question- "Why Klipsch"

[M6 Driver]

So after a couple of what's next lists I figured I ask what drove you to Klipsch?

My story is simple as a kid I heard KLipsch for the first time I beleive it was the Chourus or Forte followed by the KG4 and holy smokes for being 14 I knew this is it later I was interduced to the Heresy and I really wished I asked salesperson at Audio Spectrum ( they've since gone way of the Dinosaur)

to listen to those 2 big peices of furniture in the corners of one of there sound rooms so still to this day I have yet heard the Klipsch horn!

From that point I new that Klipsch is in my future granted it was a long a rough road JBL,Cerwin Vega,NHT,

and yes even (please don't remove me from this board) BOSE yea I know I was young and needed the money!

it took till I was in my twenties now I'm 32 and I've gone through 1.5,3.5,4.5,several Klipsch centers now at the C7, KLF 10,20 and currently at the KLF 30's

with 8.5's for the rears which soon turn into 30's by the end of the year

of course once I hear the Klipsch horn I will be almost satsified though I would like to know where to sign up for the 2002 Return to Hope part 2 "The Klipsch Motherland Tour"

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Thanks J

KLF 30 Mains

C7 Center

8.5 rears

Yamaha RX-V995

Toshiba SD-1600 DVD

Pioneer CLD-S201 LD

Pioneer PD-M53 CD

Sony 32 inch TV

no subs till house built

[Steve Phillips]

Well J,

My first Klipsch listen was the mighty Klipschorn back in 1977.A good friend bought them and we jammed on most everything.I wanted a pair ever since the first day.My first was a single Heresy(guy sold one before I got there).It's now my center channel.

Bought my Horns('77's)last year.I've owned;KG-3's(still have),KG-4's,Academy,Chorus I's,Forte I's,KG-2.5's.

Once I heard the Klipschorn I didn't stop till I got them,but there was nothing at all wrong with any of the others,just had to have the K-Horns.My list is below,but have KSB 1.1's and IW-150's and my KG-3's in my Klipsch"closet"

My wife and I were among the first lucky ones to go on the first tour.It was a one of a kind experience!

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Main HT:'77 Klipschorns w/ALKs,

'75 Heresy center,modified with,K-Horn sqauwker & AA network.

KSP-S6 at sides

2 KSP-S6's rear.

Denon AVR-3801

2 Denon POA-2800 200X2

1 driving the Horns

1 driving the bi-wired Heresy center.

2 DIY 12"4ohm subs,Carver A500x 400 watts per ch.feed.

1 12" powered sub(behind the couch)feed from the surrounds pre-outs.

Sony DVP-C650D.

Dishnetwork Echostar 4700 w/DD

JVC S7600U S-VHS

Pioneer CDL-D501 laser

Music in "Direct"only!

DH Labs T-14 speaker wire to the front 3.

Room size;15.5 X 25' opening into dining room.

Old RCA 52"RPTV w/matching cabinets

Bed room HT:

KSB 2.1 mains,SC-1,SS-1's,2 SW 8 II subs.

2 Heresy's for music.

Denon AVR-2800,

Dishnetwork,Sony SLV-975HF VCR,Panasonic DVD-RV31.

27"RCA

This message has been edited by Steve P on 07-11-2001 at 07:09 PM

[jelliott100]

My dad was always big into audio when I was growing up. Nothing really high end, mind you, strictly mid-fi but as a result, there was always extra gear laying around. He never had any Klipsch in the house but I can remember him speaking fondly of K-horns on many occasions. Alas, poor dad, with 3 kids and a stay-at-home wife, the horns were just not in his future. He settled for a pair of Pioneer hpm-100's, which were pretty nice since they were built before the fall and subsequent rebirth of Pioneer as a serious audio manufacturer.

Anyway, when I moved out of the house, dad let me take whatever extra stuff he had lying around to put together a system. I didn't have anything fancy but it was adequate, and free. A year or so later, he called me one day and told me that a place called Home Entertainment was clearing out their inventory of Heresy II's and that he thought we should go over and take a listen. I'd never heard horn speakers of any kind and at the time, I was in a fluster over Bose 901's, thinking they were the ultimate in home audio bliss(but I'd never heard those either...marketing genius). Lo' and behold we walk into the store and there are a pair of 901's sitting on the floor. Needless to say, I totally forget about the Heresy's and start making a fool out of myself fawning all over the 901's. While this is going on, my dad has quietly told the saleman that we were interested in the Heresy's since, with the discounted price, they were in my price range. The salesman, indicated that there were none on the floor and that he would have to pull some out of the boxes so we could hear them. He also, off-handedly said something to me along the lines of "Ya like those 901's, huh?". "Of course!" I gushed, "these are what I would REALLY like to have!". What he said next still sticks in my mind as something notable. "Well, they're a trade in, and I could put you in in those 901's for about the same price as what the Heresy's are selling for, but, if you're serious about good sound, let me unbox a pair of Heresy's and you listen to them, you may not want what you think you want, after that."

