Jack Dotson

Hello all. I've been away from the audio/HT world for awhile. I moved across country and recently bought a new home which has built in cabinets in the front of the room.. In our last home my L/C/R speakers were Cornwall III's and a KLF-C7, L/R Surrounds were in-wall's that stayed with the home and a SVS large cylinder sub. I really liked this rig, but unfortunately I don't have the space in our new home. Front of new home has a gas fireplace in the middle with the shelves to each side that run to the ceiling. The bottom of the cabinets are enclosed with doors. The top selves are open with a divider in the middle. The openings are 20" wide, but that's with a lip so inside I have a bit more space. Shelves are adjustable so height is not an issue for the L/R speakers. A 58" plasma will mounted over the fire place and will have to install a speakers just above or below. I also have some clearance each side so two on-wall's used for the center is a possibility as well. We had the house pre-wired for 5.1 surround. L/R rear speakers will be to the sides of the listening position. Because of the open lay-out there is no way to install speakers to the rear, so I will have to go with a 5.1 set-up. So, I will be looking to sale of my CW-III's, CLF-7 and SVS sub (if you're near Chesapeake and are interested give me a shout) and replace them smaller speakers that will work in our new home. I'm getting older and rarely listen to music these days, so my primary objective in outstanding HT performance. I would like to keep my budget under what I get from the sale of my current speakers and sub. As I said, I've been out of this for awhile so I need to find out what that amount is. BTW, I need to figure out a way for the sub to be stealth. One of the bottom cabinets would be great, but I doubt it would work with these being enclosed with only a small gap between the doors. Anyhow, I'm open to suggestions. Well, there it is so if any of you have some ideas/recommendations I'd really appreciate it.

Assuming the Cornwall III's have a similar response curve they should not be a difficult load for any amp, including the low powered tube units I'm looking at. Thanks so much for the help.

Has anyone tried bi-amping their Cornwall III's? I can get a pretty good deal on a Dared/Vuum/Fat-man 15 wpc hybrid integrated amps. I was thinking that I could use one amp for both woofers or do a vertical bi-amp using one amp on each speaker. Do you guys think it would be worth the effort or would performance improvements be minimal? Thanks.

I'm sure the horns would be fine, but if it's not that much more why not have the extra power? Let us know how things turn out. After my experience with this sweet little hybrid amp I'm thinking of putting some tubes in my main system as well.

Since you have to double power to achieve a 3dB level increase, then your PMC's would have required 256 watts to achieve 111 dB and 512 for 114 dB. The CW's are rated at 101 dB so it will only take them 8 watts to produce 110 dB, 16 watts or 113dB and a whopping 32 watts for 116 dB. I have a pair of Cornwall II's and Zu Druids (the Druids are also rated @ 101 dB) in a room that is 12" 3" x 12" 8" . Yesterday I bought a small hybrid amp that came as part of a ipod rig of all things, but I bought it for the amp. The system is called the HCT-100 and came with the integrated amp, iPod dock and two small speakers, but after doing some research I found the amp under several different names (the Vuum is identical to my rig): http://www.vuumaudio.com/products.htm http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue24/dared_mp5.htm http://www.fat-man.co.uk/docs/product/itube_1.htm It's a 15 watt hybrid unit (tube pre/mosfet amp) and you wont believe how good it sounds or how loud it plays with either pair of speakers. I couldn't believe it. Turn it up half way and it will run you out of the room. And I like to listen to my music fairly loud. Robust full bass, warm liquid mids, and highs that are soooo sweet. I like the way this little amp sounds in this room better than my main rig which has a Arcam pre and Acurus A-200 amp. I doubt it would be enough power for my main rig as it's in a big room with open floor plan and high ceilings. However, if the amplifier section were also tube powered it would be that much stronger. Bottom line is that I could easily get by with 50 watts of tube power in the big room, probably even less. I was even kicking around the idea of buying two of these and bi-amping the CW III's. Hope this help.

Has anyone been able to locate the measurements for the CW-III's. I'm particularly interested in the impedance curve so I can determine maximum and minimum impedances and at what frequencies. Thanks.

