August Battle of the Amps Gathering in St. Louis

[DrWho]

5000 people listening to a pair of lascalas?!? And 500 listening to cornwalls?!? Maybe for background music...

[sheltie dave]

We are talking background music, Mike. Reunions are all about talking, and having the dBs at a point where the music is heard, but does not overwhelm the attendees. The Cornwalls nailed their assignment, and we didn't break out any of the reinforcements. We have already been invited back, and a few moms are working to get us gigs at the current class dances, dirty old men notwithstanding.

La Scalas can go pretty loud and pretty far, and MCMs and TCms(You know) can get real loud. Bowled ampitheaters are real good at holding sound, thankfully. We could also do sound for a larger band, but that would spoil half the fun. That is real work.

[DrWho]

lol, and here I was picturing a live band outdoors...Aren't the scalas rated to only 121dB and the cornwalls 119dB before they start going to crap?

Talk about going off topic []

[mike stehr]

"Mike, that amp would probably be a steaming pyle of blown speakers."

It's "The Best"........

[CaptnBob]

I used to use my Cornwalls outside for lawn parties all the time where I used to teach. They worked great - the music (usually ragtime for brass - I was going for the band on the village green effect) just seemed to float everywhere without being obtrusive.

They also did a respectable job in Keiner Plaza in downtown St. Louis, back when the radio station sponsored lunchtime concerts down there. They seem to have a knack for projecting without being annoying.

[cjgeraci]

Yes, Bob, the music did seem to float everywhere even though the Cornwall were just at background levels during the reunion. I really liked how these vertical Cornwalls projected sound, which I think in small part, also resulted from the vertical placement of the tweeter and squawker.

Additionally, the positive vibes from the reunion also speak well about the QSC PLX amps. With a tube pre in front of it, the inexpensive QSC pro amp really put out a nice musical "first" watt (and beyond) appreciated by those in attendance. Mike, sorry to hear that you will not be able to attend. You could have heard the tube pre & QSC combination as it exists with my system.

Carl.

[DrWho]

Well I should be swinging by St. Louis in the near future to shoot a promotional video. I had no idea there were so many St. Louis ppl on the forum so perhaps I could stop by the home's of anyone that wants to show off some stuff at another time?

[www.records]

SheltieDave, did you and yours survive the storms ok? I am wondering if you are one of the millions without power. Hope you are doing well!!!

Steve

[sheltie dave]

We lost power about 7:30 Wednesday night and haven't seen it since. Carl has power, so he has relatives staying over. We had wonderful temps yesterday in the 70s, but it has been brutal outside that.

We didn't have any structural damage, but we lost twenty five feet off the crown of a walnut tree, and the party wagon Volvo got buried under four 300 lb+ branches from the neighbor's sweet gum tree. Miraculously, other than a couple scratches, there are no dents or any other damage to the Volvo. I guess there is a lot of Klipsch speaker hauling in its future!

The tornado passed directly over our house, but didn't touch down. We heard the train distinctly three different times, so we count ourselves blessed that we only lost power. We still have 9600 households out of 16,000 without power in our zip code. Hopefully the linemen can get everyone back on line today. Bring on that triple time OT!

[www.records]

I am glad to hear you and your family are ok Dave. I can only imagine how miserable it must have been on those 100+ days without A/C. Hopefully they get everyone turned back on very soon. Take care!

Steve

[sheltie dave]

The storms fried both Carl and my computers[]

To RSVP and get directions, please give me a ring at 314.651.9396, and we will get you taken care of.

It's been a bad, bad two weeks. The storms x 3, had a union laborer at work entangled and dragged under an overhead crane driveshaft and through three times, and our super's wife has cervical cancer.

If you could, please say a prayer for Randy, Julie, and Steve's mom(crane, cancer, and stroke.)

Thanks!

Dave

[cjgeraci]

Dave is right. It has been a bad couple of weeks in this town. Supposedly, there were people still with electricity out yesterday (at one point there were over 600,000 people out), and hopefully, everyone has power today. - for good. Yes, the storm fried my computer, and I am making this quick note before going home. Unfortunately, it was 102 degrees yesterday, 100 degrees today, and it should be 100 tomorrow. At least we should be in the lower nineties this weekend.

The good news is that during the meanest storm (one), my wife, I and my four-year old were all downstairs by my primary system, and two surge protectors did their job. Despite a flash of blue light coming from that direction (with the corresponding clap), all of my stereo stuff, including tubes was protected.

