garymd Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Ah, we posted at the same time. Now I have to go back and read yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 A great day and listening fest! Gary's 240, Thebes's 8B, and Klipschfoot's 200-watt Sony ES amplifier. Here's the 240 (still hooked up to the Heresys, outside the picture): Marty's Marantz 8B looked as good in person as it did in his original pics: I didn't get a pic of K'foot's Sony. However, Gary had come into a granite base for his TT, so I grabbed a shot of it instead: You can tell I had difficulties with lighting, may try again at some point. The comparisons were very interesting. My very humble opinions: Gary's Mk IIIs held up very well in the "competition" with an especially noise-free close-up of all musical detail. K'foot's SS had great clarity in the bass, which was also the range the 240 had great richness and detail. The 8B had fine detailing, though it sounded (to me) like some caps or something had drifted off over time. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the attendees, as we all felt we couldn't stand comparison with other forum members. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Nice pic's, thanks for the reviews. What part of the world are you guys in? Oh yeah,duh,east coast.lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Larry, Do you have a shot of the C11? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 To narrow down our location some, we're in the D.C. Maryland and Virgina suburbs. Here's the C-11: Wooops, worst lighting yet! Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 The C11 looks MUCH better in person. The walnut cabinet looks brand new! Thanks Larry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 ---------------- ...What part of the world are you guys in? Oh yeah,duh,east coast.lol ---------------- Well, as you can tell from the pictures, Gary lives in the basement. Thebes' Marantz is, well, something to look at. Since he found it in the bottom part of a console, I think it would be safe to suggest that Marantz did not design this to be looked at. BUT from a retro point of view and it's pedigree, it is worthy of visual prominence. Despite its timecapsule-like condition, it ended my curiosity about the reason for all the praise this amp gets. The staging presented by the Marantz/Khorn is almost better than live. The McIntosh lived up to its praise as well. Now I have to say that these two amps need to be segregated from Gary's VRD's in that they both are in natural condition. I believe that thebes' Marantz will benefit most from restoration as there are authorized McIntosh service stickers on the 240, leading me to assume that it has had, at least, been benched in recent history. Once the Marantz gets a possible NOSjob, it may rue the day. (You can't argue the VRD's stature even against an 8b and 240. It (they) definitely did more things better than the other three. Raising your price, Craig?) Then there is the Sony TA-N77ES. I may just as well have worn a plaid suit to the ball. But I will say this, I think it won the weight category. Which hints to what it did best - BASS. The Sony never bottomed out, went tubby or flat, even though Gary suggested it, being SS, did not need to warm up! Larry and I listened to some classical. I could be biased, but I THINK the highs started to smooth out shortly after Gary and thebes stepped out of the room . I think, though it's hard to tell, that Larry was impressed with how low the Khorns can go with a good SS amp. I would put the Sony in with demanding cone speakers any day and be happy. But the horns definitely favor good tubes. Finally, let me say what a gentleman and lady Gary and his wife are. They insisted on being the complete hosts. Now I don't want imply that just anyone gets special treatment, but we were surely grateful. Frankly, I think Gary's system just need validation . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 ---------------- On 1/17/2005 7:52:49 PM Klipschfoot wrote: Then there is the Sony TA-N77ES. I may just as well have worn a plaid suit to the ball. But I will say this, I think it won the weight category. Which hints to what it did best - BASS. The Sony never bottomed out, went tubby or flat, even though Gary suggested it, being SS, did not need to warm up! Larry and I listened to some classical. I could be biased, but I THINK the highs started to smooth out shortly after Gary and thebes stepped out of the room . I think, though it's hard to tell, that Larry was impressed with how low the Khorns can go with a good SS amp. I would put the Sony in with demanding cone speakers any day and be happy. But the horns definitely favor good tubes. ---------------- I did say it was the suprise of the day! I knew we should have tried for 125dbs before unhooking it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Sound like you guy's had fun ! Just to clear things up Gary has my personal set of Dynaco Mark III's not VRD's. The front end board configuration is completely different as is the power supply. While the sound will be very similar the VRD will out perform the Mark III's by a small margin in all respects and especially in a lower bass region. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 ---------------- On 1/17/2005 7:52:49 PM Klipschfoot wrote: ...I think, though it's hard to tell, that Larry was impressed with how low the Khorns can go with a good SS amp. I would put the Sony in with demanding cone speakers any day and be happy. But the horns definitely favor good tubes. ---------------- I was most impressed with how the Sony could separate the tone qualities of diverse instruments in the middle range down through the bass, e.g., descending scales in octaves of such instruments as the flute, english horn and bassoon in the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony slow movement. The SS Sony made those clearer as individual instruments than the other amps did, and, yes, a sort of better definition in the lowest bass as well. Still, I felt I heard the lesser separation of musical notes from the surrounding space and silence, especially in the treble, that I associate with SS. JMHO, needless to say. