kjohnsonhp

I like vinyl but I still struggle keeping it clean and minimizing the noise. I have been buying used lps and they look mint but don't always play mint. I'm giving up on classical vinyl. Many have passages recorded so low that I crank the amp and listen to surface noise from the lp/needle and if there are any pops they become pretty annoying...and the lp looks like it's never been played! The rock isn't too bad but I like the remastered CD's better so far. Let me get better hifi and I'll retest. Do you like the Elton John vinyl better than the remastered CD's? Same for Floyd...I filed my lps away and listen to the "Shine On" box. I listen to vinyl as much as CDs but the vinyl is primarily stuff I don't have on CD and I have magnitudes more vinyl than optical. I've found some mint and cheap half speed masters and those sound great!

From a video display perspective I recommend you read the tutorial at the following site: http://www.projectorpeople.com Since your room is in the basement you should be able to make it nice and dark. Projectors can be an issue upstairs with lots of light...although they are getting brighter. You can spend a lot on a display system and with technology changing and evolving to HDTV depreciation and obsolence are an issue...especially compared to the Klipsch Horn speakers which have been basically the same longer than many of us have been alive. There you might retain or appreciate in value. $4-7K for a projector seems to be popular but the better ones are $10K-15K+ (and dropping). The technology seems to be: LCD (good), DLP (better) and (CRT best $20K+) with DLP looking like the sweet spot. Based on your room size you may be happy with a nice rear projection Big Screen. I like the Pioneer Elite 60-something-inch screen. I've seen nice Plasma screens but at the moment they seem new and twice the price. I absolutely love my 50" Pioneer I bought a few years ago for around $3k. This board will tell you all about the Klipsch Heritage line, and the K-Horns, etc. seem like an oustanding value. I would compare that to a few other speaker systems. Gather up your favorite DVD's, CD's and obscure lps and head out to the stores to listen. Since your spending a nice amount of funds and buying retail, I would make the experience educational and enjoyable. I'd do a lot of comparative listening and include a few things just for fun outside your budget. I'd certainly listen to several different technologies. The Martin Logan electrostic hybrids would be an expensive but fun setup to test. I'm trying to put my money into display and speakers with a lower percentage focused on electronics. I'm trying to use a 7.1 receiver like a Denon 3802 and a moderate priced DVD. In summary I would focus on finding a HT specialist that will design a system to fit your room and help you install it properly to get the most out of your funds and technology. For speaker selection I'd do a lot of listening at the shops using your favorite software so the speakers match your tastes. I also highly recommend you subscribe to netflix.com so you have a continuous supply of DVD's flowing through your house.

Thanks for the coaching. I'm excited about getting some Heritage speakers but not sure how to fit a full size speaker in the center. I'd like it to be placed below the screen which I could do now with a taller cabinet for my 27" tube. I wired my room for a projector so I believe that would work, too but I'm not planning for that expense in today's economy. If I used my 50" Pioneer Big Screen then it wouldn't fit. Does anyone put the full size speaker above the screen? The new center channel form factors provide a much better fit, but I'm nervous about the matching. I'm also needing to investigate the cost of having someone pack and ship these heavy speakers. It may make me just shop locally in Dallas. I built a room above my 3 car garage with the screenat the end with the slanted walls on left and right starting 35.5" from the floor.

Check out ebay for the Buckingham Nicks CD. One is a sealed "Anthem Record Collectors Edition". Not sure what that is or the sound quality but it's the same album. I just made a CD from my record. Take the McVie songs from Bare Trees and add this lp and you have the genesis for the popular Fleetwood Mac sound that emerged from the Green/Spencer blues Fleewood Mac and ruled the airways in the late 70's.

Based on what I've been reading, I perceive that the expensive cleaning machines aren't going to improve upon manually cleaning my records using THE DISC DOCTOR'S brushes and cleaner. If this isn't correct let me know. Manually cleaning and drying can be a pain but I'm just cleaning a couple a time as I bring them out from the archives for a spin. I probably won't clean all approx. 3,000 lps since I have distilled much of my interests in 70's classic rock music down to a couple hundred CD's (although I've kept the lps for memorabilia and completeness--the Time3 Journey 3cd set was all the Journey I needed on CD but I'm keeping all the lps). I've been buying for the first time many 70's PowerPop lps (PezBand, A's), pre-punk CDs (Stooges, Dictators) and critically praised and influencial punk bands (Adverts, Wire, Television). The PowerPop stuff although hard to find is cheap on lp since most have been forgotten (note: Rino's DIY PowerPop discs are an awesome best of series) but the punk related albums are cheaper on CD and much easier to find. It's amazing how punk lps like Wire's Pink Flag are selling for $25+ on ebay. There seems to be more fans today due to Nirvana than there was then. I find my early 80's college radio tastes to fill my record collection with tunes that are either only found in vinyl (Lou Miami and the Kosmetics) or the CD's are so limited they are way too hard to find and expensive (Guadalcanal Diary) but then this forum is "70's vinyl" so I'll stop. The Virgin Guide to 70's Music is educational and a good comparison to allmusic.com, Rolling Stone Record Guide, Mojo's Great Rock Record Guide, MusicHound, etc.

You may find the following site educational even if you don't buy from them or have them service your TT: http://www.theturntablefactory.com (sales & service). I bought a new Grado Red cartrige (~$50) from them for my Denon Direct Drive DP-790 which I bought at the neighborhood garage sale for $3.00. It looks and works great!!!! and the owner was glad to get get rid of the old dinosaur which is big and doesn't play CD's :-) I also bought a Bang & Olefsen Beogram 3000 (the museum piece from the 70's) on ebay for about $110 with Sure cartridge and it works great,too. I've always loved the B&O TT look. If buying a used TT you probably should assume that you'll need a new cartridge unless the seller has specified it comes with a new/slightly used one. Feedback ratings help with trust.

I too live in Flower Mound, TX. I'm thinking of buying some Belle's or Cornwalls for the HT I built above my garage. KHorns are too tall for my slanted side walls but the Belles/CornWalls would fit nicely. I'm not sure how to pick & place the center channel but a La Scala sounds good. How do you position a traditional big screen or tub TV with a speaker that size? Is there a shielding issue? I've wired the room for a projector/screen but I'm waiting on that. In college our house had a Carver M1.5 and two Cornwalls. Great hifi and they dualed as a PA for our band which played in the basement during fraternity parties. The heritage line brings back good memories but the new Klipsch form factors seem to be a better fit...which leads me off looking at other brands like DefTech, Mirage, Sonus Faber and other brands touted by the local retailers. I'm attracted to the heritage line based on a perception of timeless value, nostalgia and potentially a lower price. Any recommendations? Especially on the center speaker timbre matching and placement. With near 3,000 lps and growing (and a few hundred CDs) I'm also looking forward to hearing music on something better than my little book shelf speakers. Cheers, KJohnsonHP@attbi.com (Ken)

My housemate had new Cornwalls in '85 while in College and now I want to upgrade my home theatre. I'm wonderig if I should try to build a heritage system or start with the new reference series. I don't have room for the KHorns but any of the other speakers would fit. I live in Dallas/Ft.Worth and see some Belle's & Cornwalls available in TX. I guess I could use Heresey's for the center/surrounds. I'm not sure if the heritage has an advantage over the new speakers built specifically for home theatre and how well the center speaker will match. I also listen to music...mostly vinyl (rock w/some classial) with over 2,000 lps. I currently have a Cambridge Soundworks PS1 500W/15" sub and Center Channel speaker but I plan to move them on to another room. Any recommendations?