garyh

It may not be the driver... have you checked for sympathetic sources? Anything from inside the speaker to outside, around it--something vibrating at that frequency. Buzzing and rattles can be notoriously difficult, often, to isolate. Just a thought. Good luck!

Haven't heard this in years. Just found my CD (my wife had absconded with it. We listened to it so often when we were courting, back in the early 90s). But man, via my new Oppo BDP-105 and SVS Ultra Towers - it's never sounded so fricking good.

Welcome! I'm relatively new here too, but I can't tell you how much I've learned already. This place is filled with experts and exceptionally knowledgeable people on just about every subject, not just Carver. And a better bunch I've never come across on the Web. So many friendly, helpful and charitable souls. Stay awhile. Share your story. And everyone loves pics! Pics of your equipment and setup! Hope to get to know you better, Gary in VA.

Don't know why that video went away so fast (my post above), but I'll try it again with a new link. Call me a romantic, but the chemistry here is palpable and endearing. The way they look into each others' eyes... Life is worth living if you get that just once in your life--let alone many times. But this is what I'm listening to just now. Still evaluating the SVS Ultra Towers (taking my time and getting to know the speakers VERY well)... Rock music testing phase...

Call me a romantic, but the chemistry here is palpable and endearing. The way they look into each others' eyes... Life is worth living if you get that just once in your life--let alone many times. /gh

Update as promised. The plan after talking about it on Thursday was to wait to see if anyone else was interested in them. If they sat for more than two weeks, I'd grab them. Another Klipsch fan had them on his radar too. He laid down the cash and got them Friday. I'm actually happy they're going to a good home - where they will probably get more use. Can't say I don't have mixed emotions - but it was for the best. /gh

That settles it! I thought it looked cool, but now I learn it's all voodoo magic and cheap silliness! 😃 Seriously though, I probably would go with the Crites upgrades I'm now researching (thanks for the tip, itchitch)—if I got them. Which, again, is a tick for the con side—I have too much on my plate already. But I'm actually going for an hour ride to Reston on Thursday—with the friend who's got them under consignment—to look at a grand piano for his wife. We'll have plenty of time to talk about it and I'll make up my mind then. I will most definitely keep you guys posted. Thanks!

They're not run capacitors? (I'm woefully ignorant - not a electrical engineer or electrician by a long shot).

Thank you for this. (And I agree re. HT setup. Just a no-go. Way too overpowering for me and frankly, for my tastes, I just don't think they'd be well-suited for the L/C/R in a theatre setup. I know at least one YouTube guy who's doing it--in a smaller room even! But I just don't get it. For 2-ch music, different story). Actually... Yeah. I'm REALLY liking the SVS Ultra Towers--for everything, including 2-ch music. If I got these, they would go unused most of the time I think, bc the more I think about it/ talk with my wife, she might tolerate the over-the-top behemoths for a while but in the end, she'd shake her head every time she saw them. And eventually, she'd say enough. (If I placed them anywhere but the theater room or garage). But $1k to $1200 in some ways doesn't seem like a lot to have two beautiful La Scalas stacked in storage in the garage or the back closet (but that's some nostalgia and heartstrings pulling, there). And what a shame it would be too, for them to sit idle: like Sisyphus, pardoned and sitting at the bottom of the hill with nothing to do. I just can't justify them. (But I'm still like only 60-40 against). /gh

I know, right? I bet a visit to a shrink would reveal I was actually looking for good reasons to GET THEM! /gh

It's funny. I've read the same recently, in my recent efforts to refamiliarize myself. Funny how things change and everything's relative. I owned a set, purchased in 1986, for nearly 8 years. I never--ever--would have said they lacked bass back then. No one who listened to them would have said it. In fact, the opposite. We used to be wowed by their 15 inch woofers. (Late 80s, early 90s). And what they could do with a simple, pure, clean 5 watts of power was nearly mystifying. We used to have "speaker challenge parties." Guys would bring their speakers, and sometimes amps too, to my house because invariably, theirs were smaller and easier to move. There may have been one or two obstinate defenders of their own speakers but unfailingly, the La Scalas always won--for sheer volume, tone, presence, etc. (And it's been a while, but I don't recall any speakers that did bass better). But I don't doubt one bit that by today's standards and a sub in nearly every system, they might sound a bit weak in the bass. Or that there are standalone towers that might do better with overall bass output. New tech, materials, designs. And I don't doubt that if I get them, I'll run the subs with them too--as I do now, with the SVS Ultra Towers--in a fairly subtle supplemental integration. But I've also read that many owners of La Scalas from the 70s and 80s find them to be working perfectly well *with all the original parts* after so very many years. Maybe I'll take an amp and preamp to the store. Hook them up. Listen. If they sound nice as is... hmm... (but no doubt, as you say, I will still likely go down the rabbit hole of upgrades... as is my want, unfortunately. (Which actually makes a good argument NOT to get them))! I've been going back and forth. Back and forth, since I saw them. If I did pull the trigger, I was thinking I would go to $1200. *IF* and only if, my willpower completely fails me and I HAVE to have them. Thanks, Gary

