The world of semi hi end.

[K.Washington]

I guess I've been stuck on component systems.. (yeah, that's what we called them) since about 1971. My friend had a big brother that had just come back from 'nam. He had a Kenwood receiver, Advent speakers, Teac reel to reel, some turntable and some cool looking headphones. He played Get Ready by Rare Earth. That was IT. I never heard music so clear and live in my life. That's how I got sucked into this life of chasing that holy grail of sound.

 

[Hajidub]

 

[imral3]

^^^^^ What he said!!

 

[Dave_1962]

Beauty

 

[Hajidub]

Love it!

 

[Rome]

Mighty fine!

Rome

 

[Nightwisher]

Sweet!

 

[jlindsey86]

What are those beautiful speakers?

 

[david1111]

@K.Washington
Yeah, I feel ya ... chasin' the grail. I don't think it ever stops. (thank God).
But really, in your defense, Rare Earth was pretty awesome at the time.
You love is fade, fade, fade ... fading away, way, way, way. I feel it ...
Well, you know.
Cheers, to fond memories.

Dave

 

[PanheadXR290]

The term " midfi " or semi high end has no real meaning ,either your gear is top flight build quality or it isn't ,I was laughed at over at Audiogon a decade ago when I bought the 1,000 watt Emotiva XPR-1 monoblocks and XPR-2 600 watt 2 channel amps to triamp my McIntosh XR-290s,this pic shut the negative ninny's right the hell up ,build quality is what counts ,not high end name brands ,if this Mid Fi amp isn't up to Krell or McIntosh build quality then I don't know what is ,notice the dual power rail build for a monoblock and that's midfi or semi high end .

 

[david1111]

@PanheadXR290
Nice amp, Pan.
I got laughed at, and ridiculed over at Audiogon numerous times for s*** like spelling mistakes, or they'd get all riled up cuz I used the wrong descriptive word or whatever. They're a real bunch of A-holes.
And I'm, like, really cool, so they must be a nightmare for some people. Lol.

Cool Dave

 

[Champco]

I guess I've been stuck on component systems.. (yeah, that's what we called them) since about 1971. My friend had a big brother that had just come back from 'nam. He had a Kenwood receiver, Advent speakers, Teac reel to reel, some turntable and some cool looking headphones. He played Get Ready by Rare Earth. That was IT. I never heard music so clear and live in my life. That's how I got sucked into this life of chasing that holy grail of sound.

Musta been a Detroit boy

 

[PanheadXR290]

@PanheadXR290
Nice amp, Pan.
I got laughed at, and ridiculed over at Audiogon numerous times for s*** like spelling mistakes, or they'd get all riled up cuz I used the wrong descriptive word or whatever. They're a real bunch of A-holes.
And I'm, like, really cool, so they must be a nightmare for some people. Lol.

Cool Dave

Oh they pulled the same shit on me but when I posted pics of my McIntosh Mc-1201s ,McIntosh's top of the line monoblocks at the time ,doing an amp A/B real time shootout I shut them right up ,I actually prefer my " cheap " and I use that term relative to my then $26,000 MC-1201s on half of my speaker systems ,the 4 ohm systems do much better without autoformers In the signal & 70% of those who laughed at me couldn't explain why ,but I knew ,while not as fancy on the outside as McIntosh the build quality & layout of those budget monoblocks is sexy as hell and equal to any high end amp ,I find myself rarely using the MC-1201s since buying my budget amps ,Audiogon has too many snobs .

 

[K.Washington]

What are those beautiful speakers?

The smaller ones are Klipsch Epics cf-1 and the larger ones are RTR 280dr. I went through the 280s and cleaned everything. They were in good condition, just needed cleaning up. All drivers work and they just sing. They have a downward firing woofer and 9 more drivers per speaker. The Klipsch speakers have a center mounted horn with 2 five inch drivers, per speaker. Right now, I have a pair of old Zenith horns hooked up to this conglomeration. All told, the system gives “ you are there” performance. I am also running a JBL 12” subwoofer with external 500 watt SVS amp.
There’s a few other changes I made to the current system that aren’t obvious. As connected now.. the Denon 7 channel receiver has a load of about 4 to 5 ohms, and seems to be very happy.

