jhawk92 Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 All- I finally got the audio portion of the "carpeted airplane hanger" set back up this week, and got the HT tuned in. So, this weekend was time to hook the 299B that came in from Craig the previous week. A short blurb about the amp. It was in great condition from the seller, and Craig thinks it may have been the original owner, as there seemed to be 40 years of dust there. He blew the dust out and then saw I had a factory set of tubes inside, with everything in great shape except for one 7189 Telefunken. Walnut case is in very good shape and the lettering on the amp face and back is very good. Craig worked his magic and sent the amp on its way to me. I opened it up this afternoon and really got to know the insides by cleaning the chassis up with some windex and cloth rags and q-tips. Looks pretty fine now, with only minor pitting in some locations. After a quick call to Craig for some hook-up advice, I connected the '68 K-horns and my HT CD player. I first turned on the 299B and just listened to make sure things didn't go boom. The amp is virtually silent with the K-horns; I could hear a small buzz but only if I have my ear right up against the tweeter, so it seems pretty good to me. After a few minutes to warm up, I popped in Phantom of the Opera, where I had heard "new things" on Gary's Scott/Cornwall combo. Even with the new Russian 7189s, there was the vocal detail I heard with Gary. I just sat and listened to the disc and so far am pleased. I'll be running the amp over the next several weeks breaking in the new tubes and the caps and then get into serious listening. But with the current setup, K-horns not snug in the corners, I can sure notice the missing bass I know is there. With them hooked up in the SS HT gear, they sounded good, but the sub was compensating for the missing bass. Looks like I really need to get those false corners working. I'll get to them soon; first I need to build a rack for the amp, TT, and a CD player. I think I'll probably run an extra cable to my sub so when it comes time for 2-ch listening, I can use the SVS to compensate for bad corners. So, things are good here in CT. Thanks to Craig for a great renovation and the patience to explain things on the phone and email for a tube newbie. And thanks to numerous other folks who put up with my questions over the past several months while I was making my tube decisions. I'll post a more detailed report later on as the unit breaks in. But for now, time to head downstairs for another listen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 Congrats to you to Rob. Get those corners done! I'm glad you're finding the same detail you heard at my house. They are truley amazing amps and it seems as though whatever 299 is sent to Craig comes back with the same amazing detail. Have you tested it with the choruses yet? Sorry I missed your call today (I was on the golf course). You can always get me on my cell if you need me but my guess is you got your questions answered since you didn't call back. Keep in touch and let me know how things progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 Jhawk92, get those k-horns sealed to those walls and you will be in for a real treat,it makes a word of a difference. You will love your scott tube amp, did you try the phono section out yet? It is awsome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 Rob, The center channel RCA on the rear of the amp will do a fine job with your Sub. There is only 1 set of RCA's on the rear of the amp that have 3 stacked high its the top one. You run it to the LFE input and adjust the sub crossover & volume to your taste. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 ---------------- On 8/10/2003 9:08:00 PM NOSValves wrote: Rob, The center channel RCA on the rear of the amp will do a fine job with your Sub. There is only 1 set of RCA's on the rear of the amp that have 3 stacked high its the top one. You run it to the LFE input and adjust the sub crossover & volume to your taste. Craig ---------------- Rob, There is a huge difference in recordings for setting the sub volume. Some recordings can use the extra boost but most don't need it at all (at least with cornwalls). I have very few recordings that require the exact same settings so you really need to get a feel for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 The phono will be even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 The phono will be even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 Gary, In this case a sub may come in handy I have never heard Khorns not sealed in the corner. But it has to be a bass lacking affair . Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 Jhawk For Crying out loud get our 68's into corners ! You might find that initially the Khorns are a little lacking in bass response even then ! (Howls from the gallery: WTF !!) What I experienced was/is that the Khorns do not have the bass impact of the KLF30 ... but as I listened to my horns I discovered that the sound from the lowest notes to the highest notes is utterly seamlessly presented. Many will disagree and be able to present arguments for better speakers I am sure - But to me the Khorn is the smoothest speaker that I have ever heard. That said the Khorn does not have a " Modern Sound " and the bass is not as pronounced as is typical among more modern speakers. ( That said I have had the experience of having a boom - boxer admit he was hearing things in one of his Gansta - Rap CD's that he done nebber heard befo'! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 You make a good point ore two Lynn. I find myself listening to a different type of bass when I listen to my KG 4s vs my KHorns. But you are correct about the smoothness...maybe because of the longer cone excursion necessary on a smaller diameter speaker to reproduce the same tone would hardly move the 15" woofer in the KHorn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted August 11, 2003 Author Share Posted August 11, 2003 Gary- Yeah, yeah, corners. They are on the list. First I need to get a rack built to house the Scott, the TT, and a CD player. Then I'll probably need to paint the nursery, then get to the corners. You know, one for me, one for the family. No Chorus tests yet, though that will come eventually. It's too convenient right now with everything in the same room to not compare. Maybe when Reg comes over we can do that along with his Cornwalls. No worries on the missed call. Just a minor assembly issue. I'll certainly post as the amp breaks in. Arf/Audio- Yes, I have heard K-horns in tight corners at Edster's and it does help quite a bit with bass. No TT yet, as I need to get the aforementioned rack built so I have room for the TT. No space on the current cabinet for the amp and the TT. Running all the speaker wires and CD interconnects across the front of the HT looks pretty cheesy, so I want to clean that up soon, mainly for WAF. TT should be fun too. Craig- Me thinks the sub will help. Unfortunately, it isn't in the easiest location to reach, behind a loveseat and end table, but that's where the bass is good. But I may need it until I get the corners worked up. Have all the details, just need to draw out some plans and measure up for the wood, then it's off shopping at HD. The K-horns don't do too bad bass-wise not in corners, but you can certainly tell a difference. The mids and highs are still there for sure. I think the Scott is smoothing out the ringing of the aluminum K-400 horn some over the SS, so that is nice. I may not need those K-401 horns I just bought! Lynnm- Yeah, yeah, corners. I know, seems to be a recurring theme in my posts. They certainly deserve it, but I gots lots of other irons in the fire right now. I'm sure it will be an immense difference once they are done. And "our" 68's sure deserve it. I must agree, the smoothness of the K-horn continues to amaze me. I'm so glad I got them. And now tubes to go with them. I think I am reaching that audio nirvana people talk about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted August 14, 2003 Author Share Posted August 14, 2003 Well, a couple more days, a couple more hours on the 299B. I'm still liking it with the K-horns. Tuesday night I played some Eagles and Boston for higher volume listening and then popped in Bolero for some quieter sounds, especially since it was well after 10pm. I was sitting about 14-15ft from the K-horns in the spot where the speakers seem to image well. All things sounded great, though the bass on Eagles tunes was down without the corners. But the mids and highs were very nice. Last night I popped in Norah Jones and sat all the way back in the loveseat. I think distance now was about 20' from the speakers (they are about 14' apart) and I think it was even better from this position. The speakers completely disappeared and the entire wall became the recording studio, with her voice perfectly imaged in the center. It was so cool to turn the lights out, watch the tubes glow on the 299B, and listen to some sweet tunes. I'll definitely need to compare the two listening positions some more. When Reg was up here for our Moondog/K-horn audition, he thought there might be a better listening position closer in. Maybe it was the PP power of the 299, but I may have found the best spot so far. I may also be a convert to leaving the case off the 299; watching all those tubes glow is almost mesmorizing. We'll see how the rack goes together and then make some decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 I may also be a convert to leaving the case off the 299 It will love you for it !!! They get darn hot in those cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.