Klipschguy

You know it's funny, but I think my system sounds best in the morning after my ears have had a chance to rest from the noise of the previous day. (There is medical data to support the asserion that hearing is better after a period of rest, i.e. a good night's sleep). Anybody know if a double blind listening test with line conditioners has ever been done by a reputable audio magazine? Or, even measurable results. I would be interested in the results. Maybe I'm one component short. Warm regards, KG

Hello Stu, Are you sure that 'D' is not a 'B' - which would make the speakers "Heresy, Birch, Raw." You can tell if they're raw birch just by looking at the cabinets. Even if stained, the front edges will be a visible nine-ply plwood. By the way, glad to hear you got your Cornwalls straightened out. KG

All the Cornwall grills I've seen, including my own, are held on with little pieces of velcro. I remove my grills by taking a butter knife at the upper right hand corner and start prying up the grill edge until the velcro lets go and I can get my fingers behind it - then it comes right off. Be careful not to mar your veneer with the knife. I've had mine off tons of times with narry a ding. KG

Greetings Mystery Guest, Avman was just kidding with his tongue in cheek post. Kind of a "drummed up" hostile post just for laughs. Avman is an amiable guy and an asset to this forum. Check out his post under the home theater section where he speaks highly of this BB and the people who post on it. It's hard to convey the inflection or general attitude of a post because it is in writing and people assign their own idea of how a post should be read. Like right now I am smiling and relaxed, but some people may read this post like some kind of heavy lecture, which its not. Heck, who knows? Maybe I misread your last post and it was also tongue in cheek. Anyway, this is a great BB, with a diverse, but dedicated bunch of Klipsch fans. Warm Regards, KG

Poor Yamaha. I think they're getting a bad rap on this BB. My Yamaha RX-596 stereo receiver performs very well with my Cornwalls and has a warm, mellow sound in the mids and highs (everybody who has heard my system agrees). Bass is outstanding. Heard a Chorus I with RX-596 (extensive listening) and they too took on a warm, mellow sound, with deep bass. My old Carver - man you want to talk harsh with NO bass. Previously had tubes - great mids and highs (similar to RX-596), but lacking in deep bass compared to the Yamaha. The Yammie is a good unit with decent high current capability 200W/CH into 2 ohms. Low noise with 110dB S/N ratio and a bass control that boosts the lows at 20Hz - leaving the bass unmolested. Everybody else (Denon, NAD, Carver, Onkyo, Marantz, et cetera) boost the lows at 100Hz - yuk - terrible with large speakers (Cornwalls have a peak at 100Hz anyway, if you want a little bass boost you don't want it there). I almost always listen to my speakers with tone defeated, but movies are a different story. I listened extensively to Denon, and to my ears, and with my speakers, it didn't come close to the Yamaha. I did like the Denon, though. Before you get any ideas that I like my speakers "bright", I don't. I grew up listening to big Bozaks - the definition of mellow sound (still have a pair, listened to them last night). Most complaints I've read about the Yamaha involves the RF-3 speakers. All the same complaint - too bright. Well, I'm beginning to wonder about the RF-3. It has a titanium diaphragm in the tweeter which are a notorious for harsh sound - I had some titanium diaphragms in a pair of speakers and found them overly bright and hard sounding, especially when reproducing a "silibant S." Read: harsh. Maybe the Yamaha is making those titanium diaphragms sing in an accurate manner, while your old Onkyo's are rolled off in their highs (leaking output caps after 100's of hours) making the RF-3's more tolerable. All the Klipsch speakers I've heard with the Yamaha have phenolic diaphragms with dedicated midranges and tweeters, and they ALL have had lovely, mellow, warm sound reminding me of good tubes. "Natural Sound Receiver" to my ears is quite fitting to the Yamaha's receiver name. I guarentee you that if any of you heard my system you would say "Wow, the Yamaha sounds great with your speakers, I wonder what the problem with mine is." Anyway, sorry about the soap box routine and I'm not trying to put down the RF-3s, so if your happy with them, please don't yell at me. It just I see the same complaint over and over again about the Yamaha/RF-3 incompatability and see it bleeding over to "Yamaha sounds bad with all speakers" advice. Any dissatisfied Yamaha owners out their. Do this. Take your Yamaha to a friends house and hook it up to a pair of Cornwalls, Chorus, La Scalas, or K-Horns and listen. Warm regards, forgive me if I seem overbearing, KG

