mobile homeless Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 I leave for a few months, flee the country for some culture overseas, and wander back in here to see who has bought what and suddenly the world is upside down... Indeed. Never thought I would see the day when ole Jeff would be posting in thy Klipsch Forum nor the irony of Erik building the Horus with posted pics, this after the various altercations...then again, I just have driven Italy back roads at 180kmh with cars within a few feet, some moving at a far higher speed, so reason seems far fetched. All I can say is God Bless 95 octane and Italian logic, which seems pretty sane and sensible after wandering around in here for a bit. Too bad Jeff felt burdened by the Pantheon load; the French Quebec bastard can be one lazy swine (froot) and fickle as the wind but it's part of his charm per say. Regardless, ole Lessard makes a fine product either for himself or anyone else as I dont think he distinguishes between the two in quality or effort. Build-wise, I would probably add Erik to this list as well from what I know of him over the last few years. Although we sometimes dont see eye to eye, I know he takes tremendous pride in his work and now that he has added aesthetics to the program, things have taken a distinct turn for the better, at least visually speaking; he always seemed top notch in the solder department (Erik, love that listening room with the home brew speakers - neat room!). I spent a good few hours talking ole Lessard into letting me put that Horus project on the MagneQuest site years back and it seems to have spurned some interest. It was always Jeff's favorite SET, if not his beloved Tenor, which seems to spend more time under his bed than lit up like a sonic space heater. As for his amps for sale, I am probably the only one here that has heard the beasts in person, although he has changed the insides more times than underwear over the last 15 months (and made some new zebrawood chasis to replace the larger Birdseye). I have described and pictured them in the past in this very forum so one might find the words buried here and there. As a 300B, they offered amazing resolution, on par with anything I have heard although this might contribute to a slight weakness in the musical department, this also up for debate as it's one of my sensitive areas (Jeff's as well depending on mood). Simply stated, these amps are sonic marvels in the detail department with excellent transient response and resolution. You want to hear the fingers on the trumpet keys and Miles taking that breath before the solo? These amps will do that, provided you have a good source and the rest of your system up to snuff. I would say they are very revealing but never harsh. I, like Jeff, tend to prefer the 2A3 to the 300B, but will add that in 300B guise, they are very nice. I heard them driven by a stock Rega Planet which was a good partner in many ways considering this amp's traits. Part of the magic in detail must be attributed to the rare-as-a-bird MQ Cobalt Parafeed outputs, these editions only seen in DIY or Wavelength gear, cost prohibative, of course. If it were me, I would take Jeff up on the offer to drive up to Quebec City to pick them up. The place is best experienced in the early fall and why not give them a whirl to be totally sure. The tourists will be few, always a good thing in Quebec City, where buses of overweight, camera-laden fiends will swarm like red ants on a mix of Quaaludes and LSD-25. Take my word for it, it's a fine place to visit and no better time is approaching. Jeff's flat is best experienced when cooler as there is no AC and the gear makes his living room approach sauna levels. Ask him to see the view from the rooftop... Good to see a lot of people happy with their tube amps. Also, good to see DEAN has not changed too much. I wander in for the first time in many months and the FIRST post I see is Dean unloading the amps he loved the last time I was here. As least SOMETHING still makes sense! heh... Ole Dean. You gotta love ole Dean. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Ha! I love all this stuff -- I hope to taste as much of it as I can. What else is there to do? Mow the lawn, clean the garage -- fly half way around the freaking planet? Glad to see you're doing well Kelly. You're missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Lordy, Dean, your'e off your Lam Ying Wing rocker... But it's a good rocker I might add. I havent bought or sold anything in far too long now; I am starting to feel out of the loop. My Moondogs blew two Mullard GZ-37s in the space of three minutes so a cap replacement is probably in order(again, as almost always, they blew on power up). Currently, I am listening to Leo's Waltham Integration P6D Digital amp as my backup, which does a lovely job in the summer months; zero heat output is a welcome thing these days. No, it's not tube sublime but it surely is as open and unfettered as solid state gets, at least in these parts. It's a POWER MONSTER at 6w! Heh... I know you love that. Nice to banter with you again. Drop me a mail sometime. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Hey, KH!!! Good to see (hear) (read) whatever... from you again! Your trip sounds like it was really fantastic. You are totally right about my building efforts, and a little attention to the visual aspect of all of this is something I just had to learn, I guess. Kelly, I had in fact bought a Hammond box for the Horus, punched and drilled it, filed away on the thing, etc. It looked absolutely horrible, and was a total waste of money. Considering the amount of money I put into getting good parts for the amps, it was just a dumb thing to do to put all of them in and on-top-of a chassis that sagged under the weight of the freaking power transformer! I had visited the IAG site some time ago, and completely forgot that they (well, at least Horace!)sold really nice chassis -- thick-plated things with solid hardwood sides. Jeff found the site and sent me the link, again. They were tough as anything to punch with a dull 2A3 chassis punch, and required too much refinishing, but look nice to me. I actually like them better than the Moondogs, which is something I never thought I would hear myself saying! But cheers, and thank you for the compliments. The quality of the pictures Marie posted for me (too dumb to figure it out for myself!)are no where near what you and some of the others here are able to do, but I'll get a good digital cameral one of these days and try again. I'm glad you came in to say 'hi'! