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Well I suppose you could put me down as a primarily Classical listener.v That is not to say that the majority of my listening is to classical but rather that I listen to more classical than any other genre probably closely followed by Rock and Roll and then by Soul, Reggae, many forms of female vocals, blues..... In other words classical is probably about 30% of my listening but that is a larger proportion than anything else...

I have no idea whether or not this makes a sonic difference but I would imagine that as you cool the metals down to very low temperatures they start to behave like superconducters with zero resistance. I am not sure, however, if this effect is lasting as the tubes are returned to more normal temperatures. Frankly I cant quite see why this would be desirable. I spend most of my time waiting for my tubes to warm up - not freeze them solid...

Thanks Wolfram. No it is a solid state design. Had too much trouble finding a phono stage that was tube and with sufficient gain to make it worthwhile. After all that evaluating and playing I was too tired to search anymore. As the last stage I tested was the best of the bunch I decided to go with that. For me there comes a point where evaluation has to stop and I can start listening to music again as opposed to listening to machines...

An Acoustic Signature Tango!!! Now has anyone ever heard of that?? Simply put it did everything slightly better than the alternatives in my setup. Other stages I checked out were: Clearaudio Basic - came in 2nd Clearaudio phono - bizzarely not a contender despte being a higher up stage than the basic. Densen - cant remember the model number. Primare R20 - not bad but nothing especially stood out. An Italian tube unit that looked glorious but didnt have enough gain. My existing Project Phonobox - which at about a 5th of the price of all the others really showed what a great buy it was - little different from the Clearaudio phono... Anyway at least that is over with. Now to find a setup for my wife's new offices....

Mallet - you are correct about the 16/48 thing and no I did not bother to use it for the same reasons you mentioned. As regards the input noise I dont think it is the connector. I originally started this to record a tape of songs for children to a CD for ease (why do they still produce these things on tape?). Anyway for that job I used an old walkman and it worked so well I started off on the recording vinyl kick, mainly out of interest rather than need. I am off the opinion that the output from the phono stage is just a bit too high for the card to cope with - I might be wrong but a bit more playing will tell. Thanks for the input.

I have the Tesla KT88 JJ tube in my amps too. These are not very expensive tubes and play very well imho, but, these are not the same tubes as the original Tesla KT88's that are much prized and usually pretty expensive. I have never heard the originals but definitely prefer the Tesla JJ's over the sovtek 6550WE tubes and the Svetlana's which are probably a bit sweeter but with significantly less impact and speed. Just my 0.02

Well the Sumiko BPS is now well and truely run in and performing probably as well as it ever will so the search has started for phono stages. The little project may be singing its heart out now it is back in MM mode but with MC boost but it is a little harsh around the edges and is definitely the weakest part of my playback. As I write I am listening to a phono stage called a clearaudio basic, which has just replaced a clearaudio "phono" phono stage which has been playing for the last day or so (nice dealer caled Orpheas provided the kit to test). I am glad to say that this basic is a real step forwards, glad that is because the phono was no giant leap from the project and I would be very hard pushed to call which, if either, were better. The basic is definitely in another class, on my system at least. After this I am hoping to try out a tube based stage and then maybe a lehmann and/or an Ear 834. I was hoping to find a Tom Evans microgroove but I cant find anyone in Greece with one for me to try out. I cant say this clearaudio will be the way to go yet - but at least I now realise there really is more to get out of my system before getting into major change and that is always a plus... Wil try to keep anyone interested posted on developments...

