zingo

I will include $50 toward shipping and paypal fees for this completely upgraded preamp!

A picture of the innards:

Also forgot to mention that the chassis had Dynamat Xtreme applied to it, and foam strips were applied between the top and bottom chassis pieces to prevent metal on metal noise and vibration.

I don't know what happened, but this duplicate thread can be deleated.

This is a fully upgraded tube buffered "passive" preamplifier from Dodd Audio in Texas. This preamp is awesome with high sensitivity horns as it can be battery powered for no A/C noise. It upgraded by Gary with an LDR volume attenuator, NOS Reflektor 6H30P-DR tube, ClarityCap MRs, PRP resistors, and of course all Cardas connectors. Because the vacuum tube takes 30 seconds to warm up, the unit has a mute feature which cuts all output, and allows you to turn it on, swap cables, etc without any noise or pops. It will come with the recommended CTek Smart Charger to run it off battery power, and a TrippLite 7A power supply for very low noise, regulated, and linear power. It will also come with extra tubes including an NOS RCA clear top 6CG7. You cannot get a tube buffer preamp with better upgrades, and it sounds great with using my Squeezebox Touch or Blu-ray player as the source. I currently have it paired with a solid state Dodd amplifier, and the results are great. $1000 plus shipping for the preamp, charger, separate power supply, and extra tubes. http://www.doddaudio.com/Buffer.php The reason this picture is from Gary's website, is it's the unit he used for pictures for the site!

This is a fully upgraded tube buffered "passive" preamplifier from Dodd Audio in Texas. This preamp is awesome with high sensitivity horns as it can be battery powered for no A/C noise. It upgraded by Gary with an LDR volume attenuator, NOS Reflektor 6H30P-DR tube, ClarityCap MRs, PRP resistors, and of course all Cardas connectors. Because the vacuum tube takes 30 seconds to warm up, the unit has a mute feature which cuts all output, and allows you to turn it on, swap cables, etc without any noise or pops. It will come with the recommended CTek Smart Charger to run it off battery power, and a TrippLite 7A power supply for very low noise, regulated, and linear power. It will also come with extra tubes including an NOS RCA clear top 6CG7. You cannot get a tube buffer preamp with better upgrades, and it sounds great with using my Squeezebox Touch or Blu-ray player as the source. I currently have it paired with a solid state Dodd amplifier, and the results are great. $1000 plus shipping for the preamp, charger, separate power supply, and extra tubes. http://www.doddaudio.com/Buffer.php The reason this picture is from Gary's website, is it's the unit he used for pictures for the site!

I bought this impressive subwoofer on July 21, but now don't need it with my new, truly full range speakers. This subwoofer is flat and currently sits under my entertainment center, but has all the output and sound quality of your big-box store subwoofer. Only an SVS or similar sub would have better sound quality and higher output, but that requires it's own floor space and a lot more money. I was very skeptical about the flat design, but using a high quality amplifier and woofer, Acoustic Research truly did make a flat subwoofer that performs as well as the boxy designs. Being that it is less than a month old, including will be the original box, packing, paperwork, power cord, and receipt if you want it. I don't even think I submitted the warranty paperwork, so you practically have a new subwoofer! Also included will be a Monster THX 10ft subwoofer cable. Current pricing online is around $200 ($500 MSRP), but I'll take $150 plus shipping. 200 Watts RMS ICEpower Amplifier - 500 Watts Dynamic Power Frequency Response 25Hz-150Hz with Adjustable Crossover Frequency, 0/180 Phase Switch 10-Inch non-compressed paper cone provides stiffer construction High performance compressor/Limiters for high dynamic output and low distortion Auto On/Off with standard IEC power plug Stereo RCA and LFE inputs with adjustable volume control Dimensions: 23.1 x 4.9 x 17.5 inches and 30lbs "The FPS10 subwoofer by Acoustic Research is meant to be heard and not seen. The flat subwoofer is designed for people who desire exceptional bass performance in a discrete package. The FPS10 conveniently fits under a sofa or behind furniture, eliminating any unwanted elements to your room décor. This subwoofer generates maximum bass impact with a ported cabinet and its extremely high dynamic range of 500W maximum output. This subwoofer's integrated high efficiency switching power supply and Class D amplifier has a heatsink-less design to save space and energy without compromising power output. In addition to the 200W RMS amplifier, the FPS10 subwoofer's design features include a 10-inch, non-compressed paper cone for stiffer construction, a custom recessed basket design, high linearity spider with integrated ribbon tinsel leadwires, and extended 1.5-inch voice coil for 15mm of linear excursion. The FPS10 features an ICEpower amplifier for advanced power efficiency that surpasses most known amplifier solutions today. You'll hear the FPS10 without ever seeing it."

They are great speakers!

