Les Lammers
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Posts posted by Les Lammers
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On 2/14/2020 at 10:43 AM, richieb said:
I generally do not shill my own sales but I have a Dennis Had single ended amp w/volume pot currently in the Garage Sale.A simple yet high quality, extremely quiet entry to single needed tubes. And yes, this amp plays nicely with Klipsch Heritage (LS1) and Jubilees w/402 and Faital driver. Eight to ten watts depending on output tube. $850
+1 A quality American amp but by an audio legend that can use quite a few different tubes.
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On 2/14/2020 at 9:38 PM, Dave1290 said:
Great read. Nice and tight, factual and clean. Sure there will be those that can't hear a difference but I'm sure there IS a difference. Glad you're enjoying them and welcome to the Forum.
On 2/15/2020 at 7:24 PM, SteveAudioFan said:Thanks all. They are surpassing my expectations and are for me, well worth the cost. Also, I saw someone mention fancy USB cables. I have seen some at $2k and of course we can buy one for $10 on Amazon that will work great. But when you get into equipment that can be ultra revealing you can easily hear differences in cables, wether it is speaker, analog IC's or yes even digital. I have several USB cables here and all sound different. Will the more expensive sound better? No, not always. I do not think chasing USB Cales are worth it as the differences can be small or non existent for most. As for the Heresy IV's, ahh they are so so so good. Love them.
Cables are all about synergy with your system. Wire sounds different. A high priced cable is not always better.
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On 1/10/2020 at 4:49 AM, Vivek Batra said:
Hi Guys
I need your help to choose the right dac or a dac + streamer. For now my audio source will be streaming via laptop or hi res file that too from laptop.
I have ordered everything brand new and Forte IIIs have arrived and I am now waiting for Luxman 590 AXii Class A integrated to arrive. I do not have any disc player so no way to play currently. I need your help in picking the right dac for my rig. If my music choice should be known then its 70s/80s retro,country, pop and rock that I mostly listen to. I would prefer a DAC with balanced output.
I was planning to go for Luxman DA 250 DAC that costs about USD 2.8K to me, but people advised against this. Is it really worth spending on costly dacs?
Kindly suggest.
Thanks
Vivek
Recommending a DAC is very difficult, if not impossible. Personal preference plays a large part, so YOU need to listen to a few and decide. Personally I prefer non-oversampling DAC's. I have a MHDT Labs Orchid and really like it. I was using their Havana DAC for 9 years and then got the Orchid. http://www.mhdtlab.com/
Here is a review of the Pagoda with balanced output. https://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/mhdt_pagoda_e.html
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1 hour ago, Jeffrey D. Medwin said:
Les,
I agree, it certainly is both interesting and unique. This is a quick initial response :
Notice, on the below deck photos, seems like every cap in there is an electrolytic. Whereas, in my builds, every cap is a film, prefer to do multiple film cap bypassing, to shape the sonics.
I know a 12AU7 as the main gain stage tube, is not particularly considered a great sounding gain stage tube, its more liked as a cathode follower tube.
Its a three stage amp, with the FET as the middle stage, and I prefer two stages amps. The FET is OK.
I believe they are competently applying solid state circuits with tubes.
The amp has a nice compact ( short lead length ) printed circuit board. On state of the art, I prefer real wire, point to point.
I like their use of large Wattage metal film resistors, but I have never found a Japanese or Chinese made resistor that compares to the best chosen USA, German, and Audio Note ( UK ) production.
I like their direct coupled audio path. Series ( cap-coupled ) tube amps should be avoided.
This amp is clever, and it MAY be better than many many other commercial amps of medium price you can buy. It can never be state of the art.
I would normally say buy it, try it out, and determine if YOU like it on your system. If I don't like a piece, I would resell it on eBay. But Les, in this case, there is little if any following of the amp in the USA, to my guess, so you could take a big hit on resale.
The amp's R Core output transformers I have worked with, and they are absolutely fine, and only at their best in the bass after 400 hours of break in, playing music.
These are just my INITIAL thoughts Les !! I have limited time early Sunday AM ( services and Sunday school awaits ). I don't know HOW to advise you, if I should, or what else to suggest.
If you get this, please please tell us your thoughts !!
Jeff Medwin
Thanks Jeff. It is an interesting design. I am considering it for use in a small streaming system. I know it's not SOTA 300 B but likely better than many inexpensive amps.