So we have power, and are reading to go for this weekend. Different amp and speaker combinations can be heard at Dave's place, and you can hear five big modded horns (and a sub) at my place. And we live almost a stone's throw away from each other.

We will post an agenda later this week.

Hope you can make it.

Carl.

[boomer9911]

I can't make it, but put a $20 spot on the new McIntosh MC275, just bought one myself....[]

[lo123]

I'm out in O'Fallon and have been spared the major storm and electric damage. Suffered some fence damage from the high winds in the first storm, unplugged everything but me computer (APC 1500 VA UPS/conditioner) and feel very very fortunate to have come out so well.

Is there a plan for Saturday? Should I call Dave for directions, etc., or will you guys be posting some info here? Looking forward to seeing and hearing some fine equipment.

[cjgeraci]

Dave is formulating the agenda, and the best bet is to call him at (314) 651-9396.

Additionally, my number is (314) 691-0185.

Carl.

[naimnut]

To late to RSVP? I'm a "lucky" man this weekend, as my wife is out of town and I've actually got some free time.

BTW, I can bring a Linn Linto phono stage if anyone would like to hear

it. I doubt that you guys would want me to bring over my whole

naim setup.

my phone 314-727-0189

I'll keep looking through this thread for possible contact info.

Mark

[naimnut]

An initial impression and reaction here, only.

Wow!

First off, we've got to give propers to our hosts Sheltie Dave and CJGeraci. Great hospitality, excellent equipment and good choices of music. Nice also to meet Bob A (bob, what's your forum name? I'm drawing a blank right now. Also Larry LO123. Very nice guys who made a beginner and newbie like me feel right at home.

Oh, btw, I now know that there are apparently three gigantic black holes in St. Louis which tend to suck in any heritage klipsch gear that comes within, say, 400 miles of the Arch. Dave's selection of speakers must be seen to be believed. His choice of electronics was excellent (I'm now a big fan of Juicy Music and those VRD's). But Carl and Bob also are quite the centers of gravity for vintage gear, too, judging from their stuff.

Care was taken to make everyone feel welcome, the gear was ready to go, and the only regret I can voice is that, in retrospect, there are some combinations I would have really liked to hear, like the Monarchy class A solid state dudes. Also, you know what? we should have put that dynaco st70 into the sytem.

Altogether, the whole event exuded class and taste.

Bob A brought a 1958 Holy Grail Marantz preamp (Sorry, which model was that? Well, I don't know, but it is the expensive one) Also, an oddball, 1963 vintage Hadley tube amp which sounded great, and a big Marantz SACD player. I'd never heard SACD before, and it sounded very fine. We also inserted a DBX decoder into the system and played some dbx encoded vinyl on my LP12/Linto. Lots of fun and great sound.

Hey, my kids are callin' me for dinner and I'm starved. Will post more later.

======back now from a quick bite=======

This was billed as a battle of the amps. Never having been to one before, I can't say we worked very hard at having one amp beat another. I'd say that the juicy music preamps are really, really good. But Bob's vintage Marantz was, too. I could live with either one. The VRD amps are really, really good too. But I was surprised at how well the Hadley acquitted itself. Impressive for a 40+ year old push-pull tube amp.

The k-horns ruled the roost, but the cornwalls were no slouches either. I think a lot of it comes down to the electronics, which really were sounding fine.

Later in the day we went over to Carls house and listened to his setup. I can only describe it as monster. 3 Belles in front, all modified with new crossovers, tweeters and midranges, 2 modified Altec VOTT for rear surrounds, driven by a marantz 8b. The front speakers were driven by some kind of 200 watt solid state monsters. Plus a big SVS sub woofer, big enough for a doghouse. Don't remember the make of the front amps. we listened to dvd-a, watched a couple 6.1 videos, listened to vinyl, his modified jolida cd player (hey, I liked that!) and just heard an endless series of great tunes.

The whole day can only be described as awesome, from one peak to another. Over dinner I was trying to explain it to my kids, and it was just impossible. How can you describe the sound of big klipschs driven by big amps playing great music?

Naimnut

[lo123]

Wow indeed!! Not much I can add......

