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killer58

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Everything posted by killer58

  1. She certainly isn't. I put in a bid hoping she comes with 'em!
  2. Z-Man, A guy just contacted me via an old Audiogon listing, wanting to sell his Belles. Send me an e-mail at: serberdm@coronado.navy.mil I'll give you his address. Killer
  3. Ray, Welcome to the club! You're going to love them. Let HDBRbuilder give you a graduate education in wood. He'll have the best advice based on a thorough description of the veneer. As far as amps, no you do not NEED a tube amp. There is no question that they sound different than solid state ones. As to which is better, that's a matter of personal preference. Tube amps are typically described as 'warmer' than ss. Disclaimer: I have three setups; K-horns with a Marantz 8, K-horns with a self designed 300B SET amp, and Belles with Marantz 5's. So my own bias is obvious. Your Belles will have tremendous clarity. As such, they will highlight any imperfection in the source. If you can, audition several tube amps, preferably in a side-by-side test with your own amp. See which you prefer. Keep in mind that 'spec' sheets won't tell you the whole story, especially in the area of harmonic distortion. The type and way it's measured is different between the two. Apples and oranges. Long story but ss can have a lower Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) rating than tubes without sounding any better. My advice is to side with preference, quality, and price. In that order. Good luck and enjoy! Killer
  4. Phips, Knowing that personal feelings about wire are VERY strong, let me offer a few tips to help you. (As qualification, I did my graduate and initial PhD work in metallurgy and solid state physics.) 1) Copper wire has very little resistance, but it adds up the longer the length. (Silver conducts better than copper but is economically impractical.) Wire that is 14 AWG will have about 0.5 ohms in 100 feet. With an 8 ohm speaker, this results in approximately a 7% power loss due to the wire. Larger gauge wire will have less loss. For most home applications, any commercial grade of speaker wire should do fine. Generally, the longer the run, the larger the wire, but 12 ga should do for any run under 50 ft. 2) The major difference in commercial speaker wire is in large part due to the different outside coverings and whether they conform to the National Electric Code. Monster is one brand common in home applications. Belden is another brand, one of the industry standards. 3) "Oxygen Free" In the refining process, copper is purified in steps to about 97-99.5% purity. For electrical/electronic use, copper must be even more than 99.9% pure, so goes through an additional step. In a process called "reduction", natural gas is blown into the molten copper. As it burns, it uses up most of the remaining oxygen in the melt. The small amount that remains, combines with any other impurities to form oxides. Tied up as oxides, this oxygen actually further improves the wire's conductivity. So, a small amount of oxygen in copper, approximately 200 parts per million, is a good thing. Monster advertises their cable as oxygen free. That's like Ford offering "drivable" cars. 4) This should provide you with enough 'ammo' to select the best wire for your application and budget. As far as being able to "hear" a difference in wire, I'll only say that there are those that claim to see Elvis too.... Good luck, Killer
  5. Quattro, Unless you're willing and able to repair them yourself, I'd walk away. There have been several sets on E-bay in the last month or so, all for around $1500. Birch ones for even less. In the end, you'll probably spend that much buying and repairing the set your considering. I bought a pair off E-bay in April. Spent a bit more than I had budgeted, but got a mint, matched, sequential number set, in walnut no less. HDBRBuilder convinced me to be patient and wait for the right pair to come along. It proved to be good advice. Good luck, whichever option you choose. vr, Killer
  6. Hey Builder, here are my answers (but you already know 'em): 1. K-horns 1959 Parents have owned since new K-horns 1968 I'm the 3rd owner (and last!) Belles 1976 I'm the third owner (ditto) 2. My folks bought the K-horns when I was one year old. I got my Horns and Belles at age 44 3. 44 4. Nothing else comes close 5. ProMedia 5.1's (I'm running out of room!) 6. Yes
  7. E-mail from an Audioweb ad: a guy selling a pair of 1988 Belle's. He says thy're in excellent condition. He's asking $1300 plus shipping. If interested, contact him at: randallforman@aol.com vr, Killer
  8. Thanks for the post Ed. Fly Navy! Killer USMC 1979-1984 USN 1984-? This message has been edited by killer58 on 05-25-2002 at 08:40 AM
  9. News update: The "Really old K-horn" posted the other day is for sale. It's from 1948. Kerry, the owner, also has a single 1952 K-horn he is willing to sell. I don't have any other info on them, but anyone interested can contact him via the link I posted. He says he uses them only as sub-woofers?! The 48 is a nice piece of history. Too bad it doesn't have a mate (or they would live at my house!) SF, Killer
  10. Found this site with a picture of a 1948 K-horn. http://community-2.webtv.net/KerrB/VINTAGETUBEAMPHORN/page4.html Heck HDBRbuilder, that's even older than you! Ha! SF, Killer
