galaxyoilcan

Okay this isn't vinyl but there is no sub forum for tape so here's what I got.: A music industry type living in North Hollywood was relocating to Nashville and was giving away lots-o-stuff he had collected over the years. Besides a sweet little vertical window air conditioner unit, he gave me an unbelievable collection of 200 Grateful Dead tapes in two wooden display boxes. I'm not sure how I could ever confirm or verify it, but these tapes were supposedly recorded off the main mixing board of many, many live concerts stretching from July, 1966 to August, 1991. The tape box labels are all hand written with the concert venue and date. Many are very artfully decorated and colorful. This seems to me to be a rare and possibly valuable collection. I have been listening to some of the tapes while I drive since I packed up my home decks many years ago. Because of their potential value and summer coming on, I don't really want to have them baking in my truck or car (yup, still standard audio gear in both) while I run errands. So I guess it's time to unpack the old 3-head deck and see how well it stored. Alternately, I was thinking about browsing epray for a nice deck with a remote so I can skip and rewind without leaving my sweet spot. Any suggestions on a reliable deck with good audio performance? I might not mind having a Carver if they are any good. Anyone have experience with Carver decks? Does anyone know who made them for Carver as I doubt his company built them?

Just remember, wherever you go, there you are. - B-52's (Girl from Ipanema goes to Greenland)

Experience is being able to recognise a mistake when you make it....again.

Thanks Rich. I think many will want to check these out. Too late to save me the dough though. I already paid. Darn! $30 bucks down the tubes.

This looks trick and pretty simple to build. Can't wait to see it in action.

Always flipping between CNN, FOX, The History Channel and Food Network (I like to cook okay). I especially love eating the results but hate the clean up.

What a crew! You guys blow me away with know how and information so deep I can't see the bottom.!

Thanks Zumbini! What a big fat load of great Cornwall data!As everyone can see from my last post, my speed typing is atrocious and I apologize. I'm always blown away at the knowledge base on all things to do with home entertainment electronics.

Good luck guys! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

I hope they are still in good condition. If your son wants to sell them and they are in good enough shape to repair to put back into service, I would be interested. Have truck, will travel.With gas prices though, it would have to be a deal worth the road trip.

So when are you starting on the Jazzman's Amazing clone build? lol

I pose a question about the legendary Klipsch speakers (the big ones). While it seems we have a really broad base of electrostat fans here (me too) I would like to her what you learned gentlemen think about them. Does anyone have them? Rich had a recommend Cornwalls in an earlier post. Anyone else? I remember 1979 was when I first heard one (a K-horn and just the one) at a U.S. military audio/photo club in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The A/P club was a huge store for military only, but it served all nationalities of soldiers in Germany (Brits, French and of course German). It was two stories of nuthin' but the best audio and photo gear available at the time and was infested with manufacturer reps pushing their brand. I saw a single unfinished K-horn in a corner all by it's lonesome. An empty spot int another corner about six feet away had a wire lying there testifying to to the vacancy of other speaker in the pair. I learned from the vendor that it had been purchased earlier that week by a young Captain who got it to complete his pair. So this guy starts telling me about Klipsch and the whole folded horn theory while he powers up a Kenwood receiver and turntable. He had some orchestral music he played me. The tunes were not really my thing at the time (19 yr old rocker) but what I heard amazed me. I was hearing more depth and front to back instrumental separation from this one speaker than I had ever heard from any other pair of speakers. About a year later I finally got to hear a pair of them. Even constrained in the tiny room they were in, I was blown away by the detail and separation. I also learned of the extreme efficiency they posses. A friend had a pair of Altec Lansing Model 15's. He got a room mate in the barracks who decided to one-up him and got a pair of K-horns. They immediately had a space issue in the small room which was solved (sort of) by putting the the K-horns in the corners of the short wall, then placing the 15's directly in front of them. To save some room they only set up one set of electronics to drive them. The guy with the 15's had a monster Kenwood Eleven-G receiver (nice). I was called in to help solve a problem they were having trying to run the K-horns on it. The receiver had those beautiful turned aluminum knobs and the volume control was indented (sweet). The issue was that trying to play the K-horns, the first click on the volume knob was too loud for comfortable listening in this small room. I was amazed at how efficient the Klipsch were compared to the Altecs and compared to my Inifnity QJr (fugetaboutit). I helped them build an L pad in the path of the K-horns to solve the problem. So I'm wondering what's the point of all the high-current, super-powerful amps (M1.0) I have if I ever get a big pair of lipsch like the Cornwalls, LaScallas, or K-horns. I could just bi-amp with my tiny Hafler SE120 for bass and my 3.5 watt tube amp for the horns. Maybe I could sell the M1.0 pair and other spare gear to help pay for my big Klipsch pair? Any thoughts, takers, trades?

Awesome roadtrip report guys! Did any of the conversations with Bob reveal what electronics magic he conjured to make them behave so differently and sound so much better than all the other speakers? Jazzman, sorry to hear your ELS bubble was damaged by the experience. From your earlier posts I have read, I fear you may fall into another deep depression where you don't want to power up (not good). Although I would be interested in seeing your posts of another round of your self-therapy. Building a Jazzman version of the Amazing speakers might be just the thing! From the outside they don't look too complicated to build. Then again just looking at it, a brain just seems like a pile of pink & gray goo, so looks can be deceiving. I guess it's what's on the inside that makes it what it is.

Thanks for the interesting responses. As for DIY, I can have a box built to spec at any cabinet shop and wield a soldering iron well enough to fabricate crossovers. Do you have any designs in mind PDR? I just happen to have a pair old Maggys in the garage (2.5 in white). I got 'em off ebay a few years ago from a guy up in North Hollywood for $125 with the full disclosure that they needed at least one ribbon replaced (perhaps both by now). I called Magnepan and got a quote for a new ribbon ($100 with trade in). They may have gone up by now. Everything I read about these speakers tells me I need a sub to fill out the bottom end for them. I have a powered Cerwin Vega 12" that might do if I get them working again. I have never worked on these kind of speakers so I'm not sure how involved the ribbon swap is (time to find a Maggy forum). I hear pulling the covers off will probably ruin them so I may also need new socks for them too. Any thoughts, opinions, advice or warnings about working on these speakers? I don't think my budget could handle any of Bob's speakers and excuse me if I look skeptically at the opinion of those die hard Carver electronics fans who just happen to also be in love with Carver speakers. I love the Carver stuff too, but is he so blessed as to have engineered the best electronics and the best speakers too? So I probably won't wind up with Carver speakers unless someone has a pair they really want to get rid of and are willing to let them go cheap (then I'm all over them). Any comments about Martin Logans or any other speakers? Waht about Klipsch Corner Horns?

Is anyone here using their sweet Carver gear to drive Martin Logan speakers? All the speakers I own are 80's vintage or earlier and I've been thinking about auditioning some modern speakers that sound good but don't cost more than my car. Any suggestions on candidates I should consider?

Yea man! Sweet speakers and they seem to still be in pretty good shape. Hell, the drivers alone would be worth over $80 if they were parted out. Do they have the glass top plates? It really was a nice finishing touch to the design and prevented water ring stains since so many folks also used their speakers for end tables back then.