geoff.

WOW! Does the K-510 ever love to be naked! I just pulled the grilles off to take a picture for my files while I was grooving to some SRV. I have never owned a speaker whose character changes SO musc by simply removing the grilles! It is literally as if I pulled the cotton out of my ears. The subtleties lept out of the horns. Now that's the forwardness I LOVE in a speaker.

I don't know if this wil help, but I seem to recall reading on this forum that Bob Crites had done some testing of the K-33-E square and K-33-E round magnet versions. The only notable difference was the square magnet version went lower in a tuned enclosure. If I recall correctly. I have owned two pairs '84 Cornwall 1's (the last year for that style,) actually still do, one pair came stock with the square magnet K-33-E and the other pair, the round magnet version identical to the ones in my treasured '86 Cornwall 2's. I am dabbling with a 2-way Cornscala/"The Fifteens" (lol) and chose to use the square magnet woofers for this very reason. This forum and it's members have your answers. Somewhere...

Good eye! It IS a Sonic Maximizer. I can't imagine music without one...

I am thinking the amount of EQ is contingent upon the driver used in conjunction with the crossover. Passive in this case. The NAD C162 preamp only offers +/- 5 db of boost or cut at 50 and 10 000hz and depending on what I am listening too has been more than adequate so far. Sometimes flat, sometimes full on one, sometimes full on both. BUT just like with all my other Klipsch speakers, tone controls have a very limited impact on the sound. This pair of, what I would have until a month ago called, Cornscala's is not as forward souding as I would have expected. Maybe because the horn is CURRENTLY behind the motorboard. The soundstage is very neutral, neither forward nor subdued. Just "there." I just spent another hour listening to some Dire Straights CD's from my collection. There is nothing MISSING from the music compared to my beloved CW2's. Like I said before though, the bass seems more present. What a difference a month or so makes. I might very well have titled this thread "K510 / The Fifteens!"

I have two of these. And a C272. I used to have a CerwinVega CLSC 215 in each corner of my living room. Overkill to say the least. The front two C372's were bridged. I have had Heresy1's, Heresy2's, Tangent 500's, RF3's, Forte ii's, and Quartet's along the way, all hooked up to the same kit. Once I heard Cornwalls my Vegas sounded... muddy and compressed, at the volumes I sometimes enjoy. Phenomenal bass, but at the expense of clarity. I sold most everything after my FIRST pair of Cornwall's. I still have the front two bridged and have NEVER had my Cornwall's dialed past 11 o'clock. And that was just to shake the dirt off my windows! Point being - my Klipsch speakers love my NAD's!

Pictured here is the insulating tape that went between the horn and cabinet and along the inside flange where the back panel screws down. The Faital Pro HF200 has only just begun to impress me. The seemless transition from 500hz to the limit of MY hearing puts a smile on my face. ...more to follow I am sure.

Ok. I finally set aside the time to "complete" this project as it stood... I substituted the FIRST Cornscala finished on the right side while I took another two hours to finish the second one. I played my favourite CD's the entire time. In a side by side comparison, both my son and I THOUGHT the Cornscala paled in comparison to my CW2's (modded with K-107-ti tweeters, NEW crossovers AND midrange phenolics from Crites, and fully gasketed drivers), until I realized the CW2's were likely just that much more efficient. I am not sure if there is a burn-in period for titanium drivers, but first impressions were, well... harsh when compared to the left side I know for a fact the K-107-ti tweeters I put in the CW2's took several hours, if not days, to settle down. Once I finished the second Cornscala and let it play for an hour in concert with it's twin, once again with my favourite tunes, the sublte improvement was evident. I do believe the overall efficiency compared to the CW2's to have dropped ever so slightly, BUT, and this is compared to FINE pair of Cornwall's: Imaging was without question better. There was NO loss of high frequency reproduction. The attack and decay of all instruments was present. I love a band with a horn section, and it is all that and a bag of chips. The woofer seems to really benefit from a 500hz crossover. It may have been a result too of sealing all drivers and the back panel with insulating tape. Keep in mind this was WITHOUT ANY EQ. And this horn is supposed to require it. Next project - EQ'ing the K510!