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1 hour ago, richieb said:
} I owned the 300b version several years ago. I was ok, nothing to write home about or to keep. The name was somewhat revealing -
“Softone”.
This is a completley revised version of the original. It's not the same amp. I had an original years ago and it did not do it for me either. I had there excellent Model 4 phono preamp and still have the Model 3 transport.
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/softone-300b-set-amplifier
BTW Richie,
I posted this here a few years ago and read your comment on the original. 😉
You Tube: Driving 4 inch single driver speakers.
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I have been looking at this amp for a few years. http://softone.a.la9.jp/english/Model8/M8-eng-1.htm The circuit looks interesting and unique. Thoughts?
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20 hours ago, kevinmi said:
I have used the following tube amps with my K-Horns; Latino ST-120, 60 watts/channel push-pull ultralinear, Decware SE-84 single ended, 1.8 watts/channel, Dennis Had Inspire Hot Rod, single ended, 4 watts to 10 watts, depending on tubes. The Dennis Had amp is what I'm currently using, and with 6L6B tubes it is putting out around 6 watts/channel. I cant turn the volume up past half way!
The OP should consider the Inspire gear, it's a great match, designed by an audio legend, with Heritage speakers.
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On 2/4/2020 at 1:34 PM, High_Noon said:
glens: Will do, but I was really hoping for more recommendations and discussion from the forum members here.
***
Unless I get some traction with this thread, I will keep looking for a C45 or C220 and I'll probably get an ATI AT602 or maybe a AT1505 to start. The ATI will probably get replaced at some point. A rebuilt MC275 or 225 would be nice, but they're too expensive, hence my interest in the MC250. I think a tube pre and a SS amp might work well with my Heresy IIIs.
Anyone have any recommendations on relative low-powered amps - either tube or SS?
You sure are going through a lot of mental masturbation. Here is a nice integrated that would pair well with H3's: http://www.erhard-audio.com/Basie.html
I'm driving H3's with a Dennis Had Inspire PSE and http://www.erhard-audio.com/Aretha.html
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On 1/27/2020 at 11:52 PM, buckaroo said:
Yes indeed, it is the rear fire port that makes me hesitate on the Heresy IV. I have owned several different rear fire ports in the past and their placement is not as "forgiving" as a sealed box or a front fired port IMO. So I am curious to learn from those who have done comparisons between these two. I suppose in the end I should take my H III's along with me to a dealer that has H IV's and compare myself. I would also like to hear the Cornwall IV.
The alternative is to buy H IV's / Cornwall IV's from an authorized dealer, with a verifiable liberal return policy; in short, a demo in my home. I hate Klipsch fever sometimes...Klipsch Acquisition Syndrome (KAS)!
But it would be worse to be without Klipsch speakers by far!!!!
Buck
I also have H3's and they sound great with tubes and a subwoofer. I'm interested in the 4's, the tractix mid has my attention, but will wait until there are more real world reviews before jumping on.
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On 12/28/2019 at 1:11 PM, absolve2525 said:
I see that the new Heresy has a new tractrix horn and midrange driver. Very interesting! Does anyone know more about them? It looks to have the same outer dimensions as the older K—701? I'm wondering if it would be possible to upgrade/swap with an older Heresy or Tangent horn.
The H4's also have a different midrange crossover frequency. It appears that it would not be a simple swap.
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On 1/19/2020 at 1:47 PM, 314carpenter said:
There is no debate to be had there. Everyone should now be aware of the fact that WiFi is better SQ over BT. The Zen Blue series is all about lower cost, higher performance. For those that want higher SQ than BT can provide, while still maintaining an ultra low price point, check out the following link
stretching the budget and you could have a better dac with this...
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/audiolab-6000n-play
available here...
https://hifiheaven.net/shop/Audiolab-6000N-Play-Wireless-Audio-Streaming-Player-Black
I thought so too. Streaming can be confusing but it doesn't have to be. So, if you have a DAC you like it's simple to add a wifi device like the Arcam rPlay or Bluenode and get excellent SQ without breaking the bank. Both of these units have a built in DAC. I've listened to the Arcam w/o my DAC. The DAC in the units is quite good but I prefer using my MHDT Orchid.
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2 hours ago, hanksjim1 said:
How do they sound to YOU in that space right now? Even, sub-optimized, they sound better than many speakers IMO...(particularly at normal listening volumes)
reminder: tight fitting corners (foam pipe insulation is commonly used) is important for low bass production...
