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Thanks Mike! It's been a learning experience, and a fun one at that. The only thing I can compare them with directly, meaning a side-by-side A/B test, is my upgraded KG4s (that have been relegated to zone 2/basement duty for the time being). I first assembled them three weeks ago in the basement. My first listening test was in the basement with Dark Side of the Moon (SACD, but in stereo). I could tell right away that the bass was far superior, and thought the mid range and upper were. So after ten minutes or so we lugged them upstairs for a direct comparison. Going back and forth, even my wife could hear the difference, and going in I did not think she would. So what did we hear? Place your hand over your mouth and speak, that's what the KG4s sound like in comparison, muffled. They are a fine speaker, but the Cornscalas are so much more clear and open. The bass is deep and full, but the mid range is where they really shine. Piano and sax are probably where it is most noticeable, absolutely clear. Yesterday afternoon I played Andrea Bocelli's Vivere dvd. Lang Lang does a solo piano piece just over half way through. That Steinway sounded lifelike, as though it was in the room. Some time I'd like to do a comparison with some Cornwalls. I'm tempted to cart them over to friend's for a comparison with his Lascalas. He's heard them and we both agree they out perform his on the lower end and are close behind in the midrange. I've also noticed their efficiency. I'm driving them with a Denon 2808. It effortlessly drives them to levels that scare the you know what out of the cats. Randy

Next up, connect drivers to the crossover terminal strip.

All drivers attached.

Now we screw in the drivers. Don't forget the gaskets.

....then the mid and tweeter. (Forgot to take shot of the tweeter)

Next up, the woofers and horns. Easier done with cabinets on their back. First the woofers.

Best to lay them on their sides. Note hurricane nuts used to attach PH-800 and woofer.

First, the crossovers. Modified Type B, 500 and 4,500 hz crossover points. MDF scraps are adequate for this application.

Cabinets are done, finish is on. Later on, I'll backfill on the fabrication process and lessons learned. Don't have many photos of the early stages, but a description may suffice. For now, let's build some speakers!

Daddy Dee, Thanks. I went with MDF rather than cabinet-grade plywood so that if I made a mistake it would not be an expensive one. I'm not quite ready to tackle veneering, maybe at a later date. The room these will be going in already has quite a few different types of wood with a variety of finishes. Just a wierd thing with me, but at a certain point so many finishes gets too busy for me. And last, the cabinets have one small construction flaw that most people would find indetectable (attributed largely to excess clamping pressure). So, with all those considerations, I decided to roll on a satin black latex paint. First, I rolled on two coats of oil-based primer/sealer, following each coat with a light sanding of 220 grit sandpaper to get rid of any high spots. Rolled on three coats of the latex, following the first two with 220 again, and the third with 320. The fourth (it went on last night) and fifth coats are applied with a sponge brush, which is then dragged the length of each piece to create a poor-man's woodgrain effect. It's not perfect, but for this pair it does what I'm looking to achieve. Last will be two coats of wipe-on polyurethane for protection, the first followed by a very light 320 grit sanding. I'll get a handfull of pictures up this weekend.

Granted, my experience with hurricane nuts up to this time is, well, zero, but they sure seem to bite in. One would have to almost be trying to force them back out. That said, I hear you. I am planning to pull them all, add a drop or two of superglue to each and reinsert, just haven't gotten around to it. That ought to take care of them. Randy

Cigarbum, It is a lot of work, but it is a lot of fun. I ride a bit, but if it's windy (and it can blow here at times) or snowy, I'm stuck in the basement on a trainer. The wife says I haven't been as cranky this winter. I suspect it's because I've had this project to work on. It does seem to have helped the winter pass. As for recessing your tweeter. If I understand what you are saying, here's how I did it. First I located the horn on the correct spot on the baffle. Then I scribed the outside edge of the horn on the baffle. Using the neighbor's router, a 5/8" straight bit set to a depth of 1/8", and a straight edge as a guide, I carefully cut that lip into the baffle. Once I had it properly sized, I measured the width of the flange on each side of the horn, and transferred that dimension to the baffle. I replaced the bit with a 1/4" straight bit and cut out the hole. Actually I practiced my technique on a scrap first. It all went as planned and came out perfectly. I have a question for you concerning those stiffeners on the sides and back. The Cornwall III uses braces between the motorboard and rear cover to reduce resonance. I haven't committed to incorporating those into mine yet, but may. Just wondering if your stiffeners accomplish the same thing, or what opinion you or anyone else may have on them. Keep up the good work. Randy