Thanks Mark! I see in your October 13, 2015 post that you use a graphic equalizer in an all analogue setup with passive crossovers with a K402/K510? Chris A was very helpful and to the point about the use of active crossovers and EQ too. The gentleman I bought the horns from had mentioned they could use a little processing... I would like to try to "keep it simple" so I may dust off an ADC, Nikko or Technics equalizer I have in the archives. For now... Audio progress quickly turns to a quest for audio perfection the more you wet your beak in it! It won't be long before I start researching an Ashley or some such active crossover. A topic for another thread to be sure! As far as I could gleen from other posts, without EQ I should expect the low end to lose pattern control and reflect off the surrounding walls? The high end suffers from attempts to attenuate the low, and efficiency is lost? My living room is 12 x 20 feet and I usually sit 8 to 10 feet from the speakers which are placed in the corners along the short wall. One of the reasons the 2-way Cornscala was the obvious choice. Imaging that close with my Cornwall 2's is OK, better than one might expect, but not great. Any guess what sort of adjustments on the sliders will be needed?

The CS500 crosses at 500hz. No EQ is being used. The Faital Pro HF200/HF140 is the most linear driver available for less than the price of good used car. The slight peak right about where my hearing drops off is icing on the cake. I now have ANOTHER pair of the exact same Cornwall's that were modded for this project that I will be able to A/B the finished product with. Just this past weekend a motivated seller on kijiji had them listed for 500 bucks DELIVERED! I really didn't need another pair, but the price was right! It would have been foolish NOT to buy them. When I called him he was on his way to a buyer that low-balled him to $450. It turned out I was half an hour closer and we settled on 520 bucks. After the comparison maybe my 12 year old son can fit them in his room at his mother's place ...revenge is a dish best served LOUD... LOL!

These showed up in the mail today! ...after I greased customs, sigh. Weekends are family time, so I may have to call in a sick day next week and take a day to properly assemble these.

These I kept. And I have NO regrets about it.

Wow. Just spotted this. I kept my CF-3's. And the KLF C7. The Forte ii' s had the ti diaphragms. In my ad I described them as "floorstanding headphones." The CF-3's have everything the Forte ii's have and more.

Hello Newbie! Welcome to an ear opening experience. Heresy 1's were my first foray into the world of Klipsch. I work in bars as a service rep, and every time I heard music I knew in a new light I would check the source. Classic rock playing through a pair of Heresy's hooked me. That was ten years ago... I don't see the journey ending in this lifetime. It took me too long to accept crossovers need new capacitors after 20 years and the type of crossover has a far greater impact on the sound than I would have previously thought. Many upgrades are available. I JUST replaced the crossovers in my Cornwall ii's over the holidays and the result had to be heard to be appreciated. And I THOUGHT they sounded good prior to the upgrade! Imaging, high frequency definition without the hiss, low frequency tightness, it all gelled after the change. Take a look at Critesspeakers.com for starters and plan to spend the smartest money you can on your speakers. New capacitors are essential, wherever you get them. Cheers!

DavidH had asked me in a PM(?) how much the K510 horns cost me. I thought I had responded through my email, but after checking my sent messages folder I see it went to "<forums-no-reply@lipsch.com>" so in future I will answer all questions in the thread to avoid excluding or offending anyone. The more information we all have, the more qualified our decisions. David, and others, the K510 horns were 79 bucks each. I should add, tongue in cheek, that everything where I live gets a hefty 13% tax added. It helps pays for healthcare and lavish, ridiculously unsupervised social benefits while the rest of us earn our keep. Healthy educated people make healthy educated choices. For that I am grateful. I have since enquired about the venerable K402, they are special order, likely added to the next production run, and and go for 570 bucks a pop!

Regarding driver selection, I heard back from the wizard at Gentec, he actually CALLED me with his findings. I had left it with him whether he emailed or called. The Klipsch K-69-A is available here, price 340 $CDN, but Fernando seemed to think there were better options elsewhere. I mentioned the B&C DE750TN, price 338 $CDN, and he said that was an excellent choice. When I told him the Faital Pro HF200 was what I actually ordered he agreed that was an even better selection. After exchange, shipping and customs the price difference was less than a hundred bucks. Small price to pay for quality. Negligible at this point. This gentleman took the time to answer every question I asked him. One of them was given 8 or 16 ohms, which would be a better choice for a high frequency driver? He said if it were up to him he would always pick the higher impedance driver. In a club, less ohms for more power, but at home more ohms for better control. When I had asked Mr. Crites to put together my order he automatically quoted the 16 ohm variant. Bob designs his CS500 crossover to use that impedance. No surprise there! As a relative newbie, I would have erroneously ordered an 8 ohm unit. And in so doing euchred myself! Moral of the story? Assume nothing and ask questions.

...about that cutout... I went exactly 5 1/8 inches in from the cabinet, on the second speaker. The first speaker I cut 5 inches in and found the screw placement very precarious.

