triceratops

Good News! I got a response from the Naks website and was referred to a link to downloading a Dragon manual: http://members.lycos.nl/audiofriends/manuals/Nakamichi%20Dragon.pdf I'm up and running now! Thanks to all for the help! Best in horns, triceratops

jt1stcav and Trey-- Thanks for your replies! I bought the unit from the original owner's son and he found the box, but the manual is still AWOL. jt1stcav, do you think the meters are set for a typical recording level like 0 dB when adjusting these bias and level controls? I'll try artto and see if he might have a copy and will also drop a line to soundtowne. Thanks again! Best in horns, triceratops

I picked up a used Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck with no manual. Can anyone offer any insight into how I go about setting the bank of 12 level and bias controls on the front panel? Anyone have a PDF of the owner's manual? Thanks for any and all help! Best in horns, triceratops

I really do need to have my HEAD examined, because I went ahead and bought these Belles. Some may remember that I had just sold my cosmetically beautiful, sonically spectacular 1977 Belles to Paul Parrot a couple of months ago. Not surprisingly, I instantly regretted selling those '77 Belles. I resolved to use Heresys in their place because I still have my 1960 Klipschorns waiting in the wings to go into a new room that is not yet built. Since the Khorns don't yet fit anywhere in the house, they are not even hooked up! Although I like the Heresys--I couldn't resist the prospect of getting back to something bigger sounding. The newly acquired 1975 Belles barely fit in the living room, and the space is certainly not ideal for them. They sound excellent, although cosmetically they will definitely need some work. There is lots of damaged (and missing) edge veneer on both cabinets. For the guitarists out there, I would compare these Belles to a vintage guitar with no structural cracks but with sections of disintegrated and missing binding. Definitely fixable, but it will take some work. The members who responded to this thread thought the crossovers were modified with changed caps, and they were right, as usual (see the photo in earlier post). I know that Bob Crites can fix the crossovers, although any further investment in these speakers will have to wait a few months for my wallet to recover. djk has suggested that oil-filled DC bathtubs is what the original caps would have been. My question is are these exact caps still available anywhere these days? djk--did you receive any of my emails? I sent them via the Forum message forwarding feature, which I know doesn't always work. Please drop me a note if you can--my new email is thepieboy@comcast.net If anyone else has any other suggestions, ideas, etc I'd love to hear them. I'm also taking suggestions for a good psychoanalyst in Oregon for Klipschomaniacs! Best in horns, triceratops

I'm waiting for someone to hijack this thread by bringing up Texas Hot Dogs! Hey Gary, have you ever been to Curtis' Coney Island Weiners in Cumberland, MD? I just ate and I'm already getting hungry, triceratops

m00n and Jon-- Regarding Philly cheesesteaks in Portland, Oregon--I wasn't that impressed w/ the restaurant "Philadelphia's" when I stopped there a couple years ago. Although I think they had just opened, and they do get extra points for stocking Tastycake Cakes and Pies! In Portland check out "Tributes" up in Nob Hill (it used to be called "Richie B's" but Richie and the owner apparently had a falling out). In my opinion Tributes has the steak roll down real well for a west coast shop (and steak lovers know the roll has got to be right). I did spend most of the first 40 years of my life in the Philly area. Went to public school in the western 'burbs and then Temple and Penn in Philly later on. I ate a metric ton of steaks, a lot of it from lunch trucks and late night haunts like Larry's "Home of the Belly-filler!" I won't jump into the Pat's vs whomever fray, but I will say that if any of you Philly guys are ever out in the western suburbs (out near Valley Forge) check out the steaks at John's in Frazer. I ate there after they first opened in about '68 or '69 and for quite a few years afterward. That place was always great and I think it is still going! Best in horns and cheesesteaks, triceratops They call them "steak and cheese" in Boston!

3dzapper--thanks for posting the photo. John--thanks for the parts references. Bob--thanks for your efforts on making replacement parts available for vintage heritage speakers. I'll drop you an email for more info. I greatly appreciate all the help! Best in horns, triceratops

Thanks for your reply Al, and sorry about the poor quality of the photo. I have a shot of the other crossover of the pair but it is also poor quality. Does anyone know if all the Heritage of this era (1975) used oil-filled caps? Also if anyone on the forum can make the photo pop up automatically that would be great. Can anyone can spot any changes to the crossover in addition to the caps? Is there still a source for the oval-shaped oil-filled caps that I have seen on other crossovers of this vintage? Thanks in advance, triceratops

Attached is a crossover photo from a 1975 Belle Klipsch (N serial code). Note the capacitors. The owner believes the crossover to be stock. Can any of the local experts weigh in on this? Thanks for any help in advance. Best in horns, triceratops

