MC39693

Ok, smartphones are bad enough and annoying esp. in public ... but, wait for the antonymous vehicles. How long will it be before cars are driving themselves and at the same time playing a movie with full BOSE surround sound blasting away with the big screen projector heads up display on the wind screen? Ugh, it scares the heck out of me! Yesterday on the CBS radio news, there was a report of a person asleep, full on head down out cold, in a car (doesn't matter the brand) driving itself at a reported 60 mph on a freeway. WT Heck! It's gonna get worse before it gets better kids.

Same here

So, I've had 3 generations of Denon AVR, 2 of the Nobsound TPA3116, and 1 Parasound A23. The Denons do the job and with a mash of HT speakers in the mix, well it's pretty much that. Even in stereo mode, the sound seems just a bit flat. The interesting thing is ... the Denons have never skipped a beat (knock on wood), and all 3 are still in service today. The one I use for the HT now is a X4300H and it just has enough guts to make a 5.2 setup run. I'd like a bit more, but I'd have to start selling gear to move up the chain. So, I bought the 2 chip amps to relieve the Denon from some of the work and to have some portable amp power ... in case I want to move speakers around the house etc. The little chip amps also do the job. One had a bad hum when I first got it. So I opened it up ... oh boy. Not the best soldering, and the connectors are all just sort of loosely connected to the IC board. I re flowed a bunch of the solder, changed out some wires from IC board to connectors, tightened all connections. I purchased a new power supply too and that may have been the final straw to make the hum disappear. The originals were not good at all. I think, in the winter months, I might take the amp apart, put it into a nice little wooden box, change out the connectors and maybe the attenuator ... but then again all that will cost more than the amp in the first place. Maybe I'll velcro them to the sides of the Denon and run the surround speakers off of them? The Parasound is by far the best amp. It's in an all digital setup, 2.1 and really is the sound I like. I need a preamp that has some controls, and/or maybe I'll start looking into a miniDSP or something for a bit of tone control, I don't have any ability to affect the low pass / distribution to the subwoofer right now. I'm with @DizRotus the amps should leave the music alone. But in the 3 types I have above I'd simply say ... the Denon doesn't have enough "depth / command / guts" even in stereo mode it just seems to lack a bit, but for reliability / flexibility in running HT ... they are just fine. The chip amps seem to provide just plain music and if the build quality was higher I'd be more interested, they might turn into a simple little project for winter time amusement. Some of the chip amp builds folks have done on this forum are interesting for sure, and I've tried researching a few but end up sometimes in dead ends with parts of one kind or another. The Hypex kits are expensive, but seem to do a really good job. But for now, 3 kinds of amps is about all the wife is likely to be able to handle. The Parasound is just right. Now if I could just find an A21... hmmm

BB won’t put up with any none sense so either AB straightens up or he’s on the curb and NE is out $10 M, interesting gamble, sort of like Josh Gordon. Demetrius Thomas seems the best bet but he’s hurt. What a mash up. Time will tell.

Great thread, thanks for sharing. I built a component stand in 1981 using screws and L brackets, I still have it but it’s relegated to general storage in a closet. It’s solid, but also not pretty, I’m not patient enough in doing a project like this, so it’s great to see the right way to do this type of rack.

Even the ‘85 Bears couldn’t help the 2019 Bears. I don’t think the Packers won, the Bears lost. Typical first game from a young QB, just too many mistakes and the defences looked better than the offences.

Here’s to your health! Unfortunately I like expensive dark beers, and red wine, and scotch, oh and RUM.

Mcewans scotch ale andNFL

Oh boy, I feel a lot of pixie dust coming on.

Keep the boxes and if space is a problem knock them down flat, with only 1 seam broken down. I bought a set of ML from a person on Canada Audio Mart. He did not have original boxes, because they were water damaged in his garage. He is a millwright. He built shipping boxes out of pine. Not beautiful, but surely the nicest speaker boxes I've ever seen. Original foam packing etc. and exact measurements of the originals. The only boxes I got rid of ... big mistake ... after about 30 years, were my Heresy boxes. Dang I wish I still had them but the Heresy are in my retirement home so I probably don't/won't need them anymore anyhow. I'd keep the PL box for sure in tact. Getting a double box original with the interior packing is key if you want to ship it for repairs etc. I have the original for a parasound A23 I just bought. It was beat up so I spent an hour one day taking old tape off, peeling cardboard and taping all seams with multiple layers of duct tape. Mine are stored in my garage up in the "rafters".

+1 HM Aeron, used one for 10 years at work.

In Alberta we have station CKUA which is public sponsored radio akin to PBS. The hosts all play different music. Listen long enough and you’ll definitely hear new music you’ll like. Yes they provide an internet stream.

Good bye to Andrew Luck, sorry to see him go, but surely the right decision for his health. Colts fans going to be very interested in Jacoby now, who’s their backup going to be? Cut down Aug. 31 get ready for a few busy days!

