Paul Klipsch's favorite amp?

[Daddy Dee]

Very cool Bob. Thanks for posting.

I'm wondering, is the MGW-100 a McIntosh amp?

When I had the opportunity to hear his three channel system at home the center was driven by the Crown and the mains by Mac.

[BEC]

This will let PWK "speak" for himself on this subject.

Bob

 

Great letter Bob.  Is that an original that you have in your posession? 

Greg

 

freddyi posted that.  Notice it was written to him.  I just picked up off the forum.

Bob

 

[ClaudeJ1]

This will let PWK "speak" for himself on this subject.

Bob

In August of 1985, my wife and I had the privilege of being PWK's and Valerie's guests for a full day. We shared a shot of Glenfiddich Scotch while he played his own recordings of the Little Rock Symphony for me. His living room was large enough to hold a Steinway and a Boshendorfer Grand piano at the right end. Next to those, to the left, about 20 feet apart, he had 2 false corners, the exact ones shown in the Dope From Hope. Outstanding sound to say the least. He had regular factory spec. Khorns in Walnut, A Walnut Belle in the middle. The little resistor box to bridge mono was being used for the center channel. He was using a Crown D-75 and a BGW 100. I'm not sure which 1/2 of which amp went to the center, but I can assure you he was using those amps mentioned in that letter in his own home.

[johnyholiday]

PWK's, FISHER MODEL 20-A's

[DrWho]

I wonder what his impressions were after the 80's? He still had plenty of time to find something better.

Have tubes changed much over the years? The way they teach about them in school makes it seem like nothing has changed since the 70's.

[scott0527]

I think the Brook was PWK's favorite amp back in the 50's when their wasn't a whole lot else to choose from in regards to hi fidelity. Per the letter above, he did regard the Marantz 9 as one of the best and I've read that somewhere else in another interview but I can't recall where. He also mentioned the Brook again in a 2000 interview in Vacuum Tube Valley but it was while they were "waxing nostalgic" about the early days of the Klipschorn.

[seti]

PWK's, FISHER MODEL 20-A's

Those were fishers! Thanks for posting. They didn't have the brand tags on by the time they made it to the museum.

[paully]

Trying to torment you guys that PK loved the 2a3 tube and you bounce

back with an actual letter showing he used solid state at home.

That's great. Of course I don't listen to music with PK's ears

(too bad) so I don't particularly care, but as far as a comeback that

is about as good as it gets.

[ClaudeJ1]

Why don't we up the ante and start talking about why SET is superior to solid state with Klipsch speakers? hehehehehe

Well, irrespective of the direction you wanted to push this thread, like they say in Detroit, Thangs be what they is.

PWK used solid state at home and he was uncompromising in his recording/playback technique. He only used two microphones (spaced omni's) and had the exact same phantom mono center channel he talked about in his papers. He belived the old way was the best way.

IOW he practiced what he preached and referred to commercial recordings as "dilute stereo." He didn't like multi-miked, pan-potted, aphex aural excited vocals, compressors, etc.or CD's for that matter. He only owned one LP and it was the original stereo broadcast by Bell Labs in 1933. He had a closet full of Reel to Reel recordings (all done by him) of some great symphonic music with a few guest Jazz musician thrown in. I didn't communicate with him for the last 17 years of his life, but I suspect he never put a CD player in his house, based on my impression of his attitude towards them. I sent him a tape of my favorite Telarc classical pieces that were recorded with twin mikes, (CD to tape) but I'm not sure if he ever liked them.

[Chicago_Pete]

Teenage rockrollers, gotta like it:)

[paully]

Hopefully you weren't taking my comment seriously, it was obviously
just for fun. I have heard plenty of set-ups I didn't like that
were loved by very intelligent people. Tastes diverge. If
PK decided that solid state was the way to go, that is certainly food
for thought. We are all here because we like the speakers, and
frankly I think when people say that the speakers are the most
important item in the food chain they are right. Amplification is
something fun to debate but if it is done right it probably is the
least of things worth fighting over (2nd order versus 7th order, blah,
blah, blah). I enjoy tinkering with tube amps, I find that
satisfying. I love the sound of tube amps, I find them very
satisfying. I like collecting tubes, I just think they are
neat. Personally, and only personally, I think solid state is
boring which is hardly an argument regarding good sound but it does
matter to me. The funny thing is that, in my hypocrisy, I thought
it was cool that PK liked the 2a3 tube but easily dismiss his
preference for solid state as irrelevant to my listening
pleasure. If I hadn't been getting into SET I don't think I would
have ever bothered to listen to a pair of Klipsch speakers regardless
of the fact that I think my recently arrived Chorus II are incredible
speakers. I had a bias, come to honestly, against horns up to
recently.

