. So, when did they suspend production of the original run & when did they bring them back? Frank W.

I like Grados, too, but the HD600s are sooooooooo comfy! :-) I don't find them dark or veiled either but that's just my ears. Frank W.

I drove 800 mi. (1600 round trip) from Northern Ohio to Silver Spring, MD in a day for my Forte IIs. Thanks again Dhar! I did a 200 mi. round trip for my Dynacos, then back again a few weeks later for a couple of turntables, too. Thanks Scott! Frank W.

That's exactly how I feel about my HD600s. The 600s are not as difficult to drive as you might think. That's one of the reasons I went with them over the 650s. A dedicated amp can really light them up, but you don't need to go high-end with them. As I said, the Total Bithead really matches up well for AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, high bit-rate ACC & MP3 files. For playback, I use iTunes on a PowerBook. Personally, I rip ALAC filles using an app. called Max. Not familiar with the Nuforce UDAC, but Head-Fi has a tendency to fawn all over the "flavor-of-the-day". That said, there's a lot of useful info there, especially when you're just getting seriously into headphones. Don't get caught up in the occassional hype over the latest! greatest!, though. Lots of excellent choices out there. Frank W.

Its funny, but I started back down the "hifi audio" path a couple of years ago with headphones. Of course, it wasn't long before I'd progressed to Fortes & tubes. ;-) I have HD600s & a Headroom Total Bithead for use with my laptop. The USB Total Bithead is certainly not in the Benchmark class but it does drives them pretty well. At $160 its cheaper, too. Its also small enough to put in a briefcase or bag if you travel at all. I bought the Marantz 1152DC in my avatar to drive them with my CDP & turntable. Plenty of power there! (That's where the trouble began, though. As soon as I got the 1152DC I almost immediately went looking for speakers!) I like the HD600s alot. They are open-back, though, so if anyone is close to you they will definately hear your music. If you are heavy into bass, you might want to look for HD650s. I haven't heard them myself, but they are often described as "darker", which might indicate a bit more bottom than the HD600s. I find my HD600s very open (great soundstge) & neutral sounding. Someday I'd like to drive them with a small, tube headphone amp to see how they sound. Just an FYI, I have a pair of HD280PROs that I use without amp for monitoring video production & editing. They are very efficient & really don't need an amp if you are running right out of the computer. Sound is very "clean" IMO, but might not be as "musical" as the HD600s if you know what I mean. Frank W.

Wow, I just got a 42" Pana Plasma in the G15 series (don't have the exact model # in front of me) & am happy as can be. It's my first HDTV, though, so I have little direct comparison. I thought mine was a bit dark at first but seems to be getting better. That or *I'm* adjusting to *it*. You can, of course, (& probably should?) make adjustments to the picture. I was watching football & saw a lot of out-of-focus camera work, not an out-of-focus picture. As a former cameraman experience in this level of work (including 2 SuperBowls under my belt), its not uncommon. Its really tough to keep focus when you are zoomed in tight with moving objects. That and those heat waves created by off-camera heaters between you & your subject. With HD I'm seeing a lot of the flaws in the programming I never noticed before. I haven't experienced any motion blurring with my HDTV. Mine also has been great with my new Blu-Ray, too. Maybe its the difference between a lower (Wal-Mart) series & the top-of-the-line? Frank W.

Thanks again for all the advise & "wisdom"! ;-) So far, I'm lovin' the heck out of my new HT! It came just in the nick of time, too, since I have my 2-channel tube gear in for service. Frank W.

I just got the S560 &, so far, like it. Mine's not much of an informed opinion, though. Its a huge step up from my former consoleTV & DVDP so I expected to be, & have been, "wowed". Its my first exprience with Blu-ray & I'm playing it through an Onkyo HTIB into a new Panasonic plasma. I'm just getting my HT together so I haven't had the time to even set it up properly. HDMI makes it almost plug-n-play though! Also, I've only played Blu-rays, no older DVDs yet. HTH, Frank W.

Thanks! All good news it seems. Now I can relax. ;-) I have a Series G15, 42" Panasonic. I'm liking it alot so far! Frank W.

I just got a plasma HDTV & am wondering if there is a maintenance regimen that anyone follows to keep their plasma from suffering burned in images. There is a menu item that runs a white bar horizontally & vertically across the screen but no real guidence how often it should be used & for how long at a time. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but now I notice ever scrolling box on CNN, black letter boxes & pillars, & every channel "bug" in the bottom right corner of every show it seems. Sheesh! TIA, Frank W.

I bought that one for myself a couple weeks ago. Just the intro to "Sweet Thing" sent chills up my spine. It is quite a performance. Finally got a chance to listen to it. Very nice! I wasn't all that familiar with Astral Weeks from "way back when" so its double nice to hear it as *new* music from a favorite artist. Frank W.

TOWNES - Steve Earle (me) ASTRAL WEEKS / Live at the Hollywood Bowl - Van Morrison (wife) Got my son who's lately into vinyl a nice mono re-issue of Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan. All good! Frank W.

Yep, I'll be contacting them soon. Time/Warner seems to have a lot of HD programming so they must have a box that works better than mine. I'm still using the first one I got from them before HD was even available! I'd rather have HDMI from box to HDTV, but if component turns out to be the only choice, . . . Thanks! Frank W.

I would think even component cables would be a better picture from the cable box if they don't have HDMI, I doubt they will. Well, right now it doesn't look like I have much of an option. The cable box has RF (component?), s-video & RCA (L&R audio) only. I'll contact them to find out if there is a better box I can swap out to. We'll see. Frank W.

I don't use the HDMI but I had to run a L+R from the sat box to the TV so I didn't have to use the AVR for the sound all the time. Ah, I think I'm getting closer. My cable box doesn't have HDMI but it does have RCA connectors for audio. I think I'm going to have to see if I can get a cable box with HDMI! Thanks! Frank W.

Good for you! We do get HBO & occassionally watch other programing, but I could live without it. We live out in the sticks, though, & cable was our first real access to high-speed internet which I need. Thanks for your help! Frank W.