Tom Adams

<Tom re-enters the fray> James McCall said: "So how did we get to 2 channel vs. HT?" Because all good threads have carefully designed tangent paths just waiting for someone to take?? I'd like to re-address something I said and possibly clarify a point. I mentioned that I appreciate what HT has done, but fear it's come at the expense of 2ch. What I mean by this is that when you see an ad or hear a sales pitch of Klipsch Reference Series, it's always in reference (no pun intended) to HT applications. Even the Legend Series was treated to this to some extent. So why aren't we seeing equal air-time being given to the 2ch. virtues of the RF series? Furthermore, if HT or multi-channel is really where we're heading, why isn't there any touting by the LLC of the performance of the Heritage series in HT applications? Many of us here know that Heritage series work just as well, maybe even better, than the RF stuff. But there's no press to that effect. My feeling is that the Heritage series are percieved to be some niche 2ch speakers. And if the road we're heading down is multi-channel, and the only speakers the LLC associate with multi-channel are the RF's, then what is the long term prospect of the Heritage line? Hmmmmmm......I wonder. Tom Adams

I've caught a few minutes of the Blue Man Group and while I thought their show was kinda cool, I personally didn't find them all that talented - technically speaking. I mean, their instruments are amplified and therefore the bass extension is easily enhanced. If you're looking for not only entertainment, but true musicianship, try to see Blast. Their show grew outta drum & bugle corps competition and is principaly the Star of Indiana corps. It is one amazing show combining various elements of dance, drum corps, and brass. The deep bass you hear is from big honkin' (tuned, I might add) drums, not some synthesized 12" drum head. In case you're curious, go to: www.blasttheshow.com Tom Adams

Can't resist this thread. I find myself in both camps, but up until just recently that wasn't true. After many years away from this hobby, I re-entered it due mostly to the HT experience. And as time marched on over the last 6 or so years, my system and emphasis has been on HT gear. So much so that I did an enormous amount of head scratching and planning of my HT for our new house. However, that all changed three Sundays ago when I hauled into my living room my new (old) Cornwalls. Since they've been in my house, I find myself listening more & more to 2ch. stereo (the way the sound was mixed down BTW) instead of 5ch. stereo. And for the life of me I can't understand why I'm enjoying 2ch. so much more. Has the 5ch. newness worn off?? Hell, maybe it's the Denon, I dunno. All I know is that my mind now thinks in terms of two distinct "systems", if you will. Those being a 2ch system for audio and multi channel for HT. I'm an audio store's dream. I'm glad HT is here and I'm glad that companies are devoting resources to push the envelope and bring serious gear to us. OTOH, I'm saddened that this HT explosion may come at the expense of 2ch. stereo. <rhetorical question> Can any of us 30 years from now expect to be reading posts from folks who are selling their vintage RF-7's? Better yet, folks buying 30 year old RF-7's and talking about them like some us do about our Cornwalls, K-Horns, LS, et. al.??? Tom Adams ps: Yeah - I kinda think the Henry Rollins photo is goofy. But no more so than the like, you know, the implied valley girl, like tone of voice of you know, like "copper is so very in".

Ohhhh...ok. Thanks The_Shark for clearing that up. As you can clearly see, I'm not a "tube" man. However, I still contend that Chris needs to asses what he has to deal with before he runs out and starts buying stuff. Assuming the worst case, where he does indeed have to deal with forced cooling in order to achieve proper cooling of the amp, Chris would still need to know what his max temps were and what flow he'd need in order to pull the air temp down to a safe level. Hey - didn't I say I was over-simplifying? Now I'm suggesting doing a mass flow calculation. Sheesh!! Tom Adams

Ooooops - sorry avman, shoulda read your post before I posted. Hmmmm....your point about having to stick the emitters directly over the IR receiver is a good one. I'd prefer the type that floods the area with IR. Your comment about the "peephole" units has me reconsidering that as well. We may have to talk some more. Thanks for all the good info/suggestions. Tom Adams

Thanks for the link eq. They've got some pretty cool stuff and exactly what I was looking for - the HotLink Pro. http://www.homs-smarthome.com/8225.html Most excellent! Tom Adams

