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triceratops

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Everything posted by triceratops

  1. Hi Escher, Welcome to the forum--this is a great place! Some will suggest you give the La Scalas a listen in their stock form for a few weeks (or months) before making mods. That is unless you have already heard them and feel the immediate need for improvement. I am not doubting the benefit of the mods suggested, I am just saying it's helpful for aural education and will give you an appreciation for any upgrades you've made. The cabinets actually look pretty good in the photos you posted. There is plenty of info on here about refinishing, but please make note of this: the birch veneer in the low-void baltic birch plywood on your cabinets is very thin. You can see just how thin by looking closely at one of the unfinished edges. So when you are sanding use a sanding block by hand, not a power sander. Start off with fairly fine paper and go very slow, being careful not to round off the edges. The Heritage (Khorn, Cornwall, etc) cabinets with fancier veneers (walnut, mahogany, etc) have fewer plys and a thicker veneer, so some sanding advice given on the forum for those may not be relevant to your cabinets. The 9-ply (or 7?) material in your cabinets may be more rigid than the 5-ply lumber-core material used for the fancy veneers. It is best to take all the components out of the cabinets before sanding and refinishing. The trap door on the bottom allows you to access the woofer in the dog house. There is stick on gasket material that seals the trap door, which you may need to replace if it gets damaged when you pop the door. The badge you are missing used to be available from Klipsch until a few years ago when they ran out. You will likely be able to pick one up here if you post a request in garage sale, or keep a lookout on ePay. Your LaScalas are a great score and the ones you snagged are very desirable in terms of components and crossovers. The LaScalas have a large mid-horn like the Khorn that covers a bigger chunk of the music than Klipsch speakers with smaller mid-horns do. This is the frequency range that contains most solo instruments and the human voice, so it is a critical range for musical information and provides very life-like reproduction. Tighten all the screws in the crossovers and individually listen to each driver to make sure they are working (a cardboard roll from paper towels will help focus the sound--but keep the volume low so you don't damage your ears). Have fun with your new speakers and keep us posted on your progress. It's helpful if you can continue to take photos to document your work as you refurbish your speakers. Best, triceratops
  2. The VM stuff was made in Benton Harbor, Michigan and I think most of their business was in manufacturing private label record changer mechanisms for other manufacturers' consoles and record players. I have several of their integrated amps, some with 6AQ5s and some with 6BQ5s. Unfortunately they are not a good match for Klipsch products because they have a non-defeatable Sprague loudness compensation circuit wired into the "tone-o-matic" volume control. That means the bass is bumped up at low power levels, but because Klipsch speakers are so efficient this results in the bass being boosted excessively at normal listening levels. As a result, the sound becomes very boomy and muddy. I suppose you could remove this circuit, but you'd probably have to design something else to take it's place to get a reasonably flat response. Ignore the above if the receiver you are looking at doesn't have this feature, but if it does you'd likely be better off with the HK.
  3. Nice tip, Colin! I immediately saw a review of an Allan Holdsworth concert a few months ago in Portland that I missed and will be kicking myself for a while over it.
  4. The best thing about a Mercury is you can crank up the "Mercury Blues" while you're driving: Well if I had money Tell you what I'd do I'd go downtown and buy a Mercury or two Crazy bout a Mercury Lord I'm crazy bout a Mercury I'm gonna buy me a Mercury And cruise it up and down the road Well the girl I love I stole her from a friend He got lucky, stole her back again She heard he had a Mercury Lord she's crazy bout a Mercury I'm gonna buy me a Mercury And cruise it up and down the road Well hey now mama You look so fine ridin round in your Mercury 49 Crazy bout a Mercury lord I'm crazy bout a Mercury I'm gonna buy me a Mercury And cruise it up and down the road Well my baby went out She didn't stay long Bought herself a Mercury, come a cruisin home She's crazy bout a Mercury Yeah she's crazy bout a Mercury And cruise it up and down the road Well if I had money I tell you what I'd do I'd go downtown and buy me a Mercury or two Crazy bout a Mercury I'm gonna buy me a Mercury And cruise it up and down the road
  5. It seems the remotes are often lost--I guess a universal remote could probably be used. I always ask about those things because I think it offers some insight into how careful the seller is with equipment. It's certainly not a deal breaker, but I would look the unit over carefully, making sure there are no missing or burred screws or other signs of abuse. I also look for service stickers to see if there have been reliabilty problems in the past. Hope it works out. I would sell the Pioneer speakers locally on Craigs List to reduce the cost of the receiver. Some people love the Pioneer and Sansui speakers from that era (which likely came from a PX), but I think they are mostly nostalgia items for folks who were in military service during the 60's-70's.
