My Hi Fi System

[BeatleFred]

Left Side:

file:///D:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Fred%20Heinz/Desktop/hifi_left.jpg

[BeatleFred]

Sigh.................. Just as I figured. OK- can anyone explain to me as I'm sure it cant be that difficult- how can you simply transfer a photo thats resides on your desktop onto this site??

I was hoping a link would be created so that anyone could just click on it and the photo comes up. But when I copy the desktop photo here all thats shown is the stupid filename, what happened to the picture??

[grumpy]

BF

All you need to do to post a picture here is click on the reply button, Type what you want to say and then look 2 lines down from the page you are typing on. There is a line that says Attach file. Just to the right of that is a button that says Browse. This will pull up the files on you puter. From there just highlite the file you want to upload. Thats it your all done. Hope this helps.

Grumpy

[BeatleFred]

Ok, lets try,

[BeatleFred]

and the rightside:

[BeatleFred]

Thanks Grumpy, Geez I deserve to slap myself. I thought I had already done what you suggested and was wondering why it didnt work. Now it does, so somehow I mustve overlooked something simple. Maybe I just need to make another cup of coffee (NY Accent: "caw-fee") and wake up more:)

ps- as for right pic- click on right arrow- to see spkr on right.

[opt80]

Wow B\F nice gear...I have minimal compared to most of you!!

Sure are some nice pieces in your set-up I congratulate you!!

Best,

Alan

[BeatleFred]

and the cable clutter: :)

[grumpy]

BF

Very Impressive collection there! Is that a CA-2000 or 3000 just to the left of your RTR ? Wheres Quantums at ?

Grumpy

[BeatleFred]

Thanks Alan, this stuff is all in my basement and there's plenty more hi fi gear (not shown in the photo) on the adjoining shorter wall, facing perpendicular. I will be trying to set up that area as best I can this weekend. Its hard to set up a 2nd hi fi system in that, if you look at the right side photo (scroll arrow key right as far as you can go) - I have a pair of Infinity Quantum 3 speakers (they are behind the right side Infinity Renaissance 90) covered in bags to keep dust off, I cant really put other speakers on the other wall- since they face perpendicular- thats means the left Q3 speaker would point right into the right Ren 90 speaker, obviously thats no good. And I also have a pair of Infinity Qb's and two pairs of Qe speakers I dont have room to set up properly anywhere. I thought maybe put a pair of small Qe's on each corner of that desk you see in the photo, but each of my Sansui AU-X1 amps reside there. I have two AU-X1's biamped- so that one AU-X1 drives the left Ren 90 spkr and the other AU-X1 drives the right Ren 90. The Sansui CA-2000 preamp which acts as the control center conveniently has TWO pairs of output jacks to make connecting to two separate amps easy.

If you look at the other models in the photo, perhaps you can detect a pattern between the 9090DB, AU-717, AU-919 and the AU-20000, SA-7500, and SX-980. The pattern is they all have separate pre/power amp sections. (My G-7700, AU-G77X, QRX-7001, G-5500 to name some more stuff I have, dont have separate sections). Thats why for the time being, I set up the ones that do have separate sections where they are- that way I could switch to biamping other pairs in place of the two AU-X1's if I wanted to. I dont want to let the 9090DB etc.. sit unused for too long but its somewhat of a pain to substitute other biamp pairs in place of the two AU-X1's- if say, I wanted to sub the 9090DB to drive one speaker and the AU-20000 to drive the other, I have to move cables from the CA-2000 preamp to these two units (and its a pain to try and go to the desk and reach over to get access to the cables- and then they must also be long enough to reach the 9090DB and AU-20000 (and any others I might want to substitute in there) My other concern is that , but not so sure if using a 9090DB and AU-20000 is as good being the 9090DB is 125W but the AU-20000 is 170 Watts- so, not sure if there is too much of a wattage mismatch there. Also concerned about what do I partner the Pioneer SA-7500 with as its only 40 Watts. Now everybody- can you-all now understand the "suffering" I go thru with all this hi fi stuff? :)

[bully]

Nice kit, BF!
The Ren's are the big blonde things on either side.

Hey, y'all outta send those 'orphan' pieces out here to someone that would use 'em once in a while. :D

pete

[BeatleFred]

Hi Pete, Hi Grumpy. I guess you posted as I was writing the above message- if youve read that already you'll see I mentioned the Q3's and CA-2000. The CA-3000 looks more like the AU-20000 shown in the photo- in that they both are "Defintion Series" components (as are the Sanui BA-5000 and BA-3000 which all have the very beautiful burgundy colored top). The CA-200O I have is like the AU-9900 and AU-11000 amps with gray top. There are a few other differences- if youre intersted to know more, let me know and I can elaborate the next time.- the main one that I find interesting is that the AU-20000 and CA-3000 have logarithmic volume controls (3db increments all the way)- therefore, Volume control must be turned higher to hear music Louder- and thus proof that Volume and Power are NOT linearly related as is so commonly, and mistakenly believed. The AU-20000 is a massive 170 W amp- so that while it requires to have the Volume knob turned higher, believe me, after halfway- while the rate of increment decreases in other amps, the AU20000 gets louder and louder. Speaking of the AU-20000, another observation of mine is that if I use it in a vertical biamping arrangement- and thus only driving one speaker- I'll only be able to have one of the power meters going.

The models in photo, going left to right:

Sansui AU-X1 (switched to power amp mode)-> drives left Ren 90.
BIC FM 8 Beambox antenna (for the Sansui TU-719 Tuner)
Sansui SE-9 Compu-Equalizer
Sansui TU-719 Tuner
Sansui AT-202 Timer
DBX 3BX dynamic range expander
Sony DVP-NS500V SACD/DVD Player
NAD C521i CD Player
Sansui CA-2000 Preamp
Tascam 32 Two-Track Open Reel Recorder
Sansui AU-X1-> drive right Ren 90 spkr
Sansui 9090DB
Sansui AU-717
Sansui AU-919
HHB 830 Professional CD Recorder
Sony CDP-597 CD Player
Sansui SE-9 Compu-Equalizer (in silver)
Sansui AU-20000
Pioneer SA-7500
Pioneer SX-980
Teac X-300R Open reel
Sansui GX-77 Rack containing:
Technics SL-D2 turntable
Sansui SC-3330 Cassette Deck
Pioneer SX-780
Sansui 3000A

[BeatleFred]

Hiya Pete:

The Ren 90's I have- the grille covers are a taupe color (light gray)- not the standard black (or brown as the Qb's). I believe this is because the previous owner's wife preferred the taupe and had the grilles made like that. (Perhaps I can email him and ask about that, but as I recall when we spoke on the phone right before I bought them in January '01, thats what he told me). Black grilles wouldve been ok with me but the gray is actually very, very nice- I'm surprised that Infinity didnt think to offer other colors than black for grilles. As for the cabinet itself, the blonde oak is GORGEOUS. And thats REAL wood- feels substantial like a tree-trunk when you tap your knuckles on it! They are elegantly tapered with rounded corners thus when you sit and look at them- they are like flat-panel monitors- you cant really see the box depth behind them. The Ren 90's were also made in black ash which I am not so keen on, but the 3rd option- the high gloss black laquer (with the blinding piano black finish- thats a stunning model!- and that option actually cost several hundred dollars more when sold new in 1992-94). 'Dust is the enemy' so when not in use, I keep my Ren 90's covered in large garbage bags- which reminds me- thats abother idea Infinity apparently didnt think of- nice large vinyl covers, perhaps with the Infinity logo, to cover and protect the speakers. I might look around Online and see if I can find something like that- I recall a place called Tuki, that made vinyl covers for guitar amplifiers.

[BeatleFred]

Ren 90, high gloss:

[BeatleFred]

blonde oak:

[opt80]

Beatlefred,
Love the Ren 90s,the oak is so rich looking,how long have you been collecting?

Best
Alan

[BeatleFred]

Hi Alan:

The Infinity Renaissance 90's are SUPERB speakers in every sense of the word. Owner Reviews can be found here (of which I really should write mine also, soon):

http://www.audioreview.com/Main,Speaker/Infinity,Systems,Renaissance,90/PRD_119649_1594crx.aspx

As for how long Ive been collecting: Well, I dont know if I would call myself a Collector exactly, but I have been into Vintage hi fi very much since 1999 when I got my first home computer (I waited till '99 because of the pc market offering so much more features & advanced technology every few months and the prices dropping until I felt I couldnt wait any more to buy one) and discovered the World of Ebay which enabled me to acquire alot of the stuff I have. Though I can really trace the beginning of it back to the late 70's, '78 & '79 when I was 14, 15 years old, my older brother had a Sansui AU-717 integrated amp (still does!), Infinity Quantum 3 spkrs, Teac A-3440 Open reel 4 Track machine etc...

Regards, B/F.

[bully]

Cool. I'd have to say I've been hoarding since 1970. The gear wasn't vintage, then, though.
Still have a few things from that decade that were purchased new.
Only had the big G-9700 (Sansui content :cool: ) 'bout two years.

pete, can't always get around the fact his gear is 'vintage'! Seems new to me!!

[moondog]

Woah! I want the Sansui Light! :D

[car67]

Hi Fred, Great to see the AU-X1's are in action and in the pics. You've tidied up too! :p:

I reckon you' ve picked the right finish on the Ren's with the blond oak. Much less imposing than black. Let me give you my address so that we can ease some of your suffering! :p:

cheers
Jack

[BeatleFred]

Hi Jack:

I must say , I did work my ass off in trying to organize this basement this past month since Thanskgiving Holiday. The amount of stereo equipment, books, magazines, Cd's, and lots more, Maaaan- its just boggles the mind how all this stuff accumulates. Looking at the photo is one thing, but to actually set it all up is ALOT of work- just to position everything so that they all work in some kind of harmony with each other is no easy task- with all the ac line cords, interconect cables and so forth. As Warren Zevon once sang (and Linda Ronstadt too)- "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" :)

I worked on the adjoining perpendicular wall today (not shown in photo, I will post soon)- where I plan to set up my Tascam 48 8 Track machine and M308 Mixing Console. (Trying to find room for the Teac A3440 4 Track and Model 2A mixer too). Set-up the Infinity Qb's there too (along with G-7700, G-5500, QRX-7001), to play the recorded music thru. Also set up the Qe's (put on top of the Qb's- tilted on side and rotated the Emit 90 degrees) but I might just set up the Qe's instead on the floor between the Ren 90's- and switch betwen the 9090DB, AU-20000 etc... thru the Qe's, so as to keep those receivers and amps in use and not sit around inactive for any period of time which I dont think they'd 'like'. I have the original Qb wooden platform stands which I would put the Qe's on to so as to raise them up off the floor a bit. But the real star of the whole show are those Renaissance 90's. And Yes- it is GREAT to have both AU-X1's back and working 100% so far, after all the time, $$, and hassle I went thru in acquiring them. The repair shop really had a challenge in working on those!!

Happy soon- to- be 2003!

B/F.

[car67]

Hi Fred,

I reckon that's a good idea setting up the Qe's next to the Rens. Good for when you're in the mood to hear something different or jsut want to play around with different pieces. Anyway, moving Qe's be easier than moving 30Kg amps! :)

How do the AU-X1's sound? Have you tried comparing one, in stereo, with the AU919?


cheers
Jack

[BeatleFred]

Hi Jack:

I was using the one AU-X1 while the other was in the shop. At the time, having 'merely' one, its sound was quite robust. So you might imagine, using Two now, its 'doubly' robust:)

The AU-X1 dwarfs the 919 & 717 in terms of its size. The function select knobs on the AU-X1 are like double those on the 919/717. (Maybe thats why they call it a Super Integrated Amplifier on the front panel) Same goes for the huge Volume control, though it doesnt use the click-stops which I like, however, it is nonetheless substantial in feel and ultra- smooth when turning it. Then again, being its in Power amp mode now, I dont use the Volume Control on it anymore- as thats done via the CA-2000 which controls both AU-X1's (though I can even adjust within that as the AU-X1 has two Power amp level controls).

I'm not one to use Tone controls so I like that the AU-X1 doesnt have any, as I would expect of an amp of this caliber that strives for the purest possible sound in the signal path.

I did move the Qe's down next to each Ren 90- talking again- how one thing dwarfs the size of another:) so I will see how that works out- its just a little difficult now to reach my arms over all that stuff piled up on the desk to get to my CD's when I want to listen to them, and the barricade of stuff in front of the desk from one Ren 90 spkr to the other also makes getting in there difficult but I'll just have to make do as best I can for now.

B/F.

[BeatleFred]

Just so happens to be the incomparable TU-X1 on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3282&item=1948318179


Gee, that would go nicely with the AU-X1's:)
Just a 'wee bit' expensive though. And could very well get even more expensive when that auction ends. Think I remain content with the TU-719.

[BeatleFred]

And here's what a Tascam 48 looks like:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=934384412&indexURL=2&photoDisplayType=2#ebaylargephotohosting

[PhotonDon]

Wow, Fred

You really DO own all the stuff we've been hearing about!
Most impressive. Love the Infinities Glad you finally got a digital camera.