Hey, 18KHz, that's pretty good high frequency hearing for a man! You must be young, or have the level quite high. By the way Klipsch fans, if you can't hear a high pitch noise coming out of your computer monitor (or TV, or any device with a CRT), you can't hear 15KHz. CRT's emit a 15KHz tone constantly when they're on. Some days I can hear it, many days, I can't - it pretty close to my high frequency threshold (normal for a man after the age of about 25). My wife can always hear it. You can have the TV on with no signal, so the screen is black, and she'll walk into the room and say "Oh, the TV is on." She can hear it easily. How about you guys? Be honest. KG

DJK, Thanks for the explanation. So it seems that a horn works intuitively at certain frequencies (the ones towards the middle of the horns' own response curve), and then widens as frequency drops (wavelengths are longer), and then narrows as frequency increases (wavelengths are shorter). The baffle also having an effect on dispersion. From reading your explanation, it also appears quite important to operate the horns within a certain bandwidth to avoid various types of bad sound: honking, sizzle, poor dispersion, etc. Also, I found it interesting that some of the old Cornwalls were meant to be used on their sides (lowboy). Warm regards, KG

Huh...That's interesting. Intuitively, it doesn't seem that a Klipsch exponential horn would differ from a JBL exponential (or any other manufacturer) in their fundamental dispersion characteristics, i.e. the widest part of the horn gives the widest dispersion in a JBL, so it should in a Klipsch (I understand they will have different flare rates, etc). Any acoustic engineers have any enlightenment on this subject? Please try to make explanations jibe with properties of physics. I don't doubt the info, but as a man of science, I need to understand and the numbers must add up. None of this "Atlas used a magic elixer" stuff. LOL. KG This message has been edited by Klipschguy on 07-21-2001 at 08:23 PM

Greetings JD, That's the "intuitive" position! Wide mouth = wider dispersion, narrow mouth = narrower dispersion. When I say "wide dispersion" I mean the wider of the contolled dispersion specification of the horn lense, i.e. the 120 degree spec verses the 40 degree spec. I think we're in agreement and saying the same thing. KG

Greetings Klipsch fans, I've been reading about the horn dispersion pattern being "counterintuitive" a number of times on this board, but I'm not convinced. When you look at manufactures' horn lense dispersion characteristics, they ALL give the wide dispersion spec to the widest part of the mouth, and conversely, the narrow spec to the narrow, i.e. the JBL 2382A horn lense gives a 120 degrees x 40 degree dispersion with the 120 from the widest part. The specs hold true across the board for bi-radial, exponential, and diffraction horn lenses from a bunch of manufacturers. The only exception I could think of is possibly an exponential tweeter functioning as a diffraction horn above a certain frequency that one might follow "the counterintuitive" rule, but again I'm not convinced. Anyway, just an observation, and I'm certainly no expert in horn dispersion characteristics. If anyone else wants to chime in, please do so. Regards, KG This message has been edited by Klipschguy on 07-21-2001 at 07:34 AM

...Yes...Yes, I see.

Hello HornEd, Got yourself a matching set! As far as the tape is concerned, you can try using a hair dryer to heat the tape to soften the glue so it will peel up easily (don't go crazy, hair dryer really get hot). Start at one end and work your way down. A little lemon oil on a soft rag should buff any sticky stuff off the veneer. The longer the tape stays on, the harder it will be to get off. KG

HornEd, Take a close look at the middle of the outside, top edge on the back of your unmarked Cornwall - the serial # should be stamped into it. What does it say (I'm quite curious)? Also, your Cornwalls are definitely the I's. By the way, don't you just love the 9 ply, void-free, baltic birch plywood cabinets (with walnut veneer)? They reek of quality construction. KG

You guys don't get me started on "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" lines. Those Monty Python guys like big Klipsch don't they? By the way, my wife was out for a little while today and I got to crank my Cornwalls - aaahhh, the small pleasures in life. KG

Makes sense. Thanks. KG

Dave, I wouldn't recommend taking the tweeter apart to clean it. If you do, you'll likely damage the voil coil and commit yourself to a new tweeter or new tweeter diaphragm. KG

Look. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a swallow must beat its wings 43 times every second. Am I right? KG

Jim, I would definitely keep my old crossovers, so I could change back if I wanted to. I love the sound of my Klipsch, I just wonder if I can squeeze a little more performance while getting to tinker in my workshop at the same time - I always need to have a project going. My biggest fear is losing that "Klipsch sound" that I like so much. I would want my crossovers to make my Cornwalls more closely approximate a K-horn type sound. I like the idea of a constant impedance crossover. By the way, the old caps are likely to degrade very slowly. I doubt I could her the difference if I replaced the caps with exact copy new ones. Al, Any advice is appreciated. I really do want a good result. KG