  6. Bill, I have a R-117 receiver, the next model up. It is a great sounding unit and plays clean at low power so it works great with Klipsch. Does the one you are looking at have the remote, box, and/or manual? I would jump on it if everything is good. Let me know how it works out. triceratops
  7. Good points all, Blvdre. I'll follow your suggestion on the talc--it's good for keeping bicycle inner tubes from bunching up, too!
  8. Nice post, Ace. I have come to the same conclusion--the audio and music gear I have bought over the years still brings me joy and has some intrinsic value. My 401K has lost half its value and only reminds me I'll never be able to retire. I'll go out jamming, as Michael said. triceratops
  9. Don't forget "Best in Show" or "Waiting for Guffman" -- both are great. But "Spinal Tap" well, it's in a class by itself. "How much more black could it be? None...none more black." Thanks for the clip, Gilbert! triceratops
  10. First I'd like to express my appreciation to Neil for the way he is handling this sale. I think it is the best way to get a good home for the speakers and a fair price for the seller. Secondly, in response to JL Sargent, eBay has a larger audience of people trading in Klipsch products, but you'd be hard pressed to convince me that there are more knowledgable ones. The folks who know a lot about Klipsch typically know about this Forum (same for JBL, Maggie, and other special interest groups). Counter to prevailing wisdom, I don't think that eBay determines the true market value of items. There are plenty of examples where the outcome of an eBay auction doesn't make any sense at all. I'm not a statistician, but I know that the sample size is not large enough on vintage items, and there are too many variables in location, condition, feedback, description, photos, ending time, etc. to determine an established value from a handful of auction results. In fact, I get my boxer shorts in a bunch when someone will find a single auction result on eBay and use that as the undisputed value of their item--you see this on Craig's List all the time. It is refreshing not to see it here. Back to the speakers--the first generation of the T-35 was narrower than the one we are all so familiar with in later Khorns. Ironically, it is still labelled T-35 but looks different (two screw holes like the University tweeter instead of four). The T-35 in the picture is a later addition for sure. This is a beautful pair of Klipschorns with a cool history. I hope someone here gets them. Nice to see so many folks commenting on these. triceratops
  11. Thanks Coytee, I never thought about it much before, but there is something very cool about the front end of the bass horn being so visible on the La Scala. The top of the doghouse looks like the prow of a ship coming right at ya--sailing on the waves of clear and dynamic sound!
  12. Thanks, Michael! Yeah, I'm happy the finish mismatch isn't too noticeable with everything set up. The turntable is a 1978 Technics SL-1000 MKII, which is a SP-10 MKII (direct-drive broadcast-type turntable) in a consumer package with an obsidian stone base and fluid-damped tonearm. I also have a cool old Thorens 124 that Fini helped me get, but I still have some work to do on it. triceratops
  13. Hey dtel, Yeah that was fun being at Hope and hearing one of the early sets of La Scala II's in the listening room. I think that was 2006, wasn't it? As good as the La Scala II's sound, you can really feel how substantial they are when you move them--the two-piece cabinet weighs like 175 lbs! I like the aesthetics of the thicker sides, too. triceratops
  14. Some of you may remember the following post for some B-stock La Scala II's on eBay direct from Klipsch early in March (thanks, Bill!): http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/116733/1177192.aspx#1177192 If not for the Forum I wouldn't have seen the auction. I was not looking for another pair of Klipsch speakers. However I had just encouraged a friend to get a new set of La Scala II's and had helped him set them up a few weeks earlier. So I was reminded of just how good the new La Scala's sound, and really hoped to get a pair myself. The timing was not great for me. But I rationalized that since these La Scala II's are B-stock--the top and the bottom finishes do not match to Klipsch standards--I might get a deal too good to pass up. And I did--I won the auction, and the total cost was $2658 delivered. They sound incredible with the Welborne 300B set amps, and I'm looking forward to driving them with some bigger amps in the weeks ahead! These blow away every other set of speakers I have, so thanks again to the Forum and to Klipsch for helping me get these beauties! Even Gus (our dog in the lower right hand corner) enjoys listening to them...
  15. From the photos it looks like a beautiful job on the chassis transfer, Scott. Must have been a fair number of hours to make that change! triceratops
  16. Comparing the following two auctions for McIntosh MC240's, the reproduction chassis in one didn't seem to hurt the market value. 1. Nice clean original MC240 with cage went for $1526 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190295743868&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38%26_nkw%3D190295743868%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1 2. Rebuilt MC240 with a reproduction chassis went for $2292 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190295759728&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38%26_nkw%3D190295759728%2B%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1 The work in the second unit was done by Audio Classics, an outfit that has pretty good credibility. triceratops
  17. A worthwhile goal, and as I said I do appreciate your posts on the latest eBay prices. The LaScala's in question have alnico K55Vs, ceramic K77Ms, metal horns, and AA crossovers. But I went back and looked at the auction in more detail, and they are a really nice pair, with factory grills and factory stained and lacquered cabinets in excellent condition. So my remark about them being "perfectly ordinary" was not accurate. That's probably why they brought some extra dough.