Frankly, he could have sold me the 901's right there with no further hassle. Instead he vanishes into the back for 10 minutes and then comes out with a pair of HII's, still packed in their boxes. He spends another 20-30 minutes unpacking them, getting them hooked up and properly positioned, plunks me down into the sweet spot and runs 3 or four CD's through them. After he finished I looked over at the 901's and quietly asked "do those sound ANYTHING like these?". "Not even close" he said through a wry little smile.

Needless to say, I walked out with a pair of Heresy's and never regretted it. And at a bargain price of $679.00. Heck I just paid $600 for a used pair off of ebay (surround speakers)a few weeks ago.

That was 1991 and the salesmans name was Mike Lang. I don't know if he was a true Klipsch guy or just wanted to move the Heresy's out of the storeroom but either way I'm better off. I didn't hear a pair of 901's until quite a few years later and while they didn't sound as awful as some would lead you to believe, I'm sure glad Mike was in the store that day and that I ended up with my Heresy's.

My brother has my dad's old pioneer speakers, now. They're going on 25 years old now, I think. Still sound good. Dad has a pair of KG5.5's and a ksw-15. Nice combo, I must say. He never did get his K-horns.

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--Elliott--

Heresy Mains (Birch)

Heresy Surrounds (Walnut)

RC-3 Center

(Because a C7 won't fit!)

SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700

Denon 2801

JVC D-Series

Pioneer DV-525

[dougdrake2]

They simply sound better. I don't even remember what I auditioned my KG4s against in 1985.

Doug

[Frzninvt]

In the immortal words of John Belushi as quoted from "Animal House" - WHY NOT!!

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Sony KP-43T70 43" Television

Denon AVR 3300 A/V Receiver (LF/RF) (LWE-I's w/Motion Feedback - Walnut)

Yamaha M-80 Auto Class A Amplifier (LF/RF) (Belle's - Oak Clear/Cane Grills)

DBX BX-2 2/3/4 Channel Power Amplifier (RR/ARR/LR/ALR) (Heresy II's (Walnut/Cane) & ESS Mini Monitors (Walnut))

DBX MPA-150 Mono Split Spectrum Amplifier © (KV-4 - Black)

Klipsch KSW-15 Powered Subwoofer (2)

Nakamichi DVD-10 DVD/LCD/CD Player

Nakamichi MB-10 Music Bank CD Changer

Technics SL-DL5 DDLinear Tracking Turntable

JVC HR-S7500U SVHS Video Cassette Recorder

VC3 Deluxe Video Clarifier

DBX 400XG Program Route Selector

DBX 120X-DS Subharmonic Synthesizer/Crossover

DBX 3BX-DS 3-Band Dynamic Range Controller (2) (1-LC) (1-RC)

DBX 14/10 14-Band Computerized Equalizer/RTA Analyzer/SPL Meter

Panamax 1000+ Surge Protector/Line Conditioner

Sega Dreamcast w/3 Controllers & VMU's/S-Video Output

Bedroom

Yamaha RX-900U Receiver

Panasonic DVD-A120U DVD/CD Player

Sony SLV-740HF Hi-Fi VCR

BBE - ARS Audio Recovery System

A/D/S L300E Mini Speakers

GE 20" Television

[WMcD]

A friend brought me to a showroom with Klipschorns in 1974. They sounded like nothing else before or since.

Everything else sounded inferior.

Gil

[jdm56]

"Why Klipsch"?

In my earliest, pre-enlightenment audiophool days I dismissed klipsch as being inaccurate (cause the magazines said so). But, most everything else I tried that sounded good eventually blew out, burned out or just plain broke (Advent, ESS, Synergistic). I had Bose 901s for a very brief while, that didn't break but instead, sucked, which was even worse. Anyway, after hearing Cornwalls at someones house and being very impressed I decided to go klipsch. I had those beauties for eight years. Nary a whimper. Sounded particularly good with Luxman electronics.

