HII

This is in response to Edwardre. I agree with you that you must qualify someone's answer. However, to me, the content and quality of the answer says a whole lot more about the respondant than just general babble. I do enjoy some of the stories posted on this site like HRDRBLDER's stories of cabinet making at Klipsch and the "audio related" topics. But I do not visit this site to read peoples opinions on, say..., the middle east situation. There are ample chat rooms available elsewhere on the interenet for this type of converation. Again, my post was not a personal attack on any one individual. I found this forum to be quite refereshing in that the content was very informative, had knowledgable members and related specifically to audio (and obviously Klipsch products) of which most members, including myself, here are very passionate about. I find that there is enough crap on the interent to drive someone crazy. To research something you have to weed through a bunch of garbage to get what you are looking for. It was a revelation to me to find sites like Audioreview.com and, of course, this forum, that dealt specifically with audio topics of interest to me and provide many sources of information and reference. To refer to my original post, I am just dissappointed that this forum appears to have gotten off topic, with an increasing amount of "chat line" type threads. Some of you obviously enjoy this. Just look at some of the posts on this thread. Kind of proves my point. I am not saying that this is wrong. I do not have hours upon hours to chat to people on the internet, further more, it does not appeal to me. I would rather spend my time with my family and children. But when I do need to research something, I use the internet, and this site to gather information. I will continue to use this site for reference, and to ask questions to some of the very knowledgable members of this forum that relate to my audio needs. And I appreciate there advice and opimions very much. Again, I do not mean to offend anyone. I am just dissappointed with recent content on this site. And, by the way, I can spell - I just choose not to have to proof read everything I write here, nor have a dictionary by my side. And I do not have an attitude, I am just stating my opinion and making an observation. Some members agree with me, obviously others do not.

Audioholic: I guess that is just it. I do not have time nor even any remote interest in chat lines. My interest is purely in obtaining information relating to improving my stereo system, for which I beleived that this forum was intended for. My post was not a personal attack on any individual or topic. For some reason I get the feeling that HDBRbuilder feels that my post was a personal attack on him. Far from the truth. My post was an observation that, in my opinion (and obviously others) that the content of this site has changed. I do not post much but I enjoyed reading posts relating to 2-channel stereo topics. These posts helped, and influenced, my stereo purchasing decisions. From this forum I learned about products that I had never even seen or heard about before. The tube amplification discussions were very interesting and helpfull. Maybe it is just the time of year where stereo equipment is not the first thing on peolple's minds, or, maybe this is turning more into a chat line. I guess I will look forward to the fall. Whatever happened to Mobile Homeless and the like?

Nobody peed in my Cheerios. I am just dissappointed in the recent content in this site. Again, I dont mean to be sinicle, but 2 chammel audio does not seem to be the thrust of this "2 channel audio" forum anymore. I rekindled my passion for obtaining the perfect sound out of my stereo system when I first discovered this forum. As a result of research, questions and recomendations by former members of this site I purchased my first tube amps (Laurel IIX 300B) and am in the process of building them. Unfortunately the people that shared (initiated) my interest and passion for audio equipment seem to have left this forum and the majority of new members seem to be more interested in "chatting". Sorry. I am just dissappointed.

What has happened here. All of the good technical people must have been scared away (or bored away) from this site due to all of this personal blah blah blah! It is nice that all of you "get along so well" and have so many "nice stories to tell" but aren't there thousands of Chat Lines out there for this type of thing. I come to the two channel audio page for technical information. To get answers from qualified people on technical questions. This page also used to provide ample reviews and experiments on new/old and interesting audio products. In addition to a lot of good advice. I am sorry to be sinicle but the content on this page has drastically degraded. What ever happened to 2 Channel Audio? HII

Mobile: FYI, my Laurel's will be shipped with the following: Main cap: Elna Cerafines Rectifier: Softec Resistors: Allen Bradley The Caddock resistors are a $ 40 option. The Mullard rectifier is also an upgrade. Should I try to change the rectifier or the resisitors? HII