My wife’s 10 year old set of X10 just died (mini plug ... and yes I checked to see about fixing). So, if anyone has some good to excellent used X10 or X11, I offer for trade my Sony Xba-4 in very good used condition. The Xba-4 sound great but are too big for my wife’s small ears. Happy to exchange photos and discuss any other particulars, I know it’s a crazy request but what the heck! P.s. could offer a set of B&W P3 instead, also in very good used condition, if on ear works for someone. Thanks

All of us old time folks love our Klipsch... whatever ... but here’s a chance for Klipsch to fix a problem and convert someone who has had a poor experience. OP, sorry to hear of your problems. My wife’s Klipsch X10 just died after 10 years of daily heavy use, so my experience is good. They are the only headphones IEM that my wife liked due to very small ears, they were comfortable and excellent sound. I’m looking for more! Best wishes to get your problem resolved.

You have to be an Albertan to get the lyrics to some of Corb's songs ... but definitely Western Canada.

Oh the room and gear are far from "dialed in", I think the wife just enjoyed sitting in a completely controlled environment, quiet and cool and calm and listening to her favourite tracks one after the other jumping across genres. No people making noise (although the cat was calling us to come and play with her), or for rowdier venues people stepping by carrying Margaritas and spilling frozen concoctions on us. I've been to St. Martin's in the Field, the Vienna Opera House, the Boston Symphony etc. and no our room is not "dialed in". Just simple enjoyment of the music. Happy she spent the 2 hours with me (and the crazy cat came and listened too).

At half time of the incredibly boring Niners/Broncos tilt last night, I turned off the TV and fired up the 2.1 channel (unfortunately, my Heresy are in another province so Martin Logan to the rescue). I was listening to a variety of music via music server ---> DAC -----> 2 channel amp ---> ML Clarity and Velodyne sub (the music server has a sub out). Wife comes home and in the door where the gear is setup. She sets some stuff down, and I turn on Randy Travis, Corb Lund, Dwight Yokum (for starters) and she comes into the room to listen. Two hours later she says ... it's better than live. Wife is trained in choir and classical signing and although she won't say so, has an amazing voice and way more understanding of pitch and music than I do! Best complement for the gear I could achieve. Long way to go in final setup, but if the WAF is high, I am very pleased. I may have succeeded in justifying the hours and $$ spent on a separate 2.1 channel setup.

Natalie Cole singing with her dad Nat King Cole ... Unforgettable. Wish they were both still with us. The recorded version is much better for her voice than the live performance.

Just in case anyone near here is interested ... no affiliation, original Belle $2,900 Cdn. https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649546130-klipsch-belle-loudspeakers/

Interesting mix. I think at about 19:30 min, it is perhaps Kodo a Japanese drum group. Blessing of the Earth CD by them is very good for testing your bass! I saw them live in 1991 when my wife was carrying our first daughter. I am highly biased obviously, but that daughter is a most interesting human being which I ascribe to hearing Kodo live while still in the womb!

$150 USD for Heresy (1I assume?) is pretty cheap. In Western Canada a reasonable “market” price is $650 CDN.

The only “must” I’ll offer the OP, is to ensure the “barrel” and set screw combo will accommodate 8awg or better as he is certain to go down the rabbit hole of bigger better speaker cables (avec pixie dust, lunar orbital electron flux etc.). I don’t like plugs with a cap that screws onto the barrel, I’ve had too many large cables that would fit in the barrel but the set screws would not screw in all the way, hence cap would not fit over the barrel. When I’m done playing around I’ll likely go to bananas on amp end and bare wire on speaker end. I make my own cables (braided Cat6) and tend to end up with 8 awg or bigger ( with all the accoutrements, electrons and otherwise).

I like Parts Express angled banana plugs part #091-3608. Good quality Good price Locking screw tab that tightens pin into binding post Stackable - think of the possibilities! Large receptacle for cables and dual screws Poly carbonate casing No affiliation, I really do like them.

After a year of research on 2 channel amps, getting my purchase criterion together and budget, I have been chasing a Parasound A23. Several have been available at $850 to $1,300 Canadian to my house. Given my strong preference to buy in person, no deals and in fact none in Calgary. Then, yesterday one pops up on Canada Audio Mart for $650. I jumped and met the seller, a very nice brand new music grad, and got the amp. Young man has a really nice recording studio with all kinds of great gear and instruments. Perfect scenario! It pays to be patient. Edit: Same guy just posted a completed ACA on local Kijiji and a set of powered Dynaudio monitors. He must be cleaning house! He had a set of custom horn fronts and custom 12 inch sub, as well as a pair of "expensive" JBL monitors on stands. Along with 2 pianos, guitar and violin, plus Hypex Ncore amps (he convinced them to make a set for him!), DSP and mixing boards. All this behind a door that looked like a closet. Diffusers and and absorption panels he had made on walls, ceiling and floor. Not sure what else he might have to sell, but I am pretty sure I saw an older Parasound 6 channel amp in a corner too. Yikes.