1993 - Another bout of audiophilia-nervosa strikes; I sell the cornwalls and buy Amrita Reference Standards. Very good sound, BUT; Ya just don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.

Fast-forward to '98; After years of steadily building, my klipschorn fascination has become an obsession. (A clue: I had saved the 1986 AUDIO magazine issue featuring a cover shot and full review of the klipschorn .) After deciding to make a change, I was basically down to the k-horn, or a pair of Legacy Focus, having heard them at the Springfield, IL factory.

July, '98 - We're driving to Chicago, so I've planned a stopover in Springfield (IL). If things work out, maybe get the Legacys. But by pure luck, I happened to notice an A/V store in a strip-mall in that same town, that had a klipsch sign in the window. Mosey'd on in, not expecting much, but there they were; a beatiful pair of k-horns in the precise livery of my fantasy - oak oil w/black grilles. It was lust at first sight. But of course, I had to at least go through the motions of making a fair comparison with the Focus, which I did. From Nanci Griffiths' superb "Other Voices, Other Rooms", to the Dirt Bands' "Circle II", to some really slammin' Fleetwod Mac ("Tusk"), those 'horns just kicked the Legacys out of the picture. Throw in a very good price and the deal was done. I came back in a couple of weeks with a U-Haul in tow and took those puppies home!

HAPPY AUDIO BOY!!!s>

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JDMcCall

[WMcD]

The question posed is a bit at odds with what is being reported in reply. I'm being picky.

Poor performance of other speakers don't drive one to Klipsch, not having heard Klipsch previously. Rather, listening to Klipsch draws one to the realization that it is a superior design and other speakers have obvious shortcomings in comparison.

This is why a single audition seems to be the definitive turning point. We've listened and heard the difference.

Maybe it is like Plato's cave. The other speakers are shadows on the wall, Klipsch is like the reality in the daylight.

Whoops, I've embarassed myself.

Gil

[cc1091]

The first time I heard Klipsch speakers was at my high school physics instructor's house. He was having a Sci-Fi night for all his advanced physics kids. It was early evening in October 1980. The sun had disappeared below the horizon leaving an orange glow in the western sky. I rang the doorbell, but it wasn't the doorbell that I heard in reply, but Bach. The "Phantom of the Opera" theme (Tacotta & Fugue?? - sorry, I'm not much of a classical music fan). The door opened to a big grin on my physics instructor's face and a number of kids rolling in laughter on the floor.

The amazing thing about these speakers was the punch you felt in the gut when listening to them. I was impressed, but not overly so since I regularly got to play with the music department's Altec Lansing Voice of the Theater speakers (a mix of older and newer models).

The real hook was sunk in the summer of 1981 when I went to purchase my first stereo system. I auditioned the Heresys next to a pair of B&Ws (I think it was something similar to the 801s). The B&Ws were much more expensive than the $660/pr Heresys. The B&Ws sounded good, and definitely had a better tone in the bass end. But the Heresys were so clean, crisp, clear and open that it was no comparison (especially since the 25wpc Sony receiver that I could afford that day needed all the speaker efficiency it could get).

I still have my Heresys. A recent resoldering of all the terminals on the crossover helped clean the sound up immensely. I want to try the 12dB/octave modification to the crossover talked about elsewhere on this board to remove some of the prominence of the tweeter at the lower high frequencies, otherwise, they're as good as ever.

I must confess that I left Klipsch for about a year when I purchased B&W602 speakers. B&Ws have incrediblely accurate drivers. They also reveal a lot of texture of the music. What they cant do though, is bring the music into the room with you like a klipsch speaker can.

I have returned to Klipsch purchasing the Reference series RP-3s. I am very happy with them.

[oosting]

I heard a pair of LaScala's at an appliance store in 1978. Nothing ever came close to Klipsch since. I got a used pair of LaScala's (made in 1978) in 1999!

It's like Chocolate. Once you taste it....

Ed

[Cornwalled]

My first experience with Klipsch was when I heard a pair of Heresy II's playing in a local pawn shop. They were positioned horribly, side by side, in typical pawn-shop style, playing through the tuner of a sony reciever. I wasnt impressed- they sounded very non-descript.

Despite the fact that all drivers were working- (I put my ears up to both cabinets to make sure). They sounded dull, however, it was horrible conditions for trying to tell what they really sounded like. At that time, I wasnt in the market for speakers, so I passed. I believe they were asking around $250, a great price for them really. However, the speakers were there for a long long time- months as I recall, and the price kept dropping. Until, one day, when I was interested in hearing them again, set up properly- I came in, and they were gone. Alas, beaten to it.

