2. amps-preamps
  3. 175396-143318

No more "High End" for me...Back to Reality Audio

After a 3 year roller coaster ride with so called "Audiophile High End" Tube Amps,/Tube Preamps, multi thousand dollar DAC's, Speakers of all shapes and sizes, and several DIY mods. I've settled on what will be my "forever system" and stop chasing a Dragon that I'll never catch. There's more important things in life to worry about. Plus HIgh End crap can be very fickle at times. It has taught me though what sounds good and how to get there and of course how much it will cost new or slightly used.

For the first time, I'm building a system around the Speakers. I'm an electronics Geek so that has ALWAYS come first. I've always done DIY Speakers as well form High School to College to married life (my Wife puts up with A LOT).

My Bose 901 "passion" will be with me forever. I will defend those Sealed Box odd shaped boxes till I do. Any old Geezer will be told off wherever they knock that Brand down. I did it last last week.

Anyways, the list :

  • Klipsch Cornwall IV's driven by a pair of resto modded McIntosh MC50's
  • Sony UBP-X1000ES (gotta get some more before they and the 1100ES become as rare as the overpriced Oppo crap) with my mods to the Analog Output boards
  • Orchard Audio Ultra Amplifers x6 (I'm getting near the end of hand buiding/soldering the 6 pcb's)
  • Stax SRM-007tA with Koss 95/X Electrostatics
  • Surround Speakers will be 4x Series I/II Speakers with two on Tulip Stands and two more hung from the ceiling (what the Wife can see sitting down but can hear is always a good thing)
  • Center Channel with be two Heresy's resting horizontally angled up towards the screen slightly
  • two double stacked 12" H-Frame Subwoofers on the back wall 
  • All the Electronics will be mounted in the wall giving lots of space for the Cornwall to do their "thang"

To those still chasing the Dragon. Enjoy !

 

 

rajugsw
waytoomuchstuff's avatar
waytoomuchstuff
1,130 posts
 

@gkr7007 

Absolutely on board with #1-6 related to your Cornwall performance mods. I like to add a few more:

7) replace all internal cabling with the same (or better) cabling used from the amplifier to speaker terminals.

8) bypass PC traces on crossover board  and replace with point-to-point wiring (same quality as above)

9) remove all crimped-on connectors/spades and direct silver-solder to raw driver lugs (preferably at the point where the tinsel lead connects to the lug) and input terminals.

This will allow the Cornwalls to take on more of the character of a "polite British loudspeaker" while actually increasing the dynamic impact that the "big Klipsch's" are famous for.

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,311 posts
 

There is high end sound and there are high end products.   Two different things. 

sns
3,265 posts
 

@waytoomuchstuff +1. 8 and 9 are just two of the extensive mods I've done to my Klipschorns, upgrading over SonicCaps certainly worthwhile. Tractrix horns and John Allen A-55G mid driver also very nice!

 

With Klipsch Heritage one needn't spend a fortune on amplification, for the Khorns a nice little 2a3 could do a fine job. 300B's also don't have to be most expensive of amps.

DIY modded Klipsch Heritage and low power SET would make basis for system with top line sound at budget price.

mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,102 posts
 

There is high end sound and there are high end products. Two different things.

Very well said !

I myself distinguish very precisely between gear upgrade related to high end products and acoustic control related to high end sound quality...

You can have high end products with a not so well high end sound quality, but you can also have high end sound quality with relatively low cost components which had a relatively basic good design for sure...

Price tag is a red herring ... Acoustic is the key....

 

 

mofojo
2,303 posts
 

I do agree that high end can be fickle especially on less than perfect recordings. I have a set that sounds very very good on any damn thing. Have another set that sounds amazing with some recordings and dull and messy with not so well recorded material. 

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