Eureka Springs Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Hello all, Lifelong Klipsch owner here (Heresey's and La Scalla's)... just bought two pristine old klipschorns which Bob Crite (sp?) reworked up top a while back. I've never listened to another pair of Horns before these so I have no idea what others sound like. Anyway, I'm in heaven here... with a crappy ten year old consumer reports top pick Panasonic AV control receiver which has got to go into the trash heap of history. I need help, I've read the audio internet like a madman for a few months.. and I feel like I now know enough to be very dangerous to my meager means..) I want to be able to hook up.. at the very least Record player Computer (mac laptop) DVD Sat TV (2 way, not surround) preferably another slot for whatever, CD, blue ray, something. and i want a remote for volume.. would like to be able to switch inputs from remote, but not a must. A couple of old mcintosh pieces really tempt me... such as the MC 250 which seems fairly affordable when it pops up. The MC 225 even more so (tubes baby!), but I don't know what good ones go for yet. Nor do I know what new fangled preamps might do either of those old MC amps justice? Other than that, i think I am most curious if the peachtree (DAC sounds amazing?) will do what I want.. at best overall cost? 1200 plus an external record amp thingamajig... which would be a bit more than I intended to spend, but if would do the horns justice I could wait, knowing fellow Klipsch owners gave it a thumbs up. Then there is decware, which really catches my eye for some fine simple reasons - if it's loud enough, but again, what new fangled preamp will do decware and khorns justice while allowing me to hook-up enjoy sound as mentioned above? Thanks for any and all feedback, I've been reading here a while and really appreciate the trails you all have led me down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironsave Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 No offense; But it is exceedingly difficult to read your post. Try using Internet Explorer; or (If you are); push (enter) after each sentence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBryan Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I read through the post w/o any trouble - Welcome to the Forum E-Springs and congrats on your Khorns. The need for a remote is a bit of a hurdle otherwise I'd suggest a restored integrated like Scott, Fisher or even Sherwood (the S5000 is a nice piece and a real bargain). These would be a good start at discovering what tubes can do and for many, they offer the best sound/price ratio out there. MAC gear sounds fine but tends to be overpriced compared to similar-sounding gear but you can usually get your $ back when you sell. My favorite MAC amps are the MC-30's and 225s - in that order and both will cost at least 2x more than comparable gear. In my book, a tubed preamp is more benefit to a system than a tube amp and there are plenty of decent vintage pres but alas, no remote. The Conrad Johnson PV-5 comes to mind - it sounds good, has a nice MM phono section and sells for @$500. If you're starting from scratch and want to incorporate streaming music from your computer, I would suggest looking into the new line of preamp/DACs from Sutherland, Eastern Electric, Wyred4Sound, etc. as they are catch all ('cept you'll need a phono stage) solutions for hi-Rez and streaming and most offer tube stages or buffers. I don't know enough about them to make a recommendation but don't be in a hurry as gear pops up all the time for dealing with this newer technology - 24/192 is the norm now but that will change in a month or so. Have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eureka Springs Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 None taken, On Mac here, which is rarely a problem... guess it lost formatting in safari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eureka Springs Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks, you've mentioned several new things for me to look into, and I will. As for tube preamps I meant to mention ... the original Sunfire sounds like a real gem if I can find one at a fair price. Though it probably could use some DAC help since it's a bit dated now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 None taken, On Mac here, which is rarely a problem... guess it lost formatting in safari.The problem is Safari...Firefox (on the Mac) doesn't have the problem. If you only want to use Safari, you can add in a <p> , which is a paragraph html code. It will put in a new line for you. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmvette Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 So are you running a Panasonic or Sunfire? Tonight I'm running a Sunfire Symphonic Reference Pre with tubed amp and it sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eureka Springs Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 Seriously considering purchasing a Sunfire. Do you need a better DAC than it has for mp3 listening? Have you tried it with any of the old McIntosh amps we discuss above? On Panansonic now listening to Lonnie Smith - Live at Club Mozambique now. The Hammond B3 sounds amazing on the horns. And Jimmy Smith's horns on Back at the Chicken Shack... wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmvette Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 I've run my Sunfire pre with Carver M-1.0t, which is a solid state, and with a McIntosh MC2205, and now with the NOS VRD45-ST tube amp. It works great with all of them. It is a nice unit, the price was reasonable on the used market and it has a remote. I'm still searching for a tube preamp at the moment to go with the VRDs - nothing wrong with the Sunfire, just thinking it will be a better set-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I added remote volume control to my vintage system by using a Creek OBH-22 volume control between my preamp and amp. another alterniatve is a nice integrated amp with remote (I had in my main system for a few years a McIntosh MA6400 intergated amp and it sounded great! it now resides in my bedroom system). Good sounding, new intergated amps with remote are available from Rotel, Creek, wow with tubes and SS really too many to list. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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