  18. speakerfritz - Thanks for your efforts on cataloging eBay pricing. It is truly a public service and it's always fun to check out these posts. That said, I'm going to dispute the headline on this thread. Is the price really falling through the floor? If so, how did a perfectly ordinary pair in this group sell for $1425? I'm not a statistician, but I would like to play devil's advocate for a moment. I don't think a small cluster of low-priced eBay auctions is representative of the going price of LaScalas any more than a small cluster of high-priced ones, or even the average of the two groups. Why? Because there are so many variables in each of these auctions: condition, originality, location, description, photo quality, shipping arrangements, credibility of the seller, payment options, closing time and day, etc which all can greatly influence the sale price. As a result, it is very difficult to identify a trend with any certainty. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course. I'm just saying I'm not convinced. In general, are many people holding off on discretionary purchases? Absolutely. Are lots of people selling their stuff right now because they are hurting financially? No question. Do big vintage speakers have a limited audience? Yup. However there is some contrary evidence about retro audio gear dropping in value. I was in a used audio store and repair shop in Portland yesterday and asked about bringing in some high-end speakers to sell (not Klipsch). The owner encouraged me to do so and told me that his business is booming. I asked why, and he said he thinks more people are staying home instead of going out because of the economy. As a result some folks are buying decent used gear to keep themselves entertained, or getting stuff that needs repair fixed up. I heard similar observations a few weeks ago from a shop in Eugene. Certainly two store owners putting on a brave face during a recession proves even less than a bunch of auction results, but it is an interesting observation. I personally think it is a great time to buy equipment. Not necessarily because the prices are all that low, but because rare and beautiful stuff is coming out of the woodwork like I've never seen before. Am I engaging in wishful thinking about gear prices because I don't want to accept that my cherished speakers are worth less than a year ago? Possibly, but I'll deny it until the economy turns around! triceratops
  19. George, I'd say that was a fine purchase--no foot bandaging required! Just the used drivers and crossovers would cost about $1200 on eBay, and this is an original set (not a bunch of cobbed-together parts from various sources) mounted in cabinets with grilles that look to be in excellent shape. Like with the Heritage Klipsch stuff, you really can't lose if you buy gear like this at a decent price. Listen to the 19's for a few months or years, and if they're not your cup of tea you can get all (or most) of your money back. There are not many hobbies where you can do that. I just bought a pair of 19's from Audiogon a few weeks ago. I had to drive about 800 miles round trip and the condition is not as good as yours. I paid almost as much and mine will need more cosmetic work. Like you, I have watched for years and never had any luck finding a pair close to home. I don't know if you have this problem with your woofers, but mine have a substantial pool of doping at the bottom of the surround. Has anyone got a trick to removing this or thinning it out? I know people rotate the woofers 180 degrees and wait for it to ooze back the other way over the years, but I think mine is too far along for that kind of correction. I'll post some photos--suggestions would be appreciated! triceratops
  20. I do have a single one of these horns (Cobreflex 2) as well as the other parts from a University Classic that were pulled from a damaged cabinet. Josh--if you're interested in any of these parts let me know and I'll put together some prices (and photos) for your perusal.
  21. Hey Chris and Josh, What about the University Cobreflex mid horn? It seems to me some folks on here think highly of that horn and I think it may just bolt into the space. This is the horn that is used for the University Classic speaker. I don't know what crossover frequency is used for it, but it may be discussed in one of the Classic threads. triceratops
  22. It's too early for April Fools posts so I'll take this at face value and say that hasn't been my experience, Jon. I have a Tandberg cassette machine that I would really like to give the smash treatment to. I think it's a TC-310 or 320 or something like that (not at home right now). The cassette fouls the door and prevents the door from opening so it won't eject. It's a total mechanical joke. I've got a bunch of Nak cassette machines including a Dragon, an LX-5, and a 303 "flipper" and they've been great for me. I've also taken a liking to Nak receivers with Stasis power amps designed by Nelson Pass. As for the sentiment that Nak decks "sound like bum", I'm not sure what to say. You should know that the Nak decks used different equalization than everyone else, based on their own interpretation of industry standards. As a result, playing a tape on a Nak deck that was recorded on non-Nak is less than optimal. Good luck with your Tandberg cassette deck, and hopefully you're not using a Tandberg receiver too. Although they looked cool but were about as unreliable as B&O electronics. Best to stick with good ol' Tandberg reel to reel... triceratops
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