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On Crossover Networks, Nutcases and Turntable Replacement There have been 2 recent seminal events in my life: Hurricane Katrina and the recent loss of some audio equipment, including my Technics M3D turntable and DX 38 crossover. Well, I can add a third seminal event - trying to replace a TT that is no longer produced. I am a Klipsch product user with many speakers from the mid 1970s. It's all I know. Rightly or wrongly I have bought into the horn loaded sound. I like it. Same is true for my other audio components - I don't know the ins and outs of anything else. That does not mean that I do not appreciate other gear. Beyond a quip or 2 about "The Emperor's New Clothes", I usually compliment others on their set ups. Since Technics only now makes a 4K+ version of the SL 1200 just released earlier in 2016, the prices on the older SL 1200 and 1210 TTs have gone up. I think many were bought in the $300+ to $700 range, when built between the early 1970s to around 2010. These were designed for home use, but do to being over-engineered, they were built like tanks, many DJs favored them. There are DJ and also HIFI cartridges. In Los Angeles a few weeks ago, I found a repair shop west of downtown LA that had multiple TTs, including Technics. However, the owner needs some time on the couch with a medical professional (as a few record store owners and workers had warned me in advance). In brief, and he was vey verbose, he said we all pretty much listen to music very incorrectly - and he knew how to at least partially fix this. He could not have done more to prevent me from buying a 1200 from him. It would have seemed quite rude for me to derail his 30 minute rant. I gave up and left (money in the parking meter was running out). I called the next day, it was no better. I found an SL-1800, a lesser cousin model to the 1200 at a record shop in LA for $150 and bought it. I could not even find out from this guy what he was selling the 1200s for. Why the 1200 - it's all I know. This past week, 2 folks told me to try an audio shop in the DC area, where I now work. I went by. The owner is quite a guy and has a loyal and devoted following. He has multiple rooms of very high end gear and even builds some tube amps under his name. In brief, he is not a lightweight. But a similar situation occurred as in LA. He spent so much time telling me I was doing everything wrong, I just asked myself, why am I here? After Katrina I sensed something was wrong with my set up. In time, I would replace the caps from the Klipsch AA xover network (spam cans) with sonic caps via Bob Crites. It appears to be a common thing for Klipsch users to do. I thought the changes in sound were great and welcomed. I also liked the Universal ALK xover, perhaps more than the fixed up AA. However, the DC Audio Store owner informed me that there was nothing wrong with the caps. I think he wanted them. To give him his due, he is correct, the AA was designed by PW Klipsch to be built with certain parts, as available at the time. And yes, there are always many compromises to sell a product a reasonable cost. I have no doubt that the AA XO with the spam can capacitors was the best PWK could do to have the Khorns and LaScala's produce the sound he was looking for. Yes, I have no doubt that the sonic caps lead to differences in sound from the original oil filled caps used by PWK. However, you cannot buy new oil filled spam can caps as used in the 1970s -they are not made anymore. There are other oil caps, just not these. So I did the best I could think of and at a totally reasonable cost - I think about $50 per speaker for Crites' matched Sonicaps. As such, as a potential new customer, I guess I really did not appreciate being told by a store owner, that I totally messed up. As best as my ears can tell, I did the correct thing and with good results. I listened to several set ups at his shop. It was aural "eye candy". Even a pair of Khorns from the 50s. Apparently not modified and I guess with spam can caps. I was very impressed indeed - except for the fact that I thought the music was too loud. I know some folks do lose some hearing with age. Sometimes, audio folks crank up the volume to make things sound more impressive. I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps best to conclude, to thine own ears be true and above all trust yourself and your instincts.