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Worst Upgrade Move Ever?


Me Loves Khorns

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Not to hijack, but can anyone comment on the sound difference between the K-horns and LaScalas with the Klipsch Ultras?

Jeff

Not the same sub Jeff, but you can read what I wrote when I switched here:

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/thread/546276.aspx

I'm since moved, so the setup is now in a larger room (actually, I haven't finished the basement yet so the divisions are'nt up, but the room will be around 20'x15'. Contrast that with the 11' depth I use to have!)

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Duke.

You could say that about any CD Player really. They are all some simple electronics that are "upgraded" with some esoteric stuff.

I'm shure that the latest McIntosh transport with accompanied DAC which costs over $10,000 can be whittled down to some small electronics board.

it's notta Mac ... Slam, JC ....

it's just that like my Carver/ Yamaha ....

Mac didn't make MOST of the player

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Duke, I didn't take it as a slam. Your statement is right and it is a recent reality check for me. That is the reason for the AH! purchase of mine. It is one cheapo CD Player that has targeted upgrades for audiophiles. There is 145 reviews of this product on audioreview.com with consistent results.

Along that lines. Mark, sad enough that has been a thought of mine. I actually did look into building a computer with a nice CD Player transport. Possible tube incorporation or nice DAC. Will take a little more reading.

The vinyl thing. Well. I have about 125 albums that I purchases back in High School and college. They are in Mint condition and still have the plastic covering on the housing. I have lugged those things around the USA during those school and training years and have managed to keep them in the AC and protected. I am embarrassed to say that I have a bunch of 45 rpm's too. So I'm not really back into vinyl...just trying to look cool. I also have the Music Hall MMF-5 TT that I've been quiet about.

So here it comes.....Do I dig this analog/tube stuff stuff or not? I'll find out. Will it "outperform" this expensive McIntosh setup?

jc

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Man, Good to hear the faith of the Juicy Music product AGAIN. I ordered the Blueberry Extreme.

I have just started breaking in my AH! Super Njoe Tjoeb 4000. It has all the upgrades available upon purchase. My opinions of this will be withheld until full break in. Will compare it to the McIntosh MVP 851.

Not to turn this into a tube thread or "what sounds better than the MAC". But this seems to be the challenge in my home right now. "Upgrades" or should I say "different alternatives/approaches".

jc

jc,

I'll be interested to hear your take on the comparison. I haven't heard the Mac, but I've been using the AH! for three years and have been very pleased. After listening for a while then upgraded to the upsampler and was also pleased with that. I'd been skeptical, but IMO it is a genuine upgrade.

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I am forever amazed at the differences of opinion we have regarding some of these setups - even when dealing with the same gear, opinions like tube rolls and such can vary WIDELY.

Like on my MC-30s. I seem to be the one who plays things pretty straight with tube rolls. I seem to always prefer the "stock" recommended tubes (like 6L6GC vs KT66, 5U4GB vs 5U4, etc) - the trick for me is to stay in old stock branded tubes (Tele and Amperex 12AX7, Amperex 12AU7, RCA 12BH7, and any good branded 5U4GB's work well - and RCA or GE outputs). Just like they used to ship 'em......

So on the subject of "upgrade", I try a set of KT66 in my 30's about a year ago. Completely stunk. Tried the gen-yoo-ine GEC. Not much better. Even my wife was disappointed. While I am open to the possibility that the many original caps were hurting things here (since replaced), there is still a part of me who wonders if I just don't like this tube in 30's. We're gonna find out in the near future with the rebuilds, by re-sampling the KT66 again. But to date, this was my worst "forum recommended" trial. Not too many "bad trials" here though - for every one that doesn't work, 5 to ten do.

I've gotten a bigger "buzz" from components others find "so-so". I, for one, think very highly of the sonics of the MX-110 - it is a giant killer for what was a good value a few years ago. Yes, I think the Peach is better - but it's close enough that one can really enjoy an MX-110.....especially when synergy contributes enough to make it an even better choice. Also, the Ah! 4000 CD player - a deck that was WAYYYYY worth it in my system. Tube CD is very beneficial, IMO....

