mace

Jingle Cats: A CD with Christmas songs sung by Cats... yes, Cats. They take samples of actual meows and put them in the song at the right time when the pitch matches. I think the original thing was done with dogs, you may remember Jingle Bells being sung by dogs a few years back. As to my imaging comments... I really was kidding! I do not actually sit there, right between the speakers, and get great sound. I should've used more smileys, I s'pose. In all seriousness, there is no soundstage whatsoever with such an arrangement. I guess I thought that my comments about how popping both speakers in the same corner greatly improves sound wouldn't have been taken seriously! I need less "corn" and more "wall" for my Cornwalls! Mace

Yo, Mobile: Although sometimes I'm not sure when you are sarcastic or not sometimes, I'll take it that you're being sarcastic about the tree! This tree is the most crooked, non-filled-in tree we've had in quite some time. I'm not sure how you could've thought it was a fake-o one, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. We've always liked the smell that real trees fill the room with. We've been playing a lot of Christmas music anyway so I haven't done much "listening". Jingle Cats sound pretty much the same whether the speakers are together or not! Mace

Well, since the Christmas tree takes priority for a month my right Cornwall got relegated to the corner of the room to join his brother. The right Cornwall normally sits where the tree now resides. The imaging has, however, increased dramatically. I just stick my head right between them and *wow*. Happy Holidays! Mace

I've been happy with my Sony SCD 222ES SACD player, which I got off of eBay for $300. I've even seen them for less. It definitely is better than my old Phillips CD player for normal CD's and the bonus is that it plays SACDs which sound quite clean. In your price range, you may be able to pick up a 555ES used, which is supposedly better. Top of the line is the 777ES (at least it used to be). I'd suggest going to your local stereo shop and buying one with the option for no questions return within 7 days. This is what I did (as someone on this forum recommended to me). That way, you can try before you buy second hand. (My concience doesn't weigh too heavy, since between me and my folks we've put over $2000 into the store in the past 24 months.) On this forum I read various reviews and some preferred the SACD over the Planet, others preferred the Rega Planet in direct A/B comparisons. In my searching for CD earlier this year it was recommended to go with Rega Planet, Arcam, Jolida and SACD. Check out towerrecords.com for some SACD titles. Regards, Mace

Hi All, I've got some experimenting to do with different CD sources, input selection, swapping speakers etc. I first noticed the problem several months ago but I just haven't had time to sit down and trouble shoot since I've been travelling so much. However, looking at the specs for the Scott 299A and the Sony SACD: SACD Player Output: 2 Vrms @ 50 kOhm Load Impedence: >10 kOhm Scott 299A Input: 500 kOhm input impedence, 0.45 V. I don't know the difference between load impedence and output impedence. Are these specs compatible? Thanks, Mace

Hi, On some CD's I can hear distortion during certain passages, which is very repeatable. To my ears, it sounds like pre-amp distortion. I have ripped these passages to my computer (as AIFF) and taken a look at the waveform and noticed that the waveforms are very close to zero dB (the Audiophile test CD calibrated -20 dBFS signal gives me -19.8 dBFS with my computer program, zero dB = 2.2 V). This distortion can be heard on music ranging from folk music vocals to heavy metal guitars - what the passages have in common is the near zero dB line level. My question: Is the line level of the SACD (2.2 V) too much for the "line in" on the Scott 299A? Do I have to step down the line level by 1 or 2 db? I've tried different 12AX7 pre-amp tubes and the distortion is still there. I don't think it is a power amp section problem since the distortion occurs at low power levels (volume dial at 8 o'clock). Any help or things to try would be appreciated. Regards, Mace

I've got an NAD 3240 (1989 vintage) and I think it does alright with Klipsch (KLF-30's, Cornwalls) but it tends to get a bit harsh at higher volumes (could have been my old CD source, though). I haven't noticed the low level distortion others have commented on here. IMO, the NAD sounds better than other Sony or Denon amps in its price class, though the NAD may have fewer bells and whistles. Regards, Mace

Good to hear that you got the problem fixed. As I was reading this thread, I remembered reading that the amount of current (amperes) that an amp delivers is important. The more current, the better. Perhaps that explains the difference between the bass that amps deliver. Mace

Dean, Glad that you and your family are OK. Things going up in flames are not good! Last night I went out to hear some a local guitarist and realized when I got home that my Scott was still on. At least the tubes were just glowing and not going up in flames! I've got to be more careful. Once, my NAD started smoking and the transformer burnt up...luckily I was in the room and saw the smoke. For you NAD owners, no worries, my unit was purchased in Singapore and had the power supply modified to work in the US (120 V). Later, Mace