I don't know how or why those pics of the Pardigms are in there. No idea how that happened. Can't seem to get rid of them now!

Oh man, I am so, so very tempted! My friend who owns a music shop in town (instruments, but mostly guitars and amps and guitar repair) calls me and tells me he has something I should see. He takes me to the workshop at back. Seeing them sitting there, on what I thought at first was a bench, sends a shiver of glee through me—literally—it was palpable. I haven’t seen a pair up close and in real life for years. The odd thing is, until just a few months ago, I rarely thought about the La Scalas I used to own. It’s only recently that I've been thinking about them, even talking about them, here. Is this fate? I can’t really use them for the HT setup. Too big, too many added complications (a center channel to match)?! Too much work already put in and I really like the SVS Ultra Towers (which are about as big as I can contentedly deal with, I think—and the La Scala’s footprint is over 3 times theirs). If it was just 2-channel music system down here, different story. But maybe, just maybe I could talk my wife into them upstairs—but man, their size might be too much for her—I got rid of my first La Scalas for her when we were living in CA. But then again, my sons have moved out. We do have spare rooms now. They could work in the living room, or the family room, for our upstairs music system. But at best, my wife would tolerate them. She’s cool, but she wouldn’t be overjoyed (like me)! Or I could stack them in storage closet behind the HT front wall and bring them out now and again for music play. Heck, honestly, even if I just stored them in the garage, I can't say I wouldn’t love the idea of simply knowing I have them. The seller wants $1500 for the pair but I can probably get them for closer to $1k (they’re part of an estate sale) – with the custom stands (which I’m really not that interested in – the previous owner must have had a big space for them). A little nervous about their age. Appear to be from 1978 if I’m reading the ser. no. right. But then again, it’s likely I’ll have to replace or have repaired most of the crossover components (and the woofer?) but the owner said they’re working just fine as is. It’s not a bad price considering the cabinets are in excellent condition. A little touch up here and there and a coat of Howard’s Restor-a-Finish and they’ll look like new. I mean, really nice condition. The crossover network is a bit dusty, but what do you expect, exposed as it appears to have been for years. Just looking at those oil-filled capacitors brings a grin to my face. Man, I was just telling everyone how I don’t have room for speakers this big. But HELL! Now I want to MAKE ROOM. It just seems so darned fated! It’s like it has to happen, like I have to make it work. Somebody, talk me out of this. Gary EDIT: To be sure, they would be secondary or backup speakers, in all likelihood. I think it's a no go.

I'm going through the paces with my new SVS Ultra Towers and streaming--testing, testing and more testing. In the Amazon playlists I see "Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums" so I queued it up. Had it playing in the background while I was busy with other things in my office--the door opened just a bit, I could barely hear. The volume was at a nice low background level, -35 on my Denon. Just loud enough to kind of make out the different songs as they played if I listened carefully. Then all of a sudden, this comes up. I could barely hear the lyrics but I could feel the bass in my body--and it sounded/ felt cool as shite. Had to get up to go listen more carefully, having never heard the song before that I can remember. Can't say I'm much of a Kayne West fan, or a big fan of Hip Hop, Rap, etc. I like some of it, but just don't listen to it much, generally. (Too little time). But man, the bass licks in this song are prodigious, fantastic. Melodic and pretty--sounds almost like the bass guitar and an exceptionally low-tuned bass drum are working together. And over the SVS Ultra Towers (system in stereo mode) with their "reflective" bass, combined with the subs made it sound absolutely gorgeous and beautiful--even at the back of the room. Maybe I should check out Kayne some more...