Drivers, All drivers, horns, and crossover parts were acquired from Bob and Michael Crites. Tweeter is their CT125, woofer their CW1526C. Mid-range driver is the Atlas PD-5VH. Mid-range horn is MG Electronics' PH800 (supplied by Bob). Baffle is permanently attached to the cabinet and I plan to do the same with the rear cover. That meant front-mounting everything, which in turn meant thinking through how to do it. My research told me t-nuts would not be a good choice for MDF, but I stumbled across hurricane nuts at Parts Express. They're cheap, so I ordered a bag to test on a piece of scrap. Seated them by drawing them in with a screw and washer. They work quite well, bite in with no movement, and stay put if a screw is backed out. Crossover is a modified Type B, with 500 and 4,500 crossover points. Randy

Cigarbum, I've been following your progress. I'd been planning to post something for several weeks weeks. When your post first appeared I thought I'd better get off my rear and do it. I'd never before so much as considered building a speaker, but the thought of a Cornwall with a better midrange lodged itself in my brain and wouldn't let go. First cut wood around Thanksgiving, planned to take my time with the whole process. Reached a point where I had to have horns and drivers in order to cut holes in the baffle, and everything accelerated from there. Looks as thought you've taken the mid and tweeter to a different level. I never spoke with anyone other than Bob, but pored through countless posts on the forum to steal ideas. Randy

this is my interpretation. Acknowledgements Thanks to Bob Crites for answering my questions and supplying the parts; to my neighbor Harry for allowing me the use of his power tools whilst he and his wife spend the winter in Arizona, without those this project would have been far more difficult; to my friend Gene for woodworking expertise and guidance (I have next to no woodworking skills, the last time I made anything was in junior high wood shop.); and finally to various forum members who have posted on the Cornscala concept. Background Last winter I rebuilt the crossovers in a pair of KG4s. At the same time I upgraded the tweeters with Bob's titanium diaphragms. They sounded better than ever. In the fall, Gene (he lurks here, not sure if he has ever posted), made the mistake of mentioning his plans to build a home theater in his basement. He had a budget, but did not know what to spend it on. I suggested Lascalas. Having never heard them or any Klipsch speaker aside from my KG4s, he decided to build some. He has excellent woodworking skills and a fully-equipped shop in his garage. Before he got started, a pair showed up locally on Craigslist, and I suggested he make an inquiry. Somehow he landed them, and for less than he could have built them. Turned out to be a pristine pair (I don't recall the vintage - '85 perhaps) owned by a musician clearing out some gear. He fell in love with them right away. At the same time, I was reminded of how good they were. He then scored another pair for the rears. I decided it was time to begin planning some Cornscalas. Cabinets Size considerations led me to settle on a standard Cornwall cabinet, using plans readily circulating on the forum. Nothing spectacular with the construction, but I'll supply details if anyone is interested. Used 3/4" MDF. No hardware, just biscuits, glue, and clamps. Blocking is simple 3/4" pine strips, glued and screwed. Baffle is glued and screwed. The picture (hopefully it loads) was taken a week and a half ago, shows them assembled for some listening prior to being torn apart for finishing. The sound was, in a word, sublime. David Gilmour never sounded so good, at least in this house. Before tearing them down for finishing, the last thing I listened to was Echoes on the Remember that Night bluray - incredible!! Despite their size, even the wife has given them her seal of approval. In a side-by-side with the KG4s, I wasn't sure she'd hear the difference, but she did. She was initially skeptical, but now she's anxious to have them finished, in place, and making music. More details to follow....

For my money, I have to say look no further than Bob. I put some of his titanium dome tweeters in my KG4s over the winter, shortly after rebuilding the crossovers, and love them. The originals were in great shape, but I thought I'd try an upgrade. Very happy with the result. Very subtle difference which is difficult to describe, let's say they sing. You won't be disappointed. I plan to put another in a center (KV3) as soon as I get around to it. I spoke with Bob a month ago and he was out of them, but it looks as though they are in once again. The KG4s will soon be relegated to other duty as I'm about set to build some Cornscalas, probably begin building the cabinets this weekend.