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Any good? Pre-amp I have written to them to see if they can provide it pre-built and ask how much that would cost. All thumbs when it comes to assembly and as likely to solber the buttons on my shirt to the circuit board. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Dont tell anyone but..... I heard a bigger difference in my system changing from Monster Cable to Synergistic Silver speaker cable than I did when I changed from a Yamaha Receiver/Rotel power amp combo to an Accuphase integrated 2 channel amp. The cable was recommended to me by the local Klipsch engineer and was just about the best $500 I have spent on my system (4 runs @ 3 metres each). For interconnects I now use primarily Mogami and one other (name escapes me now). These made a huge difference to the sound-stage and the Bass presence. Of course it is easy to prove in a DBT that there is no difference - apparently. So this is all just my lying ears fooling me into thinking my sound improved. And a damn good job they are doing about it too... Congrats on your "discovery". ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

The more I read on this tube stuff the less I understand. Is there a "tubes for dummies" or equivalent that can explain to me what all this stuff is. Assume I have no electronics knowledge whatsoever. As usual I have some questions which are probably aimed at Mobile (or anyone else with tube knowledge). As follows: 1/ I noticed that the technical specs of the amp provided by mobile use the same output tubes as my amps do (6550, KT88 etc.) I assume that if that amp can use the other tubes listed then so can I (EL34, 6L6, 6V6). What are the differences other than sonic signature? Power? 2/ I am thinking of building myself a little collection of output tubes to play with. I have the KT88's and the 6550's already. Aside from the above could I also use KT66's? Again what differences should I expect? 3/ My pre-amp is solid state (sorry Mobile - I didnt know anything at the time). It was sold to me by the guy that made the power amps and he swears it is a good match. I will be asking him soon if he has tube pre's that he makes or recommends as soon as he gets back from holiday. In the meantime I am looking for an inexpensive tube pre recommendation to use with my amps (RCA connection). Any thoughts? 4/ As you probably all know my second amp is an Accuphase E211. I am thinking of selling this now and reckon I can get about $1200 for it. What tube setup could I get for that kind of money? I am thinking of something triode (?) - as opposed to push pull I mean (Am I talking sense here?) but I imagine that with Heresy's (96 db/w/m) I will need more than the 3.5 wpc that seems most typical. If I am correct and 1 watt gives me 96 Db then 8 watts would give me 105 db which should be fine for everything except parties. Well that's it for now. Input anyone? ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Both my audiophile and my bass-shaker cards revoked. wow - bad day for me!! Fortunately I operate a simple rule which is that I will never join any club that would have someone like me as a member (apologies to Groucho Marks for the misquote). Wait a minute - I am a member here - uh oh...

As the clock ticks over from 8.01pm on wednesday, February 20, time will, for sixty seconds only, read in perfect symmetry 2002, 2002, 2002, or to be more precise - 20:02, 20/02, 2002. This historic event will never have the same poignancy as the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month which marks Armistice Day, but it is an event which has only ever happened once before, and is something which will never be repeated. The last occasion that time read in such a symmetrical pattern was long before the days of the digital watch and the 24-hour clock - at 10.01am on January 10, 1001. And because the clock only goes up to 23.59, it is something that will never happen again. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

First off I think you need to be careful with this one. You may well get cancellation of signal as both speakers will receive the same signal at the same time. The easiest way to tes this is to buy a Y-piece for the RCA's - plug it into the centre out of the source and then run both channels into the left and right channels of the pre. Just a thought - if you avoid cancellation it could be cool. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

"my belief that most HT media was not designed or recorded with high fidelity in mind. " And then there was DVDa and SACD but not necessarily in that order. Most people feel these are high fidelity formats - even those that prefer vinyl still accept that SACD is a huge leap forward from CD/DVD. When a winnner emerges you may want to reconsider....

