Mallette

One more day! Head for home tomorrow and back to my Klipsch Saturday, God willing. Looking forward to checking out my LP loot, as well as the 39.00 Sony ST-3950. There was a Hard Rock in Key West, but couldn't force myself in there in spite of the Klipsch pangs. However, the one thing even better than Klipsch...a string chamber orchestra from Greece (western instruments and music) in the wonderful acoustics of St Paul's Episcopal Church. Plus, I didn't have to order any crappy food to listen! Haven't heard of Rumrunner. Perhaps I can chat him up before our next visit. We viewed the Mallory Square insanity from the schooner Western Union...awesome ship and great sunset ride. Also took a 100 foot fast cat to the Dry Tortugas for snorkeling and exploring of old Fort Jefferson. Pretty cool. Key West is good. Nonetheless, the old 'horns are gonna look good and sound better when I get home. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh'

Looks great and no doubt will sound even better! And there I was at Wally World... Perhaps next year I can visit you and Flason as well? Trip to the MLaw is yearly ritual, and a Klipsch fix would make it MUCH more fun! Have a ball with that Scott. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh'

Forgot to mention that the pawn shop also had a pair of excellent condition Soundcraftsmen 300 watt amps at 199.00 each. Would be good for HT, I'm sure. Don't know anything that model other than a bit much for K'horns and SS to boot. God willing, I am finished at Walley World, but thanks for the tips. I am sure I will be back over the next few years. I've a 4 yo and a 6 mo. Dave

OOOOOooooo. It's hard. However, a scan of the Tampa phonebook located a used record store just minutes away. Spent 120.00 in about an hour. About a third of them were sealed promo albums. Got Audio Fidelity Best of Louis Armstrong, couple of AF Dukes of Dixieland, Eddie Condon Bixieland, a host of excellent classical Euro pressings, and the Dynaco Quad demo album, complete with a wiring diagram for DIY phase extraction. Then I visited a neighborhood pawn shop and scored a Sony ST-3950 tuner. Anybody know this one? It was mint and marked 39.00. Heaviest tuner I've ever seen and seems to work well, though I had to test through a HDTV front panel input. Should be an improvement over the old Rat Shack...certain looks impressive. Anyway, still fighting the Klipsch withdrawal. A week to go and counting. Mike: Took the family to Walley World Wednesday. Wish I'd have logged on sooner. Couldn't find the train to Beer World, and would have dropped the family, head to your place, got a Klipsch fix and saved a 100.00 or so. Not sure if we have any time to get back that way, but will check with the Tour Director just in case. She's about due for a Klipsch fix herself, being the Perfect Audiophile Wife that she is. That's the report from Florida... Dave

Flason: Is there NO JUSTICE? Oh well, I'm off. Maybe I can at least get on the net and read about Klipsch...thought that's like listening about painting... Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-11-2002 at 08:06 PM

Better mediocre food than sorry sonics! Thanks!!! Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-11-2002 at 07:16 PM

So we are off for 2 weeks to Tampa, Orlando, and Key West to visit inlaws, take the kids to Walley World, and have a few days to ourselves in the Keys. I was looking forward to it, then realized TWO WEEKS WITH NO KLIPSCH. I am not sure how well this is going to work. I'd rather do without insulin than Klipsch. Any suggestions? Anyway to get a "fix" on the road? Perhaps I can stop on Wednesdays at noon and listen when they test the disaster horns? What happens if you stick a funnel on your car stereo speakers? Gawd, this is gonna be ruff... Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-11-2002 at 05:28 PM

Man, what a relief!!!!!!!! Been in agony for you all day, but nothing to add with the big boys working on you...except congratulations! Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh'

Quoting Frank Van Alstine: Note that Dyna's original mono mode did not work. It simple tied the two channels in parallel with no provision for the inversion of one channel and the summing of the outputs. All you get is more heat and fuzzy sound. You must have an external bridge to make the ST-70 actually perform as a bridged-mode high-power amplifier. I am no engineer, but that sounds reasonable. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh'

Gee, thanks Lynn. Great tip! Since you didn't specify what battery I figured more is better. Took my 12 volt booster battery and perform the experiment. Yep, out of phase. Right woofer is now in the pool out back. Upside is the left woofer is embedded in the sofa and marks the sweet spot. Love these tips! Keep'em coming. :-) Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-11-2002 at 09:48 AM

Having run MS garbage since MessyDos, I knew there was no answer. Hope springs eternal. Well, Linux is almost ready for prime time. Thanks, Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh'

Have you ever used a 3 channel DBX? I've been using a DBX117 since the 70's and wouldn't spin 98 of a 100 LP's without it. After that many years, I can set it optimally with one turn. There is quite a bit of art to getting a setting that improves dynamics and reduces noise without audible side effects. I've always wondered if the multi-band units were any better. The 117 has always worked so well for me that I never looked into it. Seems theoretically sound...but also that much more complex to set properly. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh'