I'm not a thermal engineer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn a couple of weeks ago. Maybe I'm over-simplifying things here, but if heat is not a factor for the other solid state components (the DVD player and the Denon), then why not put the tubes at the bottom of the stack and let thermodynamics do the rest. The other thing that's not known here is what exactly are the heat loads we're talking about. I mean, how can you determine CFM extraction requirements when you don't have data? And isn't it possible that you really don't have a problem? If it were me, I'd take some Tylenol PM (so you don't wake up starring at the ceiling at 2:30am ), forget about fans & such, install the equipment, play the system and monitor the heat. Then determine if there's really a problem. The Cornwalls don't need much power - therefore the tubes won't be producing *that* much heat, relatively speaking. Remember too that the manufacturers recommendation of one foot is to save his butt and if they design like we do, their safety margin is at least 1.5. Anyhow....just my ramblin' thoughts. Tom Adams

Hey fini - First of all, you and everyone else here can be assured that ALL photos of my gear from now on will have my socks in there somewhere. Maybe I'll offer a prize to the first person to find them. BRAHAHAHA...... Anyhow, if you can find out the brand name of the IR sensor device you saw installed, I would appreciate it. BTW, you said the sensor had wires on it that went to a wiring block. What did that block do and was it connected to anything else? I'm wondering if that "block" just sprayed (for lack of a better term)the inside of the cabinet with IR light??? As for the cabinet, it is a custom built unit made by the same folks that did the kitchen cabinets in our new house. They're not going to be anything real fancy since we wanted the cabinet to blend in with the room. The cabinet maker is very familiar with A/V needs and is including access/provisions for wiring/cabling and heavy duty roll out shelves. The goal was to achieve a built-in bookcase look that also accomodated inconspicuosly the audio equipment. And yes, I fully intend to have photos (including socks ) posted once the unit is installed. I went this custom route because of the length of wall I had to work with and because we never found anything that we really liked or felt would work. And FWIW, I was blown away by the price. Most A/V units we looked at in furniture stores and catalogs were running around $3400 to $3600. My unit is $2100 complete & installed! Nope - never seen Acoustic Alchemy live. Tom Adams

Ok gang...time to access your collective knowledge. My new A/V cabinet should be installed within the next two weeks and I need some info concerning IR remote controlling. The design of the this cabinet results in all of my equipment being behind solid doors and I would like to be able to control various components via remote control without having to open doors. Has any of you tackled this issue? I'm assuming I'll need some type of IR repeater/sensor, but have no idea how they need to be hooked-up or where to get them. Any help would be most appreciated. TIA Tom Adams

Hey doobie - I agree with SickPuppy, if cost is not a factor, go with the RF-7's. If you listen to these things side-by-side to the RF-3's, they'll win hands down. I think it was someone else who said RF-7's were RF-3's on steroids. I've listened to both and the RF-7's blew me away. O

TBrennen said: "fire pinch---I can't speak about RF-3s but when listening to my LaScalas, Cornwalls and other good horns I was so busy listening to the music and how good the actual instruments sounded that imaging and soundstage was the last thing on my mind." <big sigh of relief> Man - I was beginning to think I was the only one who felt this way. I mean, I enjoy sometimes being able to say that I can pick out where a guitar or horn player is "standing", but I've always been much more enamoured with the quality of the sound and it's realism. Maybe because other brands of speakers have a hard time creating this realism, they shoot back with the imaging/soundstage thing. IMHO, I could care less. I want a piccolo to sound like a piccolo, rain to sound like rain and explosions should make my neighbors call the police. Tom Adams

Dope from Hope won't help us cope? Surely that'll make some folks mope. Tom Adams

