Jason Todd Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Just fired up a Pair of VRD Monoblocks that I got from Craig yesterday. WOW! These things sound amazing. My system: Oppo 105D NOS Valves NBS NOS Valves VRD with Jupiter Caps and upgraded resistors and power supply bypass cap Denon DP-300F with Ortofon Bronze SET12 modified Klipsch Fortes The VRD's are a huge upgrade for me. My system sounds better than it ever has and Craig was an absolute pleasure to deal with. I know that these amps get a lot of love on the Klipsch forum and for good reason. Tom's woodwork is also first class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Congratulations ! You can't go wrong with Craig's stuff. You are set for a very long time. Now sit back, relax and enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Congratulations! NICE! We want pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Very nice. We like pictures too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Todd Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Hard to take a picture because everything is so spread out. Here goes nothing! The mono blocks are on top of the speakers. The turntable, NBS, Oppo, and Mac mini are on the walnut shelf on the right hand side. The Adam A7 studio monitors are for TV or if I have to do any editing at home. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 They are nice indeed, enjoy them my man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 It looks like the RF speaker is firing into the shelving unit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I suggest this reading HIGHLY! You might not be able to follow all the advice but do what you can and it will let that system sing. http://getbettersound.com/gbs.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Todd Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thanks, Muel. I have the book and DVD's. Someday I'll get to actualize the principles in it. I live in a one bedroom apartment that's like 550 square feet, so I don't have room for acoustic panels or much experimenting with position. Hopefully when I move to a bigger place in a year or so I can have a larger space that I can really trick out. In the meantime, I have to live with some compromised positioning. Still sounds great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) Good stuff in a make do place still sounds better than make do stuff in a bad place! :) Edit; I will order that reading material for myself, thanks for that. Edited May 14, 2015 by USNRET Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Todd Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 CECAA850. Yep. Firing into the shelf. I know, I know. My apartment is ridiculously tiny. I've been trying to think of a better place but, at the moment, it's the best that I can do. NYC apartment living isn't the most conducive to setting up good listening rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Just fired up a Pair of VRD Monoblocks that I got from Craig yesterday. WOW! These things sound amazing. My system: Oppo 105D NOS Valves NBS NOS Valves VRD with Jupiter Caps and upgraded resistors and power supply bypass cap Denon DP-300F with Ortofon Bronze SET12 modified Klipsch Fortes The VRD's are a huge upgrade for me. My system sounds better than it ever has and Craig was an absolute pleasure to deal with. I know that these amps get a lot of love on the Klipsch forum and for good reason. Tom's woodwork is also first class. " Craig was an absolute pleasure to deal with " Was he sick ? J/K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I've done the apartment thing (but not in NYC). It's definitely a compromise. Once you get that gear in a place where it can breathe, it'll sound like a whole new system. Great gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Todd Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 I love living in New York, but apartment living definitely has it's drawbacks. I'll be in the market for a new place in a year or so. Definitely want a living room that's about twice as big. I have a music studio in Bushwick that's a lot more tricked out with GIK panels and much more ideal speaker positioning. Tiny apartments are tough for sure. Craig is awesome. I know he can come off as gruff on the forums, but it doesn't bother me at all. I'm a sound mixer for film and TV in New York. Gruff is standard. He's great, knows his stuff, and is a blast to talk to on the phone. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Welcome to the Forum. You will like it here. I've had the distinct pleasure of hearing his units and they truly are wonderful. One suggestion, get those monoblocks off the Cornwalls. I'd put them on shelves you can either make, or buy, and mount on the wall. Studs should be 16" on center. You could, potentially, get some feedback issues with xovers. Doubtful, but easily prevented. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted May 15, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 15, 2015 Great stuff, and welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Congrats, nice set up. Just curious, what amplification were you using prior to the NOS Valves gear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I had mine sitting on glass on top of my Klipschorns. Over time, the vibrations caused the glass to start moving. One day, my daughter was playing with some of her small toys in front of one of the Klipschorns, and when she left to go do something else, her foot worked its way around a speaker wire -- and the VRD decided to follow her out of room. Scared the absolute hell out of me. I got to the speaker just in time to catch the VRD as it was tipping its way over the edge. So, there are a lot of reasons not to keep large tube amplifiers on top of loudspeakers. Besides the possible safety issue, the constant exposure to vibration probably isn't good for the amplifier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 That placement also puts a heat source near the thermostat, which is not good. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Todd Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 Prior to the VRD's, I was using an ampsandsound Bigger Ben. It's a great amp, but wasn't the best match for my Forte's. I think it's a much better match with K-Horns and the like. I'm not too worried about having them on the speakers. I asked Craig and he said it really shouldn't cause any damage to the amps. I have a couple of tube bass amps that absolutely get punished sitting on top of an 8x10 or 6x10 speaker cabinet and they've been fine. Not exactly the same thing, but I'm not too worried about it. I also don't have any kids, so no little ones to worry about. The thermostat has been fine so far, but that's a good point. I'll keep my eye on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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