How amazing that this topic should come up just as I have been playing with this very thing.... First off and before I say anything else I should point out that I am completely without any knowledge on the subject of audio recording (I once used a tape to record my mum singing...) and am not that much more knowledgeable on computers these days but here goes. OK - the TT is in the living room and the computers are in the study. The portable computer doesnt have a line in and although you can use the mic in it sounds horrible so I am stuck using the desktop. The desktop has a sound card (a Soundblaster 128) which does have a line in but not with RCA adapters but with a small walkman headphone type connector. Anyway after a lot of buggering about I managed to put a 15 foot pair of RCA's between the TT and its phono stage allowing me to connect the output to the soundcard via a not very nice cable I picked up at the local computer supplier. This neat trick meant I could record without moving either the TT or the computer - just the phono stage.. OK - software. To my surprise the provided sound recorder software with windows seems to be incapable of recording more than a minute of sound for no good reason I can find. Not only that but it produces horrible recordings even when you set the quality to its highest level. Fortunately my CD recorder (Plextor) came with some software that seems to do the trick recording up to and slightly beyond CD quality in that it supports the DAT format. This software is called Nero and it does all the recording for you and then lets you choose the format to save to. Right now I am saving everything to wav format as someone told me it is lossless and so wont suffer quality wise when I edit it. To date I have had somewhat limited success. For some reason I seem to be picking up rather more hiss that I notice when listening to the vinyl and I may have the recording volume set to high as the resultant CD's I cut are louder than any other I have ever heard. It does, however seem to hold much of the magic that is vinyl. Its all still a work in progress and done entirely with things to hand rather than with specialist sound cards and what have you but I can say it does work to a point with rather better results than I expected. Just thought I would share....

After a somewhat depressing time when I came to realize that my new TT setup sounds worse than my CD player I made a surprising discovery that saved the day. Despite the fact that the Sumiko is an MC cartridge it plays better with the Phonobox in MM mode, but with the gain set to MC level, than it does with the box in MC mode. The good news is that setup as described it now provides the best source I have ever had. The bad news is that I have had only one day of living with it and so am stil not in a position to provide any sort of review..

"aren't too many Europeans around on this forum" Too true - Klipsch is one of those American secrets they havent shared too well with us on the other side of the pond.... Made a note of the phono stage. Not sure what I will be getting yet - still getting used to the sound I have now - which is head and shoulders above what I had with only 20 hours on the cartridge and the project phono box. First off I plan to test everything in Antonis'arsenal (http://www.stepcom.gr). His shop is 5 mintues from my house and he is one of those great guys that insists you test everything at home before you buy... AS I seem to be buying on looks these days (lol) I am very tempted by this If you cant be bothered to follow the link this is the pic:

It's an optical illusion folks - the arm is, as far as I can see, entirely parallel with the vinyl. Blame the photographer!!! As for the rest - thanks for the words of encouragement. I can hardly wait for it to run in so that I can start hunting out a suitable phono stage. Even in its current (9 hours logged up) state and with the project phono box I can hear a whole new world opening up....

Yup - its a looker!!! If looks were a guide to playback I imagine it would be one of the best. Ignoring my photographic skills....

I imagine this is one of the smallest upgrades, physically at least you can do - as it weighs in at a mighty 9 grammes.... Over the weekend I noticed that my TT was not playing very well. That is to say that the soundstaging is excellent but the sound seems to have deteriorated. After mucho playing, during which we (Tony was round) discovered that the CD now sounded better than the TT, we pinpointed that the cartridge is finally on its way out. Frankly I could have lived with the sound a little longer but Tony said the magic words and that was it. The magic words were - I think you might be damaging your vinyl.... Monday morning bright and early I headed off to Antonis - my local supplier of loads of gear these days (the new speaker cables, Tony's baby B&W's etc.) He had 2 cartridges in stock - A Clearaudio MM cartridge that he didnt know himself (new apparently) and a Sumiko Oyster Series Blue Point special MC affair which he swears by. Anyway I took the TT round and he fitted the Sumiko (boy am I glad he did it and not me!!!). It may well be that you can fit your own cartridges but I imagine the plethora of equipment that he had at his disposal as compared to my toolbox would be a distinct disadvantage. Not only did he have all the kit but he also obviously loves playing with these things and takes the job very seriously. All told it took 2 hours including testing to get the thing working to his satisfaction. It was something of a pleasure to watch him at work. I guessed I was in for something special when he started by cleaning his hands with rubbing alcohol and then donning a pair of white gloves. Once his work was done and I got home I managed to connect it up to the still in place Project phono box (yes I know - it is the next thing to upgrade) and it has been playing ever since. It is too early to assess the differences properly - it needs at least 40 hours to run in but from what I have heard to date this promises to be a fairly dramatic upgrade. Next step, as I said, is to play with some phono stages. He has a full range running from my own Project phono box to something called an EAR and something else that is tube based and should drive the cartridge ok. Anyway he has promised that once the unit is run in he will bring a bunch around for us to play with. Now if anyone thinks this blue point special is a great cartridge please let me know. If you think its not please don't - I have already parted with the cash and dont plan on changing it for some time (it did cost almost exactly the same as the TT)....