Chorus 1 specs Wouldnt say it has no bass. 45 Hz at -3db aint bad - and look at that peak power handling - 1000 watts!!! Ya dont see that too often these days. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Well I must say I had never heard of these Bass shakers (so I must be the ultimate audiophile - right - or an ignorant SOB) but it seems like cracking good fun to me. FWIW Bass without a decent spl is just too weird in my book. It is one of the main reasons I wouldnt buy my friends Quad 989 ESL speakers. They go deep but its more like a pair of headphones than a pair of speakers. Last night I put a test tone of down to 21 Hz through my sub. SPL a plenty - no idea how much (no meter) but it cost us one vase. With a bass shaker I could get the same effect and save on the ornaments - seems like a bargain to me - where do I get one? ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

35Hz???? Out of a Heresy???? Are you sure? My god - they are only supposed to go down to about 47 or so - after that they just die. BTW - I was using my plain old ears - keep saying I want to get an SPL meter but never get round to it. I am fairly confident about my hearing though - thwe Doc says it is good and it aint made a monkey out of me yet.

Oh this is too easy, as follows: Get yerself 3 tubes preamps, 5 tube monoblocks, one sub and 5 Klipsch speakers of your choice. Using the built in decoder on your DVD player (or a separate one if you prefer) my Sony NS900 DVD/SACD player has a nice one so I would use that. Connect one pre to the front left and right outputs of the player, one to the rear left and right and one to the center. Now you have monoblocks running each and every component and individual volume controls for front, rear and centre /sub (connect the sub via the fronts and use its own volume control). I would suggest you mate this setup to 5 2a3 monoblocks, 4 KHorns, one Belle (Centre speaker) and the sub(s) of your choice. Should make quiet a nice surround sound music system as well!!!!! Not all that cheap though - how big was your room again? All this can be matched to a CRT projector for a true cinematic experience - hell you could charge entrance. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Firstly welcome on board Danocaster. Please make sure you have your ear protection firmly in place before you procede. B&W's you say - uh oh. you are in for something of a shock. There are 2 main issues for you to face. the First is the in your face sound. If I were to characterise the B&W sound it would be a speaker that leads with the bass with the treble following sometime after. Klipsch are the reverse and you re going to notice this first. The second issue is speaker sensitivity. Klipsch are seriously sensitive speakers (I recently took a pair of RF3's over 120 Db/m with an inexpensive pair of tube push pull monoblocks at 50 wpc). Trying that with your old B&W's would give me - what - 103 maybe - and no guarenttee I would move the woofer properly. AS for your room size any of the Heritage range from the Heresy and up will fill it with sound. MY room is slightly larger than yours and I use the Heresy's. A friend of mine with KHorns has a room somewhat smaller. It is all a matter of how much you want to spend and how loud you want to go - you will always find a sweet spot somewhere! Personally I would go for the Fortes or the Chorus in your room - but there are many here who would push you further. As I said - personal preference. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Just as an addendum MY friends KLF 30s produced truely bizzare results. Dips at 160, 120 and 100. Peaks at 170 and 110. Flat from 100 down to 70. Another dip (disappearing act) at 67 then back and tails off down to 50. Big peak at 50 then decreasing steadily down to 35. Nothing below 35, UNTIL 24 - back in with a bang and goes strong till 21 Hz - the limit of the test! His room is less than ideal accoustically. I have heard worse but it is not good. not sure it that would go some way to explain his results. We re-tested with his B&W's. They too had lots of gaps and peaks (but in different places - didnt note them down) - who cares!! Surprisingly for such a small speaker (in relation to the KLF's that is) they made it all the way down to 35 Hz. I suspect that when watching a surround sound movie the speakers are masking each others gaps and therefore creating what is an amazing movie experience. Admittedly though, his CRT projector probably has a lot to do with that (117 inch wide screen).

