handrewmoore

I agree, I don't have anything against the message of the film. It's a positive story, I just found the film lacked in originality. And yes, Sandra was good but not Oscar worthy.

I saw it last weekend, I gotta say, I thought it was formulaic and bland. Maybe it was all the hype. If I'm gonna watch a "Great White Savior" film, I'll stick with Dances with Wolves. Not to offend, but I also put Avatar in the same category, though the special effects made Avatar more enjoyable.

I just posted Joanna Newsom about an hour ago in the "Bands that you like but make others hurl" thread ...ha.

Joanna Newsom, I'm crazy about this girl, or maybe it's the harp. I know others don't like her but I think she's amazing. For reference below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RYoyvYaBEI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV1a6UBdrPk

I can confirm this sentiment. Yet, somehow I never tire of the Allman Brothers, go figure.

Count me in, I grew up 15 minutes away in Arakdelphia. This will be my first pilgrimage, but I'm pretty excited after reading the thread.

I can get a used Gyro or Scout for roughly the same price. I've heard the Scout and like it very much, I know that should cement the answer. But come on, we all know aesthetics and presentation play a part in this hobby of ours. That being said, I think the Gyrodec is a stunning deck to look at, If the sound was anywhere near comparable to the Scout I think I'd probably go for it. So lets hear some comparisons, all things being equal, how does the Gyro stack up?

Agreed, Velvet Underground rocks, as do the Screaming Trees.

Oh, probably too much, but I'd have to say anything by Gogol Bordello. I've yet to find anyone local to appreciate them. Check out "Start Wearing Purple", "Through the Roof and Underground", "Wanderlust King", "Oh No", or "Ultimate". Love em, too bad I can't convince anyone else. Someone check em out and let me know if I'm the crazy one...hahaha.

Thanks for the input guys! I'm glad to know that I can use the Mac as a decent starter pre. I like the idea of having an integrated in my system for a backup if for nothing else. Once I get my ultimate system going, I can use the Mac in a second setup. I'm wanting to get into tubes, but want to learn as I go. I may start a new thread tonight on some of the ideas I've had about my ultimate goal for a 2 channel and the best way to enjoy getting there. I agree about the subwoofer, I like the idea of dual Vandersteen 2wq for stereo subs, I know they're not the the end all be all for movies, but I'm past the whole HT thing and am not looking for the most boom for my buck. I've read how they take take the signiture of the main power amp for a seamless transition to accurate, fast, deep bass. Then again, never heard them, and don't know that I can before I buy being in nowhere Arkansas, but everything I've read leads me to believe they'd be good music subs, especially if I end up with SET amps. Let the SETs power the mids and highs with the Vandys takning the signiture sound of the main amp to the lows.

First, let me say that I'm not informed enough to input or decide on anything other than what I've listened to in person and must rely on the kindness of fellow forum members to relay their experience. I have no experience with tube gear at all, I only read over and over the praises of tubes and Klipsch married together. I recently acquired a Mcintosh MA-6200 and Forte II's, love it, no complaints. I snatched them up because it was such a good deal. Ideally, I'd like to move to Cornwalls but the Forte IIs sound is more than enough to appease me till I run across a pair of Corns for a steal. I also wanted to buy a tube pre and tube amp, but again, this deal came up and I couldn't pass it up. I'm wanting to know how will this integrated Mac be as a preamp for a tube amp? Are there any technical issues I need to be aware of? I love the sound of this amp and wonder how will the sound change with a different amp? how much of the mac sound is in the pre and how much is in the amp? What tube amp would be a good match? Outside of Mac tube amps, I've read good things about VRDs and Bob Latino's beefed up ST-70. I'm also interested in SET amps but think I need a bit more of an education, at least it seems intimidating from the threads I've read. Can you run SET amps with a pre like this? Sorry for my newbie ignorance, I'm trying to soak it all in. I don't have much reference for a decision, so I'm depending on you guys for guidence. I can probably swing around $1200 on an amp, or I could sell the MA-6200 and and add it to my fund for a tube pre/amp. I like the phono stage sound on the 6200, at least it's a step up from the Denon I had.

