AndyKubicki Posted February 20, 2005 Author Share Posted February 20, 2005 Wayne what was the name of your record cleaner??? I've got to get one!! I cleaned a record on there that was noisy after many pad cleanings and when I heard it, my jaw hit the floor!! It worked sooooo much better!!! BTW, I don't think the VRDs had that much of a workout considering how little we had to turn up the volume. I'll bet we barely got up to a couple watts, which was a breeze for the VRDs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 ---------------- On 2/20/2005 11:19:57 PM AndyKubicki wrote: There was something else that was made apparent to me today. Some of you may remember that I often complained of a hum and noise from my 222D, particularly in the evening. Well, all the equipment had some amount of the same noise, which tells me my house wiring SUCKS! I need to move to a newer house with better wiring and a higher cieling for my KHorns to breathe...---------------- I'd also like to offer my sincere thanks to Andy and his wife for hosting us Klipsch fanatics. I had another opportunity to meet some very nice people, who like myself and most of the rest around here have a lot of passion for their hobby. It was very nice meeting all of you in person. Although I have had the pleasure of hearing Khorns many times over the years I have never been as impressed as I was today hearing them powered by my gear. Yeah OK, so I am biased. Andy, Here's a suggestion and something I never thought while I was there that Craig reminded me of on my way home. You may want to take the ground loop out. That helped my noise problem immensely. I bet it will cure a lot of yours too. I just ate dinner, spent time with my wife and kids, packed, and then I am off to Vegas on a business trip after I take a brief nap. I have to be there by 7AM and it's raining cats and dogs an not expected to let up. I will check back here and post my thoughts towards the end of the week. Here are the pics I took today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted February 20, 2005 Author Share Posted February 20, 2005 The Scott has a two pronged plug, no ground plug. There were a couple minds convinced today. Tom was convinced he's getting KHorns, Nick was convinced he likes tubes and horns, I was convinced I need the disk cleaner Wayne has. I also need a new source, though the DVDs we played later sounded pretty darn good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 This is my gear taking it's turn in the grand scheme of things! It sure was nice to meet everyone and put some faces to the names! We had about an eclectic mix of music as could have been found I think! A little of everything, and it all sounded very good. Different sources did make a difference. The afternoon started out for me when I got there at 1:00 and the Peach and VRDs were singing into Andys wonderful sounding Khorns! The source was Toms Sony multi-format cd/sacd etc. player That is one nice sounding unit! We cycled in the VTL preamp to take advantage of the phono section and the VRDs sounded just as good with this preamp as they did with the peach. I brought my SPIN CLEAN record cleaner and cleaned one of my LPs and that generated interest in the cleaner. It did a great job of cleaning my LP and Andy asked to use it on one of his nosier LPs, permission granted (of course!) and he was really impressed at how the unit worked now! It scrubbed out the dirt and the LP sounded new! We played a few LPs then decided to try Nicks CD player. Redbook cds just didn't sound as good as the SACDs that we were playing before. Nothing against Nicks player, we decided that the SACD just was inherently sounded better. A little A/B switching between the two sources and it looks like Andy got permission from the better half to upgrade his player! About this time it was time for people to go and it was down to just Nick, Andy and myself. This is also the time that the pizza came and we settled down to watch part of a DVD that Andy put together, the quality of the audio on the DVD player was right up there with the SACD player that Tom has but Andys DVD player didn't do so hot with the Redbook CDs. Some final discussion on what we heard and last goodbyes and I was on the road at about 6:30. I would love to go into flowery descriptions of what we heard and rave about the qualities of this unit over that one but as I am just a blacksmith and those words are not in my normal usage, I will just say that there was some fantastic music and gear heard tonight and that once you reach a certain level of equipment, the differences are small and that going higher, while possible, will cost a whole lot and gain little bits. Thank you again Andy and your lovely wife for letting us come together and have a wonderful time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Andy, I had similair success using a 2-prong adapter. Ultimately, I had to have additional shielding added to my blueberry but it did help and for a buck, it's certainly worth a try. Lets get some reviews going here guys! How'd everything sound? Were the first time Khorn listeners adequately impressed? Any digital vs vinyl competitions? Edit: Oops. Must have been writing at the same time. Keep em coming guys. Sounds like a good time was had by all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 ---------------- On 2/20/2005 11:25:30 PM AndyKubicki wrote: BTW, I don't think the VRDs had that much of a workout considering how little