discorules Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Audry. First off, I would recommend if you can wait, to go for the Klipschorns. I just wish the manufacturing people here would be a little more forthcoming with what's going on with the Flagship speaker that made the company. Anyway as to your question about tube vs SS. The deciding factor for me between the two types is long term reliability. Both, when properly designed and manufactured offer outstanding performance. Tubes however will have to be replaced and probably rebiased. This is an inconvenience that I don't think I can deal with when there are excellent SS amps out there that are typically more reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc1091 Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 I own all solids state stuff. Back in high school, I had a small Panasonic Am-Fm-"worldband" radio that I plugged into a 12 watt heathkit Tube preamp/amp combo with a single heathkit horn loaded speaker. I got many good hours of listening from that "system". As the night wore on, the tone of the system became special. Warm low tones with mellow mids and somewhat precise but not overpowering highs. Perhaps the years have made it seem more of a warm sound than it actually was, but I am sure that there was this metamorphosis that was magical that happened several hours into the listen. That's the tube sound. Either you like it or you don't. Hopefully I will someday find my way back to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLUngurait Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Hmmmn, "I really haven't decided about speakers" Perhaps this should be an entirely different thread but... What comes first, the chicken or the egg. I've always felt that speakers were the most significant and most personal of the components in any music system. Therefore making the speakers the first order of business when designing one's own system. Should our new friend indeed decide on tubes she will be severely limiting the amount appropriate speaker choices avialable to her (ie: she would need high efficiency speakers). Do others here feel differntly? Should the front end be decided before speakers? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 DL, i've always followed that philosophy. in my early days w/ not a lot of cash the speakers were pretty much the chicken AND the egg. though looks ok for audry. if she 1st gets a tube amp, then she's almost gotta have klipsch. ------------------ My Home Systems Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bean Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 That Barron has a lot of horsepower. Her speaker selection should not be that limited. Maybe she will settle on Klipsch. Hope she doesn't find the ProMedia threads. Those are depressing. BB ------------------ eat your vegetables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audry Posted January 18, 2002 Author Share Posted January 18, 2002 Hi everybody. This thread is wonderful. Thank you so much for your advice. I feel adopted. This weekend my roommate and I are going to check out the speaker situation. She is a loud rocker so we'll be giving the salespeople the sweats. We're (my roommate and I) looking for a Klipsch dealer and she suggested we also check out Bose speakers (I heard that Bose Blows). I found a dealer that has Coincident, Theil and B&W speakers that looked nice but I didn't hear them. So we'll see what happens. Thanks again Big Bean, Mr.Ear, Boa and all you guys, your great. Tomorrow Audry This message has been edited by Audry on 01-18-2002 at 01:42 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 A moderate, well designed tube amp with a good power supply should do just fine with speakers in the low 90s or even 89-90dB. The whole idea of power and wpc is so distorted. Besides, 30w of tube power sounds much more powerful and robust than 30 solid state watts. Power is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts in all of audio...right along with distortion. As for which comes first, it usually depends on circumstances. I believe that all the components in the chain have importance. It is hard at times to distinguish which piece has the most weight. Obviously, the speakers first is surely not a losing situation as you can chose the amplification accordingly. Still, I have gone about it from every end and each deserves attention; when one falls to mediocrity, it usually brings the whole system synergy down. kh Phono Linn LP-12 Vahalla / Linn Basic Plus / Sumiko Blue Point CD Player Rega Planet Preamp Cary Audio SLP-70 w/Phono Modified Amplifier Welborne Labs 2A3 Moondog Monoblocks Cable DIYCable Superlative / Twisted Cross Connect Speaker 1977 Klipsch Cornwall I w/Alnico & Type B Crossover system one online / alternate components / Asylum Listing f>s> This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 01-18-2002 at 01:36 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilH Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 Audrey: Welcome to our little corner of the world. It's always nice to see a female in here who appreciates the finer (and funner) things in life like "us guys" do! You can click on "Dealer Locater" above, put in your zip and find the nearest Klipsch dealer to you for auditions. PhilH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 I agree with Dave. Speakers first! Invest 2/3's of your money there. No componet in the system will make as big a difference in the sound that you are looking for. You don't know what kind of amp you need untill you pick out the speakers. Go for the Klipschorn if you heve room corners for them. Go and listen to them again. Feel free to pay up to $3000.00 for a used pair, They are a bargain at that price. For that matter they are a bargain at the retail price for a new pair. Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 The speaker, being the only mechanical device in the sysytem (unless you use a record player, then add 2 more) is the most imperfect device in the system. Speakers vary wildly in their differences and those differences are immediately recognizable. The speaker gives the sysytem it's main voicing and should be chosen first, then one should pick an amp that works well with the speaker and allows it to shine it's best. Certainly amps have an effect on the sound but not so much as the speaker. I'd rather listen to a Khorn driven by ANY competent amp than listen to the finest and most esoteric of electronics driving, oh, let's say a Bose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 tubes vs solid state is always a good discussion....here is some food for thought...i work at an electronics distributor and we sell tubes...aver half of the tubes we sell are treated as commodities...in other words, the price will vary from week to week as the market varies....just a word of warning to tube users....next time you need to replace a tube it might cost you a great deal more...or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 since I agree with Tom, I have to disagree with Qman, unlike many cone speakers, it seems that horns will sound better with much more expensive front-end, I can see someone buying big old horns for $1K and then spending $2 or 3K on amp, plus another $1 or 2K on the pre-amp and player, this would be a waste on many cone speakers, where the cone itself is much of the weak link in the chain, but it is not waste with horns, where the better the front-end, the more you get from the horns ... ------------------ Colin's Music System Cornwall 1s & Klipsch subs; lights out & tubes glowing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 Colin, Disagree with me, Huh? You better watch what you say, I'll be driving by West Palm Beach this Thur., on my way to Davie. You don't want to force me to look you up, do you? Seriously, I have to try to find a store in Davie, Fl somewhere near Cooper City just south of Lauderdale. I'm returning a Mcintosh MC126 amp and picking up the MC206. Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 you are invited to stop by, of course, I only recently heard that there are other audio stores down around Lauderdale, but I guesss I will have to hunt them down and make them part of a regular listening tour when I am down that way ... ------------------ Colin's Music System Cornwall 1s & Klipsch subs; lights out & tubes glowing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLUngurait Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 Q-man, I live in Cooper City...you mind sharing what store you are talking about? I haven't seen any McIntosh dealers around here...sounds like it would be a fun place to browse! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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