Audio Flynn Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 I am on my 5th listening session with these amps. When getting the chance to visit Craig's I bring music I have listened to for years and have a very clear idea how I think it sounds real. Yesterday I brought the following: CSN box set disc 2 (mastered 1991, good for that year) Paul Simon Graceland Neil Young On the Beach 2003(1974 origaonal) Jackson Brown Remastered 2 disc set (disc 1) 2004 ALL on CD. Craig also had a very nice LP of "There goes Rhymin Simon" to evaluate Notes on instruments: -Simon accoustic guitar was very real. The acc guitar on the CSN was very detailed with excelletnt fret noise definition. -eletric slide guitar on Jackson Brown was very nice. For me it is hard to know what a slide guitar should sound like never heard one played "nearfield". -Neil's elctric guitar from "on the beach" had serious good "grunge" presence. Craig says I never leave home for a listening session without a Neil Young disc; he is right, I never realized it. -DRUMS --snare and high hat were very real. The Sony ES 333 is very capable digital at a reasonable price. Most poor digital sours me when it comes to cymbals and snare. Edge and jitter are easily perceived in these instruments if digital is poorly implmented. Snare attack and decay by the VRD is at least tied with the best I have ever heard! --Soundstage of the VRD was most impressive. One drum fill flowed right across the soundstage very much in place. VOCALS -the Paul Simon Graceland harmonies with the back up singers was amazing the best I have ever heard Graceland "Diamonds in the soles of her shoes". VERY complex vocals in this song tend to cause a cluttered soundstage; VRD and LaScalas were right on. -Jewel form the Sat Night Live compilation had some serious uncompressed female vocals that were just mesmerizing as female vocals get; to me they are hard to describe, her emotion came through in a big way. PIANO THe Jackson Brown piano is not superbly miked in most songs. CSN not flwlessly recorded either. But in just a couple tunes they get it right and it does justice to the VRD and LaScalas. OTHER -Like PWK did not suffer fools well. VRDs are wicked at pointing out poorly recorded software. I played an Elivs Costello from a Saturday Night Live compliation CD; a great jam by Elvis and the Attrractions but the live 1979 recording was very primitive, and was a struggle to listen to. -most of the listening was at fairly low db. I do not keep my eye glued on the meter. Detail and soundstage was pretty much equivilant at all listening levels. ++++++++++++++++++++++ I will be 44 in a few days; If a few things come together, in the next year, I will get a pair of these for myself before my 45 birthday! But until then i will just visit them at the NOS Valves Lab, and enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 So, are you buying Craig's new amp on the "so much as visit" method of paying? Just another year to go following the plan, so much a week for so many weeks. Thank you for posting the review and giving the rest of us and chance to have an opinion on his new creation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Flynn, Thanks for the review. Man, I sure wish I could hear those VRD's. My wife is in Ohio this week for a meeting. Maybe I could ask her to stop by and pick up a pair and bring them back to Arkansas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Rick, I know how you feel, I live with a pair. So I am fortunate enough to hear them anytime I like. Soon I will also have the pleasure of a Juicy Music Peach moving in. Man, life is good!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 ---------------- On 8/1/2004 7:17:08 PM Piranha wrote: Rick, I know how you feel, I live with a pair. http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/images/smilies/9.gif"> So I am fortunate enough to hear them anytime I like. Soon I will also have the pleasure of a Juicy Music Peach moving in. http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif"> Man, life is good!! ---------------- Now you just need those khorns to complete your dream system. Any new leads? I'd also love to hear the VRDs in my system although the MkIIIs have to be somewhat similiar. Not close but similiar if you know what I mean. Another great Neil Young test CD would be Harvest Moon. Lots of nice percussion and a pretty good recording. I think I must have accidentally sent Craig my best copy of There Goes Rythym Simon. I pulled out my other 2 copies last week and was a tad dissappointed but found another perfect one at the thrift store the other day. Can't wait for the peach reviews to begin dripping in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 ---------------- On 8/1/2004 7:34:14 PM garymd wrote: ---------------- On 8/1/2004 7:17:08 PM Piranha wrote: Rick, I know how you feel, I live with a pair. So I am fortunate enough to hear them anytime I like. Soon I will also have the pleasure of a Juicy Music Peach moving in. Man, life is good!! ---------------- Now you just need those khorns to complete your dream system. Any new leads? I'd also love to hear the VRDs in my system although the MkIIIs have to be somewhat similiar. Not close but similiar if you know what I mean. Another great Neil Young test CD would be Harvest Moon. Lots of nice percussion and a pretty good recording. I think I must have accidentally sent Craig my best copy of There Goes Rythym Simon. I pulled out my other 2 copies last week and was a tad dissappointed but found another perfect one at the thrift store the other day. Can't wait for the peach reviews to begin dripping in. ---------------- Gary, life is great for you with free Khorns . Yes, I am still looking for Khorns. But, I will be patient. I want to get them local so I can see them first hand before I buy them. That way I know they'll be keepers. Hopefully after the Khorns move in my system will be complete. NOT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 It's never complete! I've been tweaking my system over the past couple weeks with great success. With my TT I swapped pucks for the springs, built a very inexpensive platform using mdf and bubblewrap (thanks Edmond!), swapped a tube and added silver interconnects (thanks Larry!). Really sounds great. Oh yeah, also added a pair of free khorns. Still more to do like crossovers but I'm getting closer to what I believe to be the end (yeah right!