I will check on the Caddock resisitors and Elna Cerafines. In regards to the Ultimate upgrade, if I were to later install the Black Gate and remaining Jensen copper in oils, the only thing I would be missing from the Ultimate Upgrade package are the precision machined Teflon tube sockets and NOS tubes. I could replace the tubes at some point but I think that upgrading the tube sockets would not be worth the effort. I have no idea what improvements the tube sockets would make. HII

By the way, I am not looking for earth shattering, rafter breaking, window shattering volume. I just wanted to make sure that they would at least go louder than my TV. Well, maybe a bit louder. I live on a golf course so cranking it to insane levels would be inappropriate anyway. I just like to be able to listen and feel the music at a reasonable volume, whether its Saragh McLaughlin, Jesse Cook, classical and, yes, even U2. There is a certain volume, to me, at which the music, the instruments and vocals start to come alive and sound real - like the snap of a snare drum and the resonance (for lack of a better word) of an acoustic guitar. To me a certain volume needs to reached to hear these subtleties, at least on my current SS system. Maybe because I have never experienced SETs before. Anyway, after talking to Ron Welborne, volume is no longer a concern to me. I now can't wait for the SET experience. HII

Thanks for your input Randy. I actually took the plunge and bought the Laurel IIX yesterday on Welborne's sale they are having now. I at first experienced buyers remourse as I did not anticipate spending this much $$$ but now I am excited as hell to build them and hook them up. They sure look like gorgeous amps, more like a fine piece of furniture - I can't wait. I actually spoke with Ron Welborne yesterday to confirm my order and, after talking with him and asking a few questions, I have no doubt in my mind that I have made the right decision. I unfortunatley could not afford the Ultimate upgrade. Do you know how significant the improvement is on the Laurels with the upgrades? If so, what differences have you noticed. I may at some point upgrade to the Blackgates and Jensen caps. FYI I ordered mine with Allen Bradley resistors and Jensen Caps as recommended by Ron Welborne for horn speakers. If this is a mistake someone please let me know as I can probably change the order to Hovlands/Holcos as my order will not get shipped until probably next week. My Heresies FYI are 96db which is plenty efficient according to Ron Wleborne. I like the Creek preamp idea as, for one thing, it is cheap and sounds like it does not influence the sound from the CD player to the amps. I have demo'd the Rega Plant. The sound was very good and musical but I thought it lacked a little bit in detail - slightly rolled off highs? I demo'd it using a Passion Audio I10 35w push pull amp, however, which probably contributed to this. I would appreciate your comments on this. Thanks for your feedback. HII

My main reason for opting for the Laurels over the Moondogs is to ensure that I have the headroom for occassional party level volumes without worryimg about clipping. I understand all of the variables affecting the decision making process. I do listen to rock music and this is a consideration too( Nothing like Ozzy however - I prefer bands like the Tragically Hip, U2, etc.). I also beleive that to truly get the full effect of music is to listen to it at descent volumes. My objective here is to get the best sounding SET experience, with the best quality parts, with as few limitations as possible, and I want my system to sound equally as good on all types of music. Again, with the fact that it is impossible to audition these things. Maybe the Moondogs would be the better choice, after all they are cheaper and the tubes as well. Either way I could not afford the Ultimate upgrade at this time. I trust mobiles advice as he appears to be truly passionate about music and has spent the time, and money, searching out the "holy grails". Ideally I would audition both the Moondog and Laurels, but this is not possible. My next purcases will be the Rega Planet CD player and possibly the Creek OBH-12 preamp to go with my Hersey II's.

The sale is what finalized my deceision. They are now within my budget.

