Guy Landau Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Welcome to the Klipsch 2 channel forum, Vinnie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Is this THE Vinnie? Welcome, feel free to stop by anytime. I've been checking out some of your stuff over at DIYAudio forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Vinnie, welcome, how bout a little Red Wine hey Guy, whas up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 awww vinnie doesnt know anything, I've been emailing him about modding my teac.. haha Welcome to klipsch forums buddy! -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Dave: Yeah, I understand what you're saying. The point I was trying to make, which probably wasn't very clear, was that despite the fact that I could sit down and build a few very highly reviewed tube amplifiers doesn't mean I would necessarily describe the sound of one of them as being 'better' than the digital amp. For me, it's a completely new way of perceiving audio equipment, as is indeed surround sound for listening to music. Good tube amps do have a special and unique sound. I've heard enough of them and own enough of them to know that. That the sound of vacuum tube amps is in an absolute sense 'better' than some other type of output topology and device is nothing but subjective. It can't be anything else when we are discussing individual preferences for sound. My thought is that one type of technology does not necessarily need to uproot and displace another -- out with the old, and in with the new. I still have more than a dozen tubes glowing and contributing to the sound of this music-making organism of ours, but that's taking place with the help of both transistor and digital amplification technology. All of it sounds good together, and I think the way each is being used is, for the time being, well-suited to its specific application. I don't think it has to be all one way or all another. I have always very much liked a combination of tube and solid state devices, and for me it's fine. For some, it just may be too much of a stretch to be able to accept and welcome an inexpensive, light weight digital amplifier into the system family. And there is no requirement that one must do that if one chooses not to do so. I have, and for us it works well. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Not to anyone in general: Regarding reviewing and perceptions of equipment, I have always rather relied more on opinions based exclusively on the quality of sound. For my part, where I may have modified this or modified that, I sometimes wonder that a certain self-fulfilling prophecy might be at work -- I made this change, so there has to be an improvement. There are a few vynil listeners on this forum who may not necessarily have a strong background in audio electronics, but who know very well what sounds good to them. Building and understanding circuitry is one thing; listening to music and knowing what sounds right is something altogether different. So, the fact that I have some experience with certain kinds of amplifier circuitry means absolutely NOTHING! In fact, I want to get back to the point to when I used to listen to music rather than the differences between resistors, capactors, and the very tiresome (to me) speaker cable interconnect issue. Picasso once said something along the lines of "It took me a lifetime to learn how to create art like a child." I have a huge amount to learn about audio electronics, because I know really very little. I just want to enjoy music more, and this inexpensive Teac amplifier has nudged me in that direction. It's been fun! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Erik, Just a quick one - that Yammaha amp that you read about is the very same amp my mate Tony is using to drive his B&W 802's. Actually he has had the thing for about a year now and it is one seriously impressive product - 500 wpc in a 10 kilo (22 lb) box. From his experiences and my more limited listening alongside a bunch of high $$ amps the Yamaha is THE bargain of the high power, high end world right now. Of course bargains are all relative - it is the best part of $5000 but its competitors are all the wrong side of $10,000. The really funny thing - it is a great match to a tube pre-amp - better than with Yamaha's own digital pre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie R. Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 All, Thanks for the warm welcome! Much appreciated. Guy L., Your battery-modded Teac will ship tomorrow. I can't wait to hear your impressions Regards, Vinnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Hmmm...everyone has the advantage of me. I sense the presense of a person held in high esteem by my peers and superiors, and am at a disadvantage. Vinnie, my name is Dave, a computer-based training and simulations developer with delusions of location recording glory. Please to make your acquaintance. Kind regards, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Dave: You have been away for awhile. We have all nudged at each other's buttons now and then, but carry on with new days, new ideas, new equipment, etc. Some of the reactions I got with my surround sound experiment were certainly nothing to copy, paste, and print for the refigerator door! With what are you at a disadvantage? I responded to the word 'skeptical,' and wanted to point out that I have felt the same as you on many, many occasions, but that I'm finding a position of neutrality-prior-to-personal-experience much more beneficial in lots of ways. I