Absurd !!! that's unacceptable. Good you found an alternative dealer, any reputable shop should be happy to do the service. Quick note on the upgrade/job itself. It takes very little time, I got mine back the next day (once the parts were in, and that only took a day).
Your reference to the upgrade eliminating most of the fatigue and brightness, depends on what else you are using really. For example, I will be leaving Bryston for tubes soon to warm and hopefully soften some of the edgy or crispyness of the upper end of my FB1s. My cabling requires some work too so....
Regardless, the '+' install is great. I've been burning mine in for a week now and every day I notice an improvement.
Nice view by the way.

gelmhirst June 10, 2005 02:40

Thanks Gelmhirst. I do find them a bit fatiguing now and also a bit bright. I've been told that the upgrade will eliminate most of that?? I actually bought the FB1's on audiogon and when I was looking into pricing for the upgrade, my local PMC dealer told me that they would not install the upgarde because I didn't buy the speakers from them. I think that I have finally found a dealer (non PMC dealer) that will do it for me when the time comes.

pilotboy June 10, 2005 01:43

Pilotboy, if you love the FB1s now, do the upgrade, I did...little investment for huge return.

gelmhirst June 08, 2005 15:17

System edited: Moved into a new apartment. I think that I'm going to put some effort into the room acoustics and see if I can soften up the sound a bit.

pilotboy June 06, 2005 21:55

Thanks! I got the maple at a local hardwoods supplier. It started off as a 2 1/4" x 7 x 10" rough cut board. I am still considering a turntable, the same as yours in fact, but I think I am going to upgrade the rest of my system first. A Bryston pre and 3bsst amp to go with the PMC's. It's sounding better all the time!!

pilotboy March 26, 2005 07:21

hello Pilotboy,great looking rack!!! built like a tank too,,,where did you get the e.maple at?are you still considering a turntable?your set up is looking great also,what kinds of music do you enjoy?

raytheprinter March 25, 2005 21:50

System edited: Well the new equipment rack is done. It went through some design changes with the help of this forum. Originally it was to have three legs and be two seperate, stacked shelf units. I went with four legs to make sure that there was no obstruction for connections in behind. The seystem is still stackable. When the time comes, I will drill small divits in the tops of all four legs to accept another shelf unit to sit on top using brass points for feet. For the unit I already made, the shelves made of 2" thick solid eastern maple. The legs are 1 1/2" stainless steel tubing which have 1/4" stainless plate welded perpendicular and then drilled so I could scew up into the maple using 1 3/4" stainless bolt. The legs are capped off using 3/8" thick slices of solid stainless pipe welded in the ends and let shaved smooth on a lathe. The bottoms are drilled to accept 3?8" threaded (for leveling) Mapleshade carpet piercing brass feet. I had initially intended it to be able to hold about one hundred pounds, but now that it is done, I'll conservatively estimate each shelf can hold easily over 500 pounds. A bit of overkill, but thats how I like to build things. Eventually I will build more of these units to stack up as I get more equipment, capped off with a 3" thick shefl for a turntable.

pilotboy March 25, 2005 04:19

System edited: Bought a used Pioneer Elite DV-05. Huge upgrade on audio and video compared to the Toshiba. One of the lowest priced THX Ultra certified DVD players. Only problem is that it has a noisy transport and because my seating position is quite close, it could get annoying. The more I listen to the PMC FB-1's, the more I like them. Very pleased. I am however considering down the road getting the upgrade for them to the FB-1+ model. The upgrade consists of a new soft dome tweeter from the OB-1 and an upgraded crossover. Currently they can sound a bit bright and I'm a bit worried that when I get my Krell KAV300i back from Krell, they might sound even more bright??

pilotboy January 24, 2005 18:13

System edited: Just got the PMC's today. I love them! I'm running it through the receiver right now because my integrated amp is in for servicing with Krell. Can't wait to get it back. I decided to add the ht stuff because it was in some of pictures anyways.

pilotboy January 21, 2005 03:51

I would consider a DIY phono stage. To start the Hagerman Bugle is supposed to be in thec. $500 Black Cube league, FWIW. You can build it with either 9V battery power or a 15V AC power supply. The kit, parts, power supply parts, and chassis should run about $1745 or under $200 altogether. The battery powered unit would be even cheaper.

Some more upmarket DIY phono stages would be the Hagerman cornet, Bottlehead Seduction, or Transcendent Sound Phono stage.

As for tables, a VPI HW-19 will likely be a bit better than a Rega P3 for maybe the same or a little more money. But that's up to you. I imagine you know all of the usual candidates for entry-level analog in this price range (music hall, rega, etc). You might also consider the OEM regas sold under the NAD and Moth brands. You might find a steal of a price there.

aroc January 02, 2005 14:48

Sorry, I have no suggestions for your phono question, but I've had a pair of Sttafs for 2 years now, and am using them in my primary stereo system. Recently I began to explore upgrading to either the Forest, or Mani-2 (also considering a couple of other lines). Since my main desire was more low end, I bought a REL Storm III sub. That cured my upgrade itch (for now). It integrates perfectly with the Sttafs, and the whole system sounds incredible.

bdgregory December 29, 2004 04:13

System edited: Moved up from Mites to Sttafs. Down the road I'd like to get the Hawks but so far I think that these will do just fine for now!

pilotboy December 29, 2004 00:17

i hardly use my home theater either,,but im a pack rat so i havent been able to bring myself to sell it.as for a phono preamp i had a musical fidelity XLPS for a while,it was pretty good for the price,i hear the newer version is better,or you could buy something a bit better buying used ,also when you get your TT try to get a record cleaning machine too,,makes a big diff,even with new LPs,ive learned a lot on audiogon in the last year or so,but still have a lot to learn,audiogon members have helped me out alot,great bunch of people,welcome!

raytheprinter December 12, 2004 16:40