Ok, I bandaged my toes with my last post...haha. Bands that make me hurl, if we're talking about pop music, anything insincere. This includes almost anything on the radio from the late 90's to present. Worst offenders would be Creed, Nickleturd, and 3 dull dudes (doors down). Oh, The Ealges too. I'll reach to change the station quick. I hate to blast a band because of a vocalist, I understand that 99.99999% of pop musicians, no matter how acclaimed are not operatic caliber vocalists. Pop music is more about style than anything else. Two of my favorite vocalists, yes, vocalists, are Dylan and Neil Young. Do these guys really have fantastic singing voices? No. Do they have style and presence when they do what it is they do? Yes. Now whether you like that style is another matter. If Jeff Buckley would have tried out for a world class choir, he'd probably have been laughed right off the stage, but I think most people agree he's a phenomenal singer. His acclaim, or any pop singer's acclaim, doesn't originate in their vocal ability as much as in their ability to make you believe them, or believe in their sincerity.

I thought that way about ten years ago, I equated the early stuff (pre Rubber Soul) with uninvolving boy bands. Then I got With The Beatles MFSL, I really just got it because it was a MFSL record and wanted to hear what all the hubub was about. MFSL or no MFSL, the record is fantastic and 180ed my opinion of The Beatles early stuff compared to the later stuff. "All I've Got To Do" and "Don't Bother Me" are now some of my favorite songs. Incidentally, any BeatleManiacs out there, if you've been wondering about the 2009 remasters, they are phenominal. I have every Ebbetts rip and the 2009 remasters best them in every way. They are clear with no compression, although the good Doc's other rips are still phenominal and fill in the catalogue nicely.

Yes we did! The chicks would always come "scumming" over to us Henderson trash Yes, They'd come to the darkside to let their hair down, so to speak. And if any tell you different, they're lying. After HSU I went to the UofA, and I'm still in Fayetteville. I love the area, just beautiful, but the demographics are changing quite a bit. Less down to earth folksy feeling and more psuedo yuppie BULL#@$*& from the corporate invasion spurred by Wal-Mart and those sniffing its A$$.

I also went to Henderson State University, 96-2000. Being from Arkadelphia originally, that was where I also heard my first heritage speakers. A freind of mine, actually his dad, had some old Cornwalls hooked up to an old Pioneer receiver and turntable. They lived right on the Ouachita River, we would drink beer and blast some Allman Brothers from Sundown till the beer ran out. It became almost a nightly tradition our first summer out of high school. I remeber that the music would carry so well, it was perfectly audible across the river. I've been enamored with Klipsch ever since. We too got our share of warnings from the HSU patrol...hahaha.

yep, I went for the amp and left with both.

Thanks guys, makes me feel more justified in my purchase. I've been moving the speakers around the room and have found a pretty sweet spot, toeing them in at 45 degrees made a big difference. One is in a corner proper the other I made a false corner with a shelf (best I could do given the room). I'm still tuning in the amp's eq, just when I got it right last night, I moved the speakers and now have to change the eq again. I think I'm going to leave everything as is for a while, get used to the sound before I decide to start refreshing caps and diaphragms. I am having an issue with the stereo channels though, I'm not sure what is going on. The channels are correct, right and left are as they should be, but when I move the balance knob to the right, the sound shifts to the left and visa versa. I've tried switching the L&R inputs and different components, checked the speaker wires, checked the different phase selection. Makes me think that it's something internal in the Mac. However, when the balance button is at noon, stereo is perfect and right and left are in proper places. I've checked some songs on another stereo and my computer to make sure the channels are right, and they are. I can live with it, but I'd like to know what is going on. Someone mentioned a guy named Terry Dewick that does Mac refurbs, maybe I should give him a call. Any ideas? Thanks again, I'm pretty pumped.