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Holy Fright Wonders never sease !! Good to see Old Mobile Homeless posting. Should we declare this some type of Forum Holiday ? Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Kelly, Good to see you back . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorius Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Welcome back Kelly! It is good to hear from you again, your insight was missed. This Forum is like an addiction, a monster that keeps pulling you back into it's lair. I see that for you to escape it's clutches you had to leave the country. Regards, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Hello: This is a fascinating thread to read, but it makes one who owns McIntosh feel like a Volkswagen owner at a Rolls Royce gathering. It's too bad that I have not seen a decent SET amp for a price that would allow me to still wear clothes, eat and live. This is not a criticism of either Master Builders. It's more of a statement about prices for equipment, repair parts - I need to have my 60s recapped - Buying, selling, trading is an addiction. Looking at AudiogoN and the Forum for a "fix." Though I have had my McIntosh 60s and 240s too long to part with them. My 30s are going to another land, far, far away to a good home. If anyone is familiar with sonic quality of a 225 please email me. I hope youe SET amplifiers find a good home. (it's almost like we're placing children to me) From what has been said a lot of effort, love and care went into their making. Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCturboT Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 KH, Welcome back Kelly! We need someone like yourself to "stir the pot" here as it's been rather lifeless around here as of late. Not to take anything away from the Craig & Ryan discussions/arguements? Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Zebrawood chassis? I may need to buy these amps just to match my cornwalls! I'd have to sell everything else I own to afford them though. Welcome back MH although we've never met. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painful Reality Posted August 8, 2003 Author Share Posted August 8, 2003 ---------------- On 8/8/2003 10:23:34 AM dodger wrote: It's too bad that I have not seen a decent SET amp for a price that would allow me to still wear clothes, eat and live. This is not a criticism of either Master Builders. It's more of a statement about prices for equipment, repair parts - I need to have my 60s recapped - ---------------- There are more than decent amps at reasonable price from George Wright actually. I really like what I heard at Chris's place when we listened to his Wright 2A3 driving his K-Horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painful Reality Posted August 8, 2003 Author Share Posted August 8, 2003 ---------------- On 8/8/2003 8:13:13 AM mobile homeless wrote: Never thought I would see the day when ole Jeff would be posting in thy Klipsch Forum nor the irony of Erik building the Horus with posted pics, this after the various altercations...then again, I just have driven Italy back roads at 180kmh with cars within a few feet, some moving at a far higher speed, so reason seems far fetched. All I can say is God Bless 95 octane and Italian logic, which seems pretty sane and sensible after wandering around in here for a bit. Too bad Jeff felt burdened by the Pantheon load; the French Quebec bastard can be one lazy swine (froot) and fickle as the wind but it's part of his charm per say. ---------------- You have no idea I wish it would be Nancy and me on this photo... Italy is great ain't it? Yeah, I felt a bit burdened, quite imcompatible with my moody-anxious-lazy nature. I think you perfectly nailed the 300B amp you heard at my place. This circuit is somewhat different than what you heard, which was an EL84 driving a 300B. The actual circuit use a 6N1P. It did gain in musicality but still, I can't help but to prefer it with a 2A3. I feel the 2A3 is a much better balanced tube than the 300B. Subjectively, I found that the 2A3 sound more powerful. Maybe my opinion would change if I'd plug in these 300B Mesh from TJ, Sophia Electric,Full Music, etc... Of course I refer to the 5V 300B, not this 2.5V 300B that are used in 2A3 amps under 2A3 operating point! (I still don't understand why the heck they do call this a 300B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Kelly, great to read a post of yours again! I certainly missed some of your suggestions/points of view etc. You might have heard that I bought Chris' Wrights. I bought them thanks to the curiosity you arose when writing about high quality SET gear and I couldn't be happier with them (glad that Jeff has found a few nice words for them,too - otherwise I might have thought I was too hasty when getting the Wrights LOL). Hopefully you'll join us again more often - and yes, Italy is a great place to be, but so is Spain. Did you get anywhere near this country, too? Welcome back, Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Thanks to all the welcome backs from the ole crew. It seem quite a long time since wandering in here and there are a lot of new names. I have to say it was a nice break to pull from the audio chain reaction as it had me agrip like a Silverback Ape. I did some more listening to music without equipment worries or analysis, something that was needed even though I thought of myself as past the "listen to the gear" syndrome. Running in the audio hamster wheel around in circles can be like traversing a veritable mobius strip. And Italy was a GREAT way to pull oneself from the mobius strip of USA brain-lock. France and Spain are the next stop, Wolfram. I have to say I have no real staunch allegiance to SET or PP, enjoying both for the merits and strengths. I still have not heard a really powerful amp (over 50w) that I truely love