Mike 585
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Posts posted by Mike 585
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I had and enjoyed Cornwalls for 30 years before getting a pair of Belles a few years ago. I also have a LaScala center channel. IMO the Belle is a little better sounding but either way is a huge improvement over Cornwalls. I haven't heard LS IIs so can speak into their performance vs LS and Belles but cost must surely be a consideration. You can likely find a nice pair of vintage for 1/2 the price of one new LS II. And, to me, the Belle is better looking than the LS II too.
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I'll probably take some crap for this [
] but I'd be tempted to turn my son loose for some stealth paintball gunning.On the dogs, not the Mrs.[
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Many here, myself included, run a 2505 with Heritage speakers and are very pleased with the results. They certainly have a proven track record for decades of trouble-free operation. A service manual and schematic are readily available should they ever be needed. They're overbuilt compared to many and offer better speaker protection than most. And FWIW, IMO it offers classic sex appeal second to none. They hold resale value well too.
Dope from Hope Vol 16 No. 1 says 45w will get you 105db avg spl in 3,000 cu.ft.and I've heard that the 2505 is conservatively rated at 50w/channel. If that works in your situation, I'd say go for it. What've you got to lose? You can always flip it and get your money back but I doubt you'd be disappointed.
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So, what did you decide to do?
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I was a little quick to pull the trigger on that last post.
The Belle is a beautiful looking and sounding speaker. You can search the net for going prices... $1800 I would guess is middle of the road. Only you can decide if that's reasonable. It's not a real crazy price if they're in good condition. A lot depends upon where they and you are--supply and demand, boondocks vs major metro.
If looks are not real important, the very similar sounding LaScala can be found for several hundred less and pop up much more frequently than Belles.
Best of luck,
Mike
P.S. It's only money. [
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"BK" = Belle Klipsch
"TO" = Teak, oiled
"W" = 1981
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IMO, the 2505 is a fine amp and a good match for the LaScala. I have a 2505 that I use with Belles (essentially prettied up Lascalas if you're not familiar with them) and it never even breaks a sweat pushing the Belle's to any endurable volume level. I won't venture into the tube vs SS debate but it's worth mentioning that I've seen comments that say it has a tube-like sound.
As you'll see in many posts here if you do any digging on the topic, it's highly recommended to replace the capacitors in the crossovers if they're over 15 or so years old. Many folks report, myself included, that it cleans up the mids and highs a lot.
The low end issue is mostly likely primarily room related. Great bass will require measurement (or at least a lot of experimentation) and equalization. Again, well covered in many threads here if you search.
I think looking into these two things will provide a higher improvement in listening pleasure for your investment than replacing the amp or preamp.
Good luck with the quest and enjoy continue to the journey.
Mike
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I meant to report back on this sooner but it slipped my mind. I'm impessed with this rascal. More than just a subtle change. Suffice to say that low bass is much improved. I just noticed that Velodyne is having a Christmas sale and these are only $350 new--it's been around for a while, perhaps an updated version is on the way. Anyway, well worth the investment for me. I found it well documented and easy to use.
Now where did I set down that martini....
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Thanks for the input guys. I thought there would be a pretty simple solution but no such luck. Looks like I've got some thinking to do about changing the course I'm on.
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The signal is leaving the amp with dsp. The LCR channels go to Marantz MA-500s.
I don't really need/want to to get the DBX in the loop but I very much want to get an equalizer in the chain so I can work on some annoying room modes. The simplistic eq built into the Yamaha isn't versatile enough to be much help and I'm not impressed with Yamaha's auto parametric correction. I'm looking at the ART equalizer because it's the only one I've seen that has RCA in/out.
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The Yamaha has both pre out and main or amp in but the DBX doesn't behave properly when inserted there. I believe the pre out signal is not as the DBX is designed to receive, wrong impedence, too much voltage or whatever. I just don't understand the electronics of it to know what to look for.
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I'm looking for some help determining how to add some signal processing equipment to one of my systems. I would like to use a 3BX with my Yamaha RX-V1600. The 3BX works fine in the tape monitor loop of my Mac C26 in another system but it doesn't work when inserted between pre-out and pre-in on the Yamaha, even though the DBX manual says this is an acceptible hook-up option. Additionally, I'm looking at purchasing an ART 355 equalizer and am concerned I'll encounter the same problem.
