DANOCASTER Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Hey Folks... Well, I have read enough reviews to wanna try one of these Eico pieces. I have both Chorus 1s and LaScalas. When I rock- I want it loud w/ authority. Will the 14 watt HF-81 do it ?? Or do I need the higher powered ST-70 ? Does anyone have experience w/ both and feels one SOUNDS better than the other ?? Please lemme know...thanks for your brains!! This message has been edited by DANOCASTER on 07-02-2002 at 10:52 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 I'm sorry, but I just don't seem to get it. What does "loud w/authority" have to do with musical quality? Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 DANOCASTER, I guess we would need to know what your definition of loud is. 95-100-105 db ?? How big of a room are we talking about filling with sound. The HF-81 will play loud enough for most people with the speakers you mentioned. The lascala's would rock big time. I would steer clear of the ST-70 it uses expensive and hard to find output tubes at least in NOS variants. There is one tube currently being made for it but larger than the Originals. Not sure if it would fit in the EICO I know it doesn't in most Scott amps. Besides I personally think the 6BQ5/7189 type tubes sound much better in Push Pull config anyway's. Good Luck Craig ------------------ HH Scott 299 Amp HH Scott LT-110B Tuner HH Scott P-87 Turn Table JVC JL-F50 Turn Table Sony CDP-CA7ES CD Drive 1985 Walnut Heresey I W/Layne Audio Woofers KSW-15 Subs>c> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANOCASTER Posted July 2, 2002 Author Share Posted July 2, 2002 OK...JAZZMAN- What I'm looking for is am amp that can play loud and punchy and not LOSE what it does at lower levels. Warm highs, sweet midrange, full bottom.I want sweet and musical AND volume !! What I mean by "loud w/ authority" is 100 dB or more but unrestrained- as in "with ease" so the amp doesnt sound like its straining to get up to that level. The Choruses are in a 14 X 18 room and the LaScalas are in a 25 X 25 room. The 7591s dont scare me much cause I also use them in my little Ampeg guitar amps and know where I can get NOS ones pretty cheap. I just wonder if the HF-81 could keep up w/ what I used to ( a musical Fidelity A300 integrated- a conservative 150 watts SS). Besides the 7591 tube availablilty , the ST-70s sound great ?? This message has been edited by DANOCASTER on 07-02-2002 at 10:51 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 Lately I notice there have been a whole mess of Eico HF-81 on eBay, and they have been fairly inexpensive. They are popular amongst many here and there is ample information on upgrading them both functionally and cosmetically. C&S ------------------ Cornwalls currently upgrading to all tube components Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 Dano, Sorry, I was being a bit sarcastic when I should have asked a more constructive question. LaScala's are rated at 104db sensitivity, the Chorus I's at 101db. It should only require about 10 good watts to chase you out of a room. I think the EICO can do that. It's not the quantity of watts, but the quality of watts that make listening to sensitive speakers a real pleasure for me. There are many who disagree. The EICO is an extremely musical piece that will drive your speakers with more authority than it's rated 15 wpc seem to imply. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANOCASTER Posted July 2, 2002 Author Share Posted July 2, 2002 OK...I'll get one of these HF-81s floating around. They seem to be slighly more desireable and certainly there are alot of great EL-84s out there. I was just thinking I wanted "muscle" as well- but apparently the HF-81 has that as well..we'll see..thanks !! By the way, has anyone heard this Musical Fidelity A324 upsampler?? Upsamples 44.1 cds up to 96 and 192kH !! WHOA !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 I would hold off on a purchase of the HF-81 just yet. I have company here but want to say something about the differences of listening goals which sometimes really can cause a disparity of opinions. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 Dano, you DO know that a sustained 100dB volume will quickly become painful. If you have a Rat Shack SPL meter you will find that 90dB is damn loud, and 100dB will have you hopping around the room, cupping your hands over your bleeding ears. Let me steal a bit of MH's thunder here. With horn loaded speakers (or any high efficiency job) and amps with good, um, torque (as opposed to horsepower) you will find all the snap and PRAT you will ever want. I would describe SS amps as the high horsepower low torque variety and tubes as the converse. I have a pair of 8 watter tube amps that run my khorns a bit louder than the 35 watt SS amp they replaced. As MH will no doubt detail, your listening goals will dictate what amps to buy. Since I have no experience with either of the units you reference, I cannot help you. But I will say if your primary goal is loud w/authority, either one will suffice. If you want SOUND, well, then you should stay tuned for Kelly's comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANOCASTER Posted July 2, 2002 Author Share Posted July 2, 2002 OK...I'll sit on my hands ( w/ my cash in it )until I hear Mobile's response. But maybe I should be even more clear. Perhaps my 100dB level is exaggerated- never really got out an SPL meter. What IS really important to me is a nice midrange w/ out the "peakiness" that some SS electronics bring out w/ horns. I love the way Klipsch are so foward sounding and I love the attack and transient response of drums, etc..But I have VERY nice solid state amps and feel like tubes would lay back a little, and soften things in a nice way. And a tube rectifier will often soften things in a very musical way. All these things are very important to me. For the first time in my 8 years of selling audio, I have speakers in my home that can give me the punch and attack that I know from being on stage -playing live -and THAT I wanna keep. My experience w/ tubes (thus far) w/ home audio has been w/speakers that werent as dynamic or efficient to start with as my KLIPSCH. So, I'm excited to think that I could have all the great things about tubes and not need 150 watt tube monoblocks to get the spks going!!! I mean, ALL my guitar stuff is vintage 50s-60s tube stuff and I'm nuts over it. I would like to have that passion spill into my listening as well. Mobile,Jazman, etc..I respect your guys opinions as ones who've clocked in the hours listening so I definitely want your feedback. I dont headbang. I mostly listen to jazz,classic rock, and indie/punk stuff but not a crazy levels.I wanna feel the kick , but I DONT want my ears to hurt. I have found both a very nice serviced,clean ST-70 and a pretty clean HF-81 that may need just caps, etc..( either one looks like $250 plus shipping )..I'll wait to hear Mobiles 2 cents ( or 12 cents) THANKS !!! - Dano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 I probably shouldn't comment here, but here goes. I have a home theater rig in one room with Klipschorns and LaScalas, ten speakers total. In another room I have an extra pair of Klipschorns set up. I'm considering tubes for 2- channel room. I have been trying to figure out how many watts I'm putting into these speakers. My home theater room is about 16' by 48', because the back of the room is open to another 18' room. I beleave my McIntosh amps power level meters are fairly accurate. I was showing Mike Lindsey(SP.?)what 2 watts, 10 watts and 20 watts sounded like and reading the sound level meter while doing it. In this room 2 watts was around 90db. I like to listen at 94 to 104db. It takes a steady 20 watts to hit 104 db then the needle jumps to 40watts durning those short loud burst. For DVD movies it's even more extream, the needles can read 100 watts durning those bomb explosions. You need a lot of head room in your amp. Now in the small 16' by 20' room with only one pair of Klipschorns we hit 115db with out even trying. We were going to see how high of a sound level meter reading we could achieve, but we couldn't take it any louder. And when we started to increase the volume over 115db the room started to distort, not the Klipschorns. So, the small room is where I will be asking for your advise on tube amps. The home theater room will remain SS Mcintosh. I'm not about to buy 10 high powered tube amps, unless I win the lottery. Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 Q, 16x48 is freeking huge! No wonder it takes so darn much to fill it. My listening room is closer to the second set of dimensions you refer to. Don't know about explosions, but drum kits and 'test tracks' containing drum solos produce a very visceral effect with my 8 watts. The folks upstairs always note it too. And the folks next door. But that kind of volume only occurs when I am trying to impress someone, not during normal listening. (OK, except when listening to PJ Harvey). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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