and I still say that there is nothing like the intimacy of the SET amp. Yet, I have listened to all sorts of amps ranging from PP tube to Leo's digital and enjoyed the music from many. I surely dont think one must spend massive ducats to achieve closeness to the music although sometimes you really do get what you pay for. Then again, there is nothing like getting a lot for very little, as these purchases can make you smile and restore faith, not to mention foot tapping. Amps like the little Wright 2A3 and the vintage PP tube offferings are bargains. More modern amps that offer simple solutions, as in Quicksilver, can please as well. Actually, the more you hear, the more you realize that blanket statements regarding gear tend to be disproven down the road at one time or another. Still, my heart lies with tubes and horns lately. Actually, it's been really aligning with music, which can stir the soul even if from a 60s car radio... Sometimes, that's easy to forget. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 ---------------- On 8/8/2003 11:33:22 AM painful reality wrote: ---------------- On 8/8/2003 10:23:34 AM dodger wrote: It's too bad that I have not seen a decent SET amp for a price that would allow me to still wear clothes, eat and live. This is not a criticism of either Master Builders. It's more of a statement about prices for equipment, repair parts - I need to have my 60s recapped - ---------------- There are more than decent amps at reasonable price from George Wright actually. I really like what I heard at Chris's place when we listened to his Wright 2A3 driving his K-Horns. ---------------- Greetings Again: I welcome you back kh, though we have never met. The respect shown to you indicates a definite welcome back. My question, being new to SET, I am not familiar with Wright Amplifiers. Can anyone send me info on them. It is appreciated. And a hello to Wolfgram, I trust you are doing well? Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 I remember Chris also saying that Leo's amps sounded very good, indeed. Leo's Moondogs have been highly modified, as well. To the list of good SETs at still-sane prices I would add, in addtion to Jeff's praise for the Wright amplifiers, Jack Eliano's DRD. The Electra Print transformers are undeniably good, and a grid choke is also used on the 2A3 (at least this is the case with the DRD schematic first published in VTV). Plus the DRD benefits (in my opinion)from the OPT primary/cathode connection. That's the same connection we have mentioned a million times in the past months. KH, you might considering doing that on your Moondogs -- take 15-20 minutes! Leo also took out C5. Another evidently very, very good 2A3 SET is the Moth audio amplifier. Not that I always agree with everything I read, but VTV also indicated that in their test of SE 2A3 amps (which included the Wrights and Moondogs) the Moth Audio was their favorite. It is also reasonably priced, has a certain art-deco-esque appeal (if you're into art deco), and I think combines both PCB and point-to-point wiring. Kelly also brought up the Wavelength Audio amps, which I know very little about in terms of sound quality. I imagine they are not unlike the Horus or other similar high quality parallel output designs. They just cost so much! Efficient speakers are really a must with any of these amplifiers. ...and KH also mentioned those darn shunt feed cobalt OPTs (not going to be made any more in the near future, apparently. The loan I took out barely covered the permalloy transformers I bought, and the cobalts would have been like reaching for Mars. I would have very much liked to have been able to afford them, though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 dodger: Check out http://www.wright-sound.com/ for wright sound, it features his amps, preamps and phono stages. If you type in" Wright" in the search function of this site you will come up with a wide list of comments on the Wrights. Kelly posted some a year or two ago and gave a favourable review, although they were not quite as good as his heavily modified Moondogs. I do need to be careful quoting Kelly since he is back and I am sure will correct any errors any of us make. Great value for the money. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Yes, it is nice to see Kelly back, especially rested and refreshed anew. I surely missed not only his contributions, but the way he turns the phrase. I can rarely read through one of his dissertations without a good guffaw ... His analogies and metaphors are classic. Back to point, I think these amps of Jeff's are great values. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them, the build quality is first-rate, and sonically, if mine are representative, they'll kick serious boo-tocks. Is $3K a lot of money? Sure ... but it's a lot of value too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 Win, nice to 'meet' you here as well - yes, I am doing fine and be at ease: your amps will find a good home with me! Kelly, Spain is great and when I was in Barcelona last year I fell in love with that city. It offers a great combination of art, architecture, lifestyle, the sea and all the other Mediterranean attributes we northern Europeans seem to fall for. Wrights: I must say that these amps are really growing on me. In a sense they are 'cheap' if one considers the quality of sound one gets out of them. So if anybody wants to have a go at SET for a 'reasonable' price (which might still be a lot for some people - as it was for me not very long ago!), I'd say don't hesitate. But in the end Kelly is right: the emotional aspect of music can be enjoyed even on a car radio - and after all it's the soul of music we (?), well certainly I, am after and if that happens in a car, why not? Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 ---------------- On 8/8/2003 6:20:18 PM dubai2000 wrote: Win, nice to 'meet' you here as well - yes, I am doing fine and be at ease: your amps will find a good home with me! Wolfram ---------------- Guten Abend, Wolfram ... Wie geht's und was ist das? What amps did you add to your stable? Time to "dish" ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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