Klipschguy

The pair on Ebay had the speakers mounted behind the soundboards. The back was removable and the inside had that same brown insulation as my Cornwall I's. The dust cap was definitely chrome in color - about 2.5 inches in diameter and had a dime size "nipple" at the end of the dust cap - which looks just like the early K33-B cap, just chrome. I only know what I saw in the pictures (there were a bunch, too). However, I do not know it was an "industrial Corwall" pair - sure looked like it though.

There was a pair of Cornwalls on Ebay about 3 or 4 months ago which looked like an industrial pair. The cabinets were solid black, there was no grill cloth, the soundboard was flush with the front edge (not countersunk), and the woofers had a chrome colored dust cap that looked just like the K-33B paper dust cap, in form. Otherwise the speakers looked the same as any other Cornwall I.

Hello Pkeller, I have read that oil filled caps are quite good for horn networks. How long do you think those Aerovox 2uF caps will last in my Heresy's? Also, can you still get these same oil filled caps? My Cornwalls do not appear to have any degradation of sound after many years of use (1975). I would be open to changing my caps - just want to be careful not to lose that "Klipsch sound." Klipschguy

Hello CC1091, It's been about five days since I tried the T2A tap modification and I've spent a lot of time listening to the speakers since. So far I am quite happy with the modification. My Heresys are hooked to the same system as my Cornwalls, but are in different rooms, so A/B comparisons have been easy. I must say with a wide variety of music, from new age to classical, these speakers sound way more like the Cornwalls than they ever did - the level of brightness is very close. The speakers sound "bigger" than they used to, (albeit not bigger than the Cornwalls). I'm probably wrong, but my guess is that Heresy speakers were probably voiced brighter by Klipsch to cope with the deficiencies in the LP (no offense to any vinyl people out there) and maybe heavy carpeting because the tweeter is closer to the floor when compared to its big brothers. Or maybe to give them a "flashy" sound to boost sales. I do remember an old ad for the Heresys (around 1980) where some guy stated his Heresys "sounded brighter" than some other big pair of speakers he had bought and they were "definitely not for sale." So it seems Klipsch had some idea these speakers were bright and maybe wanted to make it seem like an attribute. Heck, who knows? After listening to these speakers, I'm really wondering why Klipsch didn't choose tap 2 instead of tap 3 for the tweeter level. I may also try a P-trap, or other modifications, but they really sound like they don't need it - I'm pretty happy with the sound - unmistakably Klipsch. Klipschguy

Sorry man, See what happens when us "newbies" start asking questions. I hope I'll still be able to get a few responses.

The T2A transformer in my Type E Heresy I crossovers are responsible for attenuating the squawkers and the tweeters. After looking at a wiring diagram, I noticed the T2A has six taps which correspond to different levels of attenuation. Since I feel like my Heresy tweeters are too bright in my "live" room, I changed the #3 tap wire (which goes to the negative of the tweeter after going through a 2uF cap) to the #2 tap (which is also used by the negative side of the squawker). My understanding is each tap corresponds to a 3dB change - therefore my change should be 3dB. The 3dB attenuation in the tweeter circuit really made a big difference in the brightness of this speaker. The highs in my room are much more balanced and give my Heresys' mids and highs a sound amazingly similar to my Cornwalls in A/B comparisons. To me a HUGE improvement. Has anybody out there experimented with the different taps in the Heresys or other Klipsch speakers? Am I doing any harm by using this tap? I can't say enough good things about this simple modification. Klipschguy

Also, I think your speakers were made in 1974. Klipschguy

The Alnico tweeters are easily identified by their round magnet. The ceramic "mud" magnets are square. I believe the change was made in late 1979. By the way "mud" refers to the way the slurrie mix looks before it is fired to make the ceramic magnets, not because the drivers are inferior. The ceramic K77-M (mud) is a good tweeter. Klipschguy

