Hales owners discussion


We may have lost Mr. Hales to professional audio and the factory to history, but these are still fine speakers. I'm curious how others have their's setup, what tweaks they've found that offer improvements to the sound, etc.

Currently my Revelation Threes are ~3.5' from the front wall and 4.5' from the side walls. This is in a volumetrically large space (330 sq. ft.; volume unknown). Setup in a smaller, rectangular room (215 sq. ft.) they were 4.5' from the front and 3.5' from the sides. Straight Cardas method.

On a raised floor they were better without spikes; on a concrete slab the spikes are a must.

Mine are also toe'd in very little. Maybe 20 degrees. I listen in nearfield, btw. Now they're 7' feet apart and 5 feet from the listener. Before it was a 6' triangle.

Anyone tried anything radically different that worked? Mass loading, cones, etc.?

Oh, for reference my system is SF Line 1, McCormack DNA-1, CAL ALpha/Delta for CD, AP Oval 9, HT ProSilways and Illuminati D-60, plus various cones, weights, etc. What others are feeding their Hales with would also be of interest. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
fpeel
Currently using the Hales signature 2's. Driving them with a Jeff Rowland model 8. Would it be a good idea to upgrade to another model or change the amp to a tube amp?
Tube amps, dollar for dollar, with my Hales (T5's) are the way to go! Mine is Audio Research VT100 Mk.II. I consider the Hales to be "forward" or even a touch "hard" in their presentation and the tubes (though no junkyard tubes) have corrected that. When I get my beloved Scott LK150 back from re-jacking, I'll give that a listen too!
I own a pair of Signature One Designer Reference, I drive them with VAC PA 160 Mono Amps/Triode Setting. I used to have a Classe 700S amp. With the SS amp I would become edgey and quickly tire of the music. The tubes while not best in base control ( but better than I thought )were quite good at smoothing out the mids and highs. I cam listen for hours and never tire of the sound. I have owned many speakers and find for overall these rated the best in total satisfaction.
A story on Stereophile's site indicates replacement drivers for Hales speakers are available from Madisound in Wisconsin. The article is located at http://www.stereophile.com/shownews.cgi?1093 Madisound has a Web site at www.madisound.com . Their phone number is 608-831-3433.
Just bringing this thread around to update owners of Hales excellent speakers on parts availability.

Colm