Arrived at Dave's around 2 PM with the hope that it was not too late to hear his Khorns. I've never physically seen Heritage speakers, let alone heard them. What a treat and a great bunch of guys. Today we saw and heard Dave's Khorns and Cornwalls and the Belles and Altecs at Carl's house, along with the other amps, pre-amps, turntable equipment mentioned above. I also had a difficult time explaining the day to my family members, hard to put into words, but obvious I had a very enjoyable time.

I'll have to say the Khorns were certainly impressive. As Dave mentioned they are without great corners or a large, deeper room, however they were different than any other speakers I have heard. We listened to several recording sources of some Dave Brubeck tracks and the snare drum and the bass were there in the room with us. What a presence and live, unforced feel. My expectations were met, and more. The Cornwalls were powerful and grew on me after awhile, but the Khorns certainly made the trip worthwhile. Dave's speaker and amp selections along with the equipment the other guys brought was really impressive.

Carl's setup really rocks. Amazing and really cool are good descriptive starting points. Three Belles across the front and the two Altec's in the back, a huge SVS dual woofer sub along one wall toward the back, plus bass traps, all in all just increadible sound. Eagles Hotel California (DVD DTS??) was breathtaking on the guitar solos. A Diane Krahl cut and various Frank Sinatra titles showcased the depth of Carl's sources and speakers. HIs multitude of sources and switching capabilities provide flexibility for stereo, multi-channel, rears only, etc. Fleetwood Mac "The Chain" demonstrated the Belles and hearing that song on my RF-35s will never be the same.....

Many thanks to everyone for such an enjoyable Saturday afternoon, my thoughts for a potential basement listening/home theater room have certainly been upgraded after hearing these fine setups!

[SilverSport]

thanks to you all for letting those of us that couldn't be there feel like we were.

Bill

[sheltie dave]

We had family night on Friday night, with kids galore watching "My Dog Skip" on the Merlin/Teac/RF7s upstairs, and "Madagascar" downstairs on the Marantz 2245/Fortes/SW 10 system. The upstairs system clearly is head and shoulders above the downstairs, although the Teac struggles to drive the woofs until it gets a fair amount of gas. The real winner was us parents, as we could kick back and let the kids fly up and down the stairs, burning up their limitless energy.

Saturday saw some significant equipment roll in, much of it the type that always commands $$$$ (and thus not soon to be seen again here.) Captn Bob led the charge with his Marantz 7B tube preamp. He also provided a very rare Hadley tube amp(I believe about 50 wpc, based on its heft, total production numbered less than 50 units) a sturdy Marantz SACD player, a Scott 99D mono tube integrated amp, the before mentioned Lee Catenoid downfiring folded basehorn three way speaker, and a vintage Advent 400 little box speaker. Forgot his DBX album decoder, and two DBX encoded albums, a Joan Baez and a BS & T effort.

Mark(NaimNut) brought a superlative Linn Sondek LP 12, an associated Linto power source/moving coil preamp, and a collection of CDs.

Larry arrived midway thru the soiree at my house, and had some CDs in tow as well.

Both were very well armed with a wealth of questions and a fascination about Heritage that we hopefully addressed. Room limitations, the DBX experience, tube amp/preamp designs, stengths and weaknesses of the various Klipsch speakers, crossovers, mods, Klipsch history, and listening approaches were some of the topics I remembered. There was so much theory, technical applications, and personal observations thrown around, Mark and Larry's heads almost fell off.

In an interesting aside, I had to stop by an estate sale immediately prior to the gathering firing up, as a few real estate friends had given me an inside tip about an estate sale with a significant collection of Heywood Wakefield furniture and Klipsch speakers and tube stereo equipment. It all panned out as gold, with a set of early 70's battle scarred Cornwalls for $450, a Fisher 500C receiver for $150, and a HeyWake bedroom set and dining room set for dirt cheap. I did the smart thing and plumped for the dining room set while watching the Cornwalls and Fisher go go other good owners.

Back home after two runs to pick up the furniture, Bob, Carl Mark and Larry were well into starting equipment switches, first jumping the Marantz SACD for the Nak CD player, adding the Linn Sondek, Linto, and then the DBX decoder, then Cornwalls for the Khorns, then the Marantz 7C for the Blueberry, the Hadley for the VRDs, and finally my house for Carl's.

Carl really trotted out the dogs and shamed my presentation, so I'll let him fire that story up. One secret I'll let out - the Eagles were at Carl's house in concert[]