matt giddy fruit

Hi guys I'm renovating my living area. It's 7m x 4.8m x 2.8 high. I'm going to place the k horns on the 7m wall. I've got one good corner but the other side wall is a glass bifolding door, so I'm getting a false corner built (or in other words putting in an extra little reinforced wall coming out of the main wall to create another solid corner). The question is at what point on the 7m wall should I fix the false corner to acheive optimum placement of the k horns for this size room? I'm thinking of about 5.8m from the other corner - meaning the speakers would be about 5.3m apart. What do you say guys? Cheers Matt

Thanks Josh and everyone else. Phase 2 is now well underway. I took the 2M back and got the Denon dl103R. Had a funny experience in the shop. There was a different guy in there - highly opinionated. He told me the Denon was a 'horrible cartridge', that it was 'all fries without the steak" "the ugly ginger haired kid you keep in the basement when guests come round' He suggested that I should get the Lyra Delos instead. A much more expensive cart obviously but I don't think his advice was financially motivated - he genuinely seemed to think you can't get a good MC cartridge for the price of the Denon....I bought the Denon anyway, just too curious not to hear it after all this - and told I might see him down the track for the Lyra... I also ordered the Cinemag 3440A SUT, Bren1 Gila IC interconnects and the Origin Live VTA adjuster (so I won't be needing the spacer ot TT but thanks for the very kind offer anyway Josh). Let's see how that litle lot goes. Made me laugh just now to see that Zu audio do an ugrade version of the 103R! So I'm already planning the next upgrade before this lot has even arrived. Don't you just love hi fi! Cheers Matt

Right the 2M Black is going back to the shop, so let's try that again... I think I might have a good set up in mind now, but won't be rushing into anything without the sign off from you guys...[] What I'm thinking is this: Technics 1200 with Origin Live Tonearm and Denon DL103R >> CineMag 3440A SUT* >> Blueberry Extreme preamp (without moving coil option) >> VRD Monoblocks >> K Horns *http://capnbob.fatcow.com/store/page4.html Questions: 1. Are the Cinemag SUT 3440A and the Denon 103R a good match? Reviews seem to suggest so. 2. Is the Denon 103R definitely a good match for the OL Silver tonearm? Judging by Josh's comment that it's "the perfect match in regards to compliance" is sounds like it is. Would the lack of VTA on the Silver tonearm be an issue with this cart? It was a major issue with the 2M Black as the tonearm ended up pretty much going uphill as the cart was so big! 3. Would the Cinemag SUT be sufficient fed through the BBX - ie does it not matter that there is no moving coil option on the BBX if I use the step up? Again I think that Josh answered this already but just double checking before I order it. Actually feeling pretty excited about putting this set up up together if it's a goer. The thrill of the chase n all that! Thanks for sticking with me on this one guys. Matt

Ok I'm getting the local Deck Doctor to have a look at the set up and make sure that the cartrdige has been fitten correctly. He seems to think from his reaerch on Audiogon that the 2M is a "bad match" anyway with an OL tonearm due to the resonant frequency of 7.32HZ being "substantially below the magical 10HZ bogey number." This is not, I presume, the reason for the rough sound, but it makes me even less enthusiastic about it... Also apparently - and this does make sense looking at the set up - the fact that the cart is so big/ high vertically makes it problematic with the OL Silver as there isn't a VTA adjustment on this arm - you have to put washers in or something to bring the arm level up high enough! Really getting my teeth into this issue now! I'm seriously thinking of returning the 2M to the shop and getting a replacement. If I was to go for the Denon DL103R - my original choice - what extra equipment would I need to buy? Given that my BBX does not have the "cream" MC option, do I need to get a phono preamp with moving coil AND a step up? What would be a good suggested set up with the Denon DL103R? Don't want to mess up again.... Cheers Matt

Erm yes...things have gone a little bit wrong since my earlier post....[^o)] Firstly you're right of course - the Denon DL103R needs a step up as my BBX doesn't have the cream option. Showing my ignorance here I'm afraid. When it was pointed out to me in the shop that I needed the step-up up I thought it was all starting to get a bit fiddly, and fell for the sales pitch on the Ortofon 2M Black. The "world's best moving magnet" cart seemed like a good compromise... Anyway I took the deck along to the shop to get the 2M fitted by one of the 'experts' there. Now I'm in a world of hurt. The cart sounds average at best - a bit rough at worst. When I first got it back it was clearly weighted far too heavily onto the cartridge. The plastic housing was virtually scraping the vinyl. The needle was pushing down so hard I could hear weird rough 'music' in between the album tracks! So I lightened the weight and the problem improved, but there's still a roughness/crackle on the attack of notes and the overall performance is generally underwhelming. I've got it running alongside an identically modded 1200 which has an Audio Technica ATDS3 dj cart that cost me $80. The Audio Technica has the edge over the 2M Black at the moment. So what could be the problem? 1. Has the 2M just been fitted badly to the Silver tonearm? 2. Is the Audio Technica actually a better match for the OL Silver - ie I already had a great solution but didn't realise it? Surely not! 3. Does the 2M need a lot of running in to improve? OR should I just take the thing back to the shop and get the Denon and the step up? Do shops generally accept back a cart / stylus that's been played, albeit briefly? Not sure on the protocol here.... Bit of a mess really! Cheers Matt