However, later that same day, I walked into another pawn shop, only to see a pair of Cornwall's all the way in the back! I had been lusting after a pair of La-Scala's, but could never afford the price, as well as shipping for such a huge speaker. Imagine my luck to see that these Cornwall's were only $230!!! And they worked perfectly! I put on the only CD I had in my car at the time- Annie Lennox's Medusa. and wow! after the first song, I knew I was going to walk out with these speakers. Her voice was right there with me- i LOVED it. Very impressive sounding, full bass, even in the large pawn shop, and even more so in my apartment. I listened to the entire album, non-stop, squatting in front of them, forgetting about everything else. I offered the pawnshop $200, and they said "sold" so out I walked with a pair of cornwalls in good shape for almost nothing- felt like the luckiest man on earth. The cabinets are a bit rough- some chips in the veneer, but certainly not bad at all= esp for the price- but certainly not mint. Also, for whatever reason, the previous owner put bit 1/4 inch stainless steel screws through the grills, into the cabinet to hold them on! Ewwww. oh well, I cant complain. Also, one of the K-33 woofers has been replaced, with a reconed driver (non Klipsch) with a foam surround. The surround still seems fine, but I cant help thinking that it's potentially weaker than a k-33. Since Klipsch is still making the Klipschorn and LaScala, I would assume they are still making replacement drivers too. I am under the understanding that the Cornwall uses the same horns and woofers as the LaScala and K-horn, correct? These are Cornwall I's- made in 1980. If anyone has anymore information on driver compatibility, and whether I could use a brand new 15-incher from Klipsch in the Cornwall, please let me know, or reply to this post.

So far, I've listened to pretty much everything on these speakers- have them on all the time. And i've been quite happy- the efficiency these speakers have is incredible. They never feel like they are running out of power, always run strong. I have sensitive ears though, so they dont get turned up very loud. I'm looking forward to repairing my 12 watt/channel el-84 tube amp with japanese tubes in it. These speakers are my incentive to get it going again- needs a new capacitor or two.

I'm 19, and have only had these speakers a few days, but every morning when I wake up, these speakers start my day. When I come home from college class, the first thing I do is turn on some more music just to hear them. I can't recall ever feeling like this over another pair or speakers. We'll, looks like I got carried away again, time for me to wrap it up. I'm looking forward to what any of you may have to say in reply. Please feel free to e-mail me, or reply to this post.

Thanks alot,

Jon

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email me

[maxg]

My first Klipsch experience was listening to a friends KHorns - somewhat mind blowing but I was so shocked at the physical size of the beasts I knew it would be a long time till I owned a pair (if ever).

Having decided that Klipsch offered the sound I liked it was then just a case of working up through the range - started with quintets - added 3.1 monitors.

These were replaced by Heresy's some time later. That was a totally unplanned purchase.

I was off with 2 friends, one of whom was looking for speakers for his girlfriend. He was auditioning one speaker after another from both Klipsch and other lines until a pair of Heresy's were produced and connected.

It wasnt like I was even listening particularly. I find that constant switching of components tires my ears very quickly so I was miles away in my own world.

The second the Heresy's came on I just sat down dumbfounded. I could not believe the clarity of the sound. Voices soared around my head and I reached for a credit card. There was only one pair in the shop so it was a good thing he didnt want them (for his girlfriend - he got her the RF3's instead). It was a love at first hearing thing.

Looking back I think the thing that caught me was the familly resemblence to the sound I heard from those KHorns. It struck a chord in me and I could not resist. I havent regretted the decision for a moment since.

[Ray Garrison]

Gil,

keeping in the general mindset of embarassing oneself...

"...Maybe it is like Plato's cave. The other speakers are shadows on the wall, Klipsch is like the reality in the daylight..."

well, "...And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passersby spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?..."

Reproduced music will not ever fool the listener into thinking that they are hearing an original event, at least not reproduced music using the technology available today, played in the typical home music room as we know it. But one must have first HEARD an original event before one can compare the reproduction against the original. Klipsch, particularly, to my ears, the Heritage line, capture more of the gestault of music that any other speaker, though there may be others (B&W? Thiel? Wilson?) that capture, more accurately, individual elements of the musical experience. However more accurate those elements may be, only Klipsch has ever taken me to the point where the synergy of the components approaches the whole of the experience. One not having heard an original event could, I suppose, remain forever in the cave, and never understand that the echoed sounds coming from the wall of shadows is but a reflection of the reality behind them.

