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Total E-klipsch of the Heart Klipsch lovers are more horny Klipsch - a fine Heritage! When only a Klipsch will do? Klipsch, boldly going where no other speaker has gone before. Klipsch : Live music at home. Kpilchs - the dyslexic's choice. Klipsch - making 3.5 wpc really loud. Klipsch's are more sensitive. Music from the planet Klipsch. RF3, RF5, RF7, Heresy, La Scala, Belle, Khorn - so many Klipsch, so few ears! ------------------ 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

David Bowie - Changes. Couldnt believe how bad it was. I think the recording equipment was in a different building from the artist! Talk about muted! ------------------ 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

Your input would be very much appreciated: Found this pre-amp. What do you think? Sure looks good! Click here Sorry to be such a pain - you are now my one stop shop for tube solutions... ------------------ 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

If you decide to go for a sub to match your Heresy's I would recommend you take a listen to the REL Strata 3. It is a 10 inch unit (sealed) that goes all the way down to 20 Hz and integrates seamlessly with the Heresy. I have been totally delighted with mine - it is the first sub that I have owned that simply plays and doesnt boom! As for vocals - might I venture to introduce Jacintha. She is available on both XRCD and SACD and is truely amazing. A whole different ball park from Ms. Krall IMHO. Strongly recommend - "Here's to Ben" and, if you have SACD - "Lush Life" in full surround sound. ------------------ 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 have never liked solid state preamps with tube amps, no mater how good the preamp. " Oh great - my set up exactly - another thing to add to the budget - one tube pre-amp. Any advice on what would be a good match for my KT88's? So that's One tube pre-amp. Replace the monoblocks I have now with a 2A3 single ended blah blah. Revisit the vinyl issue. Just when I thought I liked my sound.... ------------------ 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

Add another topic to your list HornEd: 11/ For multi-channel music are you better off with a surround sound amp or with 2 stereo amps? BTW - I understood what you meant when you explained your KLF30 becoming a centre channel but it is not until you actually see the thing that you realize how damn enormous it really is. You are totally certifiable my man - totally!! BTW2 - Great shot of the tiger - maybe I'll have a go at getting the same scene on my TV (A lot less impressive than yours sizewize). On the other hand we could try to grab it off my friend's CRT projector....

"One day, you will try single-ended, all triode, no negative feedback monoblock 2A3 or 300B amps and it will make those beasts you are gushing about now sound like pedestrian grain boxes" That would be the day my wife moves out I suppose... Goddammit ya got me thinkin' about it!! What next - back to Vinyl?? I am not going back to vinyl I am not going back to vinyl I am not going back to vinyl I am not going back to vinyl I am not going back to vinyl Wow - a Linn LP12 in very good condition on ebay...aaarrrrgggggghhhhh

Whoops - almost forgot: The Cary was, we think the SLI-80 integrated unit and was driving KHorns. It was very very very very very sweet - sugar coated honey wrapped in syrup, drenched in chocolate with added flavouring. I am being a bit hard of course - but it made Dire Straits play like ABBA and Michael Jackson sound like Straus - way too soft for my liking. He didnt keep it long and went Accuphase 407 solid state in the end (much harder but it suited the music he plays much better). Of course, the Cary wasnt runnning KT88's - have I told you about mine??? Just kidding!