Congrats fini and welcome to Club Cornwall! You know, if us Cornwall owners keep talking up these wonderful speakers maybe others out there will make noise with enough THD that the LLC will say, "ALRIGHT - enough already. We'll consider adding them to the Heritage line again." OTOH - that would lessen our exclusivity and diminish our snobishness. Anyhow, sorry to hear about your tweeter problems. Hopefully Klipschguy's suggestion of checking the wiring will make things right. When you do finally get to hear them with all components working, you'll be hooked. These things are something else. BTW, after reading about the problems you & others have had with their Cornwalls, I count my blessings that all I'm having to deal with it cosmetic issues. What I find amazing is how well mine perform after having sat idle for almost 10 years! The other thing that blows me away is that these things were designed and built long before massive SS amps, DD & DTS 5.1, DVD, CD's, etc., yet they can handle anything that modern technology can throw at them and do it with the best of the new breed of speakers. A real testiment to the genius of PWK IMHO. Have a great time with your new sonic friends. Post some pics if you can (hell if I can anybody can do it) I'd love to see your Cornwalls. Tom Adams

Nice setup eq!! And a nice job of creating that panoramic shot. Mmmmmm....SVS. Tom Adams

William F. Gil McDermott asked what the fine print said on the arrow placard of my Cornwalls. So here it is: CAUTION On original installation or in changing from vertical to horizontal use (or vice versa) it is important to both woofer and tweeter functions that the bass driver be near the floor and the tweeter as high as possible. IN EVERY CASE ONE ARROW MUST BE POINTING UP. NEVER HAVE EITHER ARROW POINTING DOWN. Tom Adams

Hey eq - I'm with ya man on having to re-listen to all my music. Trouble is...where do you start? I mean, are you like me? I plop in a Tom Scott CD and it no sooner starts playing when I spy an Eagles CD and think "Hey, lemme play dat", but then I see an Aerosmith CD or maybe that Hiroshima CD or the Steely Dan and the Acoustic Alchemy...oh the madness. Can't decide, can't decide. I'd have to agree with boa that the RC-3 isn't quite up to par with our Cornwalls. I too have an RC-3 and while it's pretty decent, I'm not too keen how it matches up vocally to the Cornwalls. Last night I got out one of my poor lonely Heresy's and hooked it up in place of the RC-3 and ohhhhh yeah...that's the ticket. The wife thinks I'm quite mad cause I'm talking and planning about the HT room in our next house and we just moved into this new house back in December!! Doh! Enjoy you Cornwalls - I know I am!! Tom Adams

Ok - First things first. Mr. Fini...those socks don't need to be toed-in, they're direct radiators - especially after a couple of sets of tennis. Pee-yew!! jjt - The Cornwall purchase was not part of my present HT grand plan. I say present, because I have something in mind for the future. What you see is a temporary set-up until my custom made wall unit arrives. My original intent was to use the Heresy's for my L/R front mains now and change them out to a pair of RF?? later. For now, the Cornwalls will reside as you see them and be moved to the emtpy 4th bedroom in our house. There they'll become part of a dedicated 2-ch system. Oh, the center channel you see is an RC-3. One could say the Cornwall purchase was a whim, however, without sounding creepy, I feel there was some invisible hand that pushed gpstrackman & I together. And now that I have them and have spent some time with them, I'm already planning for the dedicated HT room in my next house. I envision that system to include my Cornwalls as front mains and Heresy's for center and surround duty. I really like the sound of the new Ref. stuff, but I just can't tear myself away from the Heritage sound (sorry LLC). But for now, in their temporary home, I absolutely love their sound. So much so, that I wish I had the option of using them for my present HT. But, alas, the custom built wall unit, wasn't designed to accomodate them. Tom Adams

