Daddy Dee Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 ---------------- On 6/22/2003 10:36:27 PM DeanG wrote: http://www.magnequest.com/diy/lessard/horus_740.jpg" width=716 border=0> So guys, tell me truthfully. Is this SET for Dean? And you KNOW what I'm talking about. ---------------- Dean, Could you point out the tongue contact points on the diagram? Regards, Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 Chris, What an evening, with fine folks, fine food, and fine sound. Thanks for passing this along. Regards, Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalOg Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 One thing I have found out about this hobby, it's a lonely one. I've auditioned my "stuff" to family members & friends, and it seems like they can't wait to leave the room. That is what's great about this forum, a sense of common interest makes me realise I'm not a wack case, as some make me feel, when I'm showing off my stuff. It would be nice to hook up on a personal basis with folks sharing the same interests in music. I suggest if possible, we create small "clubs" within this forum, create the groups demagraghically, have a get together once every other month, at a club memebers home, switching off between members. We can report back to the forum here with photos and updates on music & equipment. Just a thought, kick it around all. Thankx, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted June 25, 2003 Author Share Posted June 25, 2003 Tom, that's a nice idea and we have a few here in the Boston area that have gotten together. Jeff Caban (JCTurboT), Leo Keightey (LeoK) and I are kind of the anchor members so far. I think (Jeff, help me here) there's someone nearby in Harvard who also has a gaggle of Klipsch gear. I've always felt that people who love fine gear have an underlying love of music ... some are musicians, amateur or professional, or have a liberal education in music (choirs, chorales, bands, etc.). Those folks who have a passion for great sounding music are looking to recreate the feeling associated with great live performances, be they as participants or observers. When I listen to music through SET amps and Klipschorns, I FEEL the emotion of the music. When my wife listens, and I love her dearly, she says, "That sounds really nice ..." but she said that about our little Bose cubes three years ago. I think she was genuinely astounded Saturday night by all the fuss and discussion taking place among the men (Jeff Lessard, Leo K, and Eric, my rocket scientist buddy). I think for the first time she thought that she wasn't listening carefully enough. PS: That's Jeff Caban's daughter with my son in the little window to the left; they're sitting in front of (i.e., dwarfed by) the Klipschorn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalOg Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 "I've always felt that people who love fine gear have an underlying love of music ... some are musicians, amateur or professional, or have a liberal education in music (choirs, chorales, bands, etc.). Those folks who have a passion for great sounding music are looking to recreate the feeling associated with great live performances, be they as participants or observers." Chris, I think you hit it right on the head with that statement. I love my wife and all, but she doesn't share the same passion as I do for music. She does have a good ear, when I need an opinion, but she's not one to sit for any given time and just "enjoy the music." I think what it all boils down to is, some ears just don't get it. Which I guess it sucks to be them. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted June 25, 2003 Author Share Posted June 25, 2003 Tom, good observation ... "It sucks to be them ..." Think what it would be like, though, if everybody had gold standard ears and wanted fine tube amps and Klipsch speakers. How much would we pay for these things on Ebay? LOL (Caveat: This was a rhetorical question; economists need not chime in about the market's efficient allocation of capital to match market demand, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Chris, Congrats on your new Horus(s) and Pantheon. Hopefully you've found the end of the "upgrade-itis" trail, other than maybe occassional tweaks. You mentioned using the AVVT 2A3 which JPL mentions in his review, and seems like you're still searching for the right input/driver(5687 vs 6900,and I guess 7044). Which GZ34 are you using? Have you upgraded your interconnects, and which IC's are you using? How far apart are your Khorns? Soundstage, imaging, and distance between Khorns have long been a worry of mine everytime I consider upgrading to Khorns. Enjoy the music! Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edster00 Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 The Jean-Francois Lessard designed and built Horus amps arrived at my office this afternoon. Once I got off work I hurried home and got them hooked up...here's a shot of one of them: Sorry for the odd looking angle, I was shooting over the corner of one of the K-horns. I was surprised at the weight of these bad boys, nearly as heavy as the Moondogs while the cobalt OPT is so small it is inside the chassis. I am letting them warm up a bit (all brand new tubes except the 2A3s, as well as new amps) while I post this message, and then I'm back downstairs to listen while I clean up the mess I made unpacking them. I want to thank JFL for all the work he put into these amps and for the frequent emails he sent keeping me informed on their build progress! I also want to thank Chris Robinson for taking the time out of his day to ship the Horus to me, and the emails he shared with me regarding our amps. More to follow, but on first listen they sound awesome ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted June 25, 2003 Author Share Posted June 25, 2003 Well, the 5687 search is over ... they're all really good. Which brand you pick is totally personal "flavor", not competence. In the 2A3 department, I've run the RCA NOS 2A3 against the hand-selected AVVT and really prefer the AVVT. Caveat emptor, though ... Buy screened pairs. Alesa Vaic sold ALL of the production, not just what passed. IOW, get actual test reports to compare. You'll pay more, but you'll pay for what you get. Jacmusic was fine to deal with here. If money is tight, the RCA's will sound nearly as great, yet maybe better in some ways. The RCA's have always sounded lush and romantic to me. Ed's got a great pair ... Can't wait to hear them. Mine floor me ... PS: I know the GZ-34 are the "spec", but the less expensive Mullard GZ32 sound fabuluos