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. I think I'm going to plump for the Denon DL103R. Sounds like a good match for the OL Silver, also a couple of lines in an Audiogon review won me over: "Midrange is very Koetsu-like in its magic. Realism is stunning. Overall, top-to-bottom, this cartridge performs like you would expect from a $1k - $2k cart. And that is not an exaggeration. It is that good" Got to be worth a try at the price right? Thanks as always guys. Matt

Hi Josh No cream option on the BBX - bought it second hand and felt lucky to get one at all! Would've been nice considering I listen to 90% vinyl these days... When you say 'set up' for the Denon 103 what do you mean exactly? VTA etc? Cheers Matt

Hi Islander The SILVER TONEARM was/is a revelation! I was doing a quite a few upgrades to the system as a whole at the time and the biggest improvement in sound was from the Silver tonearms. Massive difference in separation and vibrancy from the old 1200 sound I'd been living with for about 15 years! I haven't noticed any discernable difference yet with the (external) DC motor upgrade, but hopefully I will when I get a killer cart!!! Cheers Matt

Technics 1200Mkii with Origin Live Silver Tonerarm, Origin Live power supply upgrade etc Blueberry Extreme Preamp VRD Monoblocks K horns Budget around $1000-$1250 I'm thinking Grado Master 1 at this stage, partly because I also have a pair of Grado PS1000 headphones and RA1 Headphone Amp and I'm thinking it might sound sweet all together...also heard good things about the warm bass which is a bit of a fetish of mine. Or am I wasting my money spending this kind of money on a cart with this deck set up and should I be saving my money and investing in a better turntable? Only problem is I'm kind of halfway down that track already with the upgrades....and at the end of my budget for now after this..... Cheers fellas!

Thank you very much everyone for your help - and in particular of course Groomlakearea51for what must be $$$s worth of great advice. I love this place! []

Hi guys Just renovating my house and whilst everything is stripped back raw, I'm wondering what I can do to the room to optimise the sound for the ol' K horns. I tried calling some acoustic engineers but they didn't seem too interested in a project of this size and then I thought of you guys! Any ideas on the following would be much appreciated... 1. Are there certain products/materials that can be used to construct/line the walls in order to optimise acoustics? 2. Do these materials also provide soundproofing or are two separate solutions required to both improve acoustics and minimise sound leakage? 3. Should the same materials be used on the 'corner' walls as on the wall that faces the speakers? 4. Does the ceiling need to be treated / covered? 5. Any other basic acoustic fundamentals to abide by? The room is 7.5M (K horn wall) by 5M. Layout needs to be that way round for various reasons. Floor is recylced timber. Presumably (and yes I'm showing my ignorance here!) laying down a rug will improve the sound? Thanks as always guys Timber foor Dimensions for the lounge which doubles up as the listening room are as follows: W5m x L7.5M

Preamp is Juicy Music Blackberry Extreme II. The whole lot (VRDs and BBX) is arriving together in about 3-4 weeks.....[]

Thanks jorjen and sorry guys. Still finding my way round these parts....will head over to the Garage sale.

Hi guys Firstly thank you for your help so far. I've got the k horns, Craig is working on the VRDs, now all I need is a killer preamp and we're in business! Craig has suggested the Juicy Music BBX, but also warned me that it might be a bit of a mission getting hold of one as they're not made any more. If they're that good I'm sure people hold on pretty tightly to them, so hopefully I'm not whistling Dixie here, but if anyone has one for sale, or knows where I might find one, please let me know. Cheers Matt

Hi guys Thanks one and all for your comments.... I owe you all an explanation as I'm actually now getting VRD monoblocks! I bought some k horns on ebay and the seller offered to bundle in a Cayin A100T amp and a Cayin CD player. The price was good and the reviews I could find were ok but the combination just didn't sound good. Very harsh on the top end, not a lotta bass and lacking in any real tubey characterisitcs. Anyway seller was insisting on an exchange, and he stocks Macs hence the thread...but I eventually talked him into a refund for almost the whole amount. Reason being the posts I've read on here about VRDs got my mouth watering and made me realise that I'd end up knocking on Craig's door sooner or later! So thanks again for the advice and roll on July when the VRDs arrive. No amp in the meantime which will be tough, but should make it even sweeter when they arrive : ) Cheers Matt

My choice of amp is limited to currently available models of Mcintosh - long story! Could be power (as using with Bozak dj mixer) or integrated. Set up would be as follows: Technics 1210 with Origin Live Silver Tonearms / Cayin CD player EA Isolator Bozak mixer Klipschorns Audioquest Colorado interconnects and Rocket 88 speaker cables Any help greatly appreciated. Cheers guys! Matt

Hi guys New to the forum - and to Klipsch. I've just managed to finally get hold of a pair of Klipschorns - 2004 model. Will be running them with a Bozak mixer, Origin Live modded technics 1200's as well as cd player.... The question is what amp to get. I have the chance to buy a McIntosh MA6900 integrated amp for a good price. I'm quite keen to do so - it looks great and I've heard good things about it. I'm thinking it will be good start to get to grips with the K-horns - nice and solid...not too fiddly... But I thought I'd better check with the experts first.... Will the MA6900 sound good with the K Horns? Is it appropriate? Cheers Matt