Background: I have been enjoying Klipsch speakers since I heard my first pair of K-horns back in the 70's (instant addiction). However, until a year ago I had only had experience with the large Heritage Klipsch speakers and had never owned or listened to a pair of Heresys, so I bought a pair off Ebay. They are 1980 Heresy I's with a K22-E woofer, K55-V squawker, K77-M tweeter, and a Type E balancing network. I have owned and been listening to a pair of Cornwall I's (100% stock) for years and I am in love with the sound - I expected the same for my Heresy's. However, when I heard the Heresys, I didn't want to admit it, but they were just too bright and sounded to me nothing like the K-horns, Cornwalls, or La Scalas (lots of listening experience with each). The Heresy tweeters were just screaming loud compared to the squawker. In my Cornwalls, the tweeter plays at about the same level as the squawker when you put your ear by each one. This is also true of the K-horns and the La Scalas. I was contemplating getting rid of them and dismissing them as "not real Klipsch speakers." This sentiment was coming from one die-hard Klipsch fan too. My feeling was that the Herseys sounded decent, but not great. With all the Heresy modification posts here, I assume there are many who feel like I do. Anyway, enough background, on to the good stuff, read: solution. After careful listening, I decided that the problem was definitely a tweeter problem, not a squawker problem, no need for a P-trap, or some caulking dope. After a quick search, I found a schematic for the Type E network on this BB and copied it down (search T2A, then read "The great inductor face-off"). The T2a transformer provides the attenuation for both the squawker and the tweeter. Each tap (six of them in all) is a 3dB increment. Note: the tap #'s on this BB's schematic is hard to read, the numbers should be 0,1,2,3,4,5 for the bottom tap to the top tap. Anyway I figured "Hey why don't I just change the attenuation by trying different taps?" So I opened up a Heresy and unsoldered the wire from the #3 tap on the T2A (which goes through a 2uF cap then on to the negative terminal of the tweeter on the crossover). And here's what I found. (A copy of the schematic will greatly help you follow what's going on, even though it's quite simple.) Also, the #'s of the taps is written right on the T2A, so there is really no chance of making a mistake. 1. First I tried tap #4, which is unused. This brightened the tweeter up a lot (by 3dB, I guess). No dice. 2. Next, I tried tap #1, which is also unused. Dramatic attenuation of the tweeter, however, 6dB was too much attenuation. By the way, I'm using alligator leads for the tests. Also, I'm doing A/B comparisons with my vintage Alnico Cornwall I's for reference. 3. Finally I tried tap #2 which is the same tap used by the squawker's negative lead (so basically I just loosened the screw on the negative terminal of the squawker on the crossover, put the bare wire under it, and tightened the screw - piece of cake). This lowered the output of the tweeter by 3dB and was perfect! The voicing of these Heresys now very closely match the sound of my Cornwalls and other big Klipsch (less some low bass) and I must say I am thrilled with the results. These speakers now sound like "real Klipsch" to me. The Heresys also sound way better loud than they used to - they sound more like a big speaker. The bass and midrange are greatly improved because they are not being drowned out by the overzealous tweeter. My goodness, now THESE speakers have beautiful midrange too! Hail Klipsch! I hate modifying anything from the original, but this was an exception. The results from this are also very apparent, none of that "deepened the sound stage" or "fuller bouquet" stuff - we're talking real results. Somebody else please try this modification and write back to this BB and post your opinion/findings. Couple other things. 1) this modification is easy, FREE, and 100% reversible. I printed my modification on a piece of masking tape and taped it to the T2A for future reference (Although I'll never change it back, unless deep shag rugs come back in style and rob 3dB of my highs). You may or not like the mod as much as I do, but it sure is an easy way to change the tweeter attenuation, in both directions. Another benefit is that with 3dB of attenuation, you cut 1/2 of the power going to the tweeter (but with only a perceptable difference in loudness) thus protecting it from burnout. One last point. I also tried stuffing one cabinet loosely with some damping material and compared it to the other speaker. The damping material definitely robbed some punchyness from the woofer and, in my opinion, was not an improvement - I removed it instantly. Also, any thoughts on my modification would be appreciated - I haven't read of anybody trying this, have you? I LOVE my Heresys. Klipschguy

DJK, Correction to my last post. I mean a large value capacitor, not a choke which would effectively make my Cornwalls into subwoofers.