Don

[BeatleFred]

Hi Don:

Thanks for the kind words. By the way, here's a pair of Ren 90's on Ebay with the black grille covers:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14993&item=1949100991

I think the seller is relisting them because his Reserve wasnt met the previous time. I usually dont go by what a speaker's worth is on Ebay by the # of bidders or price because I think alot of people, while they might be interested to own a particular pair, wont bid on them because either the Seller states they must be picked up in person, or if he is willing to pack/ship, people might not bid, preferring to wait on another pair that might come along closer to their area that they could pick up themselves to avoid shipping cost and risk of damage in transport.

[BeatleFred]

Being that I posted this auction, for the sake of accuracy, I should point out a few things such as there is no super tweeter - its an EMIT on top and an EMIM midrange beneath it. And while the spkr is rated for amps up to 400 Watts, that doesnt mean you must have a 400 W amplifier connected to it-as I have said before to others Online. The Ren 90's work fine with all my Sansui amps and receivers, so the power issue might be a little exaggerated as the Ren 90's are not quite as rough on amps as some folks think. Models like the Kappa 9's or the huge RS1B with a whole array of tweeters and multiple woofers, thats another story.

Happy New Year to All, B/F.

[ckelly]

:eek:

Fred

You are sick!

Do you need a younger, just as sick brother to help you move that stuff around?

:D

Chris

[BeatleFred]

Hi Chris:

Well, if I can tear myself away from this computer, I want to work on setting up a system on the adjacent wall- facing perpendicular to the right Ren 90 spkr. I moved a table there and will probably set up one of my Teac recorders on it along with a mixing bd. Most likely Infinity Qb's will be the speakers on that side that I can play the recorded music thru. Not much room left to put the other various receivers and amps in that area- for now I put another smaller coffee-type table (about 1 ft high and 3 ft wide underneath the bigger table which measures 46" wide by 31" depth and put the QRX-7001, G-5500, and 7070 on the smaller table below- until I can find a better arrangment. The Tascam 308 bd I have is huge and consumes much table space. I will post more photos when I am finished setting it up. In the meantime, I'm looking around at various audio racks Online such as:

http://www.studiotech.com/jsp/product.jsp?
p_showProduct=2&productSection=detail

This might work for me in place of the two front racks shown in my system photo. If you click on Specs, it gives the dimensions. You would think this thing would be big enough- but at 20" wide on the lower shelves- thats cutting it very close with models like the 9090DB. And 7" height between shelves, also cuts it close with behemoth-size vintage gear.

[BeatleFred]

I tried to copy the page showing photo of the Alpha 3 rack at www.studiotech.com , dunno why it doesnt show when you click on the link here.

[David W]

Beatle fred, you have a problem...


You dont have enough '60s/early '70s Sansui!

You could try building your own audio racks, for the price of one Alpha 3 you could get 11 of these:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/58454850/59313867HdLwwq

It cost me $35 and a few hours to build. Its not the prettiest thing out there, but you can't beat the price. Spend the money you save on a nice 1000A or AU-999 or something :)

[ckelly]

Fred

Here is a nice looking rack:

Best Buy Rack (http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11163778&m=1&cat=38&scat=41)

Also at Wardsweb's site, there's a cool DIY rack.

Chris

[moondog]

$400 for a rack? Come on Fred... Remember how us old hippies use to do it. Some heavy duty plywood & concrete blocks!

http://www.homerepairworkshop.com/gifs/13/13_010.gif

Ward’s DIY Shelving:
http://www.wardsweb.org/audio/rack.html

Homedepot also as some shelves that don’t look bad at all for $30 too.

[BeatleFred]

Well, the thing is there are lot of Racks out there to choose from. Its a matter of getting something that will work successfully in a given hi fi setup. In my case, the racks that Chris & mOOn have shown- they look alright- however, take a look at my photos again- that white desk is 32" H, so getting a rack (in place of either that little blue cart or the other black cart) that extends vertically and can hold 5 or 6 components might not be good in that it will rise too high and block the equipment on the desk. Thats why I thought perhaps something shaped more like that Alpha 3 might work better for me. The Alpha 3's width at 47.5" and its height (at about 22" I think it was) would be good- not too high to block the view and the access to the stuff on the desk and not too wide- so that I could still fit in my Qe speakers between the Ren 90's if I wanted to (and still be able to squeeze in between when I need to go to the desk area and reach for some cd's) However, its easy to overlook the specs on the dimensions- and that they all have to be of atleast a certain size. The Alpha 3's specs in the diagram shown on the Studio Tech site lists the width as 47.5" - but if you look closer- the actual usable space, width-wise, for the shelf is 20" and 20". So if I want to put two components next to each other and one of them happens to be a 9090DB- GUESS WHAT- the 9090DB is pretty darn close to 20"W- thats cutting it very close. I can imagine it would be very frustrating to get a rack and then find out after you construct it, that its just not quite wide to fit a component, or fit two components next to each other, the way you thought it could. Even if its some other less expensive rack- if it has those support bars that divide shelves, I have to make sure its wide enought so that a 9090DB can fit in the shelf, not bump up against a support bar and I then find that I cant push the 9090DB in any further. Also- the depth is a concern too. Most of these racks made nowadays seem to be built to have typical a/v receivers in mind to be used in it- not the behemoth-sized vintage gear which are wider and taller--> That means with the Alpha 3- the 2nd tier is a concern- because it can only clear 7" of height (as shown in the diagram)- so if you put a tape measure to a 9090DB- guess what- verry close at 7". AU-20000- even more than 7" inches- wouldnt fit- would have to go on the bottom tier where there is 9". Well, I think you guys get my point by now- thats its quite a bit more involved than we might realize to get the proper rack for a particular system.

Actually, I might have been better off to not have gotten that white desk in the first place- and that way, I couldve set up a something better to put all that eqipment in (or on) in its place- which I think going vertically would be better, as opposed to going horizontally spread out along the desk. As you can see from my photos- I dont object to stacking casette decks, tuners, and cd players on top of each other- as they dont give off any heat. Obviously I never put anything directly on top of amps or receivers. And if that white desk wasnt there- I might be able to move the left Ren 90 spkr over to the right a little bit and push it back- so that it stands where the left AU-X1 is in the photo, ,,, instead of where the spkr is now- directly in front of a closet- and that means I need some clearnace to be able to swing that door open w/o hitting the spkr whenver I might need to access something in there. The thing with the desk is, it was put there back in '95- before I had any idea I would turn into a vintage hi fi 'maniac'. :) Being so heavy and all, I'm not really inclined to try now and mess around by shifting it down to the right in the hopes of better utilizing some space.