  11. I won't be home until Tues night around 1800 CA time.
  12. HDBRbuilder, The K-horns arrived this afternoon. K-C-WR's, #'s 3G186 and 3G187. Very dry, they soaked up three coats of Howard's bee's wax and lemon oil. But now they look brand new! And the sound? My CD's are making noises I've never heard from them! Amazing. Your advice was spot on, getting K-horns was the right choice. Now, I only wish I'd have gotten them years ago. I'll take some photo's and post em soonest. SF, Killer
  13. HDBRbuilder, So everyone got the benefit of our 45 minute discussion on fabrication techniques, glue, wood, cost cutting, etc. after all! Killer
  14. HDBRbuilder - Great talking to you yesterday, especially about the Belle's and speaker fabrication. However, I felt a little guilty: Your experiences and company insight needs to be shared with everyone on the forum. So my pitch is to keep the jewels of enlightenment coming! Khorns arrive tomorrow! I'll let you know how they sound. For those of you looking for Belle's; I posted want-ads at Audiogon, Audioreview, and Audioweb. From these ads, I received offers on three pairs, and bought one of them. If anyone is interested in the other two, let me know and I'll pass the contact info. I'd rather see them go to a fellow Klipsch-a-holic on the forum than the bidding wars of Ebay SF (or as builder would say Hooo-Ahhh), Killer
  15. It sounds like the new prices are going to make DIY building a serious consideration. Any idea how much the new Belle's will cost? I heard a rumor that they'll be close to $6000?!
  16. Mike, Please email me the details of your second set. I'm looking for a pair of Belles and would also like a single to go with a pair of K-horns. I'm in SOCAL but travel to San Fran every other month or so. I could easily come get them. David serberdm@coronado.navy.mil
  17. Conductor, There are several factors that come to mind: Limited number of people looking for them, ability for pre-inspection, additional shipping costs, the space/location restrictions K-horns have, the current economy, and other speaker alternatives. At their current price point, buyers concerned/influenced by performance specs and reviews may be swayed by alternatives such as Proac and Triangle. Most consumers want some form of tactile evaluation before purchasing goods. K-horns especially do not lend themselves to this unless the buyer lives close by. Aside from the actual cost of shipping, the process itself for speakers the size of k-horns is not trivial. Finally, it's anybody's guess as to how much the current economy is effecting prices. My guess is there are fewer people with the discretionary income to afford these right now. Hope this helps. David
  18. Boa, Thanks for the reply. I was offered a used pair (vintage 1996 and very poor cosmetically) for $1900 and passed them up. Quoted $2150 for a new pair. Any idea what these "recontinued" ones will cost or when they'll be available? What's the diff between regular new?
  19. HDBR, Thanks for the advice. No they have not been abused, my folks have babied them since they got them. I don't remember what they sounded like back then as I was only one year old! They sound great to me, played through our Marantz 7C and 8B. I recently compared them to pairs of ProAc's, Triangles, and B&W's. Nice as they all were, I wouldn't trade for any of them. David
  20. I'm in southern California and looking for a pair of Belles in Walnut laquer. Any opinions on whether it's better to buy new or used? Any leads? This message has been edited by killer58 on 04-28-2002 at 02:53 PM
  21. We're the original owners of 1411 and 1413, built in 1959. What if any updates are required/recommended?
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