DizRotus

Still no blind comparison, but, after more listening time, the RS FE103s still seem to sound better than the other drivers. Does anyone know what the cost of these was at Radio Shack? I'm guessing in the neighborhood of $5.00 each. Also, does anyone know when these were discontinued by Radio Shack? The surrounds on these are concave, instead of the more typical convex. Does anyone know the reason, significance and/or impact of this design anomaly?

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> klipsch k-55-v ,lascala,klipschorn,cornwall,heresey Aren't we being a little bit lazy here? Can you believe this eBay seller includes a photo showing the garage sale $5.00 price tag?

I'll wager that PWK delivered that joke on many occasions, whenever someone would feed him the straight line regarding Patricians.

Thank you Andy aka Klipschguy. The Radio Shack FE103s arrived today (the USPS owes you a refund for Priority delivery). The attached photo shows one in place. My early opinion is that they sound as good as, if not better than, any of the others tried to date. But, theres a saying in the DIY speaker world that the best sounding speakers are the ones you just built. Ive yet to perform any blind comparisons, but Ive been using the Pioneer W-47-04 204 drivers for several days. To be able to listen to the new free speakers quickly, I removed the Pioneer 49 cent drivers from their motor boards and installed the RS FE103s. While listening to FM jazz I swapped the first RS FE103 for the Pioneer on the fly. My initial impression was that the FE103 played slightly louder, but with less bass. I next listened to Take Five from Brubecks Time Out CD. That was followed by several cuts from Diana Kralls Live In Paris CD. The speakers sound VERY good. The imaging is better than the other single drivers, which are better than the Cornwalls. At the risk of speaking like an audiophool, the detail seems more palpable. The percussion is crisper, the piano and vocals more natural and applause sounds like applause, rather than rain. Naturally, all of the foregoing is a subjective assessment based on a brief listen. When time permits, Ill enlist my 15 year-old son to switch among the various drivers so that I can try to blindly distinguish one from another and pick a favorite, without any unintentional bias. Thank you again Andy. I wish you could hear them. Next time you get to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />BirminghamMichigan, not Alabamalet me know.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

---------------- On 7/7/2005 10:05:41 AM triceratops wrote: And I'll never again be able to see a Patrician without thinking of the PWK anecdote recently recalled by a forum member (hope I've got this right--sorry I don't remember who posted this): PWK: Do you know what a Patrician is? FM: An Electro-Voice corner horn licensed by Klipsch. PWK: No. A Patrician is someone who gets out of the shower to take a pee.---------------- You got it right. The context of that quip from PWK is contained in the following thread: Speakerlab Stuff The quote's nine frames down. You can't look at a Patrician without being reminded of the quote; I'm often reminded of the encounter when I shower. He was a genuine character.

Unless someone here feels they're worth $500 to him/her, I'll keep them, or possibly test the eBay market. I'd be willing to deliver to, or meet, someone within a 200 mile radius of Detroit. I won't pack them for shipping by common carrier.

EDIT 7-18-05: The price is now $500 for the pair with free delivery within 200 miles of Detroit. For details, please go the the thread in 2 Channel, linked below: Cornwalls CBR available Metro Detroit

EDITED 7-18-2005. Now for only $500 a pair of CBR Cornwalls is available in Metro Detroit. Free delivery within 200 mile radius of Detroit. The serial numbers are: 8543949; and 8543950. A photo is attached to this frame and three more photos are attached to subsequent frames.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> The original owner finished these in a walnut stain. Both grilles, including logos, are in excellent condition. All drivers and X-overs are original and operational. The veneer and finish are in generally good condition. Number 8543949 has two small areas where the veneer has splintered. While they are 7 out of 10 cosmetically, they are not fine furniture. They play flawlessly.

Definitely cool.

---------------- On 7/1/2005 6:40:17 PM Marvel wrote: ALthough not meant for this use, I have a pair of Galaxy Audio Hotspots. ---------------- I noticed these in the PE catalog. With the Fs: 140 Hz, thats a little higher than ideal and the Frequency response: 200-18,000 Hz is also less than ideal, but the SPL: 92 dB 1W/1m and Qts: .30 would make theses at least worth a listen in a rear load enclosure.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> To date, Im satisfied enough with the rear horn concept to pursue it further. Ill try some other small full ranger drivers. Im waiting for a pair of Radio Shack FE103s, which another Forum member has kindly offered to send at no cost; purely in the interest of audio experimentation. Ill post pictures and a review. At that time Ill also publicly thank the donor, but I dont want to put pressure on him now. I also want to try Fostex FE83s. I also plan to try some larger full range drivers, such as the Fostex FE206E 8 available from Common Sense Audio. At first I'll build a small enclosure to house the larger drivers and then attach that to the existing rear horn enclosures. Eventually I will build larger rear horn enclosures to accommodate 8 drivers if they show promise. Eventually I might build a rear horn enclosure that is less of a compromise and that is nicer in appearance. For now, the crude enclosures are serving the experimental purpose.