On the first picture you can see a tiny scuff mark on the bottom right of the walnut case, that is about the only "imperfection" of the whole set. He was actually worried that would keep me from buying it...hahaha! Just put on Dark Side of The Moon (MFSL), I know it's cliche, but man this sounds awesome... ok, I'm gonna stop now. Give me some feedback, specifically about placement. I've got them about 10in off the wall, slightly tilted in, one is about 2 feet from a corner, the other is no where near a corner. What could I do to maximize sound? And what upgrades are recommended for the Forte II's? tweets and Xovers?

So I took everyones advice from a previous thread and decided to invest a bit more for a McIntosh ma-6200 over a Marantz 22xx series. I went to the guy's house to check it out, he said it was mint, and boy is it ever. There isn't a scratch, ding, or bubble on this thing. It works beautifully and the sound is amazing. He even had the walnut case, also in mint condition. He hooked it up to some Forte II's that he had and I was blown away. I have read numerous threads on how the Forte II sounds and they're correct. We negotiated on the amp, and settled on a pretty reasonable price. I decided to ask about the Forte II's on a whim and he decided to sell it all to me... for $800!!!! The Forte II's are also in mint conditon, like they just rolled out of the factory. They've got the walnut veneer and match the amp's case pretty good. No chips or dings anywhere, they literally look brand new. From pics I had seen of Fortes, I thought they were kind of ugly, but they are much more appealing in person. I've just hooked everything up and am in heaven, this is quite a step up from a Denon HT receiver and polk monitors. I've been digging on some Jeff Buckley and Odetta, just can't believe the sound. I was listening to Neil Young's Zuma, and the bass is so awesome on Danger Bird and Cortez the Killer, I can throw my sub out the window. I've been so pumped and I tried telling some friends of mine about my find, all I get are eye rolls, so I thought I'd share with like minded folks. I took some quick pics with my phone (not the best quality), I know how everyone likes pics, I'll post them below.

Would the Marantz 22xx series or Mac ma-6200 be a better preamp than the 230? Or is it more difficult to match SS and tubes in general? I'd like to use an integrated as a pre because I need some tunes while i decide on what to do about an amp. And an integrated could always keep me backed up if something goes awry with the tube amp. I've never done tubes before, so i'm a little cautious. I've heard too many stories of someone sending an amp off to get fixed and taking weeks or months to return. I can't live without music filling the house for that long! I plan on ditching the HT receiver for a little cash as soon as I make the transition.

I would love a McIntosh 230, don't know that I could find one in good condition for under $1k. But now you've got me scouring the web right now!

I was thinking the same thing. The mac is in top notch working order and comes with the wood case in pristine condition. I've got a line in on a few Marantz that all seem to be in good condition, but have read that almost all need a little refurbing. There is a guy in colorado that will refurb the Marantz for about $300. Cosmetically, I love the Marantz. They just look solid. The Mac ma6200 isn't the best looking piece around but if it's a better piece of equipment and will out perform a sub $600 Marantz it seems to be the smarter buy. I've also read that the phono stage on the Mac is particularly good for the line. My only hesitation is that I hear a lot about the warmth of Marantz matches really well with Klipsch heritage speakers. Both are solid state, but does anyone have any insight into the ma6200 sound with klipsch? I'm also planning on doing a fresh build of a Bob Latino Dynaco st-70 sometime this year or buying a WIll VIncent rebuild. WIll either of these integrates perform as preamp particularly well or poor with that type of amp?

I've got an opportunity to grab a McIntosh ma6200 for a good price, but it'll run me about twice that of a vintage marantz 22XX series. I'm looking to get an integrated amp that can act as a decent preamp for when I switch to tubes. I've never heard either of these integrated amps, just been reading reviews. Of course, usually each thread is going on about how wonderful the respective topic is. I don't have any way to compare the two. I'm happy to buy the Mc over the marantz if it's truly a step up, especially in the preamp dept. Though keep in mind, I will be using it as an integrated till i decide on which tubes to go with, could be 6mos or could be a year. So, what do you guys think? surely either one will make Cornwalls sing a little better than a low end best buy Denon. any help would be appreciated. Oh and I'll be picking your brains about the tubes in another thread. Thanks, Andy