rickcr42

May be of some help http://home.comcast.net/~walt-jung/wsb/PDFs/Speaker_Saver.pdf

A copy of the Brociner brochure is here : http://www.hifilit.com/hifilit/Brociner/brociner.htm

More, Power Tube Selection Charts for High Power Audio : http://www.triodeel.com/rcaptgp1.gif http://www.triodeel.com/rcaptgp2.gif Resistance Coupled Amplifier Charts : http://www.triodeel.com/rca_p1.gif http://www.triodeel.com/rca_p2.gif http://www.triodeel.com/rca_p3.gif Read and understand the above then toss in the data sheet for the tube chosen plus the tunbes plate curves and you can design any type of simple audio stage from scratch a really nice resource with some unusual but very useful information : http://www.triodeel.com/tubedata.htm

RCA R-10 Radiotron Manual http://www.vcomp.co.uk/manuals/rca_radiotron/rca_radiotron.htm http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~reese/RC-10.html/ You can learn a lot just by reading the old tube manuals which explained everything in both simple language and detailed graphics.Rather than make electronics mysterious the old way was to make you understand so you would buy the products

There was a discussion at Headwize on where in the Grado line the Alessandro falls and if it were closer to the SR80 or the SR125 and after a long drawn out period of tests by those familiar with the grado sound it was finally determined it was closest to the SR-125 but in reality was an enirely new beasty. The SR80,the SR125 and the lower end SR60 are tremendous bang for the buck headphones but only if you like the sound.That "signature" sound can be compared in loudspeaker terms to the Klipsch Heritage series speakers while the Senheiser "house sound" could be considered maybe like an old boston Acoustics or AR loudspeaker. even the driving requirements could be compared in the same way : Grado=extremely sensitive so it takes very little voltage to drive them to earsplitting levels (but they DO like current being a low impedance design and the more you give them the better the impact of the bass will be).Like the Heritage series loudspeakers very sensitive to any harshness in the electronics from the upper mids to the highs but also like the klipsch speakers there is a lot of "life" and impact in the sound reminiscent of the live event. The sound can range from "this is seriously good !" to "get these damn things off before I go deaf" if the synergy not good between the driving electronics and cans. Sennheiser=not very sensitive so need a lot of voltage to drive and this usually means an external headphone amp (though the new designs seem be be targeted to directly compete in both efficiency and voicing with the grados).These have a far more relaxed sound thast goes to romantic but in no way do the upper end models (or the newer lower end models like the HD-497) lack in the detail department.they just portray this upper end detail totally different.Kinda like a pair of comfortable shoes. Which is more tonally accurate ? Which brings the event closer to the person ? All about taste and expectations. Because there is a very close ear/driver coupling combined with a "big old head" in between the sound field will in no way resemble the natural crossing of the left and right channel loudspeakers in the room so the image will be totally different.At the same time,eliminating the room means acoustics play no role in the final sound so it is all headphones and if you like what you hear during an audition you most likely will if you purchase the headphones and take them home for a listen,unlike loudspeakers which may or may not work in your room. I own a seriously cheap set of Sennheiser HD400 earbuds for fast and light travel,working out,riding a bike,anything active without much emphasis on the accurcy of the sound.just me,my portable,the song. For all other duty up to the extreme critical listening sesssions it is the Alessandro MS-1 which sounds crazy good straight out of any headphone jack i have ever plugged them into from portables,to my computer line out,to vintage receivers,to dedicated headphone amps.For serious listening i break out the "big guns".My Grado RS-1 and DIY Hybrid amp.The RS-1 also crazy easy to drive but at $700 i am not jogging around the block with these puppies on or plugging them into my cheesy computer sound card (even though I could and they would work fine) but instead save the top end cans for when i am prepared to just kick back and relax,settle in for a long session of locking out the world while i lose myself in the music. I could easily live with the above headphones,three or four models from Senheiser and for certain music my Stax setup,maybe toss the AKG271S and Sony MDR-7506 into that mix and if they did not look so damn retarded on the AKG K1000 but most of these well above the C-note range in price. Check out Headroom Corporation for a huge selection then maybe do as much personal reviewing as you are able.Last i knew both Radio shack and Circuit city carried some models by Sennheiser though Grados will likely mean a trip to the local high end audio salon for a listen Rickster

http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html Made by Grado Labs but more are voiced to be more tonally accurate which means you get the great efficiency and dynamics of the Grado sound with less of the bottom end bloat or high end tizz.Maybe a bit less "fun" for some but closer to true is my take (I have the Alessandro MS-1 @ $99 )

the ety's like the Shure's have incredible sound but some find a earspeaker that has a total seal both uncomfotable and /dangerous.The beaty of an open can like the Grados is you can hear ambient noise while listening to music even at high volumes.The downside is everyone else can hear you jams. with a closed can or tight seal you are sometimes too isolated from the world and a situation where you need to hear someone say "lookout" you will be oblivious to and just be bopping along until something unexpected and bad happens. I personally can not insert anything in my ear that requires a tight seal.I am just not comfortable though many are.The sennheiser MX series are what they are.A cheap and highly portable low profile solution to music on the go. just like with speakers this is a personal choice thing and auditioning is the best way to choose with known music

You can read much more informed headphone advice over there (they don't know much about speakers, on the other hand). Depends on who the "they" is.I have a fair amount of speaker related knowledge and am also a moderator at Head-Fi Easy to drive straight out of any headphone jack and great bang for the buck is the Alessandro MS-1 retailing for $99. This headphone is made by Grado.They are voiced a tad different but still have the Grado dynamics and slam. Excect for when I want to go ultralight my portable headphone of choice. Ultralight I use Sennheiser MX-400 earbuds which are not as crystal clear,dynamic or sensitive as the Alessandro's but nice enough for what they are-cheap and light ear speakers. Oh yeah : 1976 Heresy's driven by a DIY 300B SET Amp combined with a DIY dual 15 ported sub.i think that may let me into the Speaker Club

What is the impedence of the K-77 ? I have noticed Electro Voice Alnico T-35s cropping up from time to time on ebay and would like to upgrade from the ceramic magnet version but have seen both 8 ohm and 16 ohm versions. thanks , rick