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillmbil Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Yep, sounds like you were screaming for my VRD's with KT88's. If the drive wasn't so long I would surely have been there. However, the blood starts to slow down under 40 degrees, and I seem to carry way to much static electricty that keeps lighting me up, even in Florida. We will be in the 30's tonight...WOOOOH thats cold for my blood. Sounds like a wonderful day in the basement. How did the Cornwalls compare to the Khorns? Any comparison there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 I gave Thebes a 5 minute tour of the cornwalls. The rest of the day was in the dungeon. Had we more time, I would've played the corns and demo'd the HT but with 4 amps to audition, it was best that we kept the Khorn sound clear in our heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 FYI - For those who asked, I just opened up the 240 and it is all original and very, very clean. I used a couple ebay auctions to verify the innerds. One that looks to be in very good condition on ebay is item #5744983226. It's a relisting and looks to have been cleaned up pretty nicely. You can tell it had some pitting (unless it's the camera) but the seller managed to clean around the lettering fairly well. The one I have would look close to that with some TLC, but a few less letters. I'd say about 85% to 90% lettering intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Thanks for providing us all with the amplifier reviews and the pictures (which aren't as bad as Larry made them out to be). Sounds like a swell time was had by all! Sorry to hear about your daughter's Saturn, Gary...what a way to end an otherwise enjoyable day. At least no one was injured, but it's the last thing you'd think would happen in your very own driveway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 To my ears the 8B does not produce 'flabby bass'. For the last few days I have been listening to it (replacing the Mc-30s) and compared to those, bass sounds a tad less 'full' but perhaps a bit more 'controlled'. In terms of transparency I cannot find fault with it either. Comparing those amps I'd say the Mac sound 'darker'. So I guess checking this 8B might indeed be a good idea. BTW: I am almost sure that those prominent blue parts in the middle of Thebes' unit might not be original, so perhaps some previous owner had already tinkered with it (?)....just a thought. And indeed many thanks for sharing your listening impressions, sounds like a great day! Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Sounds like a good time, guys. Certainly a rare chance for we mere civilians to experience some really fine amplifiers in one sitting. The other gear isn't too shabby, either! However, unless they're 101 Strings, you really need to get those records on end! (I don't know what it is, but my eye always goes directly to the background of a scene-maybe it's the bass player in me...) I'm glad you like the marble, Gary. The guys at the stone place were all questions when they found out was I was doing. Your piece had a little nicer marbling to it than mine, but I got his last piece of really slick black granite, too. It looks like there's little flakes of mica in it. Hard to describe, and probably just as hard to photograph. It had already been cut when I added the marble to the order. I'll post some pics when the new cabinet is all situated. My pieces are pretty big @ 19"x24", allowing for future relocation of the Scout motor if I get possessed by the spirit of some crazy English Greek. The granite is 55lbs, and the marble (a bit thinner) is 35lbs. I intend to sandwich the two with dampers between the two slabs and under the whole shot. With the Scout, the assembly will weigh 123lbs. I was trying to hold out for the right box, but I wanted to get it there. It took me three beers to pack it! Thebes, happy to hear the Marantz is sounding promising. My philosphy of the "score" is to never sell. I work for money; the great scores are for me to keep. (Or am I just a pack-rat?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 What a great thread, Gary. Very interesting reading. I don't think McIntosh gets the recognition they deserve, maybe because it's been around for a long time. IMHO quality never goes out of style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louis Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Gary when you said the vinyl sounded bad on other amps but not mark3 s have you tried swaping red and black speaker leads , I am not expert but i know differnt amps and pre amps can make difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 18, 2005 Author Share Posted January 18, 2005 No Louis. We didn't try that. Good thinking though. They all sounded great with CDs which is probably why we didn't think of it. Also, my ears are so tuned to my system, any differences will stick out like a sore thumb. I'm not sure the others has the same impression or at least not to the extent I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Did you connect the 8B through the standard input or through the "test" input? The "test" input bypass the LF filter of the standard input and the bass and overall sound inproves quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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