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boxerjake

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Posts posted by boxerjake

  1. I'm a licenced auto body mechanic  ( 30 plus years )  i've repaired and refinished dozens of klipsch cabinets over the years .

     

    Bondo ( polyester filler ) comes in several forms , from a full on filler to a glazing puddy ( meant more for sand scratchs and grinder marks )

     

    Each with it's own uses .... I've never found a cabinet that needed much more then a glazing putty to fill a scratch or missing veneer , the glazing putty is much finer and can be sanded with a much finer grit from the onset .

     

    2 component ( with a hardener )  pretty much eliminates future shrinkage of the product , older products like nitro cellulose glazing putty use to be used under laquer finishs back in the day but have been replaced by better technoligy now due to shrinkage with age .

     

    Go to your local Autobody supply outlet or even a body shop in your area and they will steer you to a product availible in your area that will " Hold out " on wood . They will also tutor you to the proper primer coat prior to refinishing to ensure sand scratch hold out and a finish that will last to your expectations .

     

    Be mindfull that fillers and primers will fill in your woodgrain ... so the topcoat will not reflect a painted or stained woodgrain look , if your going to use professional autobody products, your finish is going to resemble that of an automobile , not that of wood .  An example would be a piano black finish where the wood looks more like plastic or metal then that of a natural product such as wood .

     

    Dale

  2. Hey Craig .... I bought 3 vintage tube testers from a mall that was being demolished .

     

    I have fond memories heading to the local mall with my dad in the late 60's on the weekend to test the audio tubes from our TV set :)

     

    I sold 2 of them on E-bay but still have one left , i'll check with my dad and see if he still wants to store it in his garage , if not it's all yours .

     

    Then again , it would probably cost more then it's worth to ship from alberta to you ... remember the rodeo we had shipping the Mark III'S ?

  3. I have a 55" LG Plasma ... great set in zero ambient light , although the radient heat was a real issue in summer months as was the power comsumption .

     

    As with a majority of plasma sets the Y-sustain finally kicked off , so the set was dead and not worthy of repair ( less then 5 years )

     

    Replaced the set with a 60"  Vizio Backlit LED ...  HD  satilite & or digital  signals ( blu-ray or media player ) are as good and or better then the Plasma , but the non - HD  tv signals really sucks

    • Like 1
  4. I've had 4 private messages asking what a PCA is ......   Here is the explanation

     

     

     

     

     

    The Phase Coupled Activator technology is not new, but the Series Three is their latest version (call it the PCA3). The difference between this model and previous ones, is the ease with which signals can be passed first through a crossover network (two channel electronic crossover built into the PCA3, which is separate from the subharmonic generation circuitry) then into the subharmonic circuit. Secondly, the PCA3 has speaker level inputs. Third, the current unit has reduced the 1/8 phase shift that was a problem in older versions. The principle of operation is an assumption that very low frequencies in the original music have been lost or removed during recording and CD production. The PCA3 generates subharmonics at half the input frequency, with a sampling range from 50 - 100 Hz in the "Digital Restoration" mode. So, if the input signal were 80 Hz, you would have an output of 80 Hz and 40 Hz. By limiting the sampling range to 50 - 100 Hz, and only with stereo signals, this eliminates boominess that would occur if subharmonics were added from original frequencies at 100 - 500 Hz, and eliminates adding subharmonics to voices that are sent monophonically (the same signal in both channels, in phase) to the center channel speaker. In other words, any signal that is monophonic will not have subharmonics added to it. The separate crossover can be used to send <90 Hz frequencies (line level inputs and outputs) to a pair of powered subwoofers (one each for left and right channels), and >90 Hz (line level) to the main front left/right amplifiers (pre-outs and main-ins on a receiver can be used).

    The front panel has, from left to right, the on/off power button, the subwoofer output level trim (for use with the separate crossover), a crossover/bypass button (disables the subwoofer outputs from the crossover and sends all frequencies to the main left/right), an external processor button (a tape loop), an enhancement mode/soundtrack button (filters out frequencies below 25 Hz at 18 dB/octave, i.e., "subsonic filter"), a range button (alters the sampling range to 30 -70 Hz in producing subharmonics), a digital restoration button (activates the normal range of subharmonic restoration to 50 - 100 Hz sampling), and a restoration level volume control (controls the amount of subharmonics added to the original signal, but does not affect the overall volume of the original signal passing through). Red LEDs indicate the various functions are activated.