He came yesterday - and spent 4 hours playing and adjusting, tweaking, metering, soldering, wiring, re-adjusting, and finally listening. He came along with another audiophile who's house he was supposed to be going to next. They didnt bother in the end as the guy is going to sell everything he has and buy everything I have. Did it go well?? YIPPEE!!!!! Sound like I have never heard and didnt believe existed - oh yes the tubes are fine - the setup was all cocked up somehow (he had done some tweaking of the amps for the original 6550's to make them sound better and it was making it sound worse with the KT88's). There were so many things wrong it was amazing it played at all - including the fact that idiot brain here hadnt seated the damn things properly in the first place (in my defence they didnt fit all that well in the shoe adapter things - he fixed that too). In all honesty I have very little idea of what he actually did - he was a blur of activity testing and balancing and god knows what else (he is real good at this stuff). Bottom line - he is now going to sell his amps with the KT88's as defaults instead of 6550's if he can source them reliably here. There is lots more to tell (he adjusted my pre-amp output voltages - I think) but I am too excited to write all of this now. Suffice to say - KT88's and I are going to be close companions from now on. OK - one more thing - my wife was out and we played the tubes loud for the first time (thank god - he thinks I would have damaged them if I had tried it with them setup as they were). OMFG!!! Talk about live event! Talk about speed of the amp! Talk about stunning sonic performance. This thing now wallops my Accuphase even on Electric guitar (SACD - Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood). I would sell the damn Accuphase if I didnt use it for the rear channel!! On the other hand I could and get 2 more of these monoblocks.......hmmmmm Just too excited - stopping now!

The guy that made my amps is coming round tonight to examine the setup. He thinks they may just need some tweaking. The guy I bought them from just confirmed they are new - unused. We'll see....and I will let you know. Just could be I am not used to the tube sound - I remember hating a friend's very expensive Cary amp.

Inspired by the above I conducted a quick test of my own. I do not own a centre channel, nor a surround sound amp and so using the decoder built in to my DVD player (Sony DVD NS900) I connected as follows: left and right front - pre-amp - tube monoblocks - Heresy's left and right rear - integrated accuphase amp - home built horn loaded speakers centre - TV (Sony TV - 45 wpc) I told the NS900 I had a centre channel and ran 2 tests: Test 1 - SACD multichannel - Mozart/Midori In the sweet spot. In a word - Yuk!! Didnt get through the first movement. Using the TV speakers (supposedly good ones) completely destroys the ambience of the music with violins adopting a split personality - live at the sides - muffled in the centre. Too dreadful - had to stop after the first movement. Without the centre is was just perfect to my ears - full soundstage, no gaps, all playing even and level with that live feeling throughout. Test 2 - DVD DTS - Gladiator Much more paletable using the TV this time - the imbalance far less noticable. Tried it with the TV on and with the TV off, then I forgot I was testing and watched the movie. Not a huge difference really. Out of the sweet spot the phantom still seemed to overlay the voices in about he right spot - except in very peripheal positions by which point it didnt much matter anyway. Hardly the exhaustive and excellent work that HornEd did but enough for me to draw 2 personal conclusions: 1. For surround sound music they say 5 speakers the same and they mean it!! Actually they also say that the centre should be slightly further back than the mains (as opposed to my setup where the TV is slightly forward of the mains) - may make a difference - I dont know. Anyway my conclusion is that when I do eventually get a centre channel it will be a Heresy. 2. For movies things are a lot less cut and dried. I think a good strong centre channel can get away with being less tonally matched with the mains and still add something. Certainly using the TV speakers I didnt feel I was losing anything, I just didnt gain anything either. I imagine a proper centre speaker would do a better job. One intersting thing. The first M/C SACD I tried was Roger Waters - Live and in the flesh. I could not get the centre to play at all - I think that this recording doesnt use it anyway. Took a while to figure that one out I can tell you. Re-reading this I realise that it adds precisely nothing to the thread - apologies all - but I am gonna post it anyway. ------------------ 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 how soft are these KT88's going to go? I have been playing them fairly constantly and they seem to be getting softer and softer - I am getting worried. Last night I was playing Mendelsson's 4th Symphony (the Italian) which has some fairly strident violin playing and I fell asleep whilst listening (a first - OK - its been a hard week at work - but really). If they get much softer I am worried they wont hold their shape!! ------------------ 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

Good choice!! I have a friend with a pair mated to an ElectroCompaniet 50 wpc integrated amp. Perfect for some good ole rock and roll!!! They go real loud too - always wondered why Klipsch dropped these and the Chorus speakers. ------------------ 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

