[MattTCG]

^^ Thank you and I certainly will. I'd love for more people to get to hear the 500c and when the next Canlanta rolls around I'll certainly be bringing it.

 

[levlhed]

No, I just have a lead on some unknown "stereo equipment" that belonged to a former co-worker's husband.  She's recently retired, probably in her mid to late 60's.  She says it is "good stuff", but who knows if she has any clue what "good stuff" even really is?  I will probably be going by her place tomorrow to see if it is anything worth anything.  I doubt she's thinking of giving it to me for free, but I'm also sure she has no idea what anything is worth.  I've no intention of taking advantage....not too much anyway.
 
*Hoping* to come away with a score, but I guess more will be revealed...........

 

[levlhed]

I went over there this eve, sorry to report what I found was a circa 1999 Yamaha A/V Receiver and a small Jensen powered-sub/satellite speakers-in-a-box.
 
Not even close.

 

[captouch]

  Thanks everyone, especially to Moody for the advice and coaching along the way. Before posting those impressions, I started to take a more conservative approach but it wasn't and isn't how I feel about the 500c. It's a piece of gear that inspires when you listen to it. And I wanted to convey that sense of "kid at Christmas" fun that you get when listening to it.
 
After listening to the 500c for several more days, it continues to be every bit as impressive. I've been spending a good bit of time with the Alpha Dog through the "earphone" jack and it's a wonderful experience. Moody's description of the Fisher with planar mags and speaker taps has got that best of me and I'll be trying the Alpha Dog on the Fisher with taps soon. I've also had the chance to try a few pre-amps in front of the 500c all with good results. I'm looking for faults with this old receiver but honestly they are hard to come by.
 
I am looking for "the" pair of vintage speakers to complement the 500c. Moody suggest Klipsch Heresy series so I'm on the lookout. A pair popped up a couple of hours from here but I have not heard back from the seller.
 
The only project that I have for it is a wood cabinet as it came with none. I plan to use some of my free time over the holiday to built a nice hardwood case for it. Other than that, I just plan to listen and enjoy...
 

 
Matt, a couple of thoughts on vintage speakers. . .
 
If you just want smooth, musical sound in a relatively cheap and compact form factor, check out Dynaco A25's.  This is what I'm using in my office setup with a restored Fisher KX-100.  It has what I would consider to be a classic vintage sound - warm and musical.  My only "hesitation" is that the inherent color of the speakers might not reveal 100% of the "holographic" nature of the 500C - their being forgiving probably also means they're not the most transparent.  These typically run in the $150-200 range at market value, but you might stumble across some for much cheaper if you get lucky.
 
On the other end of the spectrum is the Yamaha NS-1000/1000M.    http://www.thevintageknob.org/yamaha-NS-1000.html
 
Yamaha referred to these as large bookshelves, but they're about 26-28" tall and weigh from 68lbs (M version) to 86lbs (non-M version).  Very neutral speaker with beryllium midrange and tweeter and has L-pads to allow you to control the level of these drivers.  It's not a colored speaker at all, but the positive is that instruments sound like the real thing, not a colored version of it. Great air, transparency, and that would probably fit with the 500C well in terms of revealing everything it has to offer.  Downside is that it doesn't look classically vintage and it's much more expensive ($700-1000 ballpark for the black M version, and $1000-1500 for the ebony wood non-M version).  For a main system, could be a great option if you don't mind the looks.  For a secondary/office system, it would most likely be overkill.  If you want the walnut look, the NS-690 has a more traditional look.  No Be drivers, but sounds somewhat similar for much cheaper ($250-350 ballpark) - also very well built, weighs about 60lbs, and has the L-pads for tailoring the sound as well.
 
In terms of vintage, I've been through Wharfedales (W70E's), KLH (20's/17's), Realistic (Nova 6's), ESS (AMT-1b), and the above appealed to me the most.  Of course, tastes are very subjective.
 
That being said, a pair of Klipsch Forte's with ALK crossovers (not owned by me though) sounded very awesome to me as well.  But stock Forte's sounded a bit harsh.  I haven't heard Heresy's, but you might need to do some work on them (crossover upgrades, Ti diaphragms) to get them sounding their best.
 
Good luck with your search.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ Thank you kindly for the information. I did hear back from the Klipsch seller and plan to go out and give those a listen to see how they sound and look. If that trip proves fruitless, I'll look into the Yammies.

 

[vocalstrance]

I have been wanting a pair of the dynaco A25's to replace my rockford fosgate 3 way 6x9's and then get the Bob Latino ST-120. Most of my listening is near field, while i turn up the volume sometimes to listen to the music as I walk about my house in other rooms. I hope this will fulfill my need for power and clarity. My current cheap Fischer amp hums like a beast.

 

[captouch]

I have been wanting a pair of the dynaco A25's to replace my rockford fosgate 3 way 6x9's and then get the Bob Latino ST-120. Most of my listening is near field, while i turn up the volume sometimes to listen to the music as I walk about my house in other rooms. I hope this will fulfill my need for power and clarity. My current cheap Fischer amp hums like a beast.

I'm not sure you need a ST-120 with A25's - seems like overkill. Many receivers/integrateds will sound good with the A25 - they're pretty forgiving speakers based on my experience.

But the ST-120 will nevertheless be nice and can be used for higher end speakers later as needed. You probably just won't hear its full potential with the A25's.

 

[Trav]

I'm on my second pair of A 25's. The first set I ran off a 3 WPC SET and was impressed. Second set paired with (stacked) NHT Super Zero 2.1 paired with Sansui 881 has given me a "subjective" near Zen experience vs money spent. YMMV.

 

[captouch]

I'm on my second pair of A 25's. The first set I ran off a 3 WPC SET and was impressed. Second set paired with (stacked) NHT Super Zero 2.1 paired with Sansui 881 has given me a "subjective" near Zen experience vs money spent. YMMV.

 
The A25's are special speakers, for sure.
 
Back to the topic of vintage receivers. . .
 
I'm likely going to add a nice Sony STR-6060F to the stable.  I'm planning on having it recapped before I lay hands on it, so it'll be awhile until I have my own pictures.  As posted earlier, I like the STR-6055 a lot (and it's original/not recapped), so looking forward to hearing what a recapped 6060F sounds like.

 

[MattTCG]

Well, I spent last night till the wee hours with the 500c with the he560 using the speaker taps.

 
Just a wonderful experience in every regard. The Fisher continues to impress with it's versatility and presentation of music. I mentioned before that the 500c was the best amplifier for the hd800, please add he560 to that list (using speaker taps).
 

 

[SpeakerBox]

Like those cable adapters Matt.  Where did you get them?

 

[MattTCG]

  Like those cable adapters Matt.  Where did you get them?

 
Hand made by a guy over in Alabama. Nice guy...

 

[Anda]

  Well, I spent last night till the wee hours with the 500c with the he560 using the speaker taps.

 
Do you have resistors in parallel to get the right impedance (I suppose the 500c uses output transformers)?

 

[guitarpicker]

have this amp 20$ tx And 7100...with jbl 4411 and L200b...sounds sweet remaber that sound from sx 100o amp i long lost ...sound stage is awesome .

 

[5aces]

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649158310-klipsch-forte-original-mint-condition/ + used tube amplifier = not disappointed.