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Do silver IC's really make a noticeable difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Man thanks for the great comments guy's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Yeah, ICs "make a difference", but never the amount of difference one would think for the money charged. If you really want silver ICs Tom, I can make you some -- but I can think of some other things that would give you much bigger bang for the buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 ---------------- On 8/1/2004 8:49:32 PM Piranha wrote: Do silver IC's really make a noticeable difference? ---------------- Yes. I was always skeptical until I tried a pair. I probably never would have had the opportunity if they weren't loaned to me. That kind of outlay is currently out of my grasp. I am keeping an eye out for a good deal on a pair however. A couple ebay auctions looked promising for a while last week but ended a little too high for my liking. The increase in detail is immediately noticable, or was in my case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Mark, Siltechs. About $600 for a 1 meter pair new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 ---------------- On 8/1/2004 10:37:53 PM mdeneen wrote: Are those American dollars? Yeoooow. mdeneen ---------------- Those are the only kind I know how to use. I'm not very good with numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 ---------------- On 8/1/2004 10:24:00 PM garymd wrote: Mark, Siltechs. About $600 for a 1 meter pair new. ---------------- They should be 7000 miles long for that kind of money Unbelievable the money to be made on such things I'm in the wrong business. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 ---------------- On 8/1/2004 9:23:18 PM DeanG wrote: Yeah, ICs "make a difference", but never the amount of difference one would think for the money charged. If you really want silver ICs Tom, I can make you some -- but I can think of some other things that would give you much bigger bang for the buck. ---------------- Nah, I really don't want silver IC's per say. Thanks for the generous offer to make some. One day I might take you up on that just to see what the hoopla is all about. Honestly, I have always been skeptical of the cost vs. benefit issues with big buck IC's. $600 for a pair of one meter Siltech's seems very steep to me. Almost to the point of anal. Heck, I bought my LaScala's for that. And no offense silver IC lovers, but I would just assume having another pair of LS's rather than silver IC's. What other things would you have in mind Dean? A high dollar player in the $2K plus range? New X-overs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 ---------------- On 8/1/2004 11:23:41 PM NOSValves wrote: ---------------- On 8/1/2004 10:24:00 PM garymd wrote: Mark, Siltechs. About $600 for a 1 meter pair new. ---------------- They should be 7000 miles long for that kind of money Unbelievable the money to be made on such things I'm in the wrong business. Craig ---------------- I've got a good friend in the jewelery manufacturing business. Due to cheap imports the business isn't what it once was so I keep telling him that audio cables is the way to go. He has gold,silver and rhodium plating, wire drawing machines, automatic screw machines and a labor force skilled in silver soldering and gold welding. He could make a killing! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 What he could do is make them and offer them at a fair price -- and STILL make a killing. Yes Tom, new crossovers for sure. They pretty much solve all system problems -- just ask Craig. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 How about some silver and copper wire interconnects with built-in micro-crossovers in the RCA jacks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 My silver, 3 wire braided interconnects were cheap by comparison, $250 CDN. The guy who made them is no longer in business. The sound is a lot more detailed than my regular $120 interconnects. There is a guy in California, Grover Huffman who makes silver interconnects. silver reference. The prices are $110-.5 meter, $125-1 meter, $150-2 meters. These are unshielded and will not work as phono ICs the silver reference phono ICs are $30 additional. The silver speaker cable is $24 per ft. pair terminated with pure silver posts. There is shipping charges of $5 dollars per cable in the US. He can be contacted through http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5 It is the top item, sticky that you are looking for. He will respond to messages, although it may take him a day or two to get back to you. Many of the guys on the forum are using them and seem to speak highly of the interconnects. I have not tried them, so I cannot comment on how they work. There is a five page posting of comments available for you to check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullahisland Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 If you wanna' try silver cables on the cheap - pick up a pair of DH Labs Silver Sonic (silver plated copper) interconnects for about $40 used. Or for all silver interconnects, try the Homegrown Audio Super Silvers or Silver Lace. They can be found new for $100-200 or used for $50-100. All are excellent and have their place when used appropriately. For example, I like to use a more neutral cable, such as Audioquest Emeralds between my cdp and preamp, but will often use silver between the preamp and a tube amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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