Dan-Oh! asked: "Are your horns on the same side as the PWK emblem, or the opposite side?" The horns are on the same side as the PWK emblems. And yes, I'm a VERY happy buyer. Klipschguy asked: "...Sweet. How do they sound?" They sound exactly like Cornwalls (sorry - couldn't resist ). Seriously, they sound fantastic. There are times when I think the KSW-15 has kicked in only to look over at it and the on/off LED is still red. Mmmmm........bass. Mids & highs are smoother/warmer/mellower. Detail is on par with the Heresy's, but none of the harshness. I can see me finally trying out you tip on my Heresy's now that they're sitting all alone in my PC room. The wife loves the sound of them. Only wishes they were smaller somehow. DougDrake2 said: "Tom - We have the coffee table that matches your end-table in the first photo!!! Want to trade your Cornwalls for it so you have a complete set?" Uhhhh, like no. But if you wanna buy it, it's for sale. Hell, I'll even let ya listen to the Cornwalls when you come to pick it up! Mr. McDermott said: "There seems to be text on the sticker with the up arrows. Can you tell us, or show us, what it says. My guess is that the lowboy orientation (is that correct?) puts the tweeter at the top." I'll look at what it says tonight. And yes, the arrows indicate which way to orient the speaker in order to place the tweeter on top. It also means that the speaker in the photo showing the up arrow sticker(which is the left speaker in the vertical mode), becomes the right speaker in the lowboy mode. Hope that makes sense. I was wondering why they woulda put those up arrow stickers on them until I was informed by Allan Songer that the grills don't come off. Ok, I've answered y'alls questions, so answer one for me. What does my serial no. indicate or tell me? Tom Adams

Here's the last one of them in the living room. You can see my Heresy's hiding behind them and my new Mitsu widescreen. There's also a very nice shot of my socks on the coffee table (oh...that's attractive Tom). Tom Adams

Here some photos of my new Cornwalls. Sorry for the multiple post. One of these days I'm gonna get off my butt and create a webpage like SteveP. Tom Adams

>I do not understand why Klipsch would tolerate a dealer in their own hometown to represent their product in this fashion.< You know speedbump - the flip side to this is that the dealer must have a very large set of b**** to act this way in a manufacturers backyard. Tom Adams

Well...to shed some light at the end of the tunnel (oh hell - it's a train!! ), I'll pass along an incident that happened last week that might bring a smile to the LLC and possibly make some of you envious. <whew - what a sentence Tom> The phone rings and it's my salesman friend from my local Klipsch dealer and he says, "OMG Tom, I've just heard your dream speaker. How fast can you get over here?" Of course I ask him what he's wigged-out over and he says that he's just finished 15 minutes worth of listening to a new pair of RF-7's. "Tom, you really need to come by here and bring music - plenty of music. You won't believe these things. OMG, they're amazing!" Three days later I stop in and the RF-7's are out on the open floor being fed by a Nakamichi receiver. I tell Mark that won't do and he asks what I want them hooked up to. I tell him I wanna hear them on that bad boy CinePro in the backroom. So Mark says cool, gets a hand truck, and relocates them. My point is that I'm very fortunate not only to have a dealer with product in stock to listen to for free (sorry, couldn't resist HornEd ), but a sales person willing to satisfy my request knowing full well I'm not gonna buy the things. Too bad this attitude can't be packaged and shipped to Ovation in Indy. Tom Adams

First of all, thanks Allan for the info about the grills. I will cease & desists and have faith that drivers are actually behind the grill. Ok Allan - showing my ignorance here, but what is a "mud magnet" and are the ones in your photo Alnico? Also, I'm assuming the crossover in your photo is an ALK crossover?? Oh lord...I can feel myself heading down the righteous path of speaker tweeking. Tom Adams

Thanks guys for the congrats and tips on the grills. I tried tugging on the PWK emblem, but didn't wanna pull to hard for just the reason you cited boa. I also tried lightly prying it out, but that didn't work either. Unlike my Heresy's, the grills are recessed at least 1/8" to 3/16" back from the front edge of the speaker making it almost impossible to get something onto the back edge of the grill. Realizing I was tired, I quit trying to get them off for I knew frustration was just around the corner followed by fussin', frammin' and something getting damaged. Ok - so it was really the wife saying, "You better leave well enough alone. You're about to mess things up." LOL - The wife also says while music is playing, "Why do you wanna pull the grills off? Have you no faith? Are you afraid there's no speakers behind there?" LOL - outta the mouths of babes... Tom Adams

Yes indeedie-doo! I'm the proud new owner of gpstrackman's Cornwalls (see my "Warning" post in 2 ch audio). I too am glad to have met and shared some time with two fellow listers here. Wish I coulda stayed longer, but had a long drive ahead of me (boy - is that an understatement). The Cornwalls need some minor TLC and I'm looking forward to providing it. Tom Adams