I've got the digital Rat Shack meter. It helps to measure peaks if you paint little white marks just below every 2 LCD blocks on the meter. It makes it easier to get the peaks from the LCD real time bar at the bottom. I've noticed some funky stuff on the response curves I've generated (in my car, old boom box, KLF-30's, Cornwalls, Botson T-930's). I'll post more on that later. I used the 1/3 octave warble tones on the Stereophile Test CD 3. I do not know why this type of full spectrum testing is worthless compared to that frequency analyzer thing which someone posted a link to. I found using both warble tones and single frequency tone analysis in my listening room very interesting. The room makes a huge, huge impact in the listening experience. My ear tells me even the warble tones can build up and from nodes. One more thing... I don't think these radio shack meters have a fast enough response to find the real time peaks. At least PWK claimed that a VU meter could be up to 15 dB low for real quick bursts. Later, Mace

---------------- On 9/10/2003 5:45:56 PM artto wrote: Mace, try Tower Records & Telarc. Tower has over 400 titles http://music.towerrecords.com/towermusic?n=0&csn=3&csr=1&dym=1&att=All_Music+SACD%20+&cs=SACD http://www.telarc.com On Journey's Greatest Hits, 'Don't Stop Believin' sounds great. Just a bit of tape hiss from the analogue master. The other tracks were obviously recorded by other studios/engineers & don't sound nearly as good (ear bleed at times? ). Also be aware that many of these players seem to have problems playing CDR & CDRW ---------------- Thanks for the tower records tip! I've got that same Journey CD. Some tracks sound plain crappy IMHO, like "Any Way You Want It". I suppose it was just how the original was mixed/mastered or something. Other tracks sound pretty good (can't think of titles right now) to me. A friend of mine had a Journey Redbook CD and we did an A/B (blind for him) on the same song: SACD vs. Redbook (all other things equal). His initial impression was the Redbook sounded better... go figure! He said it had less hiss. I've finally got a couple of discs both Redbook and SACD (Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, Joe Satriani's Strang Beautiful Music) and I'm gonna do some direct comparisons one of these days. My initial impression is that I didn't find the difference as stark as what I thought it would be. I haven't had any trouble with CD-R in my SACD player (burnt at 1X with old Yamaha 4x4x16 burner with iTunes and Toast on Mac) . I haven't tried CD-RW yet. Out, Mace

---------------- On 9/11/2003 12:36:49 PM IndyKlipschFan wrote: I heard these at the recent CEDIA show in Indy last weekend. They do look nice... Not quite as big as the picture seems to make them look. And interestingly enough too, they were on a about 12inch stand. WHY? ---------------- What is the CEDIA show? And more importantly, why didn't I know about it?? IndyKlipschFan: Is there a web site or something which has information on audio happenings in Indy? I'd be interested in knowing more. Thanks, Mace

---------------- On 9/9/2003 2:07:10 PM bclarke421 wrote: Different materials will resonate in different ways. Tube equipment and turntables are especially susceptible to the effects of vibration. I was simply inquiring as to forum members' personal experiences with specific materials. I have connections in the kitchen industry, so sink cutouts and scraps of various materials are available to me. ---------------- Interesting. I've recently gone to tubes and would be interested about this as well. Would something like setting the amp on cut raquetballs or tennisballs help? Is there some sort of cheap foam padding on which the amp can be set? I did get 4 rubber feet from RadioShack and put them on the bottom of my tube amp. Do I need something more? When the tube amp is being vibrated by high SPL, how does it sound? i.e. How would I know if my amp was susceptible to these vibrations? Thanks, Mace

I went with SACD (see sig). Why? I mostly own CD's and the SACD player does a fine job with Redbook CD's to my ears. Some would say the SACD players play Redbook as well as a Planet, but I've not had the chance to compare. Edit: The selection of SACD's is paltry. A search two days ago on Amazon yielded 115 titles. Pretty pathetic. I somehow doubt that SACD's will ever catch on. I almost hate buying them unless they are hybrid since I cannot make copies for the car or the other CD-players in the house. What physical reason would be the cause of a CD changer sounding worse than a single disc player? I'm just curious. Regards, Mace Blind A-B-X tests for all!

