thebes Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 I was tossing down boilermakers and working my way through a pack of unfiltered Luckies in Finis Bar when she sat down on the stool next to me. Finis was a walk down dive off an alley that specialized in cheap rye, losers and 25 cent condoms in the bathroom machines. It was named after the owner, a sour personage who bought the place a few years ago with money scrapped up from a work comp settlement after he blew out his hernia working construction. Hoary one-liners and indifferent service were his stock in trade. It was mid-afternoon and Id already been in there for a couple of hours chasing loneliness and depression with beer and butts. The ashtray was overflowing, and the bar counter hadnt been wiped down in days, yet Fini always was there when the glass ran dry. By the way Im Thebes and Im a Hi-Fi Detective. I work the byways and alleyways of the seedy underworld of audio. I track down stolen gear; recover funds mistakenly blown on cheap tweaks and find the missing elements the stereo nuts need to feed their passion. Its a tough racket, but suits me and keeps me comfortably at the edge of poverty. I ply my trade in a misnamed urban blight called Hope. Lately though it hadnt been going so well. The cases were few and far between, my heart had been broken by a steel-eyed beauty with a thing for amplifiers, and my own stereo system was missing something. Id tried cheering myself up by taking a roll of nickels to the jaw of a deadbeat client, but it hadnt worked so here I was at Finis-staring at water rings and feeling sorry for myself. At first I ignored that magical musk of woman and fine perfume, the last thing I needed right now was another broad in my life. She asked me for a light though, and reluctantly I turned toward her and found myself staring into the cool blue orbs of a Nordic beauty. Id seen her before she was known as the Ultimate BarFly. Platinum blonde, with long eyelashes, high cheeks, full red lips offset by an intriguing mole above and to the side of her lips. She had long violinists fingers and encapsulated in a red cocktail dress was a body build by Fisher. From the nape of her neck to her stiletto heels she was mans ultimate fantasy and worse nightmare. She was lover, devious, intriguing, haunting, exasperating, imperious, gentle, warm, primal and caring. She could drink with the boys, tell bad jokes and drive you crazy with the flick of an eyelash or toss of a chin. She new everything there was to know about men and for some reason still liked them. She was a cat and I was her latest mouse. Our conversation was brief: Thanks for the light, honey Leave me alone Youve got a problem So, who doesnt Its not the girl Who says it was a girl. I said its not the girl; its your gear, your speakers specifically. Wadda ya mean Your running Klipsch with factory crossovers, change them out Whatever youre selling-Im not buying You need DeanG to rebuild them for you DeanGs a myth, a legend, he doesnt exist Heres his address and heres my phone number She moved down to the end of the bar and left me holding a soggy napkin. Stumbled home that night awash in booze and self-pity. I awoke, chased the hangover with a couple of aspirin, stripped out the crossovers and headed over to the address. It was a small storefront in an old part of town, a business section home to drycleaners, nail parlors and auto repair shops. There was no sign, so I just walked in, and there he stood. A runt of a man with flyaway hair wearing coveralls covered with solder burn marks. He was like a ferret on acid, with more twitches and tics then an insane asylum inmate. His eyes were crazed and his teeth were rotten but sitting on the shelf behind him were volumes of esoteric electronic manuals. He looked at me said: She sent you didnt she Who The Ultimate BarFly Who Dont play cute you would have never found me Ok, yeah it was her You a sorry looking piece of.you need more depth and soundstage in your life, better, mid and smoother highs Yeah I also need 200 bucks for the rent but do you think Im going to get it anytime soon Shaddup and let me work It didnt take that long, he muttered and fumed and before you knew it he was handing over a pair of crossovers that looked like props from a sci-fi movie. He just smirked when he saw the look on face. As I turned to leave he said only one thing: She left you her phone number, give her a call, a guy could do worse, oh hell weve all done worse. So, Im Thebes the HiFi Detective and I work the dark corners of a town called Hope. Let me tell you about the Terrible Turntable client, but first, you know, I think Ill make a call. Editorial Note: Except for here on the Board Ive never met fini or DeanG so as far as I know descriptions of them bear no actual resemblance to them in actually and am only used as descriptive devices to move the story along. Now to the particulars: These crossovers were for Klipsch KG 5.2s. The craftsmanship is first class and so are the components Dean uses. The hearing differences are more then subtle. The soundstage is a bit wider and deeper but the highs are much more relaxed, the mids are warmer. The boominess is gone from the bottom end, despite the fact that these speakers are closer to the wall than they should be and carry a big honking passive driver in a sealed cabinet. For my tube 2 Channel setup Im guessing at a 10 to percent improvement. The difference is even more noticeable since I also use these speakers in a five channel HT setup using a SS Denon mid-fi receiver. They really do a great job of taking away graininess and make the DVDs sound much more like being in a movie theater. Now I worked my way up from barely mid-fi to solid mid-fi level and at that level, the only one I can judge by, on a cost versus performance basis its a no brainer. More info on these particular crossover are available in the Twins Pics thread and Thereugobuddys thread about crossovers both in 2 Channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch RF7 Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 Im glad you like your crossover Thebes, Dean really does a great job with these components that are oh so often overlooked and make a huge impact towards the overall sound quality, Like they always say, start at the speaker and go from there. If you can get the speaker the best it can be then you are ahead of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkot Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 ---------------- On 12/7/2004 6:01:41 PM thebes wrote: I was tossing down boilermakers ............................................. More info on these particular crossover are available in the Twins Pics thread and Thereugobuddy’s thread about crossovers both in 2 Channel. ---------------- (sound effects) CHOP,CHOP,CHOP,CHOP,CHOP (sound effects) SCRAPEING GLASS SOUND (sound effects) SNIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFF ....typing.....typing.....typing........ (sound effects) CHOP,CHOP,CHOP,CHOP,CHOP (sound effects) SCRAPEING GLASS SOUND (sound effects) SNIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFF ....typing.....typing...typing.... j/k LMAO!!! great post!!!! one of the best yet jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champagne taste beer budget Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 Ya know, thebes, back when I first got on the internet, I was told by more than a few I had a way with words when it came to the ladies. Thankfully, I've found more important, though not as sensual, ways to keep me busy on here. I never thought of applying it to audio. Wonderful post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 Nice work, both of you. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted December 8, 2004 Author Share Posted December 8, 2004 Aww, pshaw folks, it's just a little scribbling to amuse the folks and hopefully inform them about a worthwhile sonic improvement. Thanks Jay, that was really funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 A painter who can write - pretty cool. How much do I owe you for the review? I hope it's not more than the going rate, because I'm a little short on cash right now. Seriously though, thanks for the kind words. For you folks who would like to try and do this yourself, I have a thread over in Mods for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 That was excellent, a pleasure to read. And a bonus, knowledge. Your description and thoughts are better than most critics. You have a gift for writing. It should never be put away. Thanks for a great read, dodger Win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 $.25 cent condoms? Damn, where's Fini's bar again? I'm running a little low and dirty these day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I really feel cheated you never wrote a story about me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfandbark Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 Craig, Seeings Thebes is a HiFi Detective working the byways and alleyways of the seedy underworld of audio I tend to think the lack of a story about NOSValves may be a good thing... Woof! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Fabulous story - very well written - Fini's bar is just as I imagined it! You must be one of those crossover artists I have been reading about.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 It's the sort of story you'd expect to read in a dime store novel. All we need is the strains of Frank singing 'The Lady is a Tramp' as we turn each yellowed page... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 ---------------- On 12/8/2004 8:28:02 PM scott0527 wrote: $.25 cent condoms? Damn, where's Fini's bar again? I'm running a little low and dirty these day. ---------------- Hey, you know me! That's the "used" price (near mint-flavored). thebes, I thought I was lookin' in a mirror! Great post! I can hardly wait for chapter 2, where in I interact with the twins...(?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyoldsarge Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Brilliant Thebes! Don't recall you shadowing me through the alleys of Uijongbu, Taegu and Kunsan, though Fini's would be a great name for any of a load of dives I've hit here over the years. Korean's are generally unimaginative when it comes to naming American bars: Most every camp town has at least one "Paradise", "Las Vegas", "Playboy", or "Lucky" club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted December 9, 2004 Author Share Posted December 9, 2004 Why Craig I do believe you've been playing with too many lives wires lately and it's fried your brain. You were the subject of my very first Klipsch Noir opus: Klipsch Noir-The Case of the Singing Amp. Here's what I had to say: "Craig Ostby was his name, a big gregarious man with wild eyes and beard. Id also run across his type before. A mad genius whose touch could transform tired old gear into sleek rhapsodies of nirvana. All you had to see was the way those hands picked up a tube to know that this is the type of guy who clientele found him, not the other way around." Crusty-ain't a good dive fun (if you learn to sit with your back to the the wall" Sledom drop into them anymore, but just the memory invokes the smell of stale beeer and butts. Glad everybody's enjoying this one it ws fun to write. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Damn it! He tricked me again. And here I am sitting and thinking I was reading another chapter from the latest Harlequin romance section. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomski Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 He is the one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyoldsarge Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 ---------------- On 12/9/2004 6:07:54 PM thebes wrote: Crusty-ain't a good dive fun (if you learn to sit with your back to the the wall" Sledom drop into them anymore, but just the memory invokes the smell of stale beeer and butts. Glad everybody's enjoying this one it ws fun to write. ---------------- Back to the wall, correctomundo! My buddies and I got into a rumble a couple of weeks back. We had to beat feet before the Korean cops showed up! Don't forget the smell of cheap perfume on the "Barflies"! If they're Korean barflies, they'll also come equipped with kimchi-breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 ---------------- On 12/9/2004 6:07:54 PM thebes wrote: Why Craig I do believe you've been playing with too many lives wires lately and it's fried your brain. You were the subject of my very first Klipsch Noir opus: Klipsch Noir-The Case of the Singing Amp. Here's what I had to say: "Craig Ostby was his name, a big gregarious man with wild eyes and beard. Id also run across his type before. A mad genius whose touch could transform tired old gear into sleek rhapsodies of nirvana. All you had to see was the way those hands picked up a tube to know that this is the type of guy who clientele found him, not the other way around." Crusty-ain't a good dive fun (if you learn to sit with your back to the the wall" Sledom drop into them anymore, but just the memory invokes the smell of stale beeer and butts. Glad everybody's enjoying this one it ws fun to write. ---------------- Thebes, I'm a brat and need constant attention. Sorry I think my memory is going I didn't make it through the first sentence before remembering the story. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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