pval-guy

I agree - this doesn't sound like a grounding problem; the noise is too high frequency. A grounding problem causes a low frequency hum.

I was getting a hum when I grounded my phonograph to my line conditioner's ground. When I connected the phono ground to the receiver ground instead the hum went away. I don't know if this will help you in your situation, as many people don't have phonographs anymore, but thought it was worth mentioning.

Here is a quote from the New York Times about a year ago (recognizing you haven't gone BR yet, I saw this at Costco in standard format for under $20): "The best reason for buying a Blu-ray player right now is Warner Home Video’s high-definition version of “How the West Was Won,” a film made 46 years ago in the highest-definition moving picture medium the world had seen: Cinerama. With its three strips of 35-millimeter film projected side by side with a slight overlap on a gigantic, curved screen, Cinerama offered six times the resolution — which is to say, six times as much visual information — of the standard film of 1952, when it was first used commercially. "Not even the finest home theater installation will be able to reproduce the scale and resolution of the Cinerama experience, or anything close to it. But moving from standard-definition DVD to Blu-ray generates a shock analogous to what the audiences of 1952 must have felt when the curtains parted to reveal the panoramic screen. "The images are so crisp as to feel almost unreal; the depth of field seems dreamlike, infinite, with the blades of grass in the foreground as sharply in focus as the snow-capped mountains in the distant background. Unfortunately, there is no way to bend even a flat-panel monitor to imitate the immersive experience of Cinerama’s curved screen, which tried to fill every speck of the viewer’s peripheral vision. But sit close enough, and that sense of enveloping depth returns. It feels like a three-dimensional experience, and in some ways is a more convincing illusion (and a much less visually painful one) than that provided by the two-camera 3-D processes that followed in the wake of Cinerama’s popular success." I bought the BR set, but am waiting to have time to upgrade/repair my Cornwalls and Academy before I settle in to watch it. Let me know what you think if you get this.

Thanks - On mine the high end on the Academy seems thin, and as yours seems to be comparable to the Cornwall I'll replace the tweeter diaphragm, which is about 15 years old and see how that goes.

I'm curious as to your impression of the compatibility of the Academy with the two Cornwalls, particularly with respect to the higher end of the frequency scale. Do you find the sound very complementary, or does the Academy sound notably different than the Cornwalls? I'm shortly going to begin the process of replacing some parts in my Academy and Cornwalls, so I'd be interested in your experience with them.

Admittedly, plasmas are on their way out. And perhaps OLED is on its way in, along with 3-D HDTV -- someday. However, just because it isn't economical for manufacturers because the market is flooded with cheap LCD TVs doesn't mean the product isn't meritorious. Faced with lot of options, I did quite a bit of research when it was time to replace my 1994 31" Panasonic tube TV that was dying. Oh, you can get a 73" Mitsubishi DLP for a good price, and you can get a LCD that's very respectable. The big new Mitsubishi LaserVue is also stunning, both for its cost and image, but apparently has reliabililty issues. For my money, I fell in love with a Pioneer Elite Kuro Plasma a month ago, and that's where I went. They're still available in 50" and 60" sizes at places like Magnolia, but they're going fast, and when they're gone, they're gone. But I'm still really glad to have one.

I'm not having any problem with my Academy keeping up with the Cornwalls (the balance can easily be adjusted through the receiver), although the Academy's high frequency end is noticeably lower than the Cornwalls' - and my Cornwalls don't currently have functioning tweeters! I'll have to check with Bob Crites about how to upgrade the tweeter/horn on the Academy.

What about the old standby "Halloween" by John Carpenter (not the Rob Zombie remake) - the score (written by John Carpenter) is really creepy? And if you're looking for something newer, "Trick R Treat" has been getting rave reviews (see Amazon) and should be released in a few more days.

Ah, the art of compromise ... here's how I see it. I could have been stuck with a 42" LG LCD TV on the wall, listening to its built in speakers. However, the posts to this forum have been absolutely revelatory to me, and so until I build my "Inner Sanctum" room addition which will have two La Scalas and two Cornwalls and either another La Scala or Cornwall for the center, here's what is "doable" recognizing that I have to compromise on affordability and appearance (given that I share the house): 1. Two front Cornwalls from 1979, to be refurbished with the help of Bob Crites (it needs new tweeters and he suggested new crossovers too). It makes me wonder if woofers degrade over time; the previous owner really cranked these speakers up, which probably blew out the tweeters. 2. An Klipsch Academy speaker for the center, which should complement the Cornwalls reasonably well. 3. For the future, a sub-woofer, although I don't know which one would best complement the Cornwalls. 4. For the future, some wall-mounted rear speakers (no Heritage ones that I know of, but given that they're in the rear I'm not sure that's so critical). 5. And for the visual end of things, a Pioneer 60" Kuro Elite HDTV and a Pioneer Elite SC-27 receiver for AV central and a Panamax power conditioner. Not a dream set-up, but not bad either. And peace and harmony shall reign ...