Hi GFH and others, The KG-4's were sold locally. Thanks for your interest. Best in Horns, triceratops

Forum regulars have seen me gradually pare my collection down to nearly nothing to pay for my 1960 Khorns. Four pairs of Cornwalls, a pair of Heresys, a pair of Belles, and now the 1986 KG-4's are just about all that is left (besides a single 1963 Model H, but that's another story). So here we go again. Selling my KG-4s walnut oil, exceptionally clean cabinets--no noticeable blems or scratches at all. These look and sound great--somewhat similar IMHO to the size, dynamics, and efficiency of Heresys. I do not have the boxes and would love to not have to box and ship these. Anyone in the Northwest corridor from Ashland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington interested? I would sell them for $300 if I don't have to box and ship them! I could possibly deliver within some of the area described. If there is interest I will post photos... Best in horns, triceratops

Kelly and others, I was checking out a local individual's Pioneer PD-65 Elite CDP last week. It looked good but it wasn't set up to play and I had to leave before listening. Hoping to go back this week and check it out more thoroughly, but there will be so many other variables--different amp, speakers, room, etc. I won't be able to tell much other than if it works ok. I've heard the transports on the PD-65's are great but the digital electronics are only good. Do you think it would be any sonic improvement over my Sony CDP-XA1ES (Sony entry level ES unit retailing for about $350)? I can get the Pioneer for about $225 and it looks real clean, and has the remote and manual. Thanks for any and all advice, triceratops

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience comparing the older Rat Shack analog unit with the newer digital one? Is the Rives Audio Test CD 2 compatible with the digital unit? Best in horns, triceratops

Sheltie Dave, I like the perspective of reducing the background noise in the listening room. My plan is to finish off our garage as a listening room for the Khorns. Any suggestions for information sources about what type of insulation, drywall, etc would be most appropriate from a sound-proofing point of view? Thanks for any and all suggestions. Best in horns, triceratops

Dr. Who's intuition is right on the money according to medical studies. When I was in college in the 1970's I did a paper on "Noise-induced Hearing Loss" for a course in acoustics at the Physics dept of Temple University. Read a lot of journals on Oto-Rhino-Laryngology (ear-nose-and throat for non-latin speakers). What follows is all from memory (the paper is long gone) so please don't bust my chops if I get some details wrong. In the studies researchers noted that some types of environmental noise like subway trains, jack-hammers, airplanes, etc. caused hearing damage that actually tore off pieces of the tissue that support the sensory hairs inside the cochlea, where hearing is perceived. That was as expected, and the degree of trauma was proportional to hearing loss. What puzzled the researchers was that some people where subjected to louder sounds without damage, or with considerably less damage than expected at very loud rock concerts. They eventually corroborated these findings on many subjects, and were convinced that loud music caused less pain and less damage than loud noise. The question was why? The theory goes like this: the stapes are a series of small bones that connect the eardum to the cochlea. These bones are descriptively named the anvil, hammer, and stirrup. These bones have small muscles that keep them in connected with each other and with the eardrum and cochlea. When we hear a loud or unpleasant sound we reflexively tighten these muscles. This increases the conduction of vibration through the stapes because now they are more tightly connected. Better conduction with loud noises causes more damage. What is the purpose of this mechanism? Presumably it was developed to increase hearing acuity in times of stress--listening for a predator, stalking prey, avoiding an enemy, etc. This is why rock music doesn't always cause similar damage at higher levels. The listener is enjoying the loud music, and is not stressed by it so the muscles on the stapes are looser, and less efficient at passing on damaging vibrations. So you can imagine, if you hate loud rock music it probably will damage your hearing with the same efficiency as a jack-hammer. Also if you are exposed to unexpected loud noises in your environment and you're not wearing hearing protection, you'll be less likely to have damage if you just relax (and cover your ears if possible!) Finally, be alert for the sensation of hearing damage--a ticklish sensation in the inner ear which means the sensory hairs in the cochlea are being shredded. Move away quickly. If you think it is too loud it really is too loud--regardless of what the meter says. Dean--I never could keep a plain G in tune, even before I trashed my ears! Best in horns, triceratops