    The rear panel has, from left to right, two pairs of RCA jacks for main left/right - in/out (the subharmonics are generated in this circuit), two pairs of RCA jacks for the left/right - in/out tape loop, three pairs of RCA jacks for left/right in, left/right low pass out, and left/right high pass/full range out (these jacks are for the separate crossover network), and two sets of speaker level (maximum power 150 watts) input/ output connections (this signal is passed from the inputs to the outputs unchanged, but it is crossfed to the subharmonic generation circuits so that a pair of subwoofers can be driven from the line level outputs of the PCA3 as well).

    On to the performance. We tested the PCA3 with four different powered subwoofers, two of which are servo-feedback (Velodyne F1500R and Mirage BPSS-210), the third is a passive radiator design (Velodyne VA-1012X), and the fourth is active push-pull (M&K MX-5000THX). The PCA3 worked with all four. Regardless of the sub, the PCA3 produced a noticeable addition to the VERY low end. For CDs, sometimes it was a nice effect, and at other times, irritating. It really depended on the music. I have a CD version of a Boston Symphony recording that was originally released on LP decades ago. The composition is Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture. The CD version (bought in 1988) definitely had some of the low frequencies removed, compared to the LP version, and I had been very disappointed with the CD. Using the PCA3 with the CD, the resulting low end was closer to what was on the LP. Keep in mind that the low frequencies from the PCA3 are generated with certain assumptions; there is no actual restoration, because the PCA3 does not really know what was in the original signal. So, the Romeo and Juliet CD with the PCA3 sounded better, but certainly distinguishable from the real thing (the actual low end on the LP). But, it was an improvement. On other CDs, such as Telarc discs, which are famous for their low frequencies, the PCA3 was too much. On one CD, we found that by adding subharmonics, the acoustic string bass began to sound like an electric bass guitar. Obviously, then, the PCA3 is not for all music, but that is why the volume control is on the unit; with it turned all the way down, there is no subharmonic addition. In any case, it is important to use good bass drivers with the PCA3. If used with less than adequate speakers, it can sound awful, and the automobile version has received some criticism because of this. Much better to use no restoration at all than to try and shove 20 Hz signals through a small inexpensive speaker. On movie sound tracks, the PCA3 fared much better. Just about every movie benefited from subharmonic addition. At 50 Hz, using the Mirage BPSS-210 sub and a 98 dB SPL, this setting on the PCA3 produced a 94 dB subharmonic at 25 Hz as measured on a real time spectrum analyzer. With the "range" setting activated, subharmonics are generated from frequencies in the 30 - 70 Hz range, which means that the factory 25 Hz subsonic filter will reduce the subharmonics of the 30 - 49 Hz originals going through (very little 15 - 24 Hz subharmonics will pass). If you have a sub which will reproduce signals in the 15 - 24 Hz range, then get a 15 Hz subsonic filter module with the unit when it is purchased. Otherwise, the stock filter module is fine.

    The separate crossover network is very good. The factory setting of 90 Hz is OK for many situations, and it appears this frequency is a standard for some consumer electronic equipment that contains crossovers. We connected the crossover to subwoofers and a pair of Krix Esoterix I Mark II full range speakers, driven by a Rotel RB985 power amplifier. When the bypass switch was used, all frequencies were sent to the Krix, or alternately, the Krix received only >90 Hz signals, and <90 Hz were sent to the subs. The crossover frequency is programmable with modules obtainable from AudioControl, or you can make them yourself (instructions in the well written manual). However, if you want a different crossover frequency, we would suggest that you simply order the module with the unit when you purchase it. With the Krix full range speakers and subwoofers we used it with, a crossover frequency of about 60 Hz would have been more suitable. Since the crossover network is separate from the subharmonic generation circuitry, to use both, one would need to ru low pass out jacks of the PCA3 to the main-ins of the PCA3, and the main-outs of the PCA3 to the powered subwoofers.

    In general, we feel that the subharmonic generation circuit is a nice "gadget", but the electronic programmable crossover network is much more useful and worth the three bills price just by itself. By connecting the outputs from the front left/right channel preamp to the PCA3 and then to the main amplifiers and speakers, using the crossover network, your left/right power amps will have to do less work (no power used at <90 Hz), and stereo subs (will become important with AC-3) can be utilized to drive the <90 Hz info. If you have good subs (capable of handling an intense 20 Hz), the subharmonic circuit can be revved up just for fun once in a while.

    John E. Johnson, Jr.

  5. i leave a 3 TB WD hard drive pluged in containing thousands of movies

     

     

    Last I checked you might could fit a little over 100 blu rays on a hard drive that size, not thousands of them. I guess you've got two different setups though  

     

     

     

    Depends on the file size , most Blu-rays are in the  20- 40GB range in their native format ( the balance of the space is used for alternative playlist with the mpls scambled ) That size can be preserved through Make MKV .

