[sietekk]

Hey Everyone!

Newbie audiophile here! Excited to poke around these forums after finding the GR Research videos on Youtube. I'm an avid streamer of music, but I have always found the sound quality of streamed material to be lacking. That has led me down the rabbit hole of trying various types of equipment and speakers. I've even discovered vinyl in the process and love it! But that's why I'm here: to learn more about how to best setup the perfect system for me.

I'm also an avid fan of vintage electronics, and have a refurbished Marantz 300DC power amp and 3250B preamp on the way to my house. I have the Klipsch RP-8000F floor speakers (yes, I ordered the upgrade kit ), and several other Klipsch speakers including an SPL-150 subwoofer.

I'm eager to learn more though about DIY speakers and subwoofers to figure out how I can get the best quality sound possible for my favorite types of music, which are metal and bass heavy, old school EDM (The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, etc). I guess those groups are called old school now... maybe I'm becoming old school at 36 years old... 

I'm assuming I'm in the minority here with my taste of music, but just like all of us, I want to hear the music as it was recorded. If the track is the amazing live recording of the Architects playing Animals at Abbey Road, I want to hear it as it was intended! If it's a grungy recording of Black Flag from the back of some bar in the early 80s, I want the grunge along with the music!

The problem I've run into, is my taste in music corresponds to overblown, muddy bass that lacks that distinctive punch-in-your-chest you get at a concert. The issues with my RP-8000Fs is exactly what was described in the video on the GR Research page with their corresponding upgrade kit. Separates haven't been too kind to me too, but I am enjoying this Cambridge Audio AXR85. I just haven't found a system made of corporate designed and built parts that comes together as the perfect whole.

I'm also very much into DIY projects, so I think I may finally be in the right place to build a system I'll fall in love with. I'm also hoping to learn from all of you to become a better, more experienced listener of music.

Thanks for having me, and I look forward to participating here! Have a great day!

Mike

[Lagavulin16]

Welcome Amigo!!
Klipsch survivor speaking for myself.
This forum surpasses all that iv joined over the years, knowledge base is phenomenal!

[borism]

Welcome Mike!

There is a lot of useful information here.

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC Mike   

[JLM]

Welcome Mike!

What streamers have you tried?  I'm a "speaker/room guy" so not particular about sources.  Have an audio bud who is in his 30's who is also into vintage stuff and has never bought vinyl or a CD (only streams and has a nice system).

Much of the vintage stuff, especially loudspeakers have mushy, exaggerated bass as that was what sold in the 60's and 70's pop/rock music.  For decades Klipsch was designed to go best with tubes, thus their high efficiency/high output.  Concerts are usually the worst standard to judge sound quality by as their goal is high sound pressure levels (that "punch in the chest" you mentioned) and their environments are horrible. 

DIY is a slap in the face to quality manufacturers who have deep R&D resources and make their own parts.  DIY has disadvantages:  no chance to audition; strong "proud papa" syndrome; chance to make mistakes; amateurish/outdated designs that try to fit a limited parts list.  Recommend auditioning quality gear before investing time/money into the unknowns of DIY.

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome to AC