David- I do have some older Sansui's- a 3000A (1968) a Model 8 (1971) and a QRX-7001 (1974). But it is true that I do prefer the later 70's Sansui models- 9090DB and G Series Line and the AU-20000 on thru thr AU-717, AU-919, AU-X1, and AU-D11 amps. I find that there are alot of things I like better that were from the early 70's, but with hi fi gear, while I do enjoy reading about those older models, I think great strides were being made in each year thru the 70's- I can see a huge difference in my hi fi mag backissues, comparing say, 1973 to 1978, for instance. So while its cool to see the progress being made and things moving ahead in the early and mid 70's, I think it was in the latter part of the decade when it all reached its peak.

The 3000A receiver, as an example, its alright, but given its age- I dont know that it can really be the best one to drive something like the Ren 90 speakers I have that was built many years later. I'm not sure if 1968 transistors were designed to provide a little bit of the power the Ren 90's need. I have said before the Ren 90's arent that extremely demanding, but I think some models from the earlier 70's and 60's might not be able to handle them too well- as opposed to the later 9090's and G Series models.

Hopefully you can understand what I'm trying to say- sometimes it would be alot easier to speak instead of trying to type your thoughts coherently in a long message. And I am feeling a bit tired at the moment, so I shall not continue to ramble on here.

Regards, B/F.

[BeatleFred]

Oh, Thank Heavens. I went to post my 'essay' above and I got a Not Logged In error message (even though I did log in earlier) (Maybe for some reason this site logs you out after a certain period of time). Luckily though, the message didnt get lost, I was able to log back in and and go back to the message and copy it into the reply. Thats MUCH better than to lose it all and be resigned to typing it in all over again.

[BeatleFred]

Hey, if you think my exquisite taste in audio furniture is expensive- howza bout this chair? :

http://www.officedepot.com/shop/catalog/cat_fam_sku.asp?BC=2:8:803:803006&ID=180995&LEVEL=FM&SID=J62C2KQMFF8W8J6XPV6A6DBG5EUV17UD&PP=301


For the comfort that this chair provides, its probably worth every penny, and after all, dog-gone it, my buttocks are worth it:)

[ckelly]

Fred

you'll probably do best by making your own audio furniture in such a way that you can fit it all in one place. I think it'll be very difficult to find one that will do, given the amount of equipment (just about every rack out there is made for "normal" systems) as well as furniture to house your music collection.

Also most of today's audio equipment is 17" wide, unlike the vintage big boys which are closer to 20-21".

This is an Idea to store the CD's

http://www.thejungles.com/mulshel15.html

I hopr this helps
Chris

[BeatleFred]

Hi Chris- That cd rack you posted is nice. And would go a long-ways toward storing most of my collection. However, I cant find a spot where I could put it here. Yes, I do have more cd's- not shown in the photos. If I can, over the weekend, I'll see if I can post some more shots of this-a-here basement from different angles and you can see more of what I'm talking about- the "suffering" I endure with all this stuff and if any would- be home-remodelers, have any suggestions, be my guest. In the meantime, to help ease.. 'the pain" of it all, just kick back in the evening w/ a few beers:) By the way, how was your New Year's Eve?

B/F.

[ckelly]

Fred

I think you need to rethink the whole basement - and not in pieces... otherwise all you'll do is add to the chaos and not clean it.

I had a great New Years - I went out of town to visit my GF ... let's say I started the year relly well :D

Chris

[BeatleFred]

Well, while we're on the subject of "Racks", here's some-a nice ones: :)

http://members.tripod.com/~Barbara_Page/barb1.html

[moondog]

Aw... I see "You Dream Of Jeanie" too. :boink:

Anyway, I think I have a solution to this mess you've created in your basement...

All you have to do is buy some cases of high-brow beer :beer: & send Christopher & me a couple plane tickets.

I'm sure we'd figure it out eventually! :p:

Moon

[BeatleFred]

Ah, that sounds like a good suggestion to me, mOOn:)

However, I may have to cut the beer intake somewhat if I see that my belly is expanding any further. I was a skinny guy (5'9"-ish, 140lbs- my two older brothers are the big guys with long legs at 6'3") and then in the past few years Ive seen the weight creep up a little to where its now, hmm.. near 160lbs, I think. I still look thin overall (pants are 31" waist)- though I notice a little paunch in the stomach area now- is this what I have to look forward to as the big 4-0 looms at the end of this new year?:)

As for the basement here: mOON- I think the title of that tune of yours that I particularly like- describes it all, LOL!! (You know- the 2nd track on the KOAS) Cd.

Actually, I dont mean to make it sound like its unbearable or anything with all the hi fi equipment- more space would sure be nice to have but I think I'll be able to manage somehow for the time being.

I did do a quick test earlier by setting up my Infinity Qb's on the adjacent shorter wall. They sound excellent (I used the new Norah Jones cd, 'Come Away with Me' as my test disc-"Dont Know Why"- excellent song- she was on Sat. Nite Live show recently)- though I wish I could spread them out further between left and right speaker width distance- but if I were to move the left Qb spkr more to the left, its sound would be blocked by the right Ren 90 spkr thats positioned perpendicular to it. Over the weekend, I will set up one of my open reel multitracks and a mixing bd on a table I moved up against the wall (time to start using those recording machines before the belts inside turn to goo!), and will arrange to have some of my rcvrs and amps going thru the Qb's. I could use the AA switcher units I have- but that means ALOT of cables all over the place to hook it up- so for now, I think I prefer just to go thru the slight inconvenience of moving the spkr cables to the back of each different amp or receiver when I want to use a particular one. I might use the AX-7 though to connect 3 different amps/receivers that unit can accept so that atleast I dont have to physically move (unplug & replug somewhere else) the L & R outputs of the CD player to whatver rcve/amp I'm in the mood to use.

I may then see how it goes by putting my 2nd pair of Qe's on top of the Qb's, and rotating them (and the emits of course) 90 degrees and connecting some other rcvr/amps to those- so that I can put most of my stuff to some kind of use and not have anything sitting idle for too long- especially that 170 Watt beauty of an AU-20000 I have.