...the Jubilee's? He spoke of such a man 'round these parts... And yes, I have been in customer service ALL my working life, and at 51 years old was left in awe with that gentleman's product AND applied knowledge and congeniality. He should have a tip jar! Which brings me to my dealings with Mr. Crites. Another true gentleman with a wealth of knowledge and genuine character. Life is good.

Ooops... lol ...Necessary

I tell my kids "THINK" Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Helpful? Is it Kind? I have nothing but respect and appreciation for everything Mr. Crites has done for this hobby. The man has has earned my business.

Over the years I have gone to a place called Gentec International on the outskirts of Toronto for Klipsch replacement parts when I have blown a woofer or a tweeter. A few months ago I got the idea to replace the K-79 in my Cornwall II's (keepers - for now...) with the K-107-Ti (a tractrix titanium unit)! They dropped in with a little filing of the cabinet cut-out and one side of the anti-resonance ribs on the tweeter. After I intalled them I enquired about the availability of the K510 and K-69, knowing full well that failing anything short of a double amputation I WOULD be converting an earlier pair of Cornwall 1's I had into Cornscala's. I was told the K510's were available but not the drivers. They even had two in stock! A twenty minute drive from work saved me shipping and started the wheels turning. Over the holidays I upgraded the crossovers in my CWII's with the Crites units, which had an impact you needed to hear to believe. I did the A/B test with one upgraded speaker, but nothing gelled until both were done. It is without a doubt something to put on the "to do" list if you have speakers you ALREADY like that are dated. Now here is the clincher... I emailed Bob (Mr. Crites) thanking him for his help. I told him after much searching NOTHING came close to the performance and value of his Faital Pro HF200 drivers (even after CDN$ exchange, shipping and customs!) and asked about a crossover to go with said drivers in this project. I also asked about the benefits of one crossover frequency over another. This was his response: "I have not tested the HF200 on the K-510 but would expect it to perform very good on that horn. If the K-510 horns were actually available in good quantity, pretty sure I would be using them in my 2-way Cornscala. Anyway, the same crossover I build for the Style D Cornscala should work fine on your speakers. As far as crossover frequency, I think 500 is best. I determined that acoustically measuring the frequency response when I did the Style D. That is so similar to what you are doing that I would be very surprised if 500hz were not the best on yours also. You have to realize how really close to my Style D you are building. I use the Faital HF140 on the Tractrix LT142 horn. The HF200 IS the HF140, just with an adapter to make it a 2 inch instead of 1.4 inch." How is that for encouragement? The crossover used in Mr. Crites' Cornscala D is the CS500. He is currently selling them for US$250.00. This is where I thank ALL of the forum members who have shared their experiences, and in so doing, make it possible for myself and others to take the enjoyment of this fine hobby to previously unknown heights. Gentlemen, my sincere thanks!

A black magic marker brought the original patina back to the cut-out. Lol

I scored the back side of the grille with a utility knife until it cut through to a metal ruler inserted between the grille cloth and backing.

Another shot. The center mounting hole on the bottom from the previous k-57 marks dead center and the k510 mounts perfectly half an inch under it. The screws got reused too. I noticed some hairline cracks on the first screw so I used washers on subsequent screws. The issue was alleviated.

I have decided that Bob's Faital Pro 200 drivers and corresponding crossover are the way to go. Even after exchange on the CDN$, shipping and customs I can't beat the price and performance offered by his product. Managed to jigsaw out the cabinets and get the horns in place. It couldn't have been any simpler, the K510 fits perfectly in the cut-out where the k-57/k-77 used to live. Even the grille cut-out is spot on. Sometimes you catch a break!

Chris, I sincerely thank you for your constructive and thorough advice on this project. I secured a pair of the K-510 horns this week from Gentec International and will be cutting the motorboards on my pair of '84 Cornwall 1's to accomodate them over the holidays. I will be keeping the K-33-E woofers for now, so that only(!) leaves the drivers for the K-510's and the 2-way crossovers left on the drawing board. As far as I can tell there are no dealers north of the border for Faital drivers so I am leaning towards the B&C drivers available from QComponents, the B&C DE750 or the B&C DE750TN. The incredibly knowledgeable gentleman I dealt with at Gentec International seemed to think he might find a suitable driver from the current Klipsch line-up. I will know in the new year. I just received new crossovers for my '86 Cornwall 2's from Bob Crites this week so I may ask him his thoughts on a passive for the two drivers I am considering. Active crossovers aren't on my radar, yet, but they are increasingly in my thoughts. Kind of like Cornwalls were after I brought home my first pair of Heresy's ten years ago.