snilsen13

I use a PA5 with my Cornwalls and I even use a PA5 on my Avantgarde Duos. The only turn off for me is the price … too cheap to believe I’m doing justice to the speakers. Almost too small as well, but its big enough to support 2 pair of balanced cables. Even on the Duos they produce no audible background noise. One other caveat. If you leave these amps on in perpetuity, like for months, one channel starts making quiet “burps”. Power cycling the amp takes care of that. Maybe that’s fixed in the redesign. They might be over-crowding the components. I would like to have this amp in a bigger case with the circuitry more spaces out. By comparison, I have used PP (old Scott) and SET (2a3, 45, and more) amps. My favorite were point-to-point wired 45 SET monoblocks, but these PA5 amps hold their own against any of them. They also run more quietly and on a lot less energy. But no, not quite as amazing as a good pair of 45 SET monoblocks - they don’t quite transmit THAT level of detail, but for that you’ll pay 10x more. Sorry to jump back in with a bandwagon-like fanboy post, but I figure the experience of using these with the ultra efficient Duos could be useful.

This may had been a nobrain experiment to do before I wrote the board, but I didn't think it would be worth it, until I read Larry's post. So, I bregudgingly unpacked my Shure V15V, which I had concluded needed a new needle, and I am trying it out. So far, it's a substantially less tinny or hollow sounding to my ears and maybe it never needed a new needle after all, I'm not detecting any graininess in the cymbols, they sound rightous. This all makes sense, since the V15 has such even frequency balance. Still, a warmer sound might be just the thing, so I look forward to hearing the Denon I orderd. Thanks for the feedback Klipsch forum. A different cart is what I need/needed. Digital is still surprisingly less expensive to get right than I had previously thought, in fact potentially cheaper than analog if you've got a good digital output on your computer. Here's my tip to the board: the EAD DSP-7000 mk2 (or mk3 I suppose) is a great sounding DAC, with excellent build quality. At one point I saw 3 of them at once on Audiogon. -Steven

"Tinny and hollow" relative to digital. Certainly, horns, bass and strings still sound more detailed on analog, but the high end isn't as silky or ear pleasing as the upgraded digital (diagnosis: time for a new needle? doesn't make sense, there's no sibilance or other associated symptoms). In fact, there seems to be a general problem with depth and soundstage accuracy that may be contributing to an unpleasant "hollow" sound (diagnosis: probably everything to do with the tinniness). My conclusion is my cart is known for being tinny in some systems and may be the culprit. Can anybody back me up or suggest any other possible sources for concern?

So, I thought I was a through and through vinylphile, but I recently upgraded my digital and my amp (modified LK-72) to the following and now I can't get over how great it sounds: iMac > digital out > EAD DSP-7000 mk2 > Scott LK-72 On the analog end I had a great set up (I thought) AT 440 MLa / SME 3009 / Thorens TD160S My records sound hollow and tinny by comparison. They do sound good, but they aren't as astoundingly better than digital as they used to be. My first thought is to try a different cart (I've ordered a Denon 160)... argh. The phono section of the amp has all new parts Hovland and Auricaps. Considering how good the digital path sounds I'm afraid of how much I may spend to upgrade my analog path and begin listening to all my records again! And, no, I don't plan to sell the collection or give up on analog. What I want to know is if I'm headed in the right direction with the cart change or if I should be rethinking that upgrade path. Thanks! -Steven

Not to worry. I won't cause any hearing loss with my 3 Watts..... oh man, but someday! -S

I saw this pair FS just 30 miles away and ... YES! These are pretty rare around here. CD-BR, walnut stain. I like them much more than the black pair I had a year ago. Oh these sound so sweet compared to the Heresy that were filling the gap... oh, so sweet, so right, so much more satisfying. -Steven

Thanks for the info Craig! BTW, this Scott (plus your rebuild) keeps surprising me. It's astonishingly good at what it does.

I would like to do some tube rolling in the phono section of my Scott, but how do I distinguish the V1 and V101 12AX7 tubes that (I think) belong to the phono section from the other 2 that belong to the tone controls. I don't have a manual but I've looked at the schematic, which shows me nothing about where these tubes pop up on top. BTW, I really love the phono section on this baby. It makes any record fun to listen to. I've finally given in to how fun it is, despite any short coming you may think it has. To think I was actually thinking of giving it up a few years ago. Whew. It's just recently earned a permanent place in my steadily refining stereo.

Instead of an all-in-one box, buy separate amplifiers. For home theater, you have to try the Tripath amp design, after using class AB, class A, SET and PP, I still can't think of a better amp for HT than tripath-chip platform amps (I tried the cheap Sonic Impact and the slightly better, but discontinued, TEAC). Vocals were sooo present, there was no lack of bass or treble, and the only reason they failed me is that they didn't synergize well with my analog front end. Guess what though, I plan to get one for my office and the speakers you traded me, where my front end will be digital and I want their dark and dry sound, which isn't the least bit fatiguing. Specifically on your pair of Cornwalls, and I should know. They don't require a preamp, they have volume controls on them, and you can buy good ones for $100... DVD/CD player > amps > speakers. Clean, simple, easy, great sound. Oh, you want remote volume control? Well, that comes when you can afford a good HT pre-amp. There may even be a 5-channel tripath-based HT receiver out there within your price range. Bottom line. In the realm of CD sound, where a decent detail and a stable image is inexpensively obtained, you must strongly consider the chip amps. -Steven