A local HT rag (HITEC - Greek magazine) was giving away a free DVD test disk for projectors and sound systems. A friend had picked it up for his projector and then lent it to me for my sound setup. Test 1: I ran was a sweep down from 200Hz to 21. Some remarkable and surprising results came out of my brief testing from last night, as follows: 1. On my tubes the Heresys play all the way down to 48Hz (wow!) at my listening position. The range from 200-60 is remarkably flat - much flatter than expected. After 60 it drops off a bit towards 50 (as expected) but at 50 there is a BIG peak (not expected). Slight dips and peaks noted around 160 and 120 Hz but nothing like the dips I have seen reported elsewhere for Heresy's. 2. On my Accuphase SS amp the Heresy's play down to 62 Hz - nothing below that. No idea why this should be but it does match the setting adjustment on my sub I have to make when switching amps. I was so surprised at this that I forgot to note down the peaks and troughs - I will check again tonight but I seem to be aware of a whole around 160 Db (will get back to you on that). 3. My sub plays down to 35Hz at minimal listening volumes (ie just audible). Below that it moves but does not create sound. Raising the main system volume to conversation levels the sub drops down a further 10 Hz audibly to 25Hz. At louder levels it goes all the way down to 21 Hz (the limit of the test disk). 4. The resonant frequency of my room is 22 Hz - nicely out of the way by pure luck (contrast to my friends house which is resonant at 40Hz and very in the way). Test 2: Soundstage. The system sweeps sound from front left through centre to front right and then round rear right, rear left and back. The phantom centre is doing its stuff - perfect gradual move from left to right all across the stage (in the sweet spot). Moving from right front to right rear progresses evenly at first but then jumps to the rear channel. I think this is because the distance between front and rear soundstages is too great for the rears to cope properly. (Maybe time to go find another pair of Heresy's - WAF permitting). Rear sound-stage is off - shifted to the right as I sit in the sweet spot - not a surprise - the speakers are off in that direction too. There is little I can do about this as there is a main supporting column in the way - ah well. Test 3: Tonal match The disk plays a tone through each speaker to see how close the sound is one to another. Phantom centre is obviously a perfect tonal match. Big surprise in the rears (Homemade). They match the sound of the Heresy's exactly to my ears (just slightly smaller). All in all I was delighted with the results obtained. My system actually scores better all round than my friends system (Sony receiver - KLF 30 fronts, B&W 603 rears - no sub). I should point out, however, that as a movie experience his system is actually way better (not for music). So much for test disks!!! But what about that SS performance - will check again tonight to see if I got anything wrong - but pretty weird all the same. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Actually I also posted the request in the web site discussion forum but I only got one response and that was not from the site operators/managers. I have to say it is not a religious need - just something I thought would help out as the 2 channel forum is rapidly getting hijacked and becoming the tube forum by default. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Mdeneen, You are right of course with regard to the varying impedance being a problem upwards as well as downwards. I mentioned the downwards impedance as this is the major problem with the ESL's I have tested. Using the Final 0.3 for example we managed to bring even my SS amp to a grinding halt. That speaker has a truely wicked impedance curve that drops well below 2 ohms (it starts at 4 and falls off from there). According to the technician I spoke to he indicated the impedance could fall as low as 1.1 Ohms. There are precious few amps aout there that will go that low. A friend of mine has one - The Electrocompaniet - 50wpc/class A. That baby goes as low as 0.5 ohms according to the specs but unfortunately 50 wpc aint enough for the finals (we really neeed 120 wpc and up to get them going - and 200 wpc plus to really make them sing). The quads are less dramatic but still get perilously close to those below 2 ohm figures that kill most amps.

Interesting point abouit impedance dips Mobile. I have always wanted to try out some ESL speakers but they are legendary for their dips. I imagine that these would rule out a tube amp and that therefore I will be sticking with the Heresy's for a while longer. On the other hand Quad do make tube amps to go with their 988/989 speakers. The only problem is that on the demo I said to the salesman: "That's great - sounds wonderful - now lets try them with some volume." And he replied. "We are at the maximum volume now!" unfortunately - he said it - he didnt have to shout it, he could almost have whispered it - from another room!! And Mark, Yes - there are people who listen to Heritage speakers with SS amps. I was one of them till very recently. Maybe it is a mistake - but it is a commmon one.