Conrwall III's in the house!![] When I got home from work yesterday evening the delivery truck pulled up at the same time. I didn't expect them until next Tuesday or Wednesday, so you can imagine my surprise. I ordered these from a dealer in Wisconsin on Tuesday, they were shipped via economy freight through BAX on Wednesday and delivered to my door in south TX Friday evening. That would never have happened with UPS or FedEx. The only issue was that the bottom of one of the boxes was was barely hanging on as it had gotten wet. The driver said they had allot rain in the mid-west lately and that someone probably set the box on the wet ground somewhere. Fortunately, the speakers were wrapped in thick plastic and the inside of the box was still dry and both speakers were in good shape. Anyhow, I got them hooked up and they sounded just wonderful right out of the box. Of course it's going to take awhile for them to break-in properly so I'll not try to do a comparison to the II's at this point in time. However, it's already obvious to me there are some minor differences. The bass is tighter and the overall sound seems a bit more balanced. OK, back to the listening chair. Just wanted to share my excitement.

Ah, yes! If I only had the space. I don't understand why Klipsch hasn't added a small center to match the Heritage line. It seems they could sell them easily considering how hard it is to find an Academy these days.

Thanks for the kind words from everyone. It's going to be fun comparing the new with the old. To be honest, I don't expect miracles, but looking at the specs it appears as though the III's have better extension at both ends, which should be a good thing. Anyone know if any of the new center speakers have the same tweet or mid-range as the III's? Probably not, but thought I'd ask.

Daddy Dee, thanks for the info. OK guys, I took your word for it. Just bought a pair of CW-III's. They're even in black, so no panic over refinishing this time. They will have to be shipped so I should have them some time next week. I will more than likely be putting my very nice CW-II's up for sale once received, so if anyone close to south TX is looking for a nice pair of oiled oak's drop me a line. No boxes, so they can't be shipped. BTW, my wife encouraged me to "just go ahead and buy the new one's in black so they match our entertainment center". I knew there was a good reason I married this women.[]

Can you order the III's from Klipsch direct or did you have to go through a dealer?

What are those amps on top of your LaScalla's? And BTW, what part of TX?

Ron, what did you do with the KLF-C7? I'm looking at center channel options for my CW's as well, but have space limitations.

Thanks for all the responses so far, but I did forget to add that I'm working with some serious space constraints. I have a large entertainment center between the CW's and my only options are to place it in the rack just below my TV, or a space that's approximately 28"W x 11"H above. To make matters even worse, we have an open floor plan from the living room (where the CW's are) to the kitchen and breakfast areas. I've been using a pair of Sonance in ceilings which are barely to the rear of the listening position. The living room ceiling is ~ 14', but there is a drop of 2' to the kitchen area and there is a partial wall at the top of the ceiling where I might be able to add something better than in-ceilings. This is one of the reasons I've been wanting to audition the RF-83's so badly. I knew that I could pretty easily match them for HT performance, but I do so love the sound of the Heritage line and it seems most think the 83's would be quite a step down. Too bad! You would think the speakers would actually improve as the years and technology's advance. Just goes to show how great Paul's original designs were to start with. Anyhow, thanks again and please keep the responses coming. I'm open to all ideas and suggestions.

I've just about decided that I must leave the CW II's in my main system. Yes, they even bettered the Zu's which I love. Problem is that this is a multi-purpose rig used for both two channel audio and HT, so I need to find a center and surrounds that will mate well with my CW's. Can anyone provide some recommendations of which speakers would be a good match? Especially the center channel. Thanks,

I've only had mine set-up in my living room for a couple of days, but I've spent quite some time with placement. What works best in my room is to have them positioned so they cross at a point just behind my head and about 11" from the back inside corners to the wall behind them. However, I have them this far from the wall only because they sit next to an entertainment center so I have to make sure the front of the speakers are out further than the front of the entertainment center. Otherwise, I don't think the positioning in relation to the rear wall is that critical as they are front ported. Less tow-in and you widen the sound stage, more tow-in and you tighten up the image, get more focus, etc., but at the expense of sound stage width. At the end of the day it really does depend on your preference. A good place to start is to just point them at your listening position and ensure they are equal distance to the listening position if possible and go from there. Of course corner placement will increase bass reinforcement.

Sweet!

