Charles Turner

I was apparently one of the few who bought a set from Al for my Cornwalls in 2002 right before he stopped making them. I think I recall the version I purchased was the "improved" design but I'm curious, what design improvement are you refering to? thanks

I still have my Adcom separates from the late 80s...the 555 series (GFA-555 amp, GFP-555 preamp, GFT-555 tuner) and they work great. When they first came out they received a lot of positive press from Stereophile et al...especially the preamp. The preamp was considered to be very "neutral" and I personally thought the phono section was quite good. The local Klipsch dealer carried the line and I recall they believed the series to be a strong performer, especially for the price. The only problem I ever had with the units were the front rocker power switches and apparently others had similiar problems. I would agree they tend to be on the bright side and a bit bass heavy...at least with my Cornwalls. When I changed back to vinyl they were replaced by tubed components but my son still uses them and has never complained.

BTW...the website quotes $19.95 for 50 without a price break so I ordered them through the 800 number. They told me on the phone the website will give you the price break when it processes the order and you can put a note in special instructions to remind them.

I got them at Music Direct (www.amusicdirect.com)...200 for $66.

For those of us who are overly compulsive about our vinyl... I was disappointed to find out a couple of months ago the Discwasher VPR sleeves were no longer available...I've probably used them for about 20 years. I read the pros and cons of substitutes on the asylum board and ordered the MFSL sleeves. I'm happy to report they are mirror images of the VPR sleeves without the logo. Actually they are bit thicker on the side with the paper insert so I like them a bit better. Again, for the overly compulsive vinyl enthusiasts...

Many thanks for the feedback and advice. I checked with a Dallas based company who rebuilds speakers and they would not replace the surround but recommending reconing it at a cost of $250. In keeping with the bargain spirit of the purchase I decided instead to order the kit for $35 and try the project myself. If I bungle it I can still have it professionally reconed. I'm still not quite sure what I will do with the finished product but I will submit pictures once it is completed. If I decide I have no use for it I will offer it up here for what I have invested in the project.

A very nice gentleman with high integrity. I purchased my MC225 from him several years ago and that purchase started me down a very enjoyable road of rebuilding my system around my cornwalls and his old tube amp. I think he might be pleased to know how much pleasure that purchase and his advice added to my new (old) hobby.

I picked up a large speaker at a church garage sale last weekend and I'm curious if anyone knows anything about it or what it might have been designed for. The plate on the back is AB Systems, Folsom California and the metal grill has Advanced Technology Design Series. The plywood cabinet measures out to about 10 cubic feet and is vented on the bottom like the Cornwall. I removed the single 18" woofer and it is a JBL Professional Series model 2245H. The individual running the sale didn't seem to know what it was but thought it was a "technology instrument". The cabinet is well constructed with dowel pins, routed edges, side handles, and solid internal bracing and is in good condition. The speaker and cone look great, move a lot of air when connected to an old receiver, but need a new foam surround. According to the JBL website the woofer is 95 spl, 20-2000 Hz, and 300-600 watts. I don't really have a use in mind but I will probably refinish the cabinet, buy a foam surround kit and fix the woofer, and save it for a subwoofer for a home theater system or give it to my son for bass guitar speaker. I have Cornwalls so I really don't need a subwoofer for my 2 channel sytem. I have an old Adcom GFP 555 I can use to drive it. I thought at first it might have been for a PA system or an organ but I'm not sure. The best part was the price, $10.

Gez...I didn't know my age was in my profile nor did I know anyone ever looked at that. It's gone now! BTW, in Dallas we state age in base 8, not base 10.

