13stoploss
Active Member
Hello,
I'm a longtime lurker fed up with constantly being unable to view content without becoming a member. So I became a member.
Yes, my title is correct. I have urinated in several ancient rivers. I'm a 2x OIF combat veteran of the 101st Airborne, a former automotive journalist and photographer, current federal government social media hack, freelance writer and photographer, hopefully someday combat memoir author, and budding audio DIY'er.
Anyway, I'm a relatively young (34) audio lover (dare I say audiophile?), and because of cost and nostalgia, I like vintage stuff. I got into audio via my old man and his love of ESS. That's right, my love for music has been shaped by those classic, shrill, fatiguing, awesome Air Motion Transformers developed by Dr. Oskar Heil. I've owned my own pair of AMT Monitors since 2009 when the Army gave me a sizable lump sum backpay for being stop-lossed (involuntary extension, backdoor draft).
While I'm no professional, today I find joy and peace in working with my hands to rebuild vintage speakers, mostly just re-foaming drivers and re-capping crossovers (I'm not a soul-less reseller, though my curiosity for vintage sounds leads me to frequently buying and trying new-to-me old speakers).
My biggest project to date involves a pair of ESS AMT-1a pyramid speakers. I've custom cut a new crossover board, replaced the caps and resistors, barrier and terminal strips, added new braided hook-up wire, speaker terminal connections, and some cosmetic smoothing to the damaged cabinets and walnut veneer. You can see my build photos here. The improvement in sound is my reward.
Currently rocking a pair of Klipsch Forte I speakers in the two-channel room (Crites titanium diaphragms and new mid-horn diaphragms, with plans to do a Crites bi-amp'able crossover), powered by a Parts-Express DIY 50w*2 amp, processed by an Emotiva XSP-1 gen2 pre/pro, with tunes coming from a Technics SL-1200MK2 TT and a shltty Sony CD carousel. I have a young family and three modified cars, so what little money I have goes to different hobbies disproportionately. Upstairs, in the HT room--and, thanks to the Army and that stoploss backpay lump sum--I'm rocking a Panasonic TCP-V10 50" plasma, Emotiva XMC-1, Emotiva XPA-5, Oppo BDP-83, Hsu Research VTF3-MKIV sub, and the affordable bargain-of-the-century Hsu Research HB1-MK2 and HC1-MK2 speakers.
I lust for Kenrick Sound JBL 43XX's, but in the meantime, am saving up for a decent SS amp, a decent tube amp, and to build some bi-amp'able Crites/Klipsch Cornscala's.
SoCal born and raised, currently dreaming of Home from home in DC suburbs.
I'm a longtime lurker fed up with constantly being unable to view content without becoming a member. So I became a member.
Yes, my title is correct. I have urinated in several ancient rivers. I'm a 2x OIF combat veteran of the 101st Airborne, a former automotive journalist and photographer, current federal government social media hack, freelance writer and photographer, hopefully someday combat memoir author, and budding audio DIY'er.
Anyway, I'm a relatively young (34) audio lover (dare I say audiophile?), and because of cost and nostalgia, I like vintage stuff. I got into audio via my old man and his love of ESS. That's right, my love for music has been shaped by those classic, shrill, fatiguing, awesome Air Motion Transformers developed by Dr. Oskar Heil. I've owned my own pair of AMT Monitors since 2009 when the Army gave me a sizable lump sum backpay for being stop-lossed (involuntary extension, backdoor draft).
While I'm no professional, today I find joy and peace in working with my hands to rebuild vintage speakers, mostly just re-foaming drivers and re-capping crossovers (I'm not a soul-less reseller, though my curiosity for vintage sounds leads me to frequently buying and trying new-to-me old speakers).
My biggest project to date involves a pair of ESS AMT-1a pyramid speakers. I've custom cut a new crossover board, replaced the caps and resistors, barrier and terminal strips, added new braided hook-up wire, speaker terminal connections, and some cosmetic smoothing to the damaged cabinets and walnut veneer. You can see my build photos here. The improvement in sound is my reward.
Currently rocking a pair of Klipsch Forte I speakers in the two-channel room (Crites titanium diaphragms and new mid-horn diaphragms, with plans to do a Crites bi-amp'able crossover), powered by a Parts-Express DIY 50w*2 amp, processed by an Emotiva XSP-1 gen2 pre/pro, with tunes coming from a Technics SL-1200MK2 TT and a shltty Sony CD carousel. I have a young family and three modified cars, so what little money I have goes to different hobbies disproportionately. Upstairs, in the HT room--and, thanks to the Army and that stoploss backpay lump sum--I'm rocking a Panasonic TCP-V10 50" plasma, Emotiva XMC-1, Emotiva XPA-5, Oppo BDP-83, Hsu Research VTF3-MKIV sub, and the affordable bargain-of-the-century Hsu Research HB1-MK2 and HC1-MK2 speakers.
I lust for Kenrick Sound JBL 43XX's, but in the meantime, am saving up for a decent SS amp, a decent tube amp, and to build some bi-amp'able Crites/Klipsch Cornscala's.
SoCal born and raised, currently dreaming of Home from home in DC suburbs.