Generally It does not seem to make an enormous difference one way or another. There are a lot of factors that can come in, however, depending on the setup, loads, cable being used etc. etc. A friend of mine has KLF30's mated to an Accuphase Amp. Biwring makes a very small difference between these 2, one that you can easily miss. Another friend with RF3's and a Marantz old 2 channel amp reckons it makes no difference at all. The biggest difference I have heard was with a Sony receiver connected to, dare I say it, a pair of B&W 603 speakers. Definite improvement on bass. ------------------ 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

HornEd - thanks for the update. If you are ever in Greece again I expect you to contact me - one wirlwind tour of audiophile homes on offer (everything from KLF30 based home cinemas - with CRT projection onto a wide screen about 8ft by 5 - I think), my system, Forte stereo setup, Home system based on KSF300 (? - the big ones with the built in subs), plus a system using either KHorns or quad 989's - depending on the owners mood. Dsommmer - lots of questions - I'll try to help.. First off, the bad news. The best tonal match to Heresy's are other speakers in the Heritage range. The problem is that the Heresy is the baby of that range so they dont come smaller. The only horn loaded bookshelf's I have experienced that might even come close to your rear channel requirement (Forward facing ports) is the KSB 3.1 which I used to have). The problem is that it is no match for the Heresy's at the front and tends to disappear during play (I sold mine because of it). The RB5's rear port will be a problem if too close to the wall. AS for the centre channel - Yes a Heresy is an excellent choice but I would steer away from laying it on its side. Side mounting Heresy's only works in pairs (my mains are set up that way). A single Heresy on its side will produce some fairly strange shifting of dialogue acording to the depth of the voice that is speaking. If you go the Heresy route you will have to mount it standing up - if not below the TV - how about above it, on a bracket - angled down to your listening position. If you put Heresy's at the sides (do you really need 7.1??) you will need some fairly impressive rears to avoid them disappearing altogether. If this setup is going to be for movies only I would suggest going for bipolar rears mounted slightly behind the listening position, high up (THX standard layout). I dont know enough about side speaker characteristics to help much, but my advice would be to go 5.1 and add 7.1 later, if you really feel you need it. Also, with all these speakers going you will put some strain on your amp. Did you tell us what it was? Hope it is one of the larger Denon or Yamaha's or equivalent - with a real big power supply and some serious heat dissipation.... God, dont I rabbit on sometimes! ------------------ 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 have Heresy 2 fronts and am currently using phantom mode for the centre as I do not have room for another Heresy there. I tend to find that the dedicated centre channels are a better match for the RF range and the Legends than fro the Heresy's. As for rears I am waiting on a pair of RB5's that may or may not provide an adequate tonal match (much smaller than another pair of Heresy's). I'll let you know when I get them. ------------------ 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

No I have not told you what my input/driver tubes are. This is because I dont think there are any. The pre-amp is solid state (made by the same guy that produced the amps). It is connected via RCA to the 2 amps which only have 2 tubes on them - that I have found! These are my amps: (am I an idiot and missing your question or do they not have input tubes?)

Thanks for the additional input mobile. I am watching the tubes - lets see how high they go - if I take part it will only be at the end - but I am not going to go over £100 per tube so I dont fancy my chances. Right now I am listening to Marvin Gaye on SACD on the tubes - they may or may not be getting warmer - I cant tell - but it sure sounds good to me. THanks again. Oh yes - and ignore the hecklers. There are nay-sayers on ever forum and I am often in your postion defending high end cables, tubes amps, differences in SS amps, CDE players etc etc. If they dont hear it (or dont want to) that is fine with me - I only get irate when they tell me what I hear!!

Thanks for the additional input mobile. I am watching the tubes - lets see how high they go - if I take part it will only be at the end - but I am not going to go over £100 per tube so I dont fancy my chances. Right now I am listening to Marvin Gaye on SACD on the tubes - they may or may not be getting warmer - I cant tell - but it sure sounds good to me. THanks again.