Whether it should or shouldnt make a difference I dont know - but it does to both my ears and Tony's so that will do for me. Now as for the model of the Synergistic cables I have no idea - I have lent them to Tony for his B&W's (!) and they work wonders there. When I next speak to him I will try to find out the number....

Sunnysal, Changes made are complex but as follows: Original system used KT88's one of which blew. I had to use a set of 6550 WE sovteks in their place until such time as I got round to ordering the KT88's (Tesla JJ) again. The 6550s are no match for the kt88's but it wasnt such a problem with the Sansui speakers - the Heresy's hated them though. During my daliance with Sansui a friend came over who owns a hi fi shop to listen (never heard Sansui's). He was remarkably positive over the system but reckoned that the Synergistic silver speaker cable that I was using was wrong for the speakers and suggested a Van der Hull cable (MCD 352) to try out. During this visit he also pointed out that the positioning of the speakers was not ideal (on the floor at the time). There followed a long period of playing with the speakers in all positions. I finally settled on a layout the worked as well as any and was happy with that until the other day when I thought that the system sounded a little flat and lifeless. Another friend was round and he hated the sound and so purely out of interest I swapped over for the Hereseys and hey presto - much improved... Even Tony (aka the horn hater) likes the new sound - he listened last night for 3 hours without much complaint (except about my cartridge on the TT which he als loathes). Anyway that should have brought you up to date. Everyone else Thanks for the well wishes and the Daliesque comparisons - its so nice to be back into the insanity.....

Well the news is that after mucho playing around with the more minor aspects of my system the Heresy's are back in and the Sansui's consigned to the study. The reintroduction of the KT88's, the Van der Hull cable to replace the Synergistic and the repostioning of the speakers yielded spectacular results for the Heresys - far more so than for the Sansuis. So I am a Klipsch listener again - and it is probably about time. I have the speakers currently overly toed in so that they "meet" in front of my listening position. This has yielded, for the first time, some real soundstage depth and I have countered the lateral shrinkage by moving them further away from each other. Aesthetically it probably aint as nice but sonically its another step forward, maybe 2...

Couldnt agree more abou the beauty of 50's and 60's mono sound. When it is done right, which seems to be far more often than with stereo, it is just amazing. Some of the classical recordings I have are mono and absolutely stunning with that added advantage that they seem to go for very low prices cos noone wants them....

It seems strange to me that I do not get interferance patterns when playing back mono recordings through 2 speakers. Any thoughts as to why? I would have expected to detect quieter and louder areas as I move across in front of the speakers but other than with distance there is no volume change.. Not that I am complaining of course....

Well - I am not too sure about other horn loaded speakers in the Klipsch price range. I do know of some DIY speakers using Lowther Horns that come in at less money but if you have to build it yourself it is not really a fair comparison. I suppose that I could add that my currently employed speakers are a pair of Sansui speakers from 1975 that employ horn loaded tweeters but as these are no longer made it is probably of little relevance. As for a comparison with panel speakers I have spent a fair amount of time listening to a friends (Tony) Quad 989's recently so I will venture to tackle that one. If I were to summarize the differences I would say that the issue is recording studio sound verses live performance. Both Tony and I acknowledge that our systems have strengths against each other. Both recognise we could not live with the other's system. I find Tony's presentation soulless - he finds mine harsh. In fact my summary of listening to Tony's system was that at low volumes on large classical works (Rimsky-Korsakov - Sherherazade in this case) his system did a passable impression of having a soul, but otherwise it was totally lifeless. I should say that amongst the audiophile community here the vast majority of people would prefer Tony's system over mine as it provide that detailed presentation audiophiles seem to flock to. OF course it is worth pointing out that the Quads are not a hybrid design. These are panels that go all the way down to about 35 Hz. In my mind there are pros and cons to this design. The obvious pro is that there is no issue of cross-over and melding-in the very different sound of a woofer for the bass (a problem, for example, with the Final 0.3's which are otherwise a magnificently musical speaker - albeit only when coupled to some very serious amplification). The con is that the Bass comes over very differently from a more normal setup and does take some getting used to. Simply put you do get some deep bass sounds but with no, or minimal, spl. The effect is something akin to a good pair of headphones. Martin Logan speakers are something I have had only very limited experience of. On most of the occasions I have heard them, they have played well and that hybrid design does get around the problem of the lack of spl. It is worth noting though that each time I have come across them they have been mated to extremely expensive front ends with the sort of power outputs you would normally asociate with hydro-electric damn projects. Obviously we aint talking cheap here for a decent panel system. Whatever you spend on the speakers you can easily end up spending 5 times that amount of money on amplification.