     

    That mkv file can be preserved or compressed through Handbrake to 3 -6 GB , all depends on how much space you want to give up to what movie ...  Preference would be given to action adeventure/ sci-fi  stuff over a disney movie  or  a  chick flick .

     

    I have several Hard drives , they are grouped into release date  months ,  some have tons of HBO and showtime stuff like Game of thrones and SOA , some have older movies not worth any more then 2 or 3Gb of space .

    • Like 1
  6. I have taken the time to assemble an impressive HT system Scrappydue , but i don't have a leg iron to klipsch .

     

    Mains are highly modified K-horns , center is a CF-7 , rears are K-horns ,  2 subs are ksw-300 & ksw 15

     

    Main amp is a Rotel RB -1090 (380WPC ) Center and rears handled by a Rotel RB-993 , Bass enhancement done with  pair of Audio control Phasedcoupled activators , monster cable handles the power conditioning and the Rotel RSP-985 sincs it all to life . The second channel of the RB-1090 run the second headset and a pair of Lowther drivers in the bass bin .

     

    That 1.5 " thick cable you see on the left side of the K-horn is monster cable ME2 @ $900.00 per speaker .

     

    This HT is one of 6 complete systems i currently run ...

     

     

     

    As for the privacy comment , once a disc is purchased you can do with it what you want , there is no law against making a back up copy ... 90% of Blu-rays now come in a combo pack that actually gives you a Digital copy for those who don't have the software to rip a Blu-ray .

     

    The law states you can't play or broadcast to the public .

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    • Like 1
  7.  

    PS : The gotta pay to play comment is the funniest thing i've ever read .. My Focals are worth more then your entire signature x2

     

    Now why would you come on here and make comments like that? It hurts your credibility with childish comments like that. Maybe go back and edit that part out????

     

     

     

    I don't need any credibility on the klipsch forum ... I've been on the forum  since day one under at least 4 different user names , every 5 or so years i drop back in only to find the forum revamped and my account gone . So i start over again and laugh at the comments directed towards whats preceived as a newbie

     

    Bought my first Klipsch in 1978 ... still have 2 pairs of k-horns , belles , LaScala's , Cornwalls and heresey , although most is relished to the garage or the cottage system  now .

     

     

    With smart tv being the norm in todays market place , pretty well all are equiped with USB ports , hence i leave a 3 TB WD hard drive pluged in containing thousands of movies which are basicly at my fingertips through a menu sort . No need to rifle through stacks of jewel cases .

     

    I said i don't buy them or rent them , did'nt say i don't copy their files

  8.  

    Who watchs Blu-rays any more ?

    It's equivilent to a VHS tape when dvd/ blu-ray is on the shelf.

    Digital is todays world ... even Red box is smart enough to see it coming , they just pulled out of canada

    The movie rental and purchasing world will soon come to an end

    Most all of us on this thread who want superior picture & sound to digital!!!

     

     

     

    LOL .... I remember coming to this forum almost 2 dacades ago and the same arguement was going on with LP's vs CD'S

     

     

    As for Srappydue's comments  : Blu-ray Disc (BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format, in that it is capable of storing high-definition video resolution (1080p).

     

    Hmmm ... That's sounds like digital to me

     

    I don't collect or rent Blu-rays or DVD'S ... learned the storage lesson back in the Beta and VHS era , much easier to store a wallet size 2TB hard drive containing hundreds of Digital Blu-ray rips then storing the jewel cases . Not to mention the ease of file sharing with friends

     

    PS : The gotta pay to play comment is the funniest thing i've ever read .. My Focals are worth more then your entire signature x2

  9. Who watchs Blu-rays any more ?

     

    It's equivilent to a VHS tape when dvd/ blu-ray is on the shelf.

     

    Digital is todays world ... even Red box is smart enough to see it coming , they just pulled out of canada

     

    The movie rental and purchasing world will soon come to an end

  10. Backlit over edge lit any day ... do the research

     

     

    What is the the only LED manufactured on American soil ?      Well for you klipsch patriots and flag waivers , the Vizio would be the home grown choice .

     

    Refresh rates between 120 and 240 hz ... The 60 Hz is crap  

     

    Siganl quality is " Everything "  with an LED , standard signal is going to suck , anything broadcast in HD will be awsome as well as Blu-Rays

     

    Samsung , sony , panasonic , LG  , etc etc etc etc your just paying for Brand recognition and their advertising budget .