Hey DJK, Thanks for the reply. The high pass filter with a Q of 1 sounds like good idea. How would I make one? Just a large 6dB/octave iron core choke with a value to match 30hz @ 8ohms? Klipschguy

I have had extensive listening experience with both the Cornwalls and the La Scalas. My opinion is that both of these speakers are great speakers and both have a easily identified "Klipsch sound." However there are some perceptable differences. The La Scalas, in my opinion, have a bit better midrange - dips a little lower and has a little more oomph (when turned up, you can actually feel a snare drum with these speakers). The treble sounds about the same to me from both speaker types. The bass is an area of significant difference. The La Scalas have a tight Klipschorn (folded horn) type bass, but fail to reach the lower octave like the K-horns. The Cornwalls have a respectably tight deep, full bass response which can actually shake the floor and walls (but not like an outragious subwoofer system). The La Scalas, when listened to flat, to me almost have no bass and will likely be disappointing when compared to something like the Cornwalls. However, if you roll the bass up some, or engage the loudness control to get the woofers moving, these things can really pump out some punchy in your face bass, with a folded horn quality. If you have one of those pre-amps with just a volume contol or insist on listening to your music flat, you will likely prefer the Cornwalls. My personal preference is the Cornwalls because they are unfatiguing and deliver a crisp clean, midrange foward, full bass, balanced sound (almost mellow with my Alnico tweeters). From my 20+ years dabbbling in Audio, my best representation of the Cornwalls would be this (anybody feel free to disagree): if you took a large pair of vintage Bozaks and mated the sound with the La Scalas, you would end up with the sound of the lovely Cornwalls - a true compromise of mellow vs. "in your face." Truly, they are both great speakers. You should really have a pair of each - I go back and forth myself, kinda depends on my mood. Klipschguy

Maybe they have a warped sense of humor, or possibly think everybody is listening to 82dB @ 1m/1w planar speakers where a full volume surprise would only be a yawn. Klipschguy

Boa12, I know you were only kidding, but the amp was an SAE, not the party, although I've been to some good SAE frat parties in college. Again, your Cornwalls use the K33E not the K33b. The K33E seems more rugged looking to me with its four inch voice coil cover in lieu of the two incher. I tell you those La Scalas could REALLY CRANK. The next day after a party, the guy next door in an adjacent brownstone which was separated by a brick wall said "could you guys keep it down, the whole building was shaking last night." We said, "Oh sorry, we did have it a little loud." He replied "I don't think you understand. The WHOLE building was SHAKING last night." That wasn't the time we cooked the tweeter. The cooked tweeter involved a party in large barn where the La Scalas were the featured artist. Gosh, I sure do love my Cornwalls. They have provided me with endless hours of entertainment over the past 10 years. You know it's funny, I'm still amazed by these babies every time I use them. I am in love with the midrange. I think that is where people miss the boat today. Many of the speakers made today have terrible midrange. I like the voice right up front and chrystal clear - just like in a live performance. With many new speakers the midrange is neglected and off in the distance buried under a bushel. Klipschguy

I have a pair of Cornwall I's with the K33-B woofers - you know the ones with a two inch dust cap with a dime sized nipple glued right on the top. The K33-B apparently has a smaller voice coil than the K33-E (which is 4ohm intead of 8ohm, which in my opinion makes it an unsuitable replacement for the K33-B since the crossover point for the woofer would be 1/2 of the original value (300hz vs 600hz) if used with an unmodified crossover). But anyway, given the rare replacement drivers and my mild fear of a fragile voice coil, I have become a little paranoid about blowing one of these woofers when driving these speakers fairly hard, especially with some of the new recording which have a lot of intentionally low bass. Has anybody out there ever driven their cornwall I's hard, i.e. in excess of 100w, for an extended period of time without damage. Has anybody ever blown a Cornwall woofer? If so, how did you do it? Comfort me, tell me they'll take it. I would also be interested if anybody has ever blown a Klipsch midrange - I've never heard of it. I once blew a tweeter in a pair of La Scalas when driving the speakers very hard with an 80 WPC amp (SAE, I believe) at a big party. Any war stories? One other thing, my brother needs a K33-B. Anybody got one for sale? Klipschguy