Woooooo. Sexy Thorens. I had my eye on a RekOKut on Ebay, but got the Rotel first. I really liked the looks of the old R, but didn't really know what rumble might be like on it or whether belts would be available. I sure like old retro styling, though. Love my Empire, but could never make hide nor hair out of the adjustments. The magnetic lift often grabs too soon (YIKES!). Use it for 78's...talk about overkill. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh'

Sounds like you have a "10" in the parent department. I remember when I told my mom I wanted to go to college. She responded by saying "So what's stopping you?" So I went at it on work study, band scholarship, anything else I could and the college owed me at the end of the first year. Nothing like good parents! With what they've taught you, I expect you will have no problems assuming your own finances when the time comes. However, bear in mind the "audio bug" can really distort the logic processes of otherwise sensible men. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-10-2002 at 01:09 PM

The fix you posted worked well...EXCEPT: I am now nagged by the Microsoft bunny at every refresh about having ActiveX turned off and that awful things will happen. The only awful thing that happens is the damned ol nag screen. Can this be stopped? Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-10-2002 at 11:34 AM

Well, I guess he's beyond hope. That's a really beautiful system to us on a budget. Even the TT should be no worse than my P-4300. I am certainly enjoying the "new" SME, but I really couldn't say I'd quit listening if I had to go back. Be interesting to see what the prognosis is and how the treatment works out... Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-10-2002 at 11:26 AM

Borrow a turntable. If you've seen any of my posts, you know I am not inherently anti-digital, but you also would know that I have concerns about how CD's are made and reproduced. Like you, I have serious financial limitations, and have never even heard a high dollar CD player, so I don't know if that helps. Hopefully, I will build my Card Deluxe based CD player soon and will perhaps find out. In the meantime, I remain convinced that a steady diet of CD's is like eating only rice. You feel like you are eating, but you aren't satisfied and will eventually starve to death. In short, if a turntable doesn't solve your problem you are in deep doodoo. My system is comparable to yours only in that I have K'horns. I am envious...but not a lot. I spent a delicious evening transported to realms of rapture. If my old SS Citation 12, AVA preamp, DynaQuad, DBX117, SME3009II with 200.00 Grado and Rotel TT can do that, I am either deaf or there is something inherently GOOD about analog. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Come taste muh' Klipsch! This message has been edited by Mallett on 07-10-2002 at 10:16 AM

djk: Why is there always a GOTCHA with Microsoft!!! Turned off ActiveX and the board sped up nicely. Now I get a damned ol MS nag screen at EVERY refresh telling me I am commiting heresy by not enabling ActiveHex. Think I may be ready for Linux. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless

Wish I could help, but I am a K'horn guy and already in heaven. Need I say more? Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless

Seems Allan and MH have had visitations from St. Cecelia. ;-> While I harp "music, music, music" all the time, I am acutely aware of the need for folks who can switch of its charms and render useful opinions on the repro chain. Only those who state absolutes are suspect, just as in religion, politics, or science. I have little more in common with the audiophile equipment freak than I do with a duffer. I am not suggesting that one is any better than the other, just that about all we have in common is hanging around the same bar (this one) from time to time, and that I occasionally wander over to their end of the bar for an informed opinion. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless

If I were buying at the moment, I'd probably choose the Grado Reference Platinum at 299.95. If you don't mind a "throughaway" (I do...I lost two styli to toddlers in the last two years), the Blue Point moving coil is highly regarded at 249.00. Also good bets in low cost moving magnet would be the Grado Prestige Gold at 179.00, and the Shure line. You'll get more opinions on cartridges than you can handle if you start a thread. Dave Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless

Of course, I meant Scott about the web site. Think you are going to like it!! Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless

I've spent no quality time with the 299, but a friend of mine just picked one up at an estate sale for 5.00. I checked Ebay and one was going for 260.00. From examining it and listening to the one good channel, I'd certainly pay 150.00 for one with the upgrades and care that one has had. I was blown away with the support available through the Heathkit web site. Forgot the URL, but they had every detail on these amps available in a database. No nothing of the monoblocks you mentioned, but if they are cheap and even LOOK good and well-made, I'd grab em. Unless they were for PA or something, nobody builds really crappy monoblocks...who would buy them? All opinion... Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless

I meant income wise. I am definitely one of the masses. I paid less that 1700.00 for my 'horns, and I know others of the "masses" that pay twice that for HT stuff that sounds like hammered **** . The K'horn is the only speaker made that I can afford that offers me a "whatever it is, it ain't the speaker" musical experience. If that isn't worth being thankful, I don't know what is! Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless

I get a thrill just looking at it. I guess it starts making me look like an analog nut, but the fact is I really LIKE being involved with the sound. With digital, you are reduced to voodoo if you don't like the sound...or in my case, dropping it in the nearest dumpster. I hope to build that 700.00 miracle CD player in September or October, and we'll see if that helps. Dave ------------------ David A. Mallett Average system component age: 30 years. Performance: Timeless