     

    4G and Ultra HD are a waste of money right now ( no broadcast signal )

     

    As for Plasma ... it will be a thing of the past by this time next year  ( once again , do your reasearch  )

     

    60" Vizio LED smart tv  120HZ referesh rate can be found in the mid $700 range with 55" and 50 " even lower , shop around and look for sales or buy from Amazon .

     

    Dale

     

    PS : BTW , Tv's of todays age are throw away , don't expext to get any more then 3-5 years out of a set  ( biggest reason  Plasma is going Bye Bye )

    • Like 1
  11. The RB-1090 is Rotels only decent offering , I had 6 of them in my HT system at one time , now down to just a pair .

     

    Sold off a 1090 With a pair of Scala's , and another one with a gassed out set of k-horns and 2 more with some speaker lab clones .

     

    Picked up a dozen or so RB-1090's at auction from a freight claim ...

  12. We've had a pair of Nak PA-7's in the house ( years ago ) as well as CA-5 and CA-7'S .... Never had the CA-1

     

    Nak has never failed to impress ... ran K-horns , scala's,  Belles , and corns with the munster PA-7 toaster ovens and loved then to death :)

     

     

    Of cource that was back in the mid 80's ... times have changed since

     

    Replaced the PA-7'S with Classe Audio CA400 which i think in hind sight ( for the cost ) was a mistake

     

    Loved the nak gear back in the day :)

  13. Canada seems to be a good place for purchasing Cornwalls for decent bucks ....

     

    There is a pair  of Cornwall II on Kijiji Edmonton right now for $750.00 ... Another pair sold  last week for $500.00 and a few weeks before that ,  a pair sold for $425.00

     

    I bought a second pair a few years back and stole them for $300.00

     

    Cornwalls and Heresey's come up pretty often on Kijiji in Alberta , I bought a pair of Forte II not long ago for $100.00

     

    Good luck with your new find ....

     

     

     

  14. Hey .... love the replies , great to get perspectives from all directions

    I'm the last one who would ever sh#t on the klipsch parade or even denounce horns ... if anything i'm more like the klipsch poster child considering the shear volume of klipsch speakers if both owned and still have .

    I love taking a " me " day every now and again and hanging at the local high end audio stores ,  there is a  difference in speakers , just as there is in tables , cd players , phono stages and amps ..

    But , it's a whole lot more fun bringing it home and enjoying it :)

    Focals might seem pricey and therefore send some folk running , but i've spent = to or more money on a decoupled audio room then the scala's cost,  so it's all relative .

    As for racing ...... there is no replacement for displacement :)  Torque is the name of the game , high reving small blocks are fun but more fuel and more air means more power and more torque hence displaement rules ...  Never find a small block nitro methane dragster doing sub 5 seconds ... the monster displacement rules at the top of the food chain :)

  15. Erik and Mark seem to get my drift .... The hobby is about exploring options ( within your means )

    Your right, I got it but the problem for me was (within your means) and for the first time I feel I can stop looking.

    Congratulations on the boxing, looking great in the pics, that's a lot of work and sacrifice to be in shape like that. Just guessing, surely not from my personal experience. :D  

    Imagine if tomorrow you won a state lottery for say 50 million !!

    What would you do ?     Well ,  most likly you'd buy a new car , and then probably a new and bigger house ...

    So the coralation here is ... what was wrong with the car you had ?  seem to be serving you well at the time , same goes with your home ...

    So why the upgrade ?   Well , because your means change

    so when you build your new multi million dollar shack , whats in store for your new audio room

    Think about it ...

    If you had the means you would explore options that today are out of your reach ... i'd bet the farm on it

    You think Bill Gates drives a Chevy ? or has a old pair of heresy's kicking around ..... LOL

    Imagine your ultimate audio room and setup without any budget restraints ....  what would it look like ?

  16. I had some Focal separates in a boat a few years ago and they were the best sounding 6.5" and tweeter, "car style" speakers I had ever heard.  Before that, MB Quart was all that I ran, which also sound very good.  Each one even came with a very nice encased crossover too.  I bet their floor standers sound tiptop. It will be interesting to see if you enjoy them as much as your horns in the long run. 

    MB Quart ... now that brings back memories from the early 80's !!       Before my first set of 3 way quarts i ran " Cricket seperates  "  , now thats going back a ways .....

    Quarts was one of the first Car audio back then that ran a cross-over ... it was actually a small black box , leading edge stuff in 1981 or so

    Todays car audio in 2014  is 10,000 times more advanced then the 80's or late 70's , just as the focal home audio is 10,000 times what their mobile audio ever was ..