If he can get them into the solid corners of the basement that would be best. Khorns need, or work best as the poster above noted, tight fitting corners. Using them on that stage would likely result in poor bass. But give 'em and go and let us know.
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1 hour ago, 314carpenter said:
quoting from the article above
"Most Bluetooth audio products are built not by the company whose employees wear their brand, but by an original design manufacturer you've never heard of. And the Bluetooth receiver used in an audio product probably wasn't made by the ODM, but by yet another manufacturer. The more complex a digital product is, and if there are more engineers working on it, the more likely it is that no one knows everything about what's really going on inside the device. One format could easily be transcoded into another, and you'd never know it because almost no Bluetooth receiving device will tell you what the incoming format is."
The last phrase intrigues me enough to go further into detail here. I happen to know that the new IFI Zen Blue wireless streamer is indeed a device that does tell you what the incoming format is. It is also the ONLY bluetooth receiver on the market that supports all codecs including the new LDAC and HWA codecs
Per manual:
Codec The colour of the ‘iFi’ logo in the centre of the front display represents the file format received:
Format LED
AAC Yellow
aptX Blue
aptX HD Magenta
LDAC* Cyan
HWA* White
SBC Green
*Available via future firmware update
Which sounds better, BT or Wi-Fi? That's all that matters to me.
From this review of the iFi Zen Blue: https://majorhifi.com/hi-fi-bluetooth-ifi-zen-blue-review/
Sound
It’s important to note that the Zen Blue won’t solve all your fidelity problems… it is only a DAC after all. It doesn’t make any sound on its own. And the quality of your music will be largely shaped by your choice of headphones, speakers and/or external amplifier. The Zen Blue is just there to make sure the highest quality audio can transmit via Bluetooth. Disclaimer aside… it does impart a certain quality to the sound. All those fancy chips inside are doing something after all! The question is… what?
I didn’t get the opportunity to use the Zen Blue with a home stereo setup, which is where the fidelity would truly shine. But after pairing it with a few different headphone amps to get a feel for it, I came away with a general impression: smooth. The effect is subtle, and it’s tough to describe without getting too abstract. But music felt smoother, lows and highs felt clearer, and the midrange emphasis received a slight shift. I noticed a slight, glossy shine in the high-mids as well as the highs. The lows and the low-mids get smoothed over in a way that makes all the frequencies sound very cohesive. I wouldn’t describe it as warm… and it doesn’t boost the highs in that classic “hi-fi” way either. Smooth is the word that keeps coming to mind. It takes all the frequencies and gives them a nice massage, relaxes them and helps them all play nice together.
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17 hours ago, fjblair said:
That has been my experience as well. I was amazed that Bluetooth could deliver such a high quality experience.
What have you compared BT to? I'm not certain it would better wi-fi. https://www.lifewire.com/what-to-know-about-bluetooth-3134591
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On 1/12/2020 at 6:41 PM, Rooster42 said:
Is this what you are using? https://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-B1-Premium-Bluetooth-Receiver/dp/B00MHTGZR4
I have an Arcam rPlay wi-fi streamer. It has a very good DAC but I have a MHDT Labs Orchid that *I* prefer and the combo is very good. I stream Tidal and the Rplay also has internet radio,
Review: https://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-B1-Premium-Bluetooth-Receiver/dp/B00MHTGZR4
The Bluesound Node 2i wi-fi streamer is well liked but I have not heard it. https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/bluesound-node-2i
You could try one of these and compare it to what you are using. Purchase from a vendor that allows returns.
DAC's are a personal preference component, so no recommendations. -
On 1/8/2020 at 5:03 PM, Mmcaleer said:
Just an FYI, if you are a Military Veteran you get Tidal Military Hi-Fi (Masters) for $11.95 a month. Same price for First Responders. I just signed up.
Mike
No, the $11.95 is for active duty military.
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On 1/8/2020 at 8:46 PM, Mars1 said:
LMK how you are running them? Love to hear. Do you stream Tidal? Or do LPs/CDs? What's your setup? I love to get ideas that would help me along this journey from real folk who are getting great results from their Klipsch. Ultimately love to get the new Cornwalls or at least the Hersey lV. Hey do you have your Hersey's off the floor or on the floor?
If you are just getting back into audio and don't have a lot of physical media, LP's/CD's, don't dismiss streaming. I use an Arcam rPlay with Tidal and am not looking back.