I hate to get into the middle of this discussion--for fear of winding up in the line of fire! In reading this post, I'm just wondering if maybe these various conflicting viewpoints could ALL be right. Here's a quick anecdote. When I went to the Valve State of the Art Conference (VSAC) in Washington last Fall, there were lots SET amps and the conference prohibited solid state amps in the listening rooms--it is a Valve (anglo for tube) conference, after all! But there was an important caveat--no solid state EXCEPT for powering subs. Much of the glorious low-wattage SET sound that I heard in the listening rooms had some power fortification. The mid horns (Orvis, Edgard, etc) were often powered by SET or modestly-powered tube gear, but the horn-loaded bass bins right under them often had big heat sinks hanging out the back, attached to big-power solid-state amps. I don't call flanking horn-loaded bass bins "sub-woofers"--I just call them "woofers." It seems that even the most ardent SET supporters see a place for higher powered amps, and even see a place for solid state--right in the middle of their state of the art systems. It really got me thinking that there is merit in the many different views espoused here. Hope I didn't step on any toes! Best in horns, triceratops

Smilin' I think some folks are confused about which Cornwalls you have. The ones you bought off Ebay with the vertical horns (as I recall) are 1970's Cornwall II. On this vintage the "II" is a diagrammatic representation of the squawker and tweeter mounted in vertical position. This model used the traditional K-77 tweeter (EV T-35)which was rear mounted on the motorboard. After 1985, the later Cornwall II was produced, which used the different K-79 tweeter which was front-mounted on the motorboard. That's why some are saying that your speakers use a different tweeter. It's a shame that the company apparently forgot that the Cornwall II nomenclature had been used years before and used it again in the 1980's. It always causes confusion. Best in horns, triceratops

Thanks for the tip, Bob. By the way, what would be a likely reading on a VOM for a 16 ohm K-77 voice coil? Best in horns, triceratops

One other thing--the Forward Air bill with insurance was $192 for Portland, OR to Columbus, OH, whereas BAX Global wanted $375. I don't know if this is representative, but Forward Air still seems to be the best deal around. Plus as you know, BAX has to be arranged through a business. Best regards, triceratops

Hi Ki, Good Advice from Sheltie Dave (as usual). I had the Belles crated for paulparrot at a private crating shop. I think Maryland should have quite a few of these, what with Baltimore being an old port town. Look under "packaging" in the yellow pages on line and you'll find some craters and packagers listed in the area of the speakers. Call at least half a dozen to get a range of prices and services. You should have the dimensions and weights of the Khorns on hand to get an estimate. You could even Email the crate shop with the photos that Paul took of the crate for the Belles to give them an idea of the type of protection you are looking for. Hopefully you'll find a crater who understands the type of item you are trying to ship. You may be able to pay the crater to pick up the Khorns, crate them and deliver to Forward Air. Then the buyer would only have to drive to Forward Air and fill out the shipping document and pay for the shipping. That's a more reasonable effort for many folks who can't pack something like this for you. Good luck and let us know how it turns out! Best regards, triceratops

J.4knee, audio_kid, itsmyforte, and djk, Thank you all for your insights and suggestions. I had heard good things about the Hakko before from a local parts shop. There is also a discussion of soldering stations on a ham radio bulletin board that praises the Hakko. They also say some good things about the Weller WES51, but they seem most committed to the Hakko 936. I think the price difference would be about $30. Best regards, triceratops

Paul, The whole set-up looks great! Thanks for taking and posting all the photos--it was really cool to see those speakers in their new home. By the way, I sent out the removed logo and paperwork on Tuesday, so you will probably receive that stuff around the end of the week. Best in horns, triceratops

Tom, Thanks for the offer. Have you measured the resistance of the individual drivers in you 1960 khorns with a VOM? Just curious if you think they are 8 or 16 ohm drivers? Best, triceratops

Correction to my previous post--that should be $1.00 per $100 insurance on Forward Air, not 10 cents per $100. Sorry, it's been a long day! Best, triceratops

I had to work today and just got home--great to see the Belles made it to Paul's pad safe and sound. The crate was built by Dick Gates of Gateway Crating and Packaging in Portland, Oregon. I think he did a great job and I would recommend his services without hesitation to anyone in the Portland area. We talked about the crate that m00n used for his Belles, but DG added his own suggestions for building this crate. It was really substantial with full 1 x 4" framing all around over 1/2" plywood. The only bad thing was the serious weight as Paul noted. Glad to hear there were no hernias in Ohio--been there myself and it's no fun! Thanks to Paul for being a total pleasure to work with on this transaction. Hard to believe these things were in Oregon on Friday. Some folks might be interested in shipping costs--the total cost for shipping was: $200 for crate and crate delivery to Forward Air $162.27 for Forward Air Portland, OR to Columbus, OH $30 for $3000 worth of insurance on Forward Air (10 cents per $100) Grand total for shipping $392.27 Yeah, we probably could have done it for less, but we wanted to make the transport as low risk as possible. I think it was worth it! Best in horns, triceratops