Thanks for the kind words Joe. Indeed, the ''78 Heresys sounded almost as good as the '77 Cornwalls, but were not as open and natural sounding when vocals/instruments that relied on the woofer. However, that's just what Cornwalls do best, right? I've got to say that the Heresys are as easy as pie to position for a surprisingly clear image. I also like that their blond stain matches one of my LP cabinets. Moving to a smaller place won't be so bad now, but I will be looking for some larger cabs again, someday. Regarding our A/B: the Heresys were on the floor pointing directly into the thick futon couch (no upward tilt), while the Cornwalls stood behind them on the wall. Both were driven by amplification that mates very well with Cornwalls: either a passive into 3W SET (Cornwalls here) or a 6DJ8-tubed preamp into class A SS (Heresys here) and both used the same analog source. I won't defend the science, but I think this pairing gave us a fair idea. BTW, I could easily hear the treble extension the Crites tweeter in the Cornwalls had over the stock K77 in the Heresys. They didn't take anything away from the few recordings with real timber extension we sampled either, which were Miles Davis "Cooking" and the famous Brazilian, Joyce "Femenina". Well worth a listen if you can.

obstreperous! ha! Depends on whether or not you play Merzbow. As always, with Merzbow and his musical ilk, YMMV. I'll tell you what, they do "loom" in the room if you pull them off the wall. If their in dark corners, they "meld" or "camouflage"... and when powered by clean amplification they always "sing", but "in fact" most amplifiers that are not "bright" work "well". The only descriptions I care for are the relative type. Like, these sound different in a way that I really enjoy than did prior to Bob Crites' upgrades. I like the Cornwalls MUCH better than the $500 bookshelf speakers they replaced in every way (Odyssey Audio Epiphany, which qualify as a "great buy"). Other systems I've had the pleasure of enjoying include PSB Gold i w/ tubes/SS and Triangle Antels w/ 300B SET. I wish I could put those Triangle speakers next to the Cornwalls in the same room. Talk about DIFFERENT! Both are great, both are worth consideration. Again, the PSB very different. It's amazing how 3 different speakers with 3 different design philosophies can all sound so identifiably different, but it's hard to give the nod to any of them. On the used market, these are all pretty closely priced options, the differences should be considered a wash. This is a great hobby, exploring different synergies can be a great joy. So, as I prefaced, I need to downsize. My next system will be Spendor S3/5 with a small ML sub, which cost me $1100... and uh, maybe this is where I psychologically get my price figure. I'm motivated by pleasing my wife, who loves to listen to her mom's Roger LS3/5a with Adcom components. She seems very happy I involved her in the decision. I'm looking forward to comparing them to the Cornies. (Method: I plan use the phono section of my Magus preamp, the tape out into a 3W 6B4G SET for the Cornies. At the same time I can run the line out of the pre to a 50W class A SS for the Spendors.) These are just on the total opposite ends of the speaker design spectrum. We all know the Cornies. The Spendors are small sealed monitors that are supposedly more resolving than the LS3/5a, which they stopped making (to make these instead I guess). Both types of of speakers are popular are supposed to be very honest to the recording. What a great hobby! -S

Uh... hmmm. Maybe I've been misusing this word for the last 10 years. I was trying to say that black speakers are more servile to the decor of certain a room. Compliant to the decor is probably better word choice, but I'm at a loss for the "right word". Generally, can inanimate objects be emotive? I'm not really sure if audio reviews use language like this. -S

Huh? Let's see, if I could drive to Brookline easily I could compare my options. Maybe I could get Budman's Cornwalls packed&delivered for maybe $250 if I'm lucky. Then I could spend $360 on upgrades, and sepdn a few hours getting them installed. Now Budman's cost me $1400 by comparison, to be the sonic equal of mine. For an added $300 in finishing work, these too could look spectacular, but not everybody needs perfect looking speakers, and these "things" look pretty good in my living room IMHO. Lacquered black and Brazilian Rosewood are like opposite ends of the spectrum. Not everybody wants a big blocks of wood grain in their living room, black is the much more obsequious and perfect for any HT or dark listening room. Once you go black, baby, you don't go back. Black is obviously a much cooler color too.

ARGGGHHHH! Go see "Shady Lane" at the AA for details on the "check scam" currently operating under the "Greg" moniker. He had me going on the idea that he would arrange for them to be picked up, but was too busy to come by first... I thought "maybe a rich foreigner?", then I checked Shady Lane this morning after he passed on a strange run around. So they're back on the market. If anybody would show some interest, come over and hear them, I'm sure you would have a hard time leaving without them. If I can't get rid of them by July, I'll use them in place of table ends in my future office... the other faculty may eye this with suspicion. On the other hand, they can make for good conversation and keep me in the office longer. It's a pretty nice sized office. Anybody here have experience with this conundrum?

Well, I found a buyer. Not what I expected, as he's taking responsibility with shipping them. I think the Cornwall market took a little slid in the last few years. I would say if I can get myself another pair for $1000 or less, I will, once I have the space again someday. Really an awesome speaker. If it falls through, I will re-alert the forum. -Steven