Greetings Al, I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the classic Klipsch sound is acheived largely by the characteristics of the horn squawker. The lower the cut off point, the more "horn like" the speakers sound, in a good way. Ex: the K-horn and LaScala's squawkers cut off at 400HZ, the Cornwalls at 600Hz, and the Heresys at 700Hz. Each is low frequency cut off point is limited by the size of the horn lens - and you can definitely hear it. It seems to me that PWK designed each speaker with a mid horn to reach as low as possible without making the speaker too ridiculously deep, the La Scala being borderline. Also note the higher cut off of the Belle when they used a reduced depth horn. I think PWK would have used an even deeper horn in the Cornwalls if the speaker cabinet would not have been so deep. What I would like is to squeeze the low end ability of the Cornwall squawker to maybe even 550Hz, if it will give it to me (by the way, will it? Can I cross the woofer over slightly higher to compensate for the tapering low response of the squawker?) I just love the mids in the K-horn/Scala because they do reach a little lower. I realize most people want the mid to shut up a little bit, I want mine to sing as low as possible. As far as power handing, since the K55V was designed for full range paging applications, and will handle 30W under said application, a 550Hz - 600Hz cut off wouldn't seem to be much of a problem, especially with 6.7dB of attenuation already in the circuit from the autoformer. I've never even heard of someone frying a K55 voice coil. But I guess anything is possible. Maybe the woofer is better equipped to handle the low mids. I've never seen a reponse curve from K55V/K600 squawker. Is something ugly lurking below 750Hz? I do not want to work hard on a crossover design only to wind up not using them due to bad sound. Al, I really do appreciate your help here, and repsect your careful work, design, and advice on your Klipsch crossovers. I just have a custom crossover in mind based on the careful work of your design. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Regards, KG

Thanks Al, My calculations give 1.625mH and 48.75uF. Strange, I was looking at an original schematic for a B-2 crossover last night, and their values treat the 4 ohm K33 like an 8 Ohm driver (they use a 2.5mH inductor with a 20uF cap to get 600Hz). I wonder why they would do that? Anyway, thanks again for your help. KG

Geeetings Al, I notice your Cornwall crossovers are crossed over at 750Hz (for the squawker/woofer leg) in lieu of 600Hz when I downloaded your design. If I wanted to build a pair of your X-overs, how would I modify the design if I wanted to use a 600Hz crossover point, instead of 750Hz? I'm a tinkerer at heart and I'm getting an itch to build me a set of custom crossovers - all the praise for your designs are getting to me! Thank you so much! KG

Hello Jon, You can buy a new K33-E woofer from Klipsch for about $100. It should be a direct replacement driver for your sweetly gotten Cornwalls. By the way, my first experience with Klipsch were 1st with K-horns which blew my mind, even as a kid of 11 or 12. Then later, at about the age of 17, I heard Cornwalls with a good McIntosh set up. The Cornwalls sounded so sweet, I knew I was destined to get a pair. I aquired a pair of Cornwalls about 10 years ago, and I must say I am impressed and smiling everytime I listen to them. It is so true that other speakers sound good until you hear a properly set up pair of Klipsch. I had a friend visit me recently that I hadn't seen in a number of years and I had been telling him on the phone that Klipsch made a good speaker. He was rather sold on Polks, however. When he heard my Cornwalls, he sat there with his mouth open, periodically laughing in disbelief. After an extended listening session he said "Man! That's the sound I've been looking for." He had difficulty containing his enthusiasm the rest of the evening. I must say, I love letting an audio enthusiast listen to a big pair of Klipsch for the first time. Similar experience as above when another friend, who has a huge pair of Magneplaners and tube-hybrid equipment, when he heard the mighty Cornwalls. Horns just sound better, IMHO. KG