have to say that I had absolutely no idea what the minibox would sound like or do, but was nothing short of genuinely astonished with what I heard. That led me to where I am right now with the Lexicon processor and 5 more speakers! Actually, the rears are not set up yet, simply because it's very difficult for me to get the wiring run and connected (back injury). I really think I can say electronic changes might be done for awhile, but there is one more thing I have been interested in doing for some time -- that being the use of Altec midrange horns and possibly a new tweeter for the K-horns. I don't know how that will develop, but I know a few people who have done both and who will not go back to stock drivers/lenses and/or low order networks. That's going to be tough right now too, but I can get help, I think. Max! That is very interesting, and I would love to hear that myself some time. Thanks for the input there. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Erik, I really admire your philosophy of not expecting good or bad out of a device just because it's solid state or just because it's tube. I really found your impressions of the teac to be quite interesting anyways, you say it ties with the best amps you've built. By it tying them, then there's gotta be something it's doing right, then what it all comes down to is the sonic properties of the amp? Like if it's mellow/fun or sharp/dull.. warm/cold compared to the best amps you've heard. I'm wondering, if you had to describe it by feel, like grainy/smooth/warm/cold/sharp/round/flat, whatever, how would you say its compared to other amps, at least w/ your ears as the judge. -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Erukian: One big difference between the Teac and others I have built has to do with power. I have very, very much enjoyed low power single ended tube amps for many years, but found some interesting results when we bumped the simple element of power up a notch. Fo much of the music we listen to, we can honestly get by with literally even less than 1 watt. The more powerful SS amps I have tried were good, but there was always something in the background that bothered me -- in one case lots of hiss, in another a sort of glare in the midrange and tweeter that made my ears hurt. A few of the more powerful tube amps I have tried 1) didn't belong to me or 2)had buzz and hum issues with very efficient Klipschorns. The Teac was absolutely quiet, which is a characteristic I've come to really like, and it has pulled bass notes and low end response from the Klispchorns that no other amp I have had hear can. My SET amps -- Moondogs, Horus, and Moth Audio Si2A3 are all great sounding amps, and they also produce very fine midrange and top end. In my opinion, which is nothing more than my opinion, is that the Teac is a better amp in a comprehensive sense. I've found the Horus, which is a great amp, to be well suited to the side channel Heresys, and I use my tube preamp and Moth audio amplifier every evening for Headphone listening. I think what I would ultimately like very much is a very quiet, more powerful push-pull vacuum tube amplifier, but I would have to spend much more money than I can right now. Actually, I can build one with about the same power as the Teac for about $275, but that's just for two channels. It would actually be very easy to do what would be necessary for a third channel. But then....I would be spending too many hours in my work room away from my family, and again not listening to nearly as much music. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotbuck Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Greetings, A short time ago I posted my initial impressions of my newly purchased Sonic Impact t-amp. Last weekend I did an interesting experiment... When my buddy came over I hid the t-amp and started playing some new CDs. After a few minutes I inquired how he liked the music, to which he replied that he liked it just fine. Then I showed him the amp. After he picked his jaw up off the floor, put his eyeballs back in their sockets, and wiped the drool off his shirt (he's kind of a messy dude...) and fully realized that he wasn't listening to music coming from my Audio Note SET, he immediately said he had to buy a t-amp. I, in the meantime, have ordered the famed Teac t-amp and will be interested to see how it's 30wpc compares to the SI's 6wpc. (I've noticed that the SI can't do a full-blown symphony through my kg4's.) I still haven't considered the t-amp to be a replacement for my SET; however, I've noticed that as the SI breaks in, the mids are beginning to develop a bit of that ol' black magic that my SET gives me. Hmmm........... Take care, Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playntheblues Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Scott, depending on how far you want to go with this. Vinnie at redwineaudio.com does some great mods to the Teac. You might want to check it out. I have ordered the Teac from wildwest and am tempted to have Vinnie mod it. I believe Guy L. has already done this and is waiting for it to be delivered. All the best, Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Erik, "I think what I would ultimately like very much is a very quiet, more powerful push-pull vacuum tube amplifier..." Those were my thoughts exactly for you - I was toying with the idea of mentioning it but am glad you did instead. Of course - with a 2 channel beast like that you can retain the digital amps for surround sound duty - if it proves to be better, or the other way round if not.