triceratops

Hi Moon, You are certainly welcome to come to Eugene to check out the Belles and the Cornwalls. The Belles came from Audio Specialties up in Portland. These Cornwalls came from a contact I made on this very Bulletin Board also up in Portland--a member of the Oregon Triode Society (he also told me about the Belles). There are several members of the OTS group that have Cornwalls--are you familiar with them? The next meeting is this Wednesday at Portland Brewing. The Belles need some cosmetic attention, but I haven't run across any for sale locally before, so I had to buy them. My wife doesn't know about the Belles yet (I'll sell the Cornwalls before I tell her). Drop me an e-mail if you want to buzz down! Best in Horns, Triceratops

Correction to the above...I meant to say "my Klipschorns got sold a couple of years ago..." Still in denial? Best, Triceratops (with three-horns again...)

I have just listed my 1977 Oiled Walnut Cornwalls for sale on Ebay. This is my second pair that is going on the block. For the time being I'm still holding on to my third pair, but I need to sell these Cornwalls to make space for some Belle Klipsch I bought recently. The auction URL is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3010191293 (If that doesn't work try Ebay item number 3010191293) Feel free to contact me with any questions. I live in Eugene, Oregon. Best regards, Triceratops (needed to get the Belles to have the name make sense--my Cornwalls got sold a couple of years ago--another mistake...)

Hi HDBR Builder, Thanks for your help. The speakers in question are 1971 Cornwall Walnut Oiled (recessed front and mitered corners) but the grille panels are home-made looking, the grille cloth is incorrect, and the logos are gone. When I removed the grille panels (velcro attachment) I saw some fragments of the original grille cloth around the edges of the motorboard where it had been cut away. I really feel the motorboard should be removed (if possible) and the old grille fragments cleaned up and then correct grille cloth and logos reapplied. Unfortunately, the veneer on these is in bad shape, too. I appreciate how much is involved in that area thanks to your earlier posts on that subject. By the way, when you use an iron to steam out dents, do you protect the wood with some fabric to prevent direct contact with the iron? Best in horns, triceratops

Hi Folks, Just wanted to let everyone know that the auction for my Cornwalls should be finished in a few more hours. Here's the URL: http://cgi.aol.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1386600522 I made reserve, so it looks like somebody will get them. Best in horns, triceratops

Thanks Allan! So I guess the motorboards are not glued in? Triceratops

I recently inspected a pair of older Cornwalls that appeared to have the grille cloth wrapped around the speaker mounting board (aka motorboard) instead of mounted on a removable grille. Are other folks on the Forum familiar with this arrangement? Can the motorboard be removed to replace the grille cloth or is it glued and/or stapled into place? It looked like the previous owner cut the old cloth off with a box knife--nasty looking! I'm trying to imagine how much work would be required to make it right. Thanks! triceratops

I didn't get any inquiries from list members about these but I thought I'd let y'all know they are now on eBay. Here is the URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1386600522 Let me know if any of you have any questions. Kelly-If you're reading this, I've taken photos of my Eico and will be sending them soon. Sorry for the long delay! Best to All, Triceratops

Sorry Mobile, Looks like the photos are gone from the ebay listing. I'll take some new ones and send them to you if you like, or post them here if others are interested. Best regards, triceratops

Oops, that didn't work! How about this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=1366767261 Best regards, triceratops

Hi Mobile, The HF-81 is great! The unit looks to be factory wired and is in fantastic condition. I've only had it a few weeks, and it had been sitting for a little while, so I brought up the voltage slowly with a Variac and bought a small fan to help with cooling. I haven't done anything to it: the tubes were good, the pots were clean, and it sounds great. The power tubes are made in England, but I don't see an obvious maker's name. The preamp tubes are Japanese-made Westinghouse. Also I really appreciated buying from someone as conscientious and helpful as Roger Russell. Came with a manual, too. I think you can still see a picture at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d11?ViewItem&item=1366767261 Even though it sounds great, I guess I should get on to replacing the capacitors for safety's sake. I've been checking out your Eico website and may ask for some more guidance about the most important upgrades. Thanks again for all your help! Any further word on a possible Consonance kit with multiple inputs? Thanks again for all your help, triceratops