I have the opportunity to aquire a very unique pair of speakers, so I'm taking the chance to sell these, and hope I like those better... Below is my Craigslist ad with pictures, and they are local and able to be demoed in the greater Seattle area; local pick-up only for $600. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/3976387775.html

Yup. I would use a furniture grade oil and wipe them down with a rag to keep from dripping.

Olive oil?

I was doing some high volume listening to Josh Groban last night and there was a little harshness in the treble. This could be a result of the horn itself as I only have about a weeks experience with these, but it also could be my high powered Hypex based amp driving them, as I've never used it on horns before. I really enjoy the sound otherwise, and medium volume does not have the same harshness, but I'm not sure that historically Hypex has been paired with horns. On my pair of corner horns, I used a class-D amp on the woofers and tubes on the highs/mids, and it was pretty great. Noise is not an issue with my system between my power conditioner, and the fact that my amp has a fully balanced power supply. I may have to consider that again unless anyone has suggestions using my current equipment. Tripp-Lite LDR2400 -> Squeezebox Touch -> Dodd Tube Buffer Preamp -> Dodd Hypex UcD400 Amp -> Epic CF-3

This is not my picture, but this is the style of application. I cut mine into strips, then run it between the ribs of the horn body from the throat down to the mouth. Make sure you do not run it onto the flange on the bottom of the horn or it will not mount flush to the cabinet. Applying the deadener will significantly decrease the ring and decay of any sounds associated with the horn body, and you only need about 75% coverage to achieve this. Remember that the horn also receives vibration reduction when it is secured to the cabinet. The result is a bit more focus and clarity in the sound, and even though it is a small change, it does help the overall sound when one of make tweaks. Next on the list will be to do the same with the woofer baskets, then add more bracing to the cabinet and redo the interior foam.

Thanks and I'll take a look tonight. What are other Epic owners doing with toe-in and proximity to the rear wall? How far apart are your speakers?

So I assume I can unscrew the current rubber feet install a set of spikes? The floor is slab under the carpet, so it does very well with spiked speakers. Getting them up to ear level is a different issue, but one I should explore none the less.

Man-crush thread jacks are always okay in my book... []

Knocking on a panel of the cabinet to see how it sounds. It should be dead/solid with no resonance or hollow sound, but many speakers are not that way, including these. They do have some internal bracing which is good, but being a larger cabinet, it has some large panels that need a little deadening from the inside; maybe I'll use something like No-Rez... Not only can the speakers interact with the room to create reflections/ringing, but the woofer baskets and horn bodies can resonate/ring depending on how well they are naturally dampened. It can make a difference depending on associated equipment, and what kind of music is listened to. PM me billybob if you ever want modification suggestions for your Fortes. I breathed on every part of them a few years ago, and they became the best speakers I've ever heard for the size/price.

I did the mod on my old Fortes with good results, but they are smaller horns with less surface area. I've also deadened the baskets of woofers before to keep them from ringing, but the Epic woofers seem to be better than the standard stamped baskets. Deadening the cabinets may be next as they do not currently pass the knuckle test...

Thanks! The cherry cabinets match my current furniture well, and they have a nice wow factor when you are parked on the couch starring into the large horns and four 10" woofers. I pulled out the horns are they are fairly thin walled plastic/glass, so I ordered some dynamat to treat them with.

My current view from the couch, where the 3.5ft tall CF-3s don't looks so big.

I just got this schematic from Klipsch if anyone else needs it, and I was told it is specifically for the Ver. 3 CF-3. CF-3 B pn 116374 # 3.pdf

I just picked up a pair of CF-3s from craigslist that are in decent shape. The cherry finish is currently about a 6 out of 10, but a little oil and a little love and I can get them living room quality. Based on the consecutive serial numbers, black horns, short ports, and multi-colored wiring, they are version 3 , and seem to have good build quality. I opened them up last night and everything seems neat and in place, and was even impressed to see the interior surfaces covered in foam. This model has bi-amp/wire binding post cups which seems to be a later addition, and the crossover is a double-decker mounted to the back of the cup. Having owned KHorns and Fortes, I am enjoying these two way speakers. They do have a different sound than typical Klipsch, but I sat down for my first listening session last night, and remembered how much I enjoyed the horn sound. They did have a little siblence on a few recordings, especially female vocals, but I don't know if that is a function of the horn, or the crossovers. The speakers are completely stock, so I'm sure I can do a little tweaking and tuning to help them out a little. While researching these speakers, I read all the horror stories about Ver. 3 and recommendations to only buy Ver. 1, and if you happen to buy Ver. 2 you can "correct" them to Ver. 1; but I have to say I'm enjoying these speakers. They have such a different sound than other Klipsch models that I don't think they are a fair comparison to anything else in the line up, and am just enjoy them compared to the entirety of speakers I've owned. I'm currently driving them with a custom Hypex UcD400 based amp and tube buffer preamp, and although I'm sure tubes would soften a bit of the edge I'm hearing with them, they would not be as dynamic or have the same bass response.

Sold!

Sale pending

Lowered to $175 including shipping CONUS.