[BLSamuel]

I finally expanded and read the letter from PWK. A fascinating read. I was in colleg in 1984 and did make it through and could be considered one of them rockrollers he referred to. I think I still have my hearing intact though I'm sure it's not as good as PWK's must have been.

I've never owned a tube amp though I think they're kind of cool. And seem to beg for a more hands on approach, begging to be tweaked every now and then.

Back in college, one of my math professor's idea of a nice chilly fall evening was to sit at home in front of the fireplace working out a tough integral... my thought was along the lines of warming myself near a glowing tube amp either mellowing out, rocking out, or hopefully haning out with some Luther Vandross playing alongside a hot babe....

[6foot8]

No...that is a misprint. It is a BGW model 100.

[paully]

It really was a fascinating read. When I read it the only thought

that crossed my mind was, well there goes that argument, ha! I

tried to search and see if he had ever made any statements on the

issue, but what he had in his home is a pretty definitive

statement. Tubes really are a lot of fun though and if you

actually do think they sound better, well that helps. Contrary to

what some may say as it regards being able to measure better, better is

subjective and you have to know that what you are measuring actually

matters more than what you missed.

[mark1101]

Does anyone know what amps he used after 1984?

[Klipsched with Yamahas]

Not to take off topic, but I never realized what a set of VRD's accompanied by a Blueberry had over SS gear. Best description I can come up w/is that Tubes are warm and very detailed especially noticeable on soft passages. My SS gear, while clean, seems to be just a bit more "sterile". Accurate in reproduction, but lacking in warmth.

ALL WORDS, that can be interpreted in different manners, but that's the audio hobby for ya. Not being a techhead, it is more difficult for me to put into proper verbal context.

But do wonder what electronic gear PWK elected to utilize post 1984

[ClaudeJ1]

Hopefully you weren't taking my comment seriously, it was obviously

just for fun. I have heard plenty of set-ups I didn't like that

were loved by very intelligent people. Tastes diverge. If

PK decided that solid state was the way to go, that is certainly food

for thought. We are all here because we like the speakers, and

frankly I think when people say that the speakers are the most

important item in the food chain they are right. Amplification is

something fun to debate but if it is done right it probably is the

least of things worth fighting over (2nd order versus 7th order, blah,

blah, blah). I enjoy tinkering with tube amps, I find that

satisfying. I love the sound of tube amps, I find them very

satisfying. I like collecting tubes, I just think they are

neat. Personally, and only personally, I think solid state is

boring which is hardly an argument regarding good sound but it does

matter to me. The funny thing is that, in my hypocrisy, I thought

it was cool that PK liked the 2a3 tube but easily dismiss his

preference for solid state as irrelevant to my listening

pleasure. If I hadn't been getting into SET I don't think I would

have ever bothered to listen to a pair of Klipsch speakers regardless

of the fact that I think my recently arrived Chorus II are incredible

speakers. I had a bias, come to honestly, against horns up to

recently.

Oh, I wasn't taking it seriously at all, just pointing out my first hand witness to PWK's living room. I saw and heard for myself. When I was in his museum, I looked in one of the cabinets and said: "Mr. Klipsch, you can't put a Marantz 8B in the museum, I'm still using one for my Khorns." His reply was "very good amplifier."

Good tube and good SS all sound good on Khorns. It's much better to have low ESR capacitors in the Xover AND most inportantly a good room with good treatments since the character of the sound is 90% reverberant field anyhow.

[BEC]

Does anyone know what amps he used after 1984?

 

Daddy Dee said earlier in this thread:

"When I had the opportunity to hear his three channel system at home the center was driven by the Crown and the mains by Mac."

 That would have been in the last few years.

 Bob

 

[ClaudeJ1]

Not to take off topic, but I never realized what a set of VRD's accompanied by a Blueberry had over SS gear. Best description I can come up w/is that Tubes are warm and very detailed especially noticeable on soft passages. My SS gear, while clean, seems to be just a bit more "sterile". Accurate in reproduction, but lacking in warmth.

ALL WORDS, that can be interpreted in different manners, but that's the audio hobby for ya. Not being a techhead, it is more difficult for me to put into proper verbal context.

But do wonder what electronic gear PWK elected to utilize post 1984

The "warmth" you speak of is the even harmonic characteristics of tubes that we love so much, but with good SS, the only way to miss it is to AB, and even then it's close enought for my ears, as SS is lees fussy about biasing, tube replacement, all that stuff. I have had tube and I think they are great, so don't get me wrong. I'm just working on other solutions right now.

[ClaudeJ1]

Does anyone know what amps he used after 1984?

Like I said, I was at his house in August of 1985 and he had the BGW 100 and the Crown D60 or 75, I can't remember exactly.