I may stop in at Staples over the weekend and see if any of their computer workstation furniture is shaped so that it might offer more possibilties to set my hi fi /recording equipment on, than the table I currently have- I will post photos soon ("ah,,,, you know I Will- Paul- White Album:) when I have that adjacent area setup better.

ps- I was checking the latest offerings on Ebay. Interesting how there are now several TU-X1 Tuners available- though the pricetag will be rather steep. I noticed a bidder on a Sansui SE-8 EQ, named "sansuifred" ----> however, its not me! But interesting to see there are other Sansui enthusiasts named Fred out there. :)

Regards, Fred--> aka B/F "Pure Power"

[moondog]

Yeah Fred. It's a 40's thang. Sad, but true. :(

Anyway... I was just re-looking at those pictures of your basement collection & I gotta tell ya, as much as you'll probably hate hearing this, I have to agree with Chris... "I think you need to rethink the whole basement."

You obviously have a collection to die for, the problem is the way it's displayed. If I were you I believe I'd organize my pieces where they match better together & have some dirrection. Like the Sansui Black pieces in one section stacked all neatly together on one side & the brushed aluminum on the other, etc. Right now it just kind of looks like a hodge-podge & doesn't really show your pieces off the way it should. (no offense meant.)

Maybe it's the graphic designer in me, but I think you really need to draw it up on paper before you try going any further. There is a way to do it. I just don't see space being as big of a problem as you seem to think it is.

Tell you what... If you shoot a few more straight on pictures of both sides of your room, I'll see if I can't arrange the pieces in Photoshop by using layers & MAGIC, then we can move things piece by piece. Might take a while & it would be a bit of a challenge, but it just might work.

Moon

[BeatleFred]

Hi mOOn:

No objections here to constuctive criticism:) I will certainly take some more shots and post them- that way , you can get a better idea of the set up here from all angles.

Regarding what you mentioned: The setup is by no means permanent. Well, the white desk, being very heavy and all, might be better staying where it is. But stuff like the amps/rcvrs in the two carts in front can certainly be moved somewhere else, if need be. I can relate to what youre saying about having the components match in a rack- however, as I said in a previous post, its not that simple. The reason why I put those particular models in those two front carts is beauase: what they all have in common is that they have all have separate pre/power amp sections. Remember my main setup: CA-2000 preamp that has two pairs of Output jacks- where one output of the preamp goes to the Left power amp section of the AU-X1 amp which then drives the left Ren 90 spkr. And the other CA-2000 output goes to the right AU-X1 power amp section which drives the right Ren 90 spkr. This arrangement is called Vertical biamping. I prefer this over Horizontal Biamping- because with Vertical- each AU-X1 has to drive only one speaker- (whereas in horizontal, one amp drives the highs in both left and right spkrs and the other drives the woofers in BOTH- I'd rather have one amp only required to drive one woofer in one spkr- hope you can follow me here:)

So..... going back to those models in the two front carts: I put them there as a way of using them instead of the two AU-X1's. In other words, I could give the two AU-X1's a rest at times and use two other amp pairs instead- such as the 9090DB to drive the left speaker and the AU-20000 to drive the right spkr. I dont know how this would work as, unlike two identical AU-X1's, I'd be using two different models with two differnt wattages on each speaker.

And if you ask me- why dont I just use the 9090DB by itself, or the AU-20000 by itself to drive the Ren 90's- the answer is: then I would have to go behind the back of each Ren 90 spkr and put back the gold-plated jumpers to connect the two pairs of binding posts- as I am no longer biamping. (to biamp a spkr, you need two pairs of posts in the back, and you remove the jumpers when you biamap). I also then need to move the cables from the CA-2000 that connect to each of the AU-X1's and then move em into the 9090DB instead or whatever other unit I might want to use instead. Thats a real pain to do. I could try using the AA switchbox arrangement but I would then need TWO AA amp switching devices if I want to switch between using two different pairs of amps in a biamp arrangement. And doing that would require alot of cable connections which would really get unwieldy. Thus why I decided it would be better to set up the Qe spkrs between the Ren 90's and use some of the models in the carts to drive those and leave the CA-2000/AU-X1's/Ren 90 arrangement alone.

As for decor and matching- I agree, but again, mOON, - given the carts I have- you just cant move something where it might look better- because there is something that prevents it, for example- there is a reason why that Pioneer SX-980 is on the bottom tier of the right side black-colored cart. And that is, there is a wooden support beam that protrudes from the cart in the back of the middle shelf (cant see it in the photo)- so that there is less height clearance on the middle shelf of that cart. In other words, if I tried to put the SX-980 in the middle shelf- it wont fit in- as the receiver is too high. The SA-7500 is not as high and will fit in the middle., so thats how I arranged- for now, anyway. Same goes for the 9090DB- thats on top because its larger than the AU-919 & 717 and wont fit inside the blue cart shelves. So, hopefully you can understand what I'm saying- unless I perhaps get different carts, or some other Rack, or try and move some stuff around, I have limitations on where I can put certain hi fi things. Also: it always has to be kept in mind that when you put a unit in some location, that access to it must not be not too difficult- that interconnect cables will reach, spkr cables, ac line cords, etc......

Other things in this basement impose limitations as well: from the gray gas meter and pipes you see in the photo, to other things that consume space and cant be moved- the house's heater, the stairs that come into the basement, the refrigerator, the wash machine, the bathroom - all not shown in those photos I posted.

So given these things, I think I might be able to try and make some improvements but ultimately I will have to make the best out of what I have available in terms of the space here and the equipment.

Peace, B/F.

[BeatleFred]

As for the hodgepoge: well, as long as the white desk is there and I have to place things across the width of it- I dont see how it can be improved upon too much. Logical that the left AU-X1 is near the left Ren 90 spkr and vice versa and that its kept in mind that both AU-X1's are in proximity to the CA-2000 preamp so that the interconnect cables will reach and the ac line cords reach the outlet w/o needing extension cords. I dont like putting anything on top of amps due to the heat they give off, thus why nothing is on top of the Au-X1's and why the non-heat equipment is stacked- like the tuner, cass deck, cd player. I really dont see how else to lay this stuff out on the desk in a better way than as shown. And I can only stack some of the equipemnt so high, as I need to be able to reach over to get to the cd's.

[moondog]

Fred... Didn't mean any offense. I was just looking at the pieces as a whole & thinking how it could look.

It's really too bad it as to be such a pain in the ass to have nice audio collections, but you deffinately have the one I'd vote for. (no matter what arrangement they might be in.) ;)

Moon

[ckelly]

Fred

I think you really should attack the problem from the bottom up - you have a collection of equipmemt to die for and enough music to start a record store - the problem is you have it in such a chaos YOU aren't really enjoying it all.

Make a plan - showing stairs, doorways, windows (if any), fixed appliances, such as the heater, and showing room dimentions (width, length, height). That way one can have a better idea on how to tackle the issue.

I think you should put all the CD's in one only place, and easy to reach all the time, that's why I liked the CD shelf I pointed you - that should clean the CD's and have them all in one place.