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On 1/3/2020 at 1:57 PM, JRS94 said:
Guess that's parts of the difference. The mids don't self bias
Adjusting the bias is easy and it can be adjusted, with in a range, to taste.
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10 hours ago, Schu said:
So you differentiate between listening and collecting and never the two shall meet?
Old amps need full restoration before being used as daily drivers. If not, they could go up in smoke and that would not be good.
They were made by Brooks and PWK liked their amps.
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On 1/2/2020 at 9:23 PM, nickyboy6100 said:
I listened to the LSI’s all day. They sound fantastic. I got on a Grateful Dead kick and probably listened to five albums. I tried to crank them up, but couldn’t get much past a quarter volume. All the folks that said they could get loud were not joking. I couldn’t be happier with the decision to get these. They are better than what I expected after hearing some of the complaints. I would agree that a good horn loaded sub would really pair well with them, but on their own, they put out good accurate bass. I’m not sure I’ll build one or not.
I have H3's and had them in corners and did not fell the need for a sub. I moved and one speaker is in a corner and one is against a wall. So, I added a HSU VTF-2 MK5 subwoofer. It's not expensive, is very tunable and has a 30 day return policy. I kept it. I did not know what I was missing. In another life I ran a sub with La Scala 1's. Big smile.
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13 hours ago, ILI said:
After reading through all the posts above, my conclusion is that the HIV is quite a different speaker compared to its predecessor: slightly bigger in size, new drivers, new design. Nobody mentioned the crossovers, but I bet these are redesigned too, with more expensive parts and better caps etc.
The woofer is the same as the H3. The Tractix mid and the tweeter are different as is the xover. I'd have to hear them before I sold my H3's. The proof is in listening. I'm sure they are improved, but will they sound better in my room? Hmmm...
I bought Heresy I's HBR in 1977. The dealer had a one year trade in policy with 100% of the purchase price credited to and upgrade. I traded them in for HBR La Scalas.
I spent countless hours with Tung oil and steel wool. 25+ coats of Tung oil on Baltic Birch. Kept them for 23 years. Present room dictates Heresy sized speakers.
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10 hours ago, jackrcox said:
Thanks @jimjimbo,
My biggest concern would be what to get done to them to hold their value and historical significance. Do I send them to a decent regional tech that's been doing most of my current tube work, or would you send them up to NOScraig or Terry (edit: I was not aware he retired, wish him the best)or the like?
Find a tech that will restore them with parts that will keep the sound as close to the original as possible.
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On 1/1/2020 at 7:00 AM, polizzio said:
Les, why do you say you could not imagine your H3s driven by SS? What tonal qualities would be undesired/objectionable? Too bright perhaps? I ask because i am simply trying to understand your opinion on tube vs SS with the H3.
You sure got a killer deal on new H3s in 2012.
I think the Klipsch engineers sole purpose in venting the H4 was extended LF response. Gained ~ from 58 hz to 48hz, least by the published Klipsch frequency response specs. Bottom line.......more bass generation.
I think the H3's would be too bright with many SS amps but I'm pretty much a dyed in the wool tube guy. I use a sub with the H3's and don't feel I'm missing anything. The tractix midrange is interesting and wonder why it was not implemented sooner.
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On 12/29/2019 at 10:52 AM, LuckyOne said:
Hey,
So I am a complete beginner here, looking for advice.
I have Denon 1600h receiver and I am looking for Klipsch speakers to pair it up with. As this is a 7.2ch receiver, I will gradually build the whole system, but currently I am looking for bookshelf speakers to start with. I am thinking about Klipsch r-51-m OR rp-500M. Does it make any sense? Which one would be better? What should I consider? Or would you suggest something completely different?
I have a turntable and would mostly use the speakers to listen to music, but I also watch Netflix, etc.
Take your amp to a Klipsch dealer and listen to a few different speakers.
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I have Denon 1600h receiver and I am looking for Klipsch speakers to pair it up with. As this is a 7.2ch receiver, I will gradually build the whole system, but currently I am looking for bookshelf speakers to start with. I am thinking about Klipsch r-51-m OR rp-500M. Does it make any sense? Which one would be better? What should I consider? Or would you suggest something completely different?
Rectifier substitution (aka rolling)
in Talkin' Tubes
Posted
The Philips are priced on rarity.