It seems that the only reason to convert MP3 files to WAV files is to burn CDs to use in players that will not read and/or play MP3 CDs, i.e., that require WAV files.

---------------- On 6/30/2005 10:45:19 AM Colin wrote: The Scott will best the H/K in every way except $$'s spent. Every way? Bet the mid bass is a mite tighter with the vintage solid-state receiver. ---------------- My H/K 430 has tighter bass than my mildly modified Dyna SCA-35 tube integrated. Never A/B'd it to a Scott integrated, which I'm sure is superior to the SCA-35, albeit more costly than what I've got invested in the Dyna.

---------------- On <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />6/30/2005 11:37:38 AM rplace wrote: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Hopefully I am not hijacking the thread too muchbut it sounds like you guys are just the crew to answer a question that has been bugging me. Rich ---------------- Hi-Jack away! Your question is right on topic. I too want to know about the various options to maximize fidelity from MP3 files; everything from the BBC Beethoven downloads to obscure oldies that I have saved as MP3 files. From what I've read so far, it seems that converting the MP3 files to WAV files will increase the file size (and storage space needed) without significantly, if at all, improving the fidelity. Is this a "garbage in, garbage out" situation, or am I missing something?

As the parallel thread (Single Driver Rear Horn ExPeriments) indicates, I've been experimenting with full range single drivers in rear horn enclosures. The preliminary results are promising enough to encourage further experimentation. Therefore, I'm interested in acquiring any suitable used full range drivers.

The free download of Beethoven symphonies in MP3 format, which Malcolm kindly brought to the Forum's attention, prompted me to question the differences between the MP3 and WAV formats. I understand that MP3 files are compressed and smaller than their WAV counterparts. Intuitively, the WAV format would seem to offer greater fidelity. Is it possible for the conversion of the MP3 to WAV to improve the fidelity? It seems like a lifting by boot straps kind of thing. I burned #6 & #7 onto CDs in MP3 as well as WAV files. Both symphonies fit on a single CD as MP3s, not so as WAV files. I will compare the MP3 CD with the WAV CDs to see if I can discern any differences. I'm assuming that others who frequent the Forum know the technical differences and relative merits of the two formats.

#8 is now available; #9 will be available soon. Thanks again Malcolm

Thanks Malcolm. 6 & 7 are downloading as I type. Too bad 1 - 5 are no longer available. Do they ever repeat the opportunity?

Tom- I've visited the following, among others: http://melhuish.org/audio/horn.html http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~hanbei/eng-links.html http://www.atatan.com/~s-ito/sp/makizou.html http://www.plasmatweeter.de/jericho.htm If you have links to other pertinent sites, I'd like to see them.

After more time listening to the various drivers and after more experimentation with stuffing the enclosures, the following can be said: All of the drivers are benefitted by the back loading horn enclosures; All of the drivers sound respectable, or better, with respectable, or better, bass; My order of preference from best to worst is: TB 656S; TB 616S; TB 654 S; Pioneer W-47-04 204; and Pioneer $0.39 driver (now $0.49). The differences from best to worst are not dramatic; The difference between the best and my Cornwalls is dramatic; The single drivers have better imaging than the Cornwalls; The Cornwalls have better highs and better bass; and The Cornwalls have a more effortless and open sound with much better dynamics. The phrase preaching to the choir comes to mind when stating that Cornwalls are better for the reasons stated. That said, the single driver rear horn speakers sound better than many commercially made speakers costing much more. They’re at their best reproducing the intimacy of a jazz quartet. The string bass, piano, percussion and saxophone on Take Five on Brubeck’s Time Out are easily located left to right and front to back. I wish the Cornwalls could do the same as well. Female vocals and applause also sound very good. Nevertheless, at their best, these drivers in the rear horn enclosures are no match for the Cornwalls. When time permits, I plan to try Fostex FE83 and/or FE103E drivers. While I will not be surprised if Fostex drivers sound better than the Tang Band 656S, I will be extremely surprised if the difference is substantial.

The arc explains how the solder is melted, but it doesn't seem like it would do a good job of heating the surrounding joint to allow the solder to flow into the joint. Notwithstanding that intuitive reservation, I defer to the comments of those here who have actually used the things.

That explains it. It's probably worth $20. Years ago, I used the same principle to cook hot dogs. I attached two forks to zip cord, put a fork in each end of the hot dog and plugged it in. The moisture in the dog completed a circuit and the current cooked the dog; especially interesting with the lights off--but so are many things. It wasn't UL approved; don't try this at home, etc. Thanks for the testimonial. Your decision to try the "Cold Heat" soldering contradicts your forum ID.

You've all seen the ads for the oxymoronically named soldering iron. Has anyone called the 800 number and ordered one? If so, how well does it work? More important, how can it work? How can 4 AA batteries provide such instantaneous heat? My guess is that it falls into the same category of that shaker (the motion, not the religion) flashlight that works without batteries; technically feasible, but not practical in application. I tried one at a Batteries Plus franchise. It works, but you'll go blind from shaking it before it will provide more than mere seconds of light.