Next, you should consider electric wiring behind the components, to avoid tripping over extension cords/power strips, etc.

I think first you should get rid of ALL the furniture and start from sractch - you should design a piece of furniture in one wall to house practically all the components. IIRC you have a source selector or two - so you can choose between components using the selector instead of connecting each component you feel like listening.

As for stacking amps, it there's a couple of inches on top of them there's no problem as that's enough space to breathe.

What about the rest of the house? Can you make a nice system in the living room/bedroom/den etc.? That will also reduce some of the clutter from the basement.

Chris

[BeatleFred]

Hi Chris (Hi mOOn- oh, its quite ok, no offense at all taken).

The situation here with the house is that I still live here with my parents who are senior citizens (ages 83 & 80). They bought this house back in early 1970 when I was 6 years old- in those days, houses in this neighborhood sold for $25,000. Nowadays, you can easily spend that much money just on a new car. In this area now, houses are selling for $350,000 MINIMUM. While the neighborhood is very nice, clean & peaceful, I think the local Real Estate market is INSANE to expect houses to be bought & sold for that kind of money. My neighborhood is nice, but I dont live in a mansion, so to me $350k, 450K- thats just going waaay overboard. I have a decent job with a decent salary but no way that I can afford to buy a house of my own when they are that high in price. I tried to look into that possibility last summer- and I was discouraged to find out that even if my parents were to help me by putting 20% down toward a house, the monthly mortagage payments that I would be required to make would be somwhere between $2500-3000/month, and that definitely exceeds what I can afford- not to mention, the other monthly bills-gas, water, heat, phone etc...., property taxes too!

My parents have been in good health but their age has caught up to them in past few years. My father worked until he was 75 and people always commented that he looked nowhere near his age. He and my mother used to enjoy traveling often to Europe (Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Romania where all their family roots & relatives are) and so, while they were there, I basically had the house to myself to look after. But since my father had a pacemaker put in about 5 years ago, he has slowed down noticeably (my mother is as good as can be expected at 80, just has to watch her high blood pressure) Unfortunately, the bedrooms in this house are on the top floor (bsmt is the bottom. Kitchen, diningroom & livingroom is the middle, and bathroom & 3 bedrooms is the top). It is getting to be a real strain on my parents now to go up the stairs. My father doesnt drive anymore, and my mother never learned how to, so they rely on me more now to help them out- take them food shopping, drive my father to various doctor's appointments etc... Going to Europe anymore- I dont think they are up to that. My father would especially love to- but he tires out easily if he walks around too much, so he is finding himself more & more to being restricted to staying in the house- the physical endurance to walk around and travel abroad isnt there anymore. So.., basically I am here at home with them at this time. The basement is my 'hang-out' area while my folks are upstairs. So, with that being the situation, and my not being the lone resident of this house, I cant just start moving my things upstairs in order to make more room in the basement.

Now that my parents are advancing in age, I have been thinking more of the next several years ahead. I hope my folks will hang in there and be around for a while but when youre in your 80's, who knows...... One good thing that will be in my favor, and I can then flip my finger to the Realtors, is that the Plan will be that when my parents pass, the house will go to me. I do have two older brothers- the oldest lives in Florida- he has his own house down there and has no desire to move back to New York. My other brother is married with a few kids and lives in his own house in Long Island. Obviously, whatever the arrangement will be, there has to be some fairness between splitting things 3 ways on what gets passed down from my parents. My oldest brother was up here for Thanksgiving, I was hoping to have a family discussion regarding this whole situation- but my brother who is a computer software engr was involved in a work project, he brought his laptop with him and spent 1/2 of the holiday working on a project deadline so we didnt really have a chance to go into in depth, but basically I dont think there are any objections to my getting the house and my two brothers receiving whatever money is in my Parents Bank Savings.

But the thing is, what do I do about my situation NOW? As I mentioned before, I certainly wish that my parents will be around for a while- I dont wanna make it sound like I cant wait for them to croak and I can then do what I want with the house- not at all.
But I do think it might not be such a good thing to live at home with the parents when you are 39 years old. Obviously, I'm still single at an age when most other people are already married and have families. If the right girl comes along, I'd probably be inclined to get hitched, though kids- that I dont know about. If I feel absorbed with the hi fi stuff-as I often do, and feel like I dont even have enough time to do all the stuff I want, I dont see how I can manage to handle crying babies, changing diapers etc.. Though I do wonder if I might regret that later on when I'm an old man- and there will be no grown kids of mine to look after me.
From the photo I posted here, I think in some ways I still look boyishly young for my age, but I do realize Time does move ahead - and quickly, I was 30 just back in '94 and now I already have 40 staring me in the face! I was seeing someone back in '99,'00 that couldve went long-term, but I was undecided and so I kindve chose not to go that route. So, at this rate, it does look like, I will pass 40 when & if I do tie the knot (unless something develops within the next 11 months-... Chris- that girl in Brazil I told you about does like me alot and is marriage minded- so I do have that option if I really want it).

In the meantime, I have been trying to come up with some ideas on what would be best for me. My parents arent looking to kick me out, and though the house is paid for in full, my parents are retired and live on Soc Security etc, and I do contibute $$ each month to help pay the bills. So, I could just continue to stay here if wanted to. But I hear the clock ticking away at 39 and it would be nice in some ways to have a place of my own- to do my music thing, have friends over and some female company as well. Its a little restrictive with the females when youre still at home w/ the parents- some girls are OK with it and other women, not.

You might say, well, if a house is out've the price range- how about a coop/condo or renting? Well, yes, I can consider those options. While they each would cost less than buying a house, still- neither is cheap. Not in good-ol "Noo Yawk" anyway. I'm used to living in a private house and I dont know how well I'd adapt to apartment living. If I just wanted an average place, it probably would be a straight forward process, but my situation is more involved- I would need to find an apartment that is spacious enough to accomodate all my hi fi stuff- not to mention the guitars, stacks & stacks of hi fi mags, guitar mags, etc.... I have ALOT of stuff Ive accumulated over the years here. Unfortunately, spacious New York apt translates to EXPENSIVE NY apt. And it wont be easy to find a landlord that wont object to my playing music thru my large Infinity Ren 90 speakers. Not that I blast music loud, its at normal volume levels, but I probably would play music often and later at night- especially on the weekends- so I prefer to be in a place where the landlord cant hear me and vice versa. Most coops/condo's I know around here, I dont think they are really built with hi-fi residents in mind- the close proximity living amongst other people might not be a good arrangement for me. Actually- the house I live in now with the parents- the houses on this block are all attached to each other- but as you might see in the photos, the concrete walls are pretty thick, so I havent had any problems with neighbors complaining about the music- atleast none that I know of- and after almost 33 years of living here, if there were any complaints, I think I would be aware of it by now!