 

[guitarlvr]

Oh they pulled the same shit on me but when I posted pics of my McIntosh Mc-1201s ,McIntosh's top of the line monoblocks at the time ,doing an amp A/B real time shootout I shut them right up ,I actually prefer my " cheap " and I use that term relative to my then $26,000 MC-1201s on half of my speaker systems ,the 4 ohm systems do much better without autoformers In the signal & 70% of those who laughed at me couldn't explain why ,but I knew ,while not as fancy on the outside as McIntosh the build quality & layout of those budget monoblocks is sexy as hell and equal to any high end amp ,I find myself rarely using the MC-1201s since buying my budget amps ,Audiogon has too many snobs .

I have Mac stuff as well. Right now it is sitting unhooked in a spare bedroom. While on the other hand My Emotiva amp and Marantz CD player get used everyday.
At a fraction of the cost of the "high end" stuff. I guess the big blue flashy lights drew me in like a bug to a bug zapper. Live and learn.

 

[PanheadXR290]

I have Mac stuff as well. Right now it is sitting unhooked in a spare bedroom. While on the other hand My Emotiva amp and Marantz CD player get used everyday.
At a fraction of the cost of the "high end" stuff. I guess the big blue flashy lights drew me in like a bug to a bug zapper. Live and learn.

For speakers and preamps nothing compares with McIntosh ,with non Autoformer amps they are fantastic & worth the cash ,however as I've spent decades in this hobby I've grown a general dislike for my Autoformer amps ,the only reason I didn't replace the Mc-1201s in my home theater with Emotiva RSP-1 monoblocks is power gaurd ,with 1,200 watt amps driving 300 watt XRT-22s having the best soft clip circuitry on any amp makes them a serious keeper ,after giving away my XR-290s my best speaker system now is the XRT-28 and the Emo monoblocks drive the 28s far better than the 1201s at 1/3 the cost ,it's been nearly a decade and zero problems with the Emotiva monoblocks or the XPR-2 .

 

[K.Washington]

At the cost of riling up a few of you out there, I would like to discuss the concept of “transfer function”. Some of you may be familiar with the term...some may not. Bob Carver came up with the idea that any components end “sound”..or any systems end “sound” could be made to emulate the subjective sound of almost any other component or system, if they are adjusted properly. Amplifier designers use many different ways to create their amps. Each specific design creates a different end sound. Some want to lower noise or distortion. Some want to have high wattage and or current. Some go for the shortest circuit runs. All of that is good..but! Some of my point has to do with how subjective sound is to everyone. Basically, what sounds good to you may not to someone else...regardless of HOW much money the system cost. The true reference for reproduced sound is your ear. Does your system sound like “Hi-Fi”,or does it sound like music? This post is not directed at anyone in particular. Just some of my thoughts when I put systems together.

 

[david1111]

@K.Washington
Good post, K. Well explained.
On the Bob's sound emulation bit, tho; I came across that a while ago, and I don't really believe his theory.
All these guys are fairly bright, y'know like: ML, Nelson, Stuart Taylor (Bryston), Dan d', etc. But, we all have a job to pay the bills. Its the same with the musicians. I enjoy, and appreciate, and buy their music; but I don't have a nickel more respect for Paul Desmond, or David Gilmour, or Elton John, than I do for you.
All of the above just get paid a lot more at their jobs than most of us.
Now, the amp guys ... probably worth the bucks. But are the musicians output worth hundreds of millions or billions? I'm not certain, but I don't think so.
Sorry to ramble.

Dave

 

[dpdatl]

Welcome to AK. Great system.