    Just to put it in perspective

  17. Erik and Mark seem to get my drift .... The hobby is about exploring options ( within your means )

    Case in point : I've drag raced for 30 years , in that time , my first car was a 14 second 1970 chevelle and over the decades 12 -15 others have came and gone till i found myself running low 9's about 150k later in a 66 pro- street malibu .

    Hobbies morf or they are no longer hobbies ... My first car was a 300 hp L-48 350 chevelle and now i run a dual qual 572 cu/in with direct injection NOS ..it's the hobby , it morfed and progressed !

    My Avatar is a pic of me winning a Golden gloves championship as a welterweight , i then went on to fight as a middle weight and then a light heavy weight ... Hobbiy morfed and progessed .

    I've been klipsch' ed to death over the years , but i've also owned 40 or 50 other brands of speakers as well over the years ...

    I buy and sell from alibaba.com and have even had concert line arrays in my house ! Now you wanna talk SPL .... been there done that :)

    Anyone who can't appriciate the Focals , Magico Q7, MBL 101 X-Treme , Wilson XLF , Raidho C4.1 or Lansche No.7 are really missing the entire point of having audio as a hobby .

    Naturaly , everyone has to play their game within their own means ...

    Pic's are me winning a national championship as a welterweight and then a week before my last fight as a light heavy weight ... hobby morf'ed just like the racing and just like the audio ...

    ( by this time my nose had been broken 5 times and right cheekbone crushed as you can see by the scaring and crooked nose )

    I was 123 wins 2 lost over my amatuer boxing in 3 different weight classes .. Broken my right hand 4 times, the doctor told me the next time i would loose feeling in my hand so i gave up my pro dream and took up being a mechanic and raising a family ...

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  18. The MWM's have much too large of a footprint for the room i have set aside for 2 Channel ( 24 x 24 with 10' ceiling )

    Jub's ... Dressed up K-horn's which i already have 2 pair , I've heard the jub's and to be honest they are a slight improvement over the k's i have slaved for years to improve . Network upgrades , driver upgrades , horn upgrades etc etc etc

    I'll still keep my 4 k-horns in my theater room as well as a center Belle and cornwall sides, but i'm ready to take the next step for 2-channel .

    My hoard of Lascala's have made thier way to my garage system ... not many rooms that will suport 6 of them .

    Now i'm thinking as soon as my teenagers move out of the house they can take the Lascala's with them and i'll move my 6 heresy into the garage instead . Atleast the mice can't get into the heresy to nest like they do with the driver bin of the Lascala's in the winter ..... LOL

  19. I've been poundering the prospect of a new " Bull " in the barn , so to speak ...

    Got a line on a pair of Focal Scala V2 Utopia for slighly less then a decent retail deal ( still the price of a large SUV )

    Buddy of mine has the Stella Utopia EM ( Just under 100K ) and they fricken rock ... I mean , this is a whole different Audio experiance !

    For years ( 30 to be exact ) i've toy'ed with every klipsch offering , but in the last 10 -15 years i've seen no " Next step " from klipsch and now find myself looking elsewhere for a new " Fix " ...

    Might be wrong .... but i think i'm gonna pull the trigger on these Focals for my 2 channel rig .

    • Like 1
  20. I use the GS6 cable to wire 5 way binding post on the lascala's as well ...

    It's tough to get a decent size cable onto the network or something that disconnects easy ... hence , you make your own

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  21. Here's the cables .... the inner one has zero shielding , the two outer cables have shielding and remain in the braided casing .

    I've made dozens of pairs for my buddies and no one has ever complained or had issue with them .

    BTW --- The black ends are shrink tubing not electrical tape

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  22. While I am a huge believer in the differences and improvements cables make in a system, that made me chuckle too........ :P

    Shakey

    Here's some food for thought ....

    Years ago we did a blind test with 4 different systems and 4 different inter-connects ... on the cheap and very very very expensive inter-connects

    suprising result , our homemade cables in a blind test sounded the same as my NBS Dragon fly's and cables costing twice the NBS price ( $250.00 a pair )

    Our Home made cables ---- Canare GS6 Guitar cable ( stripped out of it's multi jacket and braided ) The cable is 128 strand OFC , add to those some Cardas ends a tad bit of shrink tube and a few cents worth of solder and your in business .

    I think location and proximity to RF interference do play a role for some folks , hence well shielded cables would make a difference .

    I'll see if i can find a pic of our homemade cables to post ....

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