Does anyone have any secrets to share on cleaning older jazz and classical lps from the 50s and 60s? I use a Nitty Gritty machine and solution made from the VPI concentrate and it works fine on lps from the 70s forward. I usually remove the lp about half way through the wet cycle, scrup it with a Nitty Gritty nylon brush on a clean sheet of glass, then vacuum. Although the older lps look clean and "sound clean" they still have mild to moderate surface noise. Will higher end fluids such as Record Research Labs help or is it just the fact these lps are older and did not have the benefit of being played initially on higher quality turntables? thanks 1976 Cornwalls ALK crossovers Stax Lambda Signature earspeakers SRM T1 tube driver Rega P25 turntable Benz Micro H2 cartridge McIntosh MC225 amplifier McIntosh C15 McIntosh MR71 tuner DIY 89259 cross-connect speaker cable DIY Superlatives interconnects

I'll have to second the original Advent's nomination. I traded them plus $450, however, to a friend whose wife did not like his new large black speakers in their new living room. Those speakers were the birch black decorator Cornwalls, which I still have.

One more thing...squirt some extra cleaning fluid on the lp when you lay it on the glass to manually scrub it

I have a Nitty Gritty fluid injection I've been using successfully for a couple of years but I need to upgrade to the Disk Doctor brushes and fluid Allan suggested. A couple of pieces of advice... 1) I have a piece of glass...about 15" square...on the table beside the Nitty Gritty and I lay the records on it to scrub them down manually...it's easy to keep the glass clean between scrubs. 2) Cut a circle out of an old mouse pad...slightly bigger than the label...to place on the label during scrubbing. It stays put when you hold down the record and protects the label. 3) I use the fluid injection feature to wet the record for a few rotations before I scrub it manually...it gives the fluid a chance to work on it's own first. 4) Buy an extra four pack of the velvet lip pads and change them whenever they begin to darken or look frayed...for me it's about every two months. The kit comes with a cardboard tool to allow you to position the lips on the plastic. Cut about 1/8" off one of the ends, preserving the same angle. This allows you to insert the cardboard about 1/4" further into the slot and makes positioning the new pad on the lips easier. 5) Purchase a toothbrush with soft bristles and use on the lp when you find a glob of gunk on the surface of the record. I dip it in cleaning fluid and then scrub the area with the gunk. You'll be surprised how many lps you can save using this procedure. 6) After researching the various cleaning solutions I settled on buying 1 ounce VPI concentrates and adding it along with 8 ounces of 99% isopropyl to a gallon of distilled water. The 1 ounce conceentrate sells for about 12-15 dollars and seems to be a cost effective solution. enjoy

I always knew my stylus was worn when the cymbals stopped sounded crisp. As to MC vs MM I recently read what I believed to be a very useful comparison of the two types of cartridges on vinyl asylum. http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/224330.html Apologies if this doesn't post as a direct link

I've been using a MC225 with my Cornwalls for the past 2 years and I've been very pleased with the sound. I chose this amp because when I first heard the Cornwalls at Hillcrest High Fidelity in the mid 70's they were paired with the 225. Perhaps I'm clouded by nostalgia but I've not read or heard anything bad about this amp...it consistently gets very good to excellent reviews. The only other vintage Mac amp I've consistently seen reviewed better is the MC60 monoblock. While I'm not a technically astute audiophile, I do know this pairing sounds great with old vinyl (Rock, Jazz, Blues, Classical - no country) and Cornwalls. 1976 Cornwalls ALK crossovers Stax Lambda Signature earspeakers SRM T1 tube driver Rega P25 turntable Benz Micro H2 cartridge McIntosh MC225 amplifier McIntosh C15 McIntosh MR71 tuner DIY 89259 cross-connect speaker cable DIY Superlatives interconnects

I've got the decorator model also and had a similiar problem with a dog who scratched the dust cover. I ended up just swapping out the woofer with a local Klipsch dealer but I think yours will be easy to repair. I've had grills I built on a wooden frame cover with black cloth attached with velcro. Problems...you have to sort through quite a few 1"x1" lumber to find ones perfectly straight and you end up covering some of the bottom vents with the frame (unless it is on risers). I've also built grills using a thin fiberboard (the brown kind people use to hang tools on in the garage) with cutouts for the drivers and attached with velcro. Problem...it's hard to cleanly cover the board on the corners with the cloth and make it look nice. The best solution I used was cutting out round metal grills out of wire mesh and covering only the woofer. You can paint it to match the speaker and it looks better than you would think. IMHO the cornwalls sound best without anything covering the tweeter and squawker and keep in mind, you will have the cornwalls longer than you will have the cat.