I see a lot of great movies in this thread. And there seems to be a possible underlying Mel Gibson theme? Why am I not surprised? (I've said it before--this site/ forum is just plain full of cool dudes). Here are a couple that I feel don't get as much credit as they deserve: This is a gem of a movie that never got the respect I thought it deserved. I've always thought Alec Baldwin's performance was Oscar worthy. It's cool as shite from the first lick of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" over the opening credits. I think it just veered a little bit too whacky for some tastes, but I love this movie... (EDIT: Had to choose a different scene - the opening credits scene I first embedded was age restricted and wouldn't launch). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anything David Mamet writes or directs is always worth the time - and I love that he often casts that great historian of magic (and magician himself) Ricky Jay (I have a few of his books on magic). I love these deep plot twist movies... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And this is a another sleeper... great film. Never could figure out Hart Bochner's career. He was great in this...

Just thought I'd add my two cents. I LOVE my Paradigm speakers. I auditioned these before I purchased them back in 2004/5. (When high-end hi-fi stores were a bit more common; and even then, I drove an hour to visit that store. It’s not around anymore, alas). I thought they sounded better than the tad more expensive 60s (same speakers - but in floor standing cabinets) and better than anything else in the store in my price range – which was about $1.5k/pr back then. And they had tons of brands. I liked their natural, clean, true/ accurate sound. I’ve kept up with Paradigm over the years – their newer stuff – reading the reviews, etc. They’ve got a good rep for bang-for-buck. Well-designed, solid build. I’ve been so happy with my Paradigm Reference Studio 40s for all these years, I decided not to bother upgrading when I did this latest revamp of the HT. If you’ve read my earlier posts, you’ll know I decided to get seriously experimental, and soffit-mounted the Studio 40s as my mains. And I couldn’t be happier. But generally speaking, if you’re auditioning speakers, I’d say add Paradigm to you list. I’m not so sure about their high-end line – just don’t believe their Persona 9H sounds $10k better than their Founder 120H. If I was in the market for new speakers, I’d be real interested in the Founder series, or maybe even the Premier (for the better bang-for-buck). Gary

Anything? Really... anything? I'm not into vinyl except - and that's a BIG EXCEPT... for artwork. I've been mounting LP covers for years - before it became as popular as it is now; back when nice frames for LPs were *so* hard to find. I used to comb through secondhand stores for cheap pictures – just for the frames that might work for LPs. I’d tear out the existing artwork and insert an album cover. And they’ve been a staple gift I give to friends and family. My sister saved my record collection after my mom passed and my father moved from our old house. (I was in CA). I bless her every time I think about it. But I’ve got some old funky records – stuff from my mom and dad’s old collection and my in-laws. Stuff like this (just grabbed a few and took a pic)… I’d have to check with my wife because these are hers but she won’t be playing them (or mounting them for that matter) anytime soon. And there are always funky records like these at the local Goodwill I’m happy to pick up for you. Let me know! Gary

Another favorite. This version doesn't have the cool intro from the album - "... if you're late again, the supervisor said we're going to put you on daily sign-in." Love this cover...

This is a great idea for a thread... Here are a few more - hopefully, I'm not re-posting others favorites...

Surprised I don't see this one - but then it's probably one of those previous post links that no longer exist...

I’ve decided to go with multiple subs – to even out the low end in my new setup. What do you guys think about pairing a brand new SVS SB16-Ultra with my old SVS 20-39 PC Plus? Ha! I realize, ideally, you’d want identical subs. But my old 20-39 PC Plus is working just fine and I’d hate to see it go. I’ve already ordered the SB16-Ultra (in that beautiful Piano Gloss Black) – will be here day after tomorrow. Even though the subs are dissimilar in output – I’m fairly confident between Audyssey and some acoustic treatment, I’ll be able to dial in the subs nicely – I'm not really looking for house-shaking performance as much as good, solid, sweet mid-SPL performance. (But knowing that I could probably loosen all the grout in the kitchen tile upstairs if I wanted to, doesn’t hurt). 😃 With my layout, at this point, the 20-39 sounds best on the left side of the room and just behind the listening position. Go figure. *(Might have something to do with my front wall now working so very well in harmony with my "soffit-mounted" mains - more on that later). And it’s actually plenty adequate, performs nicely! I don’t really *need* another sub. I just want one! I want beautifully subtle power. Finding the perfect spot for the SB16-Ultra may be more difficult (the thing weighs nearly 130lbs)! I’ll keep you posted… Thanks for reading, Gary

Dialing in one sub while I'm waiting on delivery of another. This CD is chockablock with heavy *heavy* bass. Edit: PS... doing the "sub crawl."