But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. I probably will make an effort to look around at whats available in the Springtime when the weather warms up , and in the meantime, save up some $$ for whatever I may get. A friend of mine knows some people, a married couple that lives in the next neighborhood nearby and he told me that the room sizes they have are really nice there, the rent is afordable, the landlord is very cool etc.. He said they are looking to start a family and move out in the Spring and so that place might become available- so there might be a possibility for me there.

I was thinking, maybe even its a little late at age 39, I can still have a time to live my 'bachelor pad' lifestyle, maybe for 2 or 3 years, date some women, and if/when Ms right comes along, I can then make the committment. And maybe I will be more inclined to do that after having a chance to indulge myself in my music stuff for a while in my own place. I dont think I want to keep waiting and try and do that when I'm near 50- by that time I might have lost the drive to do the music anymore- do the music- meaning- getting together with some friends and try playing in a band, recording some stuff on the Teac multitrack machines, etc...
When I think of all the famous bands who made their mark- they all did it in their 20's and some continued at their peak into their early 30's, but after 35..... downhill is where it seems to go. And lets not use Sports as an example- thats even worse. 39 yr old people dont start their careers in that field, its close to over by then.

So, if I do find a place, maybe I should be willing to pay extra, up to the max of what I can afford for the space I need- because I know that in the future a house will be going to me- so I have that as a future asset. So even if I pay a high rent and wont have much left over to put into Savings, doesnt matter as the parents' house will be in my ownership. Is that how I should look at it- what do you guys think??? Geez, I am telling my whole life story here! But I consider you guys to be my friends, so I do value your opinions. And I am curious to know what you would do if you wre in my position.

Its probably not a bad idea to consult with a Lawyer- regarding the passing of the house from my parents to me and how to handle it in a way that is the most beneficial to all concerned. I am not up on any or all of the legalities involved- so the last thing I want to happen is to find out at some later time, that I have to substantially pay some kind of Inheritance Taxes to the State because I neglected to do , whatever is I might need to legally do before my parents passed.

Well, I think I've gone on long enough here. I get the feeling that in all this time my poor fingers have been typing, the system logged me out. So I better post this 'Analysis of my Life' now and make sure I dont lose the message.

Sincerely, Fred.

[moondog]

Freddy... Freddy... Freddy... It may be an old cliche, but you are "Never to Old... To Rock-n-Roll". (Unless you're Ozzy maybe)

Anyway... I'll be 48 next winter & I still play 4 sets of live music out in the clubs every other weekend. And I'm not talking about waltzs here either boy!!!

I also still have friends over to party in my music room where sometimes we still act like 15 year olds opening that new Beatle's LP. (We just can't ingest the same doseages of drugs, alcohol & whatever else we use to put into our system's while doing it!)
:puke:

But really... Music has been a large backdrop to my life & I don't see that EVER changing. No matter how old I become. :p:

Food for thought.
Your friend, Moon

[BeatleFred]

Hi mOOn:

I'm glad to hear you are still enjoying the music, however, in your case- you have already been doing it for a long while, NOT STARTING out now or a few years ago. But I know what youre saying and it does seem to make sense that Time moves ahead for everyone, so why dwell on it and instead, better to just do something if you want to do it.

Regards, B/F.

[moondog]

Sounds like you need a care package from the Moon.
Guess I better get my ass in gear. :D

[BeatleFred]

Can you send one of these my way too? :

http://www.altocelebs.net/cgi-bin/preview.pl?/e/barbara-eden/c-000795-im-011455.jpg,0,0,0

B/F.

[moondog]

Sorry... "only in your dreams" I'm afraid. ;)

Better get one of your Reels hooked up if they aren't already though. I recorded one 7" for you last night & plan on dropping the Zappa stuff on another today. Who knows what else will end up on tape before it's all said & done.

Moon (having fun with the TEAC)

ps... Drop me your address again if you would please. It's here somewhere, but I'm not quite sure where?

[BeatleFred]

Well, can I have one of these then?:

http://www.undying.com/celeb/Sharon_Stone/07.htm

Actually, I have been listening to some recorded music on both the Tascam 32 and Teac X-300R and I LOOOVE the sound quality!

Peace, Love and all things Groovy, B/F.

[moondog]

Alright already, but if I have to pick from those two then it will deffinately have to be............

[ckelly]

I like them more from SOUTH of the Rio Grande

[THOR]

Ckelly that girl is in severe need of breast implants :eek:

[BeatleFred]

Wow!, some nice pics there, I like, I like. Did I say, I Like? :)

So much for my concentration now on Hi Fi, B/F.

[ckelly]

Originally posted by THOR
Ckelly that girl is in severe need of breast implants :eek:

... it's quality, not quantity

:p:

[ckelly]

Originally posted by BeatleFred
Wow!, some nice pics there, I like, I like. Did I say, I Like? :)

So much for my concentration now on Hi Fi, B/F.

Well... they have something in common... nice knobs

:D

[car67]

Hi Fred,

I didn't have time to read all the posts in this thread but would agree with the comments to start from scratch with the furniture. Clear a lot of the old stuff but don't build anything permanently attached so you can keep your options open i.e. take them with you if you decide to move.
Maybe a few tall, Wardweb-type stands, away from the back wall, to house everything (or almost) so that you can access cables from behind. Space permitting of course. Just a few quick thoughts.:)
all the best.
Jack

[cruisaire]

How many watts is that gas meter pushin' up top?

[BeatleFred]

:)- Yep, not much I can do about that- somethings in the basement are just unmoveable.

[cruisaire]

You know how it is, you some of us stuff like that and we'll be relocating our meters to duplicate the effect! Love the equipment.

Cheers!

[Toasted Almond]

Only one 12" woof per speaker? I thought one time you said they were big? Guess I was mistaken or misunderstood you.

Toasted Almond

[BeatleFred]

T.O.- Huh...? Where did I say 12" woofer? FYI- Its "merely" a 10" woofer. They are over 4 ft tall- so if thats small to you, so be it. I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you the Ren 90's are exceptionally good speakers- thats a given fact. The reviews at audioreview.com speak for themselves. A model like the Infinity SM-150 has a 15" woofer - which I suppose would be "big" and impressive to you, right? Never mind, dont answer, please dont start trouble with me. Much obliged, B/F.

[Toasted Almond]

WOW, settle down. Not beating on them. I'm sure they're your honeys, and I would not submit to a low blow such as that. I thought they were a little more along the lines of the IRS's. I stated that it might have been me that was mistaken or misunderstood.