As a strictly two channel audio guy, I debated between a Denon receiver and a Yamaha receiver. After some listening, I thought both sounded quite good. There were a couple of reasons I chose the Yamaha (model 596). 1) it had a damping factor of 240+, which is higher than many separates and is important for controlling the heavy 15" woofer cone in my Cornwalls - especially at high volumes. 2) it not only has a tone bypass, but also a special dedicated CD direct preamp (also bypasses tone, balance, selector switch, loudness) - the sound is perceptably cleaner when engaged. 3) very importantly, its tone controls boost the bass and treble at 20hz and 20KHz, respectively, by 10dB max. Every other make, except Nakamichi, boosts their bass at 100Hz (even the NAD) which is no good for Cornwalls because the Cornwalls actually have a peak at 100Hz (and roll off below 39Hz). Although I usually listen to my music flat, this difference is very audable and can make for some low bass boost without any boom (nice feature for La Scalas?). Before the RX-596, I was using a Carver receiver - TERRIBLE SOUND (tinny and thin), after the Carver, I was using a rebuilt Fisher 500c tube receiver - lovely sound - blew the Carver into the weeds. I found this out by accident and when I did, I gave that Carver away, instantly. I was furious that thing had been tricking me for the past 10 years (praise to the Cornwalls for hacking it). Anyway, as beautiful as the Fisher is, the Yamaha actually sounds better - better bass, mildly smoother midrange. Note: the Fisher is being used with a vintage pair of Bozak's with primo results. Also, and this was an unexpected suprise, this thing really has a good phono section - I was pleased. The only drawback is the remote only works with Yamaha components, which is a minor complaint for me. Oh yeah, I would like an LED on the volume control since I have small children (you figure it out). One other thing, this receiver is conservatively rated for 80 WPC, but is also rated for 200WPC into 2 ohms - sweet amperage capability for a receiver. Klipschguy

Hello fellow Klipsch fans, Sorry to get involved here, but you guys have me itching to tweak my 1980 Heresys. My Heresys have the K55V and a type E balancing network. My tweeter is the K77 with the square mud magnet. My question is how do I modify my network to include the PWK modification - in plain english. If PWK recommends the .23mH choke and the 4uF cap, that's what I want to use. How do I wire it, i.e. where does each end go (the previous explanations are a little confusing)? Also, with the Type E network, do I need the 6uf cap in the tweeter circuit and the 128uF cap in the woofer circuit, or will just the PWK P-trap suffice? By the way, I love my Heresys, they are just a little "brassy" when compared the lovely sound of my Cornwalls, which are crisp, yet paradoxically mellow. Thanks, Klipschguy

Hey Ray, What kind of sub are you using with your La Scala's? Does it work well with music? I'm itching to get a "music sub" for my Cornwalls. Thanks, Klipschguy

I have a pair of Klipsch Cornwall I speakers circa 1975. The speakers are corner loaded and toed-in on the short wall of a 20'x30' room with vaulted ceilings. The sound is really amazing with a great soundstage and excellent clarity. The bass is also decent, but seems to need some help in the 20hz to 40hz range. I've looked at a number of subwoofers, but I am largely unimpressed with their musical abilities, unless they are quite expensive. Given I only want to use the sub for music, I am thinking about making a sealed enclosure sub, and then blend it with my Cornwalls to "fill in the bottom end." The Cornwalls would be played full range so the sub really shouldn't need to be turned up too much. The promising RSW-12 from Klipsch will be $1200 - which about 3x the cost of what I can build one for. Peerless makes a 12'' extra long stroke woofer (XLS) that is designed for smaller enclosures. I have heard this is an outstanding driver and will even outperform the NHT. I was thinking of putting one of these woofers in a well braced 3cuft box coupled with Madisound's 300w sub amp which also gives 4dB of boost @ 25hz. Does this sound like a good idea? Will it work for music when coupled with the full range Cornwall's, i.e. seamless? Will I go through all this effort only to not play it when I'm listening to music? Also, I dislike boomy bass and especially flabby HT subs for music. I feel a little guilty for wanting to add a sub to these most excellent speakers. Any advice would be nice. Klipschguy