Link as follows (its getting rather pricey already)... Click Here

The Tesla KT 88's arrived yesterday and I played them for 2 hours yesterday (replacng the Sovtek 6550WE tubes that came with the amps). Mobilehomeless had told me that the Sovtek's were not musical and, in a word, he was 100% right! I didnt know - these were the first tubes I have ever owned. I do now. The change is remarkable and not at all what I was expecting. Whilst the sound is softer the difference is only slight to my ears. The real changes are 2: 1. Detail. The most obvious - beat you over the head difference. It is a cliche to say a veil has been lifted from the sound but that is exactly how I would describe it. In comparison the Sovtek's were muddy and lose. Previous hidden errors in play are now painfully visible in classical works (I have Grieg on SACD and the orchestra really fluffs the start - I never knew.) 2. Speed. I had thought it was a tube drawback that you couldnt play fast guitar and bass on tubes. True for the Sovteks - not true for the Tesla's. Suddenly I am beginning to doubt whether the Accuphase will be used for the front channels again. It may be softer and smoother, the highs may be more rounded on the tubes but somehow this has come with that amazing change in detail. The only time I have come across this combination of softness and detail combined together previously was with ESL's (Finals for example). I am not saying that the Klipsch sound is now like the Final sound, but it is a whole lot closer than I owuld ever have thought possible. Now the only question is this. There is a quad set of unused, original GE KT 88's for sale on ebay in the UK (with the original boxes and packaging) - these will be a lot more expensive that the Tesla's (they are already at twice the price I got mine for and there are 6 days left). Do I or dont I? ------------------ 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

Strangely I have not noticed any difference in my Sony DVP NS900 from the day I bought it and it has been playing SACD's constantly. I suppose I cant be sure it hasnt got better but it sounded fabulous on the first day and it still does. This is markedly different from my old CD player (Marantz CD6000). That sounded so bad on day 1 that I took it back. The salesman just told me to take it home and leave it playing for 3 days. when I finally got to listen to it after that time it was like a different player. Since then it has just got better and better. On the subject of burn in. The Sony does play CD's very poorly in comparison to the Marantz. If the unit is burned in for SACD is it automatically burned in for CD, or would that need a separate burn in period of its own? I almost never play CD's on it, choosing the Marantz for that duty. Am I judging it unfairly?

As an owner of a pair of 1 year old Heresy's I can probably provide some help. When I first heard them I fell in love with the sound (at the shop). When I got them home it was a different story. My Yamaha 595 amp simply didnt drive the things properly at all. Sounded dreadful. My first stop was trying a 200 wpc Rotel 1080 power amp using the Yamaha as a pre-amp. This was a huge improvement but still very harsh in the highs. I sold the Yamaha, got rid of the Rotel and bought an Accuphase E211. Much better - all the harshness was gone. Later I got a good deal on a pair of 45wpc monblock tube amps. I now run both. The tubes are much warmer and softer in sound than the accuphase but lack the slam of fast bass that the SS amp provides. I play classical, Jazz and vocals on the tubes and rock on the Accuphase. In my experience all of the Klipsch speakers are naturally bright and need taming with the right amplification. This is a game that can be time consuming but often not that expensive (especially if you go the 2nd hand route with decent tubes). Probably not what you wanted to hear as all your gear is new - but my guess would be amplification is the culprit and will make the biggest difference. Everything else is icing on the cake. BTW - If you want to look at cables for the speakers the ones I have gone for are Synergistic silver cables that are just awesome in combination with the Heresy's - but lets not go there - cables bring this board out in a rash. Hope some of this helps. ------------------ 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

There are times when living in Greece has its disadvantages..... $600 - the stuff that dreams are made of - around here anyway!! Please find a nice home for them! ------------------ 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

Yup - difference should be negligible - go ahead and use your DVD as a transport. One thing (few will agree with me on this). Choose a good optical cable/coax cable for your connection. My experience is that they seriously reduce Jitter issues. ------------------ 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