Ray "Huh? What??" Garrison

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Music is art

Audio is engineering

[Tom Adams]

You know Ray...that's why it is that I so love the "Klipsch sound". I mean, I've played music (trombone) since I was 12 years old and can be classified as a classically trained musician. I've played, and listened to, an awfull lot of live classical music with an odd stint playing "big band" music (Art Cissle and the Stardusters - long story...maybe some other time ). So for my horn trained ears, the Heritage series relates closer to my live experiences.

The year...1978 and I'm attending Miss. State. I've begun getting interested in audio and hear about a place called Ideal Acoustics. I stop in one day and meet the owner (Dr. Sheppard) who I find out is also the Dean of the school of Aeronautics. After being there a couple of times and wearing out his ear with questions, he decides to demonstrate these huge speakers that are sitting in the corners of his back room. He said they were made by Klipsch and were horn loaded speakers. I asked him to explain and he said, "First you listen, then we'll talk". A Thorens turntable hooked to a Crown amp & preamp supplied the signal. The music? Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overature complete with real cannon shot. I listened in total awe and when the cannon fired, it scared the bejeesus outta me! I guess you could say that on that day I became a born again Klipschian.

Tom Adams

[HornEd]

Right on, Tom! About the same time, in the home of a colleague, I had a similar experience with K-horns and the same 1812 Overture (real cannon and real Moscow bells if fading memory serves... I think it was on Mercury Records) with a similar result... a profoundly irretrievable beegeezus! By the time the big bell sounded (the world's largest as I recall) my jaws decent had already been stopped by the floor. I bought the K-horns and the record... and it is still in what was my collection to this day. At least my son enjoys it when he visits his mom. HornEd

This message has been edited by HornEd on 07-13-2001 at 01:44 PM

[J M O N]

I first heard about Klipsh around 1985. All I knew was that they were supposed to be a great speakers and were also expensive (any speaker over $500 or so was expensive to me). I had neither had the chance to hear them or even listen to them until an assignment sent me to Guam and Klipsch was carried at the base exchange. They had La Scalas, Cornwalls, Heresies, Forte's, and KG4's on display. Boy those speakers were huge (LS/CW). With the military discount (and probably also the proximity to Japan), all audio equipment was extremely inexpensive so I decided to buy myself a good system.

I had auditioned the Klipsch speakers and thought they sounded very good. They were clean and clear, very crisp sound. However, the narrow isles of the BX were not the greatest place to audition speakers, so they probably didn't sound as good as they were capable of. I also considered other brands, including Bose, JBL, CV, and even some of the Japanese speakers (in an effort to save $). Due to price and size constraints (I had to ship them back), I ended up with CV speakers.

Most audio companies have representatives at the BX's in order to sell their products. Well the Klipsch rep. was probably different from all the others. This guy was not a salesman. In fact, you could tell he was an audiophile. He had the job because he enjoyed audio, not because he liked selling things. I had talked to him many times and I could tell he was very knowledgeable about audio, at least much more than I was. He never pushed the product, and was definitely not a salesman. The Bose rep., however, was a salesman!

Well one day, the Klipsch rep. had rearranged things to work a little better in the narrow isles he had to work in. He had set up two La Scalas with two Cornwalls sitting on top of them. They were powered by Onkyo separates and the music he was playing was from a Nakamichi cassette deck. He was playing a drum solo that he said was "supposedly the best recording made" in terms of quality. The whole BX was "rockin'". I must say, at that point in time, my perspective of what an audio system is supposed to sound like changed forever. An audio system is not supposed to sound like an audio system, it's supposed to sound like live music! For the first time in my life, I heard an audio system sound like live music. It sounded like someone was playing the drums right there in front of me. I couldn't believe it. I know that drums are especially hard to make sound live, like there is a drumset right in front of you. I had never heard music sound so real coming from a set of speakers.

From then on I was hooked. Although I didn't get to purchase them, La Scalas had always been in my dreams. Some people don't like the way they look, but I really think they look cool - especially if you get them with the top grill cloth.

