mace

Hi, I can vouch for the 3M command strips, the two sided ones, for not leaving marks on the walls. To mount foam panels I used duct tape on the back of the 12"x12" panels and created different shapes of 4 panels. Then, I attached the command strips to the duct tape, 2 commend strips per panel group. Then, stick the command strips to the wall. This is a method for temporarily mounting these. It sorta works...I've had lots of panels fall over the years but it always comes loose at the command strip to duct tape joint. So, I pull the command strip off the wall (pulling parallel to the wall) and redo it and it holds for a few months to a few more years. The command strips do not leave any marks whatsoever on my walls, which I why I like them. I'm going to try supergluing the command strip directly to the foam and see how that works. I might also try these t-pins to connect the panels to each other instead of duct tape, since that tends to not hold forever. Mace

How much does this amp cost? Thanks.

So, with this set-up (mac mini and DacMagic) is it possible to just use iTunes as the jukebox for my ripped AIF files and then hook up an optical cable from the Mini to the DACMagic and that's it? Thanks much, Mace

Yes the Olive is a nice option but at $1700 it is also an expensive one. With a Mac Mini and a 1.5 TB drive I'm out about $900 (if I buy new)... plus I get the benefit of having a real computer for other stuff as well, or for using as a video server. On the olive.us web site I couldn't find the power specs. Is it switchable 120-220 V and 50-60 Hz? This is important since my stint in Europe is around 3-4 years only and then I'll be back in the USA. I suppose power transformers are an option but I'd rather stay away from these for my audio equipment. Thanks much, Mace

I'm sure you'll be very happy with that Outlas RR2150. Mace

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I've checked out all these links and it seems mucho dinero is needed for these things... Let's say I was to get a Mac Mini for a digital jukebox (or old iMac) with optical audio out. Does this mean that the signal coming out is just pure 1's and 0's? If so, can I run this directly into an amp with an optical in and pretty much have a pure signal going to the amp and then the amp does the D/A conversion? In other words, is it possible to forego the $1600 D/A converter such as the Olive unit? Thanks much! Mace

Hi there, I really can't add to what's been said as far as brands here... but as far as your power range goes please consider that a 200 W amp gives you only +3 dB sound pressure than a 100 W amp. Can you really tell the difference between 112 and 115 dB of sound pressure? You may have more of an audiophile ear than you think. What are those old CW's rated for power handling? My old 1977 CW's are only rated at 100 W continuous. Regards, Mace

Hi all, I'm moving to Europe and don't want to take my CD's (but I can take my Cornwalls!). What I'd like to do is rip them all at AIF or lossless to a hard drive (preferably a 1 or 1.5 TB). I've done some searching here and haven't seen a "turn-key" solution. Does anyone know of any excellent hard drive based player (as good or better than my Sony SACD player) which I could use? I looked at www.redwineaudio.com/Olive.html but these Opus units are thousands of dollars which seems a bit steep. Any advice or experiences to share would be great. Thanks, Mace

Hi, I had the pleasure of listening to these for a couple of minute at he pilgrimage. They sounded very good. I was also surprised by the amount ambient noise they cut out, similar to foam earplugs (well, enough to make people talking significantly softer). I came across the news of their release on www.macnn.com this morning. My biggest surprise was the *gulp* price at $350. I'm not a "headphone guy" per se and this price point could be perfectly reasonable. I was hoping to snag these as soon as they were available because they did sound very, very good and insulated ambient sounds significantly, but..... I'll be waiting a while..... However, if you are looking for high end headphones I would certainly give these a listen! Mace

Wow. What a great day! Many thanks to the Klipsch team, especially Trey and Amy and all the tour guides. Great facility, great people, great products. First class all the way around. It was also great to meet some old friends and make new ones and meet the good folks on this board. It was a treat for me to have my old crap (errr. "stuff") tested and even get the data files (which imported into the free REW software just fine, which was a nice bonus). While I didn't get a lot of listening in (spent most of my time in the lab) it was pretty impressive to hear the smaller non-round Klipsch. Thanks again! Mace

Hi there, I really am not that large... and I definitely didn't have on a purple backpack. I'm surprised that someone is able to hide that completely behind me. See this series of 1st year Indy pics for the face belonging to the purple shirt... http://homepage.mac.com/mace/PhotoAlbum26.html It looks like this thing has grown a bit since the first year! I look forward to attending again tomorrow. Mace

HDBRBuilder would certainly add some value to this discussion! I bought some KHorns in the Chicago area for about the same buckaroos and these ones here are nicer looking. Mace

Hi, Would the sound of a KHorn be impeded in any way by putting a sectional couch in front of it (the kind of couch which wraps 90 deg)? The squawker bin is well above the height of the couch but of course the bass bin would sit right behind it. The back of the couch would be clear about 1 foot on one wall and 2 feet on the other wall. It would be about 1 foot clear of the KHorn bass bin. The advantages of this arrangement would mean I could spread the speakers out wider to 5.15 meter (currently 4.60 meters wall to wall). The other advantage is that the "listening chair" would be more in line with the speaker axis (currently about 1.5 meters behind the axis crossover points). Thanks for any feedback! Mace

I don't use LP's and thus maybe the 5751 route would be an option. How do these tubes affect the sound/tone? My CD player does have a variable headphone jack but that wouldn't work so well with my set-up. Maybe I should just get a better matched pre-amp and use my B&K power amp... which is the route I was going before I got the KHorns! Thanks much, Mace

Hi, Thanks for the insights. I'll give these attenuators a try. My initial impressions is that they muddy things up a bit, but I really haven't had a chance to listen without interuption for more than 3-5 minutes. One thing I have noticed with source material is that lower level source material seems to sound better, more open, less harsh.. this is at about 90 dB listening level. I love the Who album Who's Better, Who's Next. At high volumes, around 100 dB, it is just wonderful. I've noticed that I really have to turn the Scott up a bit, like to 5 on the dial. To get that same SPL from newer material which has a noticably higher line level I am around 2-4 on the amp and the sound isn't as smooth as with the Who. Perhaps it is just how it is recorded but I've noticed this trend in general with low line level source material... perhaps it has to do with voltage of the CD signal. When I get some time I'll check out these attenuators. Mace