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Max: That is good of you -- thanks. I very, very much enjoy tubes, and I can't just let them go. They will always be a part of our system in some way. For example, I did some very accurate (I think) A/B testing, where I was able to switch back and forth between the Moth headphone amp connected directly to the CDP, or with my tube preamp. The tube preamp wins hands down. It gives an energy and sense of mass and volume to the music that is not nearly so present as with the CDP/Moth only combination. This was a welcome discovery, too, because I think this Quad 6SN7 preamp is really a nice sound preamp -- very quiet and clean. I hated seeing it just sit in the corner of my workroom, and it's now back into daily use. Because it has coupling capacitors on the output, it may just be my imagination, but background noise seems lower, as well. It probably is my imagination, but so what! I may just build that stereo PP 6L6 tube amp schematic. It could be done with decent parts for under $300, and might make a fun summer project -- if I'm in the condition to do that. Regards, Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 "I may just build that stereo PP 6L6 tube amp schematic. It could be done with decent parts for under $300, and might make a fun summer project -- if I'm in the condition to do that." I have the mono Lowery chassis and iron. I'm trying to shoot for EL-34 push-pull mono amps with that amount. I just need some big PS chokes, and some other parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Mike: I understand. When the urge to build another amp or preamp hits, it tends to bash pretty hard. As you are, I've been interested, but at the same time have such great sound right now, that I think about how many new CDs I can get for the price of parts for a new tri-channel tube amp (which is what I would make rather than stereo). One leads to the next, because the 'what if' syndrome then takes over. Once that happens, the semi-neurotic trips back and forth between our listening room and my workroom begin, and the simple pleasure of listening to music for the sake of music starts to change into something else: it becomes the only test equipment I have, along with those funny looking things on the side of my head, for testing endless tweaks and modfications. I've been doing this very thing for 15 years, and can't help but think about the amount of listening I have missed. I will be interested to hear how this EL-34 project goes, but may in fact hold off on that idea of mine. I may not have a choice in the matter! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotbuck Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 ---------------- On 3/31/2005 7:25:05 AM playntheblues wrote: Scott, depending on how far you want to go with this. Vinnie at redwineaudio.com does some great mods to the Teac. You might want to check it out. I have ordered the Teac from wildwest and am tempted to have Vinnie mod it. I believe Guy L. has already done this and is waiting for it to be delivered. All the best, Guy ---------------- Greetings, Thanks for the info; I'll see how the Teac works out then go from there. I have seen many examples - in my guitar effects pedals - where battery power is *vastly* superior to AC power (and vintage style batteries giving better results than modern batteries). Why this is I don't know, but the difference is substantial. BTW, listening to tunes coming from the SI tonight again; getting better all the time...........................(!) Thanks again for the heads up! Take care, Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 This has been most enlightening. Actually, more like a paradigm shift. So many icons fallen! Not sure when the Panasonic T will show up, but had that freshly mastered Asylum Street Spankers DVD-A to try, so I spent the day yesterday hooking up the Sony STR-DE997 from the HT system to the main system. 3 hours chasing my tail as to why nothing out the rear speakers only to find I had the Surround channels plugged in "Surround" (sides) which do not exist! Sometimes you feel like a complete idiot, donchaknow. BTW, I briefly hooked up the coax connectors but never got a peep. Never having used one I wondered if they required a specific impedance or something. Anyway, whilst messing with that I noticed the incorrect rear channel situation I mentioned above and decided a solved problem was better than a new one altogether. So, after a few tests (Event Horizon happened to be showing on the satellite - YIKES! Scary in surround with 'horns/cornie in the front, Frazier MkIV's in the rear) to insure all was working, I spent the rest of the evening evaluating my first attempt to apply the sixcard to reality. Relevant to this thread, the modest Sony sounded just great. Looking forward to seeing the difference in the class T when it arrives...but many of you know that equipment differences have to be pretty significant before I notice. OTOH, I can detect a third violin fractionally underfretted in a 32nd note run!!! Then main event and reason I called myself there, however, was to evaluate the Asylum Street Spankers DVD-A. I chose to use an AIX surround release of some Scarlatti/Beethoven chamber works as a "Control." So, it was, to say the least, interesting and I have a number of comments to pass on. Those, however, belong in a new thread coming soon to a 2 Channel Forum near you... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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