Unfortunately, stands won't work in this room configuration, nor a floorstanding speaker. However, you've now really made me think about something somewhat different! While the side speakers (not sure which model would be best) would have to go in the ceiling, I could envision mounting XL-12 speakers on the rear wall near the ceiling (lower down won't work because of the sliding glass door and window), but angling them down somewhat using a swivel mount to compensate for their being so high. That would be instead of rear ceiling speakers. Your thoughts on this? Thanks, Phil

Great reply - thank you very much! The constraints of the room are about as bad as they can get! The only wall that's solid is the one with the television, and the Cornwalls are next to that facing the interior. I can't fit the Heresy under the TV, but I can fit an Academy, so that seems like the best solution and from what people including Bob Crites tell me they will go very well with the Cornwalls. The left wall is fireplace and bookshelves, but there is no right wall - the room continues into the kitchen! And the back wall is a sliding glass door and window - with only 7.5 inches of wall between the top of the door/window and the ceiling. I suppose a flat-panel speaker mounted on its side that wasn't more than 7.5 inches wide could be mounted and face the interior (such as the Klipsch XL-12). But otherwise I don't see any alternative but to put four speakers mounted in the ceiling - not desirable, but better than nothing. There's no alternative for the side speakers because there's no wall space on the left and no wall on the right. The salesperson that came out to the house said the same thing, but his recommendation was to use Martin Logan Helos 100s for $500 apiece. Ouch. Tragically, I also inherited a pair of LaScalas, but they're so large my wife doesn't want them in the room. Someday, when I add onto the house, they'll go in that room after I restore them. I'd love to read any further thoughts you have; thank you so much for taking the time to write. Phil

I would like to collectively thank all of you who kindly and generously took your valuable time to write back to me and provide your counsel. I have found it tremendously helpful, and I now feel "validated" in wanting to keep these as part of a home surround sound set-up. I wish I had the space for another Cornwall in the center, but alas space is a tangible issue (i.e., there's a table below the television that my wife bought ...). Based on what everyone wrote I think the best solution for me is to purchase a single Academy speaker to use as a center channel and place it on the table directly below the television. I'm looking for one in black in case you know of any. Thanks to this forum, I was also fortunate to correspond with Bob Crites, who is going to be able to help me restore my Cornwalls. The tweeters are dead, and Bob suggested that the crossovers, which are about 30 years old, be replaced as well. I must not be much of an audiophile, as I love these speakers even in their current condition; and I can't imagine spending almost $2,500 on Martin Logans to replace them. He also recommended four $500 ceiling-mounted speakers; again, I have to wonder if there is a better alternative, even in the modern Klipsch line. Best wishes, Phil

Thank you for your rapid response. Unfortunately, another Cornwall is not an option as there is a table between the two speakers, and above the table is the HDTV. What do you think of the WC-24 center speakers which are still for sale? They contain a horn and two cone woofers? I'm not sure how else to "match" the Cornwalls.

I was hoping to solicit the opinion of some Klipsch users out there about the appropriateness of using Cornwalls as part of a 7.1 surround sound system. I inherited a very nice pair of Cornwalls, and would like to use them as the front L/R speakers for a 7.1 surround sound system. I had a HDTV installed today, and the store representative who came to my house to advise me on the speakers that I still need to get (center, sub-woofer, ceiling mounted rear and side) took one look at the Cornwalls and said "no way". He felt that the speakers were too efficient and would not work well with any other speakers that I could purchase today. He said they were great as a pair of stereo speakers for listening to music, but would not work well together with other speakers. He recommended a pair of Mark Levinsons for about $2,200. I asked why he liked those so much and his response was because they were electrostatic. This is difficult for me to understand. While I acknowledge that different speakers sound different and have their own characteristics, why couldn't speakers that are appropriate for music be just as appropriate for audio-visual as well? Different sound doesn't imply bad sound. And my receiver will allow me to manually set the volume on the different pairs, so it's not clear to me why efficiency should be an issue. Would anyone like to weigh in on this? I'd love advice. Frankly, I enjoy looking at the Cornwalls, which remind me of my departed friend, and would feel bad about not using them if there is no rational reason. So your advice/opinion/experience with speakers like these in surround sound systems would be greatly appreciated!