---------------- On 9/9/2003 10:03:20 AM bclarke421 wrote: Also any input as to sonic properties of rack shelves would be appreciated as well. ---------------- Dare I ask what was meant by this?? Mace

---------------- On 9/6/2003 10:56:33 AM Marvel wrote: Reminds me of too many Mac users. The computer Mac users, not the amplifier Mac users. Marvel ---------------- But Steve did found a church, didn't he? Jobovah's Witnesses or was it the EcuMacicals? In reading over the "Dope From Hope' and technical papers from PWK it is pretty obvious he had one way of thinking. For the most part it was a good way (I love my Cornwalls) but he did appear to me a bit too quick to dismiss new ideas. However, he had seen so many come and go he was no doubt a bit jaded when it came to the "latest and greatest" in audio. PWK and Steve Jobs do have some things in common, for better or worse. They both always know best, give the customers what they think the customers need and make excellent, above average products, pushing the envelope of the art! Mace

---------------- On 9/6/2003 9:02:35 AM Guy Landau wrote: check out these beasts http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?spkrfull&1068031150 ---------------- Just what I need, a speaker with "95 dB sensibility". This would certainly make up for my lack thereof. Mace

My 299A rev 2 had a VTV rebuild at some point before I got it. Craig definitely took it to another level, though, with his work. His customer service can't be beat, either! Mace

I'll bite... What is a "short term" reflection?? Mace

To approximately quote PW Klipsch from the Dope From Hope package sent out by artto (btw, many thanks again to artto for the excellent compilation!! I just got around to reading it last week and it is chalk full of interesting tidbits): * Put the speakers on the wide wall of the room. * Any speaker sounds better in a corner, especially Heritage ones, which sound best in a corner. This includes Belle, La Scala, Cornwall and Heresey. Put them in the corner and toe them in 45 degrees to put the dispersion into the room and not against the walls. Frequency response is flatter in the corner. You get up to 6 dB output for given wattage which means lower distortion (especially intermodulation distortion, which is nasty on the ears), especially important for direct radiators. * Room acoustics are incredibly important. Treat the room with some rounded surfaces to get rid of Eigentons (standing waves). * Center channel is needed for wide stage stereo. * 9/10 of what you hear in a room is reflections. * And I quote PWK: "Imaging... whatever that is..." Bottom line is Klipsch of old said stick it in the corner and that's the best it gets. Seems times have changed or PWK was wrong. Mace

All: Uh-oh... wire debate... better take off my polyester suit. If you didn't get the chance, I really wish you could have been at the Klipsch Indy Open House earlier this year. They had an A-B-X setup for testing wire. No-one got over 50% (i.e. what the monkey could get). It would have been interesting to try the wire you're talking about here.. or to compare IC (it was only set up for speaker wire). I won't deny that wire makes a difference. I will dispute the claim that one can actually hear it! A-B-X tests for all!!!! Mace

Craig, Actually, the thing also pops when I move any of the selector knobs (the input and the channel selectors). The volume of these pops depends on where the volume knob is at. In other words, if the volume knob is at 12 o'clock, the pop is loud, if volume is at 7 o'clock, pop is soft. Sometimes the amp also pops when I turn it off. These pops are better than the buzz/hum. I'd still like to get rid of them, though. Yes, I have Cornwalls. Others: As far as WAF, I have next to none for the Scott. I often get told to "turn off that thing with the hot sticks!". There seems to be a constant fear of burning the house down or kids getting burned to a crisp whenever the hot sticks are on. Soundwise, nothing. In fact, once, when A/B/C-ing Boston Acoustics T-930 (3 way towers) to the Cornwalls to the KLF-30s, she picked the Bostons as sounding better than either Klipsch. Mace

---------------- On 8/14/2003 8:37:10 AM Gregorius wrote: Chad, what time are you performing? Is Doug's wife Sharon in your group? ---------------- Hi Greg, Yep, Sharon got the group together a couple of years ago. We're playing 9-11 am or so Sat morning at the farmer's market, downtown Lafayette and 6-9 pm at the Prophetstown Museum (just outside of Battle Ground). Let me know when you have some time this fall, maybe we can do a review/shootout of some equipment. I'd also love to compare our Scotts and hear your Fisher and my B&W power amp. Could even through in an old NAD and Harmon/Kardon 430 for good measure. I've always wanted to compre crossovers in the Cornwalls, I could drag over my crossovers as well (if they are different than yours). Mace

This ain't bad either. Although the "ess's" are a bit harsh. I remember a local college band "The Dorks" who had a song where the chorus went: "School lunch, it sucks! School lunch, it sucks!" The Replacements video reminded me of them. Mace

Doesn't *anyone* here have a stinkin' job??? This thread, which I've now read in it's entirety (and I'm jonsin' to hear an Eico), is incredibly long. Not only in amount of posts but in how long some are! And it's just over 24 hours old! Unbelievable! Thank goodness this hotel has free high speed internet access! I'm off to get QuickTime 6. Mace