After hours of research, reading threads and reviewing my budget, I have finally decided to purchase the Welborne Laurel IIX 300B amps to use with my Heresy II's. All of the posts I have read have significantly influenced my decision. I would like to know which caps (Hovlands or Jensen) and which resistors (Allen Bradley or Holco) to order with the units. Unfortunatley at this time I cannot afford the Ultimate Upgrade. Let me know if I am making a mistake buying the stock units. This is definatley more money than I wanted to spend on my first tube purchase but all this reading has got me all excited. I have a few quesions for the experts out there: 1. Are these difficult to build? 2. Are the transformers (Electraprint)as good as - say - Magnaquests? 3. Does the Ulitmate Upgrade provide drastic or subtle improvements. 3. I assume that all of the parts are of very high quality. I am concerned that you pay a premium for cosmetics (as compared to the Bottlehead products) as these amps are stunning to look at. 4. Which pre-amp would be the best match for the Laurels: Foreplay - with all of the upgrades Creek OBH-12 AES PH-1 I am very limited in price range as a result of the decision to purchase the Laurels. 5. Can the Laurels be used without a preamp? i.e. CD direct as a short term measure? I was originally considering the Bottlehead Paramours (price) then the Welborne Moondogs (better parts? and nicer looking) but the additional 4.5 watts with the Laurels gives me a level of comfort to make sure that I will be satisified with the higher volumes and bass reponse. SORRY FOR THE LONG POST - I am am very excited to finally enter the world of SET amplification but am also nervous about spending a good sum of money on something that I have never heard and have no idea what it will sound like. I am one who always likes to audition things before I buy. Thanks for your help. HII

Great review mobile!! This amp, in addition to the Bottlehead Paramours, was an amp that I was also considering for my Heresy II's. Given that the Paramours are an entry level SET (and in the same price range as the Monarchy), would the Monarchy be a better choice than the Paramours or do even entry level tube amps prevail over the better SS amps, such as the Monarchy Audio? HII

Barista: Check out www.fineaudio.net. This is a local store near where I live that carries the Passion Audio line. With your hefty American $, the exchange rate should make this unit really cheap. Again, I am still interested in the Paramours. A question that I have for Mobile is, keeping in mind that the bass response will probably be inferior to something like the Passion Audio I10, will the sound quality and musical ability of the Paramours be far superior to the I10? Furthermore, if I were, at some point, to upgrade the Paramours transformers to Magnequest (or something equivalent), will the bass response of the Paramours improve substantially? Again, I do not require that booming bass, but prefer quality midrange, highs and defined realistic bass so that all the bass notes are punchy, clear and well defined. I have inherent bass limitations with my Heresies as they only go down to 50hz. With this in mind, I already am satisfied with the bass of the Heresies, and just as long as the Paramours provide equivalent bass (and better sounding)to my 35w solid state amp, I am sure that I would be very happy with the Paramours. HII.

Barista: I am going to audition a Passion Audio I10 integrated tube amp next weekend with my Heresies. I beleive this amp is a direct relation to the AQ1003 (Same manufacturer and same parts). I am still interested in the Paramours though, as the SET amps seem to be very highly regarded here. The Paramour/Foreply combination appears to be very good value and all of the responses here are very positive on the these amps and preamp. I too am concerned about the bass response and louder volumes, however, Mobile does not think that this should be a problem and he seems to be very knowledgable with SET amps. The problem is you just can't audition these amps, nor return them as they come in kits. HII

I agree with you on the Heresies Mobile. I have never found that the bass is seriously lacking. Sure, they do not produce that rumbling, window shattering bass, but for 2 channel audio, the bass is very satisfactory. I especially enjoy how realistic drum snares sound with these speakers. On some tracks the snare sounds like it is absoulutely live! I also have never been impressed with that "car stereo bass thumping" anyway. I like bass to sound real and my preference is to have great overall musicality throughout the lows, mids and highs. In regards to my music preferences, I like all types of music: Classical, female vocals (i.e. Saragh McLaughlin), Accoustic guitar (i.e. Jessie Cook), Rock (all kinds), and am just starting to get in to some jazz music ( i.e. Diana Krall)