I've become a "cap guy" of sorts, too - discovering just how much a simple cap brand swap makes in a given component or network. Really amazing stuff. Some think little/hear little from such things, I seem to really benefit from parts upgrades/changes. Same goes for tubes.

So yeah, what works for some definitely does not work for others.

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DD,

I'll give another week of burn in. Last night I read all 145 reviews of the AH!. Of the people who tried tube upgrades, they were ALL pleased with the results.

Of those tube upgrades, two types stood out as being the most commonly liked tubes for the AH!:

Siemens 7308

Amperex US 7308

Now the Siemens is more expensive and I think those that liked the Amperex didn't try the Siemens. I think Kevin at UpscaleAudio typically recommends the above two probably dependin on how much you want to spend. I will probably call him and ask myself.

Now I have the upsampler installed already. I didn't find one bad review result from doing this. My MAC has the 24/192 upsampler in it and I wanted to be able to have a more fair comparison.

jc

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Yeh, I was one who got the Siemens. They did sound better than the Russian stock tubes. Haven't heard the Amperex, but would think it also a can't go wrong choice, too.

Kevin is a good guy to talk on the phone, too.

One thing I thought was somewhat odd was the 500 hour run in time on the upsampler. I thought it made the unit sound better immediately. Who knows how long it really takes!

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What the hell was that? Something just bit me bad!!

Damn upgrade bug!!

Thanks, thanks alot guys!!

Oh well only one cure for the upgrage bug!

Time to upgrade!!!

I have been wanting to buy the SuperAH W/upsampler for the last year and it looks like I may have the money next month.

I noticed on the Upscale Audio website has "bought the gear here" pricing when you buy tubes to go with a component. So instead of $300 to $350 for the tubes I should be able to get them for around half price. Need to call Kevin about the tubes.

Looking forward to your review.

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Worst move ever?????????......Joining a Forum to learn your equipment Sucks!!!

LMAO !

You do speak a mountain of truth in that statement.

Probably the most subjective business on the planet, audio business that is.

With more folks knowing absolutes than any other folks anywhere.

It sure is funny and quite amazing.

Enjoy what you enjoy and dont worry about all the rest. Sad actually because there are some that truly try to help. But its hard to siphon through all the BS.

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"With more folks knowing absolutes than any other folks anywhere."

That's because we're smarter than any other folks anywhere. It's also why our systems sound better.

"Enjoy what you enjoy and dont worry about all the rest."

I think a better idea is to enjoy what you have until you can invest in some upgrades.

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Exactly Dean.

My gear Sucketh not. But obviously there have been moves up, down, sideways, etc, through the years for people. Fun to hear about moves people regretted rather than only moves that were great.[*-)]

And, it does help that we are all so amazingly smart. Although sometimes it almost seems to be a burden.[;)]

Paul

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For me it was SACD. Bought into it fairly big time. Relatively inexpensive player at the time - a Sony NS900 (from memory) that was both a DVD and an SACD player and then spent a silly amount on about 70 SACD's.

Realized sometime later that many of those SACD's I would never have chosen had there been a wider choice available whilst, at the same time, sonically the results were poor at best.

I had worked on the theory that a better medium should serve to mask lower level equipment - I was wrong. The Marrantz CD6000 outplayed the SACD equivalent whenever I got to compare them.

In the end, of course, I went back into vinyl. That was the best "Downgrade" of my audio career.

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"With more folks knowing absolutes than any other folks anywhere."

That's because we're smarter than any other folks anywhere. It's also why our systems sound better.

"Enjoy what you enjoy and dont worry about all the rest."

I think a better idea is to enjoy what you have until you can invest in some upgrades.

See, some are truly here to help[;)]

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I think my best upgrade WILL be finally learning to sling solder, and carve out some time to work on these dozen+ pieces of tube gear I have here (3/ ST70s, 2/MKIVs, 2/Fisher SA16's, PAS pre, 2/Dyna FM tuners, Fisher 500c, Sargent Rayment amp, a few console amps). Until that fantasy comes true[;)], the piles of unusable gear appear to be my worst upgrades...

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