The Tube forum (aka - MobileHomeless advisory). If we dont get one we should rename this one. We've all gone tube crazy and everyday my Accuphase E211 moves a step nearer to the door (its relegated to rear channel duty only now - rather a waste of $2,100 worth of amp). ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Sell the Quints - buy Reference. Or buy 2nd hand Heritage speakers (Heresy, Forte, Chorus, LaScalas....) Did I mention sell the Qunits? They were my first Klipsch speakers and very good they were too - but not in the class of the rest. I sold mine and have never looked back (along with the KSW10 sub). ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

With your extra amp and your pair of Heresy's if you dont like the centre channel effect you can always setup surround's. This is very much what I have done but I have Heresy's at the front and homemade bookshelf speakers at the rear. I use this setup for both movies and surround sound music (SACD and DVD). I dont have a centre channe so I would rate it as excellent for SS music and acceptable for movies (in the sweet spot). Just a thought. (another one)

Is the lack of centre imaging the same with all recordings or better with some and worse with others? What receiver are you using? Does the imaging change as you move further back? (in other words are you sure you are in the sweet spot?) I think the idea of adding a centre channel is not a bad one - but I think we should evaluate all the no cost options first. Further, whilst the Heresy is a good tonal match for the KHorns it may be drowned out by them. Seemingly you plan to use this for music. Generally music surround sound systems recommend using all similar speakers (as opposed to movie surround sound systems). I would suggest that the best centre speaker for Horns would be the Belle Klipsch (unless you can cut an alcove in the middle of the wall for another KHorn). Just my 0.02 ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

Thanks for the info Mobile - you helped my make up my mind. I am staying with SACD - this vinyl stuff is just too hard already!!! I'll live with the poorer selection for now and see how it develops. At least classical is being covered quite well - I have over 30 classical recordings on SACD as I type - with 50 more to get. Along with the Jazz and rock/pop stuff I recon I can get to about 100 titles fairly easily. That is critical mass for me - enough to listen to something different every day for months. Have you tried SACD mobile? I have a feeling you wont like it but I would be interested in your reactions. for me it is a sound quite distinct from either CD or vinyl but probably closer to vinyl. No need for a signature methinks - you know what I have by now!! (LOL)

Welcome on board the Klipsch band-wagon. Thank god you didnt go for the KHorns - that would have destroyed your Miata for sure! Warning : Addiction can follow your first purchase. you already found the RF3's - wait till you hear the 5s and 7s, then there is the Heritage range.... Its a world of trouble - especialy for tube owners - nothing gets driven by tubes like a Horn! ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

I recently got into SACD. If you want to really enjoy classical music this is the medium. I would rate it even ahead of vinyl as the absence of pops clicks and the rest means you hear all of the music - not just the parts that are louder than the hiss. If you are staying with CD, however, I would take a look at Naxos recordings. There is a wealth of information on their site (www.naxos.com) including various "best of" CD's that can help to introduce you to classical music from different composers. I have found Naxos recordings to be very reasonably priced and am yet to be disappointed with a performance. BTW - If you were listening to Big Beethoven Symphonies you were listening to the odd numbers - 3,5,7,9 are all big powerful works with 4,6 and 8 being softer more melodic works. 1 & 2 were not his best. Of course you may have been listening to one of the piano concertos with the 5th being probably the best known (the emperor). All magnificent stuff. Of course if you really want bang - take a listen to extracts from Wagner's Ring of the Neibelung. You will find many of the pieces familiar - especially the Ride of the Valkerie - magnificent stuff!!! There is so much out there it is almost impossible to go through it all for you. Once you are off the big stuff there are simply sublime soft works that will transport you to far flung dreams (Straus waltz's (Blue Danube you should recognise), Grieg, Mendelsson (my current favorite)...) Then there is Rachmaninoff - the 3rd piano is to die for, Modest Mussorski's Pictures at an exhibition, Chopin, and Mozart - my god - lets not forget Wolfgang - a good stepping stone into Opera (Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute, Don Giovani...), not to mention his best symphonies (38-42), his piano concerto's and Sonata's , the Saltzberg symphonies.... But I am getting ahead of myself. There is plenty to get you going there and about 1,000 more titles I can put your way, maybe more. enjoy - a lot of real music awaits! ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable

1st friend takes delivery of his new Sony 770 SACD player. Played like crap on his Quad 989's. Much investigating later we discovered that he has to change his speaker positioning to make them sound right (as in change them from the position that works well for CD playback - go figure). Anyway it is all working fine now - obviously it doesnt have the life and joy of playback on my tube/Heresy combo but for a boring British speaker with SS amplification it aint half bad. In the meantime various friends are coming over to my house in a steady stream to hear my newly rolled tubes (the KT88's). All very impressed and all trying to decide whether its time for them to light up their music and ditch the SS amps they all have. Anyway all of that happened by 1 am on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Wife out on Sunday. Another friend heads over to the first friend to buy the RF3's he used to enjoy before he went all British on us (are you following this? - there will be a test at the end.) In a fit a mischief we decide to try these out on my tubes. General opinion is that the tubes wont drive them - WRONG!! After a bit of positioning we get the RF3's belting out Dire Straits Private Investigations. Did I say belting out? I have no way to describe the volume levels we were hitting - but this was way louder than my Heresy's have ever, or could ever go. If I were to guess (no meter) I would hazard a figure of 120 db/m but it is hard to tell - no distortion of course - none! It was amazing - it was agony actually - I did most of my listening from the garden whilst those 2 lunatics (seller and buyer) cranked it up ever further. Even they gave up when the volume control hit about 3 o'clock on the dial. After a while I got them to return to more normal listening levels and we did a proper A/B comparison of Heresy Vs RF3. At normal levels the RF3's were really good and solid. I tested them with the above Dire Straits, with the threee blind Mice sampler disk (Bridge over Troubled water), Dvorak's New World symphony on CD and finally Mendelsson's 4th symphony on SACD. The fact they walked the Dire Straits was not a surprise. Nor, that they did so well with the TBM disk, but it was their performance on the classical pieces that was amazing. Full deep soundstage, excellent lifelike sound, and eminently acceptable sonics. It was so good that I was beginning to worry that it was better than the Heresy's - even to my ears that fell in love with them on first hearing. Switching to the Heresy's put my mind at rest immediately. Nothing in my experience matches the way female vocals are portrayed on a Heresy (or other in the Heritage range). The mids were tighter but maybe not as full, the bass, however, was simply not there at all. These RF3's produce bass by the bucketfull and truely embarass the Heresy. Thank god I have a sub to mask this. As for the rest the soundstage is even more solid on the Heresy than on the RF3 with better sonics to my ears (and theirs come to that). In the end we concluded that the RF3 is probably a far more acceptable speaker for modern demands than the Heresy, and definitely much more of an all rounder. The buyer was extremely pleased with his purchase and next week we will all head over to his house to hear them on his setup (Yamaha A1, Rotel 1080 power amp). All that being said I noted a wistful look in his eyes as he gazed upon the Heresy's. My wager would be that within a year he will own a pair being driven by tubes, but for now the RF3's will do him outstanding duty. As for me, replacing the Heresy's is still going to be a long way in the future. They provide an experience I find very difficult to tear myself away from. ------------------ 2 * Heresy 2 (mains) 2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears) 1 * REL Strata 3 sub Accuphase E211 amp. Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state). Marantz CD6000 player Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player Stax Headphones Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver Sharp Video 32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV Mogami interconnects Silver Synergistic speaker cable