Hello all. Some of you may recall that I recently picked up a nice pair of Cornwall II's. I've been doing allot of research; browsing eBay, Audiogon, etc. looking for a nice integrated or receiver and CDP. Well I couldn't take the waiting any longer so I ran down to Circuit City and picked up the cheapest receiver I could find to hold me over until I find something I like. I bought a Sherwood receiver (RX-4105) for $100 and brought it home not expecting much. To my surprise this cheapo receiver sounds pretty darned good with the Cornwall's and much better than expected. It easily drives the Cornwall's and even manages a decent sound stage. Not great mind you, but much better than I would have thought possible with a receiver of this price. I realize the CW's are very efficient speakers, but it also drives the big 15's quite easily and the bass is deep and powerful. BTW, the source is not all that great either. I'm using an old Pioneer LD player that I've had for many moons. Is it even possible to make these speakers sound bad? In my other post I asked for some recommendations for associated equipment, but got very few replies, so I thought I would try again. I'm looking for a two channel integrated or receiver and CDP or possibly a universal DVDP. I'd like to stay under a grand with a maximum limit of $1500. I listen to classic rock, jazz and country. It's hard to get anything out of professional reviews as they all seem to love everything they test, not to mention synergy. So I figure why not check with those of you who own the Klipsch Heritages to find out what has worked well for you. I'm seriously kicking around the idea of tubes somewhere in the chain. Anyhow, I just wanted to share this experience and see if I could coax some more input for equipment recommendations. Thanks.

Cornwall II's in the house! Picked them up yesterday and they were exactly as the guy described. Incredible condition for a pair of 17 years old speakers. And you guys were right about the finish, the oiled oak is just too nice to mess with. Now I have to put together some electronics so I can put them to use. I will probably buy used and will be in the market for a new integrated, CDP and maybe even a TT. Considering tubes, but I also see that many seem to like the Mac gear with these speakers. Any recommendations for gear that has good synergy with these speakers?

Thanks Tom.

Made the deal for the Cornwall's and will pick them up within the next couple of days. Wahoo! [] I think I got a good deal @ $800 for the pair and the guy even offered to build me a set of risers. The serial numbers are 90015471 and 72 and they are type C OO. I think this was the last year of production for the II's and the current owner said they're "perfect". Man, it's been many years since I've listened to the CW's. I'm excited to see just how good my memory is and to compare them to my current speakers (Zu's, which I really like). I've decided these will be go into a spare bedroom 12 x 14' as part of a two channel rig I'm going to put together. Thinking about adding a nice integrated tube amp and CDP. If you have any recommendations about what equipment you've found to have good synergy with your Klipsch, please chime in. OK, I'll shut up now. I'm excited and am starting to get long winded. Sorry about that.

I contacted Klipsch parts and was told I can't purchase risers from them. Therefore, I thought I would check to see if anyone happens to have a set they would like to sell. The speakers I'm buying are oiled oak, but it's not critical that I get an exact match, although it would be nice. Also, the guy I'm buying the speakers from said he is a wood worker and offered to make me a pair if I could provide him with the dimensions. If anyone has this information I sure would appreciate it. Here's the response from Klipsch for other who might be in the same boat: Jack, That is a cabinet part that we do not sell through parts. You would have to contact your nearest authorized Klipsch dealer. You might also go to our website and log on to the Klipsch Forum. We have a large group of Klipsch audio fans who buy, sell and trade hard to find parts. One of them may be able to direct you to some risers. Thank you

Thanks for the continued responses. And thanks for the invites to listen. Really wish I was in a position to take you up on the offer. Who knows, we might even cool a few. [H] I made the guy an offer on the Oak Cornwall II's and am waiting for his response. I'm going to have to find or make some risers if the sell works out, but that shouldn't be that tough. Maybe I can buy a pair from Klipsch that comes on the new models? Thanks again to everyone. I'll let y'all know if things work out.

OK, I get it. No refinishing. You guys are right of course. [:$] I'm afraid my suggesting I might paint these speakers caused such an uproar that my other questions might have been obscured. I would still like to hear your thoughts on which version you like and why. I could definitely live with the darker colored CW I's that are on eBay, but the age concerns me (BTW, am I right about the ages and models with the SN's provided?). I'm worried the crossovers, bass drivers and surrounds may be at the end of their life cycle. Some have recommended I get the CW III's and this is always an option. However, they're quite expensive when you consider I could by 3-4 pairs of CW II's for the same price. Not to mention no place to audition, having to pay full retail (plus shipping), and one speaker retails for almost twice as much as I paid for my last pair of CW-II's about 17 years ago. Are they that much better than the I/II's? Thanks so much for the response so far. You guys are awesome!

I bought some KLF-30's many years after owning my Cornwall's so I never did a direct comparison. However, I bought them hoping to get the Cornwall/LaScalla (which I also owned) magic and was disappointed. Not close IMO.