Received mine today also many thanks...charles

Received mine today also many thanks...charles

I agree room acoustics are significantly more important than speaker cables. When I returned to this hobby three years ago my first task was to decide which room "sounded the best". I literally carried the Cornwalls from room to room until I found one which sounded the most natural to my ears. It turns out it was not one of the larger living areas with the high ceilings but an isolated upstairs bedroom. I later realized the rooms dimensions, 12' x 15' with an 8' ceiling, were close to what some consider optimal room dimensions. So, after three years of replacing every component except the Cornwalls I am down to the last step, the cables. Since I originally came to the BB three years ago searching for information on speaker cables it seemed appropriate to post a comment on the end of my project.

I know speaker cables are a hotly debated topic but I thought I'd offer some brief remarks on a recent upgrade. I have always used generic zip cord, or for the last few years, 12 guage monster cable. This weekend I constructed the Belden 89259 cross connect speaker cables designed by Jon Risch and recommended by others on this board. It took about a day to construct a 25' and 15' set...I decided to use the remainder of the 100' roll for some simple interconnects and forgo equal lengths. Since I do not speak true audiophile I'll use simple English...in brevity, a lot more information is reaching the cornwalls now. The closest comparison is the difference I hear with a new phono cartridge. The individual performers are more easily identified (more air) in the recording and the music extends further to the left and right and rear of the room (better soundstage). The upper midrange is cleaner and the higher frequency is smoother and less fatiguing. The bass is better defined and the notes end quickly and distinctly. These cables have only been "broken in" for two hours and supposedly after a few weeks the bass dynamics improve even more. The differences are more noteable on a small group jazz piece or on a rock recording such as Supertramp's "Crime of the Century" and less obvious on a straight up rock piece such as the Stones or the Who. While I doubt I would ever spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for a pair of esoteric cables I would highly recommend spending $200 or less on these if you currently own monster or zip cord speaker cable. 1976 Cornwalls ALK crossovers Stax Lambda Signature earspeakers SRM T1 tube driver Rega P25 turntable Benz Micro H2 cartridge McIntosh MC225 amplifier McIntosh C15 McIntosh MR71 tuner DIY 89259 cross-connect speaker cable DIY Superlatives interconnects

Try the Radio Shack "yagi" directional FM antenna...model 15-2163 for $21.95. According to my recent research on the asylum boards most agree this is the best value and can be mounted either inside the attic or on the roof. If the room has an existing unused coax connection for television perhaps it can be redirected for the FM antenna.

$1000 for a new amp? I'll second an earlier opinion on the MC225. Find a used one and plan to spend $250 or so and have it checked out by a good tech. Sounds wonderful with Cornwalls and vinyl.

For what it's worth... I needed to level two of the three turntable feet and used 2" circles cut from old mouse pads. Thiner mouse pads allow you to stack circles to get precise leveling. The textured bottom of the mousepad prevents it from slipping on the rack. I don't know if it improves the sonics but it does allow you to completely level the turntable.

Money Order to be mailed today...again, many thanks for kindness in doing this. charles

Dave... Please add my name to the DFW group for upcoming events...I would be interested in meeting some of the locals. BTW...just discovered a nice little college jazz station broadcast by NTU out of Denton at 88.1. The signal is a bit weak but their audio engineer tells me he tries to use minimal signal compression. thanks...charles 1976 Cornwalls ALK crossovers Stax Lambda Signature - SRM T1 tube driver Rega P25 turntable Benz Micro H2 cartridge McIntosh MC225 amplifier McIntosh C15 McIntosh MR71 tuner Risch DIY 89259 cross-connect speaker cable Risch DIY 89259/89248 twisted pair interconnects