Hello Stu, I've only replaced K77 tweeter diaphragms, not mids. It's been a little while, but here's what I remember. 1) remove tweeter from cabinet 2) remove 4 screws holding magnet 3) carefully separate magnet from horn lens. 4) check the orientation of EVERYTHING, you can use a magic marker to put a dot on each part. 5) desolder the leads going to the old diaph. I heated a straightened paper clip with my soldering iron and ran it thru the voice coil lead holes in the horn lens, to clean them, so the new leads would go in easily. 6) remove old diaphr. Clean the magnet gap with folded masking tape and a business card. The gap must be very clean or else the new diaphragm might buzz. Also make sure you don't move the magnet in the center of the magnet assembly - if it moves, the tweeter is toast. That gap clearance is absolutely critical to proper tweeter function. 7) paper gasket inside must be reused - don't mess it up. 8) reuse papar gasket + place new diaphagm with the voice coil facing towards the magnet (up). The new leads will fit down thru the cleaned out soldering holes in the horn lens. VERY, VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure the voice coil wire which traverses the wraps on the voice coil itself, forming a little bump on the VC, is lined up with the notch in the magnet which gives it the proper clearance and keeps it from rubbing the magnet. The magnet, lens, diaphagm, and paper gasket all must be oriented properly!!! They are usually marked with a little line. Phasing + notch orientation are paramount to success!!! Do one at a time mark and observe everything. 9) place magnet back onto horn lens being very careful not to bend the new voice coil as it fits down over it. 10) replace and tighten 4 screws, gently and alternately tightening each one firmly, but not super tight. 11) solder new voice coil leads + replace tweeter. 12) test Note: I bought my diaphragms directly from electrovoice for about $22 each and the tweeters perform flawlessly. Also, this procedure is not too difficult, it just requires care, common sense, and a little dexterity. If you're uncomfortable with doing it yourself, and just don't want to "risk it", speaker repair places do this stuff for a living. KG This message has been edited by Klipschguy on 07-15-2001 at 08:44 AM

Greetings Russ, The Heresys, both I's and II's, are both limited by their low frequency response, especially when compared to something like the Cornwalls or K-horns. A II woofer MAY give a little more bass reponse, but will not likely be what your looking for. The bass in the Heresys is quite tight and accurate, it just doen't reproduce the lowest octave very well. Putting your Heresys low, toed in, and in the corners will definitely enhance their perceived bass in a room, and it may be enough. But, the best way to go is with a good sub with as tight a bass response as you can find. With a proper sub, the Heresys can be an outstanding. Do a sub search on this forum for the right one as a lot of people here know more about subs than I do. KG

Greetings HornEd, Your Cornwalls are indeed 1983 and are Cornwall I's. You stated one of the labels has been lost. Fortunately, the serial numbers are stamped into the top edge on the rear of the cabinets. If your speakers are a matching set, the numbers should be sequential. If they're not, no problem, your ears won't know the difference. My guess as to what's inside would be K33-E woofers, K55V squawkers, and K77-M tweeters. Your crossover are probably B-2's with crossover frequencies at 600Hz and 6000Hz with 12dB/octave slopes. Pulling a rear cover off should easily verify which drivers you have. I really love my 1977 Cornwalls, I think you'll feel the same about yours. One recommendation with Cornwalls is to put them in corners toed-in for best bass, imaging, and room coverage. After a good bit of experimentation, my Cornwalls sound best when they are toed in at an angle where they face the far corner of the room at a perpendicular angle. Also, if the cabinet veneer looks rough, you can take some Danish oil, mix it with Minwax Dark Walnut stain (50/50), and buff into the veneer with #0000 fine steel wool (use light, quick strokes in direction of grain), then buff heavily with an old bath towel, then let dry. Couple of hints 1) do one side at a time and make sure the side facing up when you're working on it, 2)use the #0000 steel wool only soaked with the stain/oil, not dry. Dry steel wool will give off steel fibers which could work their way into the magnet assemblies of the drivers. Remove all remnants of steel wool from the cabinets not forgetting the corners! You can even masking tape some packaging paper over the driver openings to be sure. Make sure grill cloths are off for procedure as they can pick up steel wool fibers. Grill cloths can be cleaned up with upholstery cleaner and a soft brush. If pretty fuzzy, the grills can be shaved with one of those electric fabric shaver things available at drug stores or Wal-Mart. The grills will have a crisp, new look after a good shave (kind of like me). I did the above procedures on my brothers Cornwalls and they went from a bit of a disappointment to absolutely beautiful. His walnut veneer looks almost like rosewood. Grills are crisp and new looking too. A lot of elbow grease, but well worth it. I cannot overemphasize how good they look. One last thing. Although I strongly believe in my tried and true clean up methods. You do these at your own risk, do a test patch, don't get it on the carpet, don't use too much pressure, and use common sense. My apologies for stating the obvious. Congrats on the Cornwalls. KG