I assume the issue must have to do with providing the proper signal characteristics. I've looked at the published spec's of all these components but don't have enough electronics knowledge to utilize the info. Can someone please shed some light on this and further my education?
Thanks,
Mike
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I agree with what Peter says and am considering a THT (or two) myself in the next house where I plan to have more space.
My thought was that the SW 12 does a decent job and provides a reasonable sonic ROI if one can be obtained locally for a few hundered dollars. I prefer it over ported designs I've heard that sell used for around that price.
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I have one that came with my Belles and am pleased with the way they work together for music. Am I right to guess that It's going for $300-$400?
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Hi Carl.
I've got a Klipsch SW12 that came with my Belles and a Paradigm PS1000 I picked up cheap used. I've got it dialed in as best I can with a RS meter and the simple EQ available on my AVR but I'm expecting a noticeable inprovement. We'll see.
We're hoping to move sometime next year and a dedicated listening room/theater is on the must have part of the house spec. When that eventually falls into place I want to experiment with the preferred LF setup in Poole's book, i.e., identical subs in all four corners. I haven't seen any threads on the forum where someones played around with that. Undecided what the subs will be at that point. Leaning toward a passive DIY solution of some sort.
Mike
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Picked it up locally off Craigslist today for $325. Appears to be in mint condition. The only bummer is I don't think I'll have time to play with it until next weekend.
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The short answer is as far a possible.
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I was in a local AV dealer the other day and, as always, checked out the stock of trade-ins. They had a McIntosch C26 that I eyed lustily but I left without it. I couldn't get it out of my mind though. After searching old threads here for a couple of days, I decided to go back and get it and pair it with an MC2505.I went and bought the 2505 from Audio Classics. They were great to deal with by the way. I need to make a road trip down there one of these days.
I am very pleased with performance of the pair. I want to thank all those who've posted information and experiences here that helped with the decision process. One thread had a link to Roger Russell's website--very interesting stuff there.
I have now scratched "Mac with sexy blue power meters" off my bucket list.
Happy listening,
Mike
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I suspect that the modest Yamaha is not the source of your disappointment. Seems to me that the speakers are the weakest link in the chain. It sounds like you are using them in a 2-channel configuration but they were designed for surround duty in a modest home theatre application.
The SW-15 is a pretty capable sub for music. Getting one for free is a nice score. It's definately a couple notches above the rest of the gear mentioned. I have the smaller SW-12 and it does a decent job keeping up with a pair of Belles.
I hope that's of some help.
Mike
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My system is in a very similar sized room and is used for music and home theater. I started out on the short wall but later moved to the long wall when I bought a speaker for center channel duty. My mains are Belles with a LaScala center and Cornwall surrounds.
Is setting up on the long wall an option for you? Believe it or not, your LaScalas in the corners of the long wall, toed in at 45 will image fine with no hole in the middle. I think you'd be fine for music.
IMO, surround is a small improvement on some music recordings, worse than 2 channel on others--depends upon the mix. 90% of the time I listen in 2-channel stereo. However, the long wall setup is a vast improvement to the listening experience. PWK wrote quite a bit on it in his "Dope from Hope". Search the forum for it; there's a pdf floating around. I'd attach it for you but I can't get to it from this computer.
There's more good seats with the long-wall setup too.
Best to experiment in the rough before you finish your room.
Mike
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Ditto the recommendation of the Toole book. An outstanding, well written and organized work. Technical without being dry.
Enjoy,
Mike
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Say, Coytee,
Who is in Buffalo? That's only 70 miles from me. I didn't know that there were any other forum members in upstate New York.
Mike
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Thanks for the input and taking the time for detailed explanation Chris. Active x-overs are unexplored territory for me but it sounds like a versitile and relatively inexpensive solution. I'll read up on it.
Mike
] but I'd be tempted to turn my son loose for some stealth paintball gunning.
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Ordered Klipsch Ultra2 THX package; poor quality control or timbre issues?
in Home Theater
Posted
On the other hand, aren't those some of the spreakers where manufacturing is being switched from China to Hope? And I saw first hand quality issues with Palladiums at my local dealer.