The SM-150 is not my cup of tea. I used to sell those. I used to sell the competing Cerwin-Vega's as well. Also not my cup of tea. I did this while I was being paid to demo Carver products. The SM-150 was in the trashest cabinet I've ever seen. You could rock those speakers back and forth with one finger. That shouldn't be possible with any speaker housing a 15" woof. The competing Cerwin-Vega product, the MX-400, was at least housed in 90lbs of cabinet, but still managed to have a -3db point that was only around 45-50Hz, and sounded like two cats fighting.

No sir, that would not be where my tastes run. My tastes would run more along the lines of the vintage AR-9's that I have in my modest home theater set-up, and the Carver Amazing Platinum Mark IV's in my stereo room. The 9's have 2 x 12" acoustic suspension woofers per cabinet.. I recently had the good fortune to "interface" with Ken Kantor, designer and founder of NHT products, and the guy who basically put together the AR MGC-1. (Magic One's) His statement, rendered about a month ago, was that the AR-9 set the standard for low end response TO THIS DAY. Now this is where he and I kind of part company. I feel that the Amazing's go down deeper, albeit they SHOULD with 4 x 12" woofs per speaker. Not to mention the 60" long ribbons are absolutely glorious. All a matter of taste.

While your speakers are not small, yes, I would have to consider them smaller than what I've got around here.


Toasted Almond

[ckelly]

Speakers are personal - what some like the other don't. I love my Paradigms, and I have listened to many speakers, big, small, new and vintage.

I think woofer size does not necessarily mean more/better bass - there is SOME relation, bit it's way beyond more inches on the woofer - it has to do with crossover frequency, driver design, etc.

If the speakers you have make you enjoy music, then you have good speakers - it's that simple to me.

Chris

[Toasted Almond]

Righty, right, right you are Chris. Several things can come into play regarding low end response. But generally there is no substitute for max radiating area. That said, and hoping not to step on toes by inserting THIS image in Fred's post...............
VOILA! I call my Amazing's "The Truth", because basically, that's all they speak. Picture's a little dark. I have bad photo skills, as a result of all my energies being directed towards airplanes, and hi-fi.

I inserted the dummy into the photo for perspective. The dummy is 7.5 feet tall.

[ckelly]

Who's the ugly guy giving us their back?

:D

Chris

[Toasted Almond]

The perspective dummy is really your humble narrator, and is exactly the same height as the speakers, 67". At 145, I outweigh the speakers by 35lbs.


George

[ckelly]

TA

WOW! those speakers are large indeed.

enough of sidestepping Fred's systems' post ;)

Chris

[Toasted Almond]

Yes, and thanks to Fred for being a gracious host.

TA

[moondog]

Hey Toast - Move outta the way & let us see the rest of that system!

Moon

[Toasted Almond]

Will be inserting the photos on the gallery in short order!

TA

[RobV]

Sorry to hear about your AU-X1, Fred. That mcsolaar cretin definitely cursed it. At least you have plenty of alternatives that sound great!
Your killer system gave me an idea of what to do with the second BA-F1 that I bought recently. Just when I was thinking I didn’t really need it (couldn’t keep from buying it only because it had the rack handles)…. Ordered some peerless tweeters, poly caps, and biamp terminals from PE …. A couple hours of work with the jigsaw and soldering iron…. Another hour rearranging cables and speaker wire…. Vertical biamping! Schweet!
I did stack the BA-F1s, which works fine (IMO) because of their heat sink ‘chimneys’ and the lower amp drives tweeter/woofer and the upper amp drives woofer/tweeter. The crossover is a AudioControl Richter Scale III, that doubles as a half-octave bass EQ:
http://www.audiocontrol.com/homeaudio.htm

RobV

[BeatleFred]

Hi Rob:

I am going to take a better look at your Crossover Link tommorow (Tuesday evening)- as I'm about to hit the sack now- due to having to get up early for work- and B/F here does NOT like to get up early:)- especially going out in this coooold weather-its in the single digits here in NY. Too cold for my cat even to want to venture outside for a lil' while.

The BA-F1 is a nice amp. BeatleFred-> B/F->Ba-F1 amp, hmmmm, dont tempt me:)

Just curious, how are the power meters registering on each BA-F1 now that youve biamped them?

Since my AU-X1 mishap- I biamped with my AU-20000 on the woofers and the AU-919 on the tweeter/mids. The bass is tremendous with this arrangement. And interestingly enough, when I swapped the amps- with the 170W AU-20K on the high/mids and the 110W AU-919 now on the woofers- the sound became less bass and more brighter. Hmmm.... that might dispute what some folks believe about all amps sounding the same, Let the controversy begin!......

*** As for the AU-X1: I called the Sound-Smith place today- they are supposedly top -notch repair specialists. I explained the backgd with the amp and its problems- the shop offered their symapthies but they told me their firm policy is not to work on anything that was previously tampered with or worked on by other people. So I said Thanks and goodbye. (Big help they are)
In a way I can understand their attitude, but geez- if its their business to repair audio equipement- and If I'm willingo pay what they charge to fix it, which would certainly not be cheap, then I dont see why they couldntve atleast offered to look at the amp for me and then let me know their prognosis for fixing it. Same with Zuccaro- he has this supposedly great reputation for fixing anything- yet when you offer him something a little challenging- he becomes reluctant to deal with it. If he doesnt want to, fine, but then my view of him or the other place as these "can do it all super- repair guys" has to become somewhat diminished as a result.

Anyway- I just saw someone a lil' earlier Online post a Want Ad for an AU-X1 so I emailed him and told him the situation- so if he's still interested, he can get back to me. Otherwise, there's still a few more people I know who might be able to offer some assistance in this matter that I will be in touch with in the next few days

B/F.

[RobV]

B/F,

I believe the RSIII lists for about $400, but they go for $200-250 on ebay. I definitely recommend it. The bass EQ/analyzer lets you adjust for room acoustics, like the 60hz standing wave peak I have. The crossover uses plug-in modules that you can solder yourself with a handful of resistors from RS, or call them and order one in whatever frequency you desire for $17 (priority mail).

The BA-F1s' tweeter channel power meters peak at about 1/10 the watts of the bass channels' output. Something like 0.1 watts tweeter to 1.0 watts bass at a typical semi-loud level. I have the bass output dialed to '10' and the tweeter channels set at '5', and the crossover is at 2500hz.

Seems like those repair places don't really want the challenges, but they can't get the parts any more, so I can understand why they would rather not take the 'tough' jobs.

RobV