and look great. That's what Ed has in-socket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 chris which AVVT are you using? the mesh or carbon solid plate version? what should one pay for those? thanks, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted June 26, 2003 Author Share Posted June 26, 2003 Tony, I'm using the mesh plates ... Most of the opinions I've read indicate that these sound better. I bought mine from Jac at www.jacmusic.com ... He was very nice to work with. These are NOS tube since they're not in production anymore. He hand matches the tubes and sells only the good ones. They aren't cheap at 163 euros each but the sound is great. The RCA 2A3 sounds wonderful as well and at reasonable prices and plentiful supply, it makes perfect sense to use it as well. Ed's used the AVVT but had noise problems with them (Ed, correct me if I'm wrong here) as did Jeff Lessard. Anyway, I suspect it helps to have them sold as matched pairs if you're really interested. I certainly endorse Jac ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted June 26, 2003 Author Share Posted June 26, 2003 Jazman, I have a really crummy room (as opposed to Ed who has a beautiful one) ... When I got the Klipschorns, they were beat up but very nicely priced, so I thought I'd clean them up and store them in the basement until the "next house". Out of pity, my wife said I could move them up into the living room into the only two (barely) suitable corners, which happen to opposing, not sharing a common wall. That said, the soundstage is non-existent. However, I did hear a pair of Klipschorns in 1978 in a properly set-up room and they were unbelievable, so I know the soundstage and dynamics that they're capable of. I too went with the GZ32 which Jeff approved of ... Both Ed and I have NOS Mullard GZ32's ... The spec'ed rectifier is Mullard GZ34 and I've heard the Philips GZ34 which is nice. To my ears, I can't tell the difference but the GZ32 bottle is really appealing visually. I've heard Ed's Bendix 6900 and really, really like it ... more than the 5687 maybe but I'm not sure. The TungSol 5687 is wonderful but the Bendix has a romantic quality that I really like. So I think I'm settled on the tubes. I'll roll the RCA 2A3's back in for a while next week when I have some listening time under the belt. I really liked them at first blush. They're a little warmer than the AVVT's but the AVVT's aren't anywhere near broken in yet. If I had Ed's Rosewood, I'd definitely go with the RCA's For IC's, I'm using Kimber PBJ's from the pre- to the amps, and Silver Sonics from the CDP to the pre-. I may switch the Silver Sonics to the PBJ as well, but the current combo sounds great. Anyway, this is my "last" two channel system. It sounds perfect to my ears and unless I win the lottery (not!), I couldn't see spending the $15-$20 grand for the next step up (like Tenor OTL). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edster00 Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 I let the Horus warm up for ~an hour last night and then I did about an hour of listening to some of my favorite tunes. My first impressions were really excellent. I really really like the Moondogs, I will not be selling them any time soon, but the cobalt/parafeed Horus do seem to provide a bit clearer and smoother sound across the board. I seem to be able to hear deeper into the music, picking out individual notes/instruments more clearly. Very musical bass. I will be doing a lot more listening tonight and this weekend and get a few more hours on the tubes and amps. I am really happy with these amps! AVVT meshplates: I did try a pair of AVVT mesh plates running in the Moondogs for a short period of time. I did experience a hum when using them that I didn't have with any other 2A3s. I eventually sold them and the new owner loved them...he didn't experience the hum. Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted June 26, 2003 Author Share Posted June 26, 2003 Ed, WRT to the AVVT's ... was the person you sold them to running his amp into super-efficient speakers like the Klipschorn? Even if they're only 95db or so, the difference is still audible ... The tube may have exhibited the same hum but it just was masked by the less efficient speaker. Jean-Francois was quite surprised at how revealing the Klipschorn is ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Chris, I have no doubts of the Khorn capability to produce great soundstage and image. I question my available rooms ability to provide the correct environment to extract all of the Khorns potential. My current plans are to rebuild and upgrade my Belles networks with higher quality components,..... just don't ask me when I'll get it done. I had considered scratching for a pair of the AVVT's last year until I read about the many quality control issues experienced by many. For now at least, the RCA black plate is at the top of my 2A3 heap, and that includes my recent 3 week audition of the KR2A3's provided through courtesy of Ed. That's a complete short post to come, probably next week, after a new broadband service provider gets me on line to facilitate upload of a few photos. It definitely sounds as if you and Ed have raised the bar for your systems performance. It will certainly push me toward an additional tweak to my Moondogs like "battery bias", to produce a blacker backround. If you'd like a pair of NOS Philips miniwatt GZ34's to run as a comparison to the GZ32, let me know and I'll gladly contribute them for a long run test. The large black base Mullard GZ34 with double halo getters are better, with the metal base GZ34s at the top of the heap. Continue to enjoy! Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted June 27, 2003 Author Share Posted June 27, 2003 Jazman, you are very kind to make that offer. I'll follow up with you in a month or so because I want to (1) run the amp in a bit, and (2) get used to the sound that this combination is making. I heard the same about the AVVT's which is why I conversed with Jac in Germany to discuss his testing and screening procedures. They're expensive but you know what you're getting, and they're matched to with 0.1 volt. Attached is a photo of the set-up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 gee chirs those look REALLY nice! I may have to go for a JFL preamp...now I just need to keep saving my pennies...BTW chris, rest assured that when properly set up the k-horns creat and amazing soundstage, with those components and a proper room you will be in audio heaven! tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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