I got my first set of Klipsch speakers in 1991 (Cornwalls). As an "audiophool", constantly trying to improve the sound, I always considered getting something else and would audition speakers from companies like B&W, Apogee, Magneplanar, Thiel, Def. Tech, NHT, etc. These "high-end" speakers all sounded wonderful. Some I liked more than others, but they all sounded pretty darn good. However, none of them would bring me that "live" sound that my Cornwalls did (especially when I upgraded my electronics). Additionally, the speakers that sounded comparable, were always quite a bit more expensive. To me, I could not find a better speaker for my money and I still feel that way. There may be better speakers out there (maybe not?), but I'm pretty sure that anything better is going to cost magnitudes more. In general, I prefer the Heritage series. Most of the speakers I now own are from the Heritage series. Although I do think that the other lines also produce very good quality at their price points and could recommend any of the Klipsch models.

This message has been edited by JMON on 07-21-2001 at 06:16 PM

[WMcD]

I don't disagree with you Ray.

However, the big corner horns come closer to what I hear in a concert hall than anything else.

I must report that the Speakerlab corner horns owned by my brother in law have fooled me a couple of times.

Recently I was checking out a wiring problem by playing the soundtrack from a movie where a school bell was reproduced. I was right up against them. My first impression was that this was a new feature of the home alarm system.

The other situation was when we were all listening to movie and I dozed off. There was the reproduced sound of a classic W.E. model 500 telephone ringer which woke me up. The impression was very much that there was an incoming phone call. It is a tribute to the midrange, rather than the bass.

This is my parting shot on the subject. However, Ray, please correct me. When one is in retreat and fires off an arrow it is not at parting shot, but something close in spelling. Can you help?

Gil

[Ray Garrison]

The Parthian Shot. This is somewhat apocryphal, but I've seen it referenced in quite a few places by people who ought to know.

The Parthians (overload rulers of Persia) in, uh, sometime circa 100 / 200BC, had developed a really neat tactic... they would allow an opposing army to appear to drive the Partians into retreat. While galloping away from the other guys, the Partians would fire volleys of arrows back towards their enemy, who would begin swift pursuit, keeping just out of range of these arrows. After stirring up sufficient dust that the other army's ability to see the Parthians was diminished, the Parthians would reverse direction, and continue firing volleys of arrows. By the time the other guys realised that the Parthians had changed direction and were coming back toward them, the other army would be galloping full speed into this hail of arrows. The typical result was the opposing army would panic, reverse direction, and begin running away from the Parthians, who how had them in artillery range, and would continue firing arrows into the retreating army, with dire consequences. I think it was Marcus (?) Crassus sometime shortly before the BC/AD line whose army got slaughtered this way that gained publicity for this "Parthian Shot", which over time was bastardised into "parting shot."

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Music is art

Audio is engineering

[Colin]

I first heard Khorns in Ralph Karstens living room (maker of powerful Atma-sphere OTL amps, http://www.atma-sphere.com/). Like everything I ever heard in his house, it was always better, cheaper and often uglier than what the slick stereo store had up the street. But I heard these babies hum with the vibrations of a cello and I have never forgotten it. Picture a guitar strummed quietly in your living room now imagine a guitar played over a stereo system. Quite a different sound, and feeling. To me, those big old horns were musical instruments. (Sometimes I think we get off track trying to replicate the live experience we are still so far away. Instead I think we should be trying to create a musical instrument in its own right. Imagine trying to compare specs then!)

Anyway, I had a sweet system that Ralph provided for me. NAD pre-amp (1020?) and two rusty old Dynaco ST70s with a pair of Robert Fulton 100s (yes, Fulton) speakers (the ones that had the midrange tweeters arranged in a diamond pattern anybody know them?).

But I wanted more bass and separate powered sub-woofers were not on the market yet. I wandered off course when I bought the big old Cornwalls over a dozen years ago. The guy selling the big old horns had plenty of space in his living room he was going for the Bose 901s instead. Go figure. I knew nothing about impedance, efficiency or ohms, but I knew their frequency response. So I built my system around them. Besides, where am I going to get $500 speakers that sound better?

An audiophile snapped up my system, I brought home the big old Cornwalls and my roommate bought a Carver pre-amp and Carver 1.5 amp (that peaked about 750 watts per side). It has taken me years of sifting through the hype to learn some fundamental truths about super-efficient speakers, harmonic distortion, the distortion of speakers, amps and musical instruments.

I will never part with a piece of tube equipment again.

[WMcD]

Thank you Ray. I'll use it, correctly -- per your information, sometime soon.

Sorry to divert from the thread.

Gil