Q-man, I think Avantegard have the very thing you are looking for - a horn loaded subwoofer, but be warned they are very big and very pricey. From memory they have a pic on their site with an array of 6 of them together (but I may be losing my mind)...

OK Kelly, Sounds best as follows: In their initial position atop the cupboards they had a magnificent sound stage with both depth and width and obviously significant height - real 3d stuff. The problem was that voicing was a little weak. After much playing with other items I managed to improve the voicing but it was never a match for the Heresy's. Once the cupboards were removed I played the speakers on the floor for a while. It was immediately apparent that the voicing was much better but that the soundstage had deteriorated. Width was there but nothing else - half the height and all the depth had gone. The game then started to find the best height which would retain the quality of voice whilst providing an acceptable soundstage. Now - here is the surprising thing - against the wall the soundstage is at its best - see above for my commment about the wall disappearing as opposed to just the speakers... No, I didnt think it would work either - but it seems to...

I am the Walrus.

"time-eroded vinyl" - Nice one HornEd!!! Should be good for a laugh anyway. As for the whole speaker placement issue it is one of the reasons I havent been on. Those cupboards I used to have may not have been ideal but they did simplify the whole placement issue. Once gone my speakers were lost in the middle of nowhere and I was having the devils own job trying to get them to perform. All the time I had the speakers a good 2 feet into the room and was steadily heading further out. What my advisor told me was to try moving towards the wall if I didnt get any joy with where I was going. This was contrary to anything I thought I knew about speaker positioning which is why I mentioned it. Having played with all heights from ground level to 3 feet in the air in approximately 1 inch intervals and all distances from the wall from 3 inches to 3 feet in similar intervals I can tell you that what you see in the picture is what worked best. I also was not saying against the wall was the only way to place them - I was merely pointing out that it is worth trying - something that would not have occured to me previously.

Every now and then a question forms in my mind and I attempt to write it down on here for discussion. Sometimes the idea is transcribed correctly - sometimes not. I am assuming that this is a not but who knows how safe that assumption is?? Once arriving on these shores of the forum just ocasionally everyone goes all Daliesque and this is definitely one of those lobsters!

I dont know what it is - every time I hear a system where the owner proclaims the neutrality of his sound I end up listening to music that belongs in an elevator. Well that is a bit harsh, but I would say that all that wonderful life and sole you get with other speakers just seems to evaporate in a neutral haze of accuracy without tonality. I have formed a working theory of sorts which I bounced off Tony and as he didnt reject it out of hand who knows maybe I am on to something. Anyway here it is for all to reject / ignore / abort as appropriate: When we listen to a recorded piece of music it is not the music itself we are hearing but rather the sound engineer's interpretation of the sound that he has chosen to lay down on the vinyl / CD W.H.Y. As such the sound engineer I envisage sitting in front of a giant board of switches, dials, sliders and who knows what else adjusting the sound he is hearing THROUGH A PAIR OF STUDIO MONITORS. If these are his primary guide in creating what presumably is aimed at sounding good on the vast majority of systems out there then the further away from that design you move the further away from the intentions of the recording you go. Therefore it is no good being able to exactly reproduce every nuance of what he put into the recording on something that is neutral if his intention, and measure, was something that was far from neutral. He has boosted, tuned, flattened, shaped and so on the sound to come out of a box we call a speaker and making assumptions on the nature of the changes that box will make on the sound. change his assumptions and you get this flat neutrality, ear bleeding exaggeration or whatever. To summarize - in a recording engineerless world where music was transposed directly to the medium with no additional input maybe a neutral speaker is what you want. In our world I dont think it works. Well that's the theory - needs work but then again that is what it is here for.