we had to turn up the volume. I'll bet we barely got up to a couple watts, which was a breeze for the VRDs! ---------------- Andy, Your thinking is spot on. They barely got up past idle. 95-100 db are effortless for them. VRD's love to flex their muscles when asked to do so. We'd have been heard over at the offramp of the 91 at Imperial Highway if we had given them a good workout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted February 21, 2005 Author Share Posted February 21, 2005 Ah yes, here it is! http://www.garage-a-records.com/spin.html I will soon order my own! At one point, I wanted to hear the Audire Difet 3 (SS) preamp with the VRDs. Now this is a quality SS preamp, but, as I heard someone say as we listened, the soundstage shrank! I don't know if it's just not good synergistically with a tube amp or what, but there was a loss. Both the Peach and the VTL sounded much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 First off, a deep, sincere, and utmost thankyou to Andy and his family (your son too!) for allowing us the pleasure of being in your lovely home, listening to your fantastic equipment, and being in your warm company. Today was truly a day to be remembered and cherished. So the group consisted of Andy/Andy Kubicki and family, Tom/Piranha, Wayne/Cal Blacksmith, j4knee/Jim and the Mrs., and myself. We were almost as eclectic as the music we listened to throughout the course of the day! Trying to be fashionably late in the true Hollywood tradition, I entered the with with the aforementioned crowd already assembled. Even as I was pulling into the garage, I heard the inviting sound of hearty laughter and the familiar rise of music. I knew I had come to the right place. Climbing out, I stepped through the foyer and badabing! There they all were, standing around, chuckling, music filling the room. And the first thing I noticed, the first thing that hit me like a slug to the chest, was not the striking interior decoration. It was not Andy's fine selection of equipment gleaming atop his Cherry finished cabinet like fake teeth. It wasn't even the evil Grin Tom shot over at me that almost had me crying for Mommy. It was The Mighty Klipsch Horns. I've never before seen these things in real life. My freaking God, these things are big! And here I thought my RF7's were monoliths! Oh no siree, I beg to differ, Andy had them sitting in each corner of his expansive wall, flanking his rack of drool-worthy gear. Utterly pristine in their condition, cloth grills as soft and fluffy as a baby rabbit, they were a stunning sight to behold. That, and the Belvedere sitting on top. Calling my name... (thank you though, Andy, for providing the much appreciated libations). Lucky for us, everyone brought something to the table. Much like a potluck, minus the food, plus a few thousand dollars worth of audio gear. Wayne brought his VTL preamp and Sonic Frontier tubes (a gorgeous piece, mind you), Jim carried along with him some fantastic jazz and guitar CD's, Tom had, as expected, lugged his Peach, VRD amps, and Sony 333ES SACD player via U-Haul, and I brought my meager Classe CD Player along with a vinyl and SACD album. Just for kicks. Anyway, enough of the intro. The point is, I'm a solid state and Reference guy. I run all RF7's and RF5's. I use Parasound Halo amps and processor. I'm also a big fan of power conditioning, replacing all my powercords with PS Audio powercords, Ultimate Outlets, and a P1000 Powerplant (1000 watts). It was actually funny when I first busted out the powercord I brought. Everyone was like, "wtf is that??" So anyway, let me not allow myself to digress (damn bourbon). This was my first time listening to tubes and Khorns. And the result was nothing short of spellbinding. I now realize and understand that Klipsch makes speakers that work magically for both solid state, and tubes. Now, when I hear that age-old cliche, "the warmth of tubes," I know precisely, down to the muthafreaking T, what it means. It means it throws you onto the couch and surrounds you with unrelenting, beautiful, merciless, gentle, whiplashing tonal harmony. It's been said there's a fine line between pain and pleasure. Oh boy, whoever said that was way ahead of his time... The highs were absolutely gorgeous and extended, no signs of fatigue or rolloff. The mids were big, robust, and enveloping, exactly the way I had pictured it in my wildest, wettest dreams. And the lows. The bass. Oh yes, the bass. In spades, did the Khorns have it. The slam, the power, the fury, and yet it's ability to reproduce the slightest of slight transients, the minute nuances, and whisper of a breath, was plain and simple drop-dead amazing. I'm still shaking in awe. =) Our little posse listened to everything from Celine Dion to Dave Brubeck, from Kraftwerks to a solo violinist, from Stravinsky to Muse, from acoustic guitar to Snow Patrol, and every friggin' thing in between. I think we damned near spanned the whole Northern Hemisphere in terms of musical coverage, possibly reaching a mile or two below the Equator. And just when I thought I had the heritage and tube sound pinned down, just when I thought, "oh hell, I've got the damned thing figured," just when I though it had it down to a science, the damn thing bisects the angle in some totally unthinkable, totally genius new way and traverses through the foliage or something. And then! Chicago-style pizza came. And what can I say, except Chicago-style pizza rules. Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa Johns...they can all stay home. All in all, I had a truly mesmerizing time, filled with wonderful music, awesome company, and more than our fair share of comedic moments (like Tiger escaping the thunderous Khorns, or the story of Tom's crazy neighbor he told me on the way to the liquor store). I really had fun, and I owe all the thanks and credit to you, Andy. You rule. - Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Thanks guys for your truely awesome thread. It makes me wish I was there. The pics are great and I'm looking forward to reading more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Tom, please forgive my description of your VRDs as a workout, this was a ham fisted, blacksmith attempt to add some colorful language to my descriptions. With the wonderful efficiency of the Khorn, neither amp was working hard at all. This only added to the afternoon though as there was enough headroom with both amps that it was a joy to listen to music without any hint of either amps running out of steam, everything that was handed to them was handled with effortless ease, and there were some pretty loud passages indeed! Nick, again, your use of language far supersedes my own. You well captured the essence of the day. Jim (j4knee) please forgive me for failing to mention you and your great wife. Though it was still early, my mind was only on posting the few pictures I had and getting to bed as 3:00 am comes too soon! The making of your acquaintance was truly enjoyable and I am so glad we had the chance to meet! Great music, great gear, good friends, libations and food, what more could you ask for on a rainy afternoon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Somebody needs to put names with the pics so we really know who is who. I can make pretty good guesses, but it is still nice to know. Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 ---------------- On 2/21/2005 8:46:54 AM Marvel wrote: Somebody needs to put names with the pics so we really know who is who. I can make pretty good guesses, but it is still nice to know. Marvel ---------------- Sorry, we know who is who In Toms last picture, from left to right, Andy, Me, Nick (seated), Jims lovley wife and Jim, to see Tom, look at my posts a little further up the thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 ---------------- On 2/20/2005 10:25:22 PM AndyKubicki wrote: My total compliments to Craig and Mark for superbly designed equipment (except for those terrible looking transformers on the VRDs, sheesh! Those are UGLY! They're so ugly that they affected the sound! ). But Tom tells me that the new ones are nicer ---------------- Andy, The end bells on Tom's VRD's were suppose to be replaced by Tom with some chromed versions he had done in LA. The End Bells that are on his amps were beat up ones I had around here I took a dremmel too the bottom so they could be removed without completely disassembling the amps. But Old Tom has procrastinated on replacing the end bells. The noise you folks were experiencing was surely a ground loop problem. I knew I should of told Tom to take his 3 to 2 prong adaptors. This can happen in one home but not the next. I had my gear at a Audio Karma Members house Saturday all peices grounded without the least bit of noise. At my house I have to lift everything in the system from ground including sources. Thanks for all the kind comments on the VRD's. Looks like you guy's had fun. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Since Nick loved Chicago style (deep dish, right?) pizza, I know that everything else he observed must be right!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I always assumed Andy was a redhead! Great picture and descriptions, gents! We've gotta get something like this together in Northern California! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Nick's always got a drink in his hand. I like that in a guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I will write more on this topic when I get home. I just wanted to thank Andy and his wonderful family for inviting us into their home and making us feel right at home. It was a splendid day. I have some pics to go though so like I said I have a few comments to make that sum up my experience although Nick, Tom, Wayne and Andy did a pretty good job of it but I'll write more later. Once again thanks to all who came and brought their gear and music to this and especially Andy our gracious host. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st. patrick Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Guys, this is a great read, and nice to put some faces with the monikers. I too thought Andy was portly and a redhead...........but now i have to figure out who Gorgg is ( I don't get out much,eh?). Nice of you all to share your experiences with the rest of the forum family. Best to all, patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 as usual I am jealous of you guys! thanks for posting this. I will be the first to throw his hat into the ring and volunteer my house for the first EL Salvador (what the heck, Central American) klipsch horny get together! any takers? LOL, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champagne taste beer budget Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Another jealous forum member. Looks like a good time was had by all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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