Greetings-- I have to apologize for not contributing more to the list. After reading all the posts of interest, there doesn't seem to be time to add anything! Since I last posted, I have accumulated more Klipsch speakers. I now have three pairs of Cornwalls (1968, 1977, 1985) one pair of Belles (1977) and one pair of KG-4s. Thanks to advice from Mobile, Colin, and others a few months back, I have purchased my first audio tube amp, an Eico HF-81 (in fine shape from Roger Russell). Anyway, I'm going to start thinning out the speakers (at 1600 sq ft, it's not that big a house!) and the first on the block are arguably the cleanest and possibly the best sounding: the 1985 Cornwalls. The reason I'm letting these go first is the finish is oiled oak and my wife prefers darker woods (the others are all walnut) with our teak furniture. Who am I to argue? She is amazingly cool about all the speakers around here... Info on the 1985 Cornwalls for sale: Matched pair, oiled oak with black grills, showroom condition. I bought these in March from the original owner and list member David Horn of Ashland, Oregon after David listed them for sale on this site. David sold his house and retired to live in a motorhome and see the country. The speakers have only been moved twice (once by David, and once by me up here to Eugene, Oregon). There are almost no blemishes of any kind. From appearance or sound these appear basically as new speakers. The s/n's are 8538773 and 8538774. The cabinets are lumber core Cornwall I style, with rear mounted drivers and the cabinet backs have never been off. Another BB member posted info on Cornwalls with very close serial numbers to these (8537951 and 8537952) as having B3 crossover, K33E woofer, K57K midrange, and K77 tweeter. I assume these have the same components. I paid David $800 for the speakers and am willing to offer them to Klipsch BB members at that price if they are able to arrange pick-up in Eugene, Oregon. If I need to transport or ship them, the price will be higher--details to be worked out. I do get around a bit in Oregon (Bend, Medford, Portland, etc) so those locations would be pretty easy transport. If no one in this group is interested, these will probably go on e-bay this weekend. I'm not expecting to sell them here (I note that Colin's are now on e-bay) I'm just letting everyone know as a courtesy before offering them to the general public. I can post jpegs if anyone would like, or e-mail them off-list. I can also be reached off-list at: pieboy@att.net Thanks in advance for any interest. Best regards, triceratops

Mobile and others-- Thanks again for your input. It sounds like the Consonance Ella might be the best way for me to go. No problem about it being a kit--in fact I would prefer that! I don't see anything about the Ella on the Consonance site. Am I looking in the wrong place? What do you think the odds are of the manufacturer going with your suggestion on the phono preamp feature? Otherwise is there an outboard phono preamp you would recommend? Best regards, triceratops

Mike-- Thanks for the Opera Audio site. Any thoughts from you or other members about my other questions? Best, triceratops

Mobile and Colin-- Thanks for your detailed responses. I played around with the Dyna SCA-35 to try and reduce the hum (changed outlets, reverse polarity, grounded chassis, etc) but decided it has leaky caps. That problem and your suggestions on some of the other stuff out there convinced me to return the unit yesterday. Mobile, the Consonance Ella looks beautiful. Your comments about the single inputs got me thinking. I wonder if I could get by without a source switch, and just swap cables around as needed. Definitely not very convenient but it could work... Does Consonance have a factory web site? What about the other brands you mention? For the most part, the searches I've tried have turned up dealer sites rather than the factory sites. Colin, thanks for the reference to Home Theater and High Fidelity review. Are you the author of the piece on the Bottlehead Paramour SET monoblocks from last year? There is a used Jolida 801A for sale locally for $775. That's a bit more than I was hoping to spend, and probably more power than I need for the Cornwalls (70 wpc). Would there be any advantages over the Jolida 102B or the ASL MG-SI15DT? Since the Jolida rigs are not SET, but have more power, what are the trade-offs? Are we talking apples and oranges? Any experience with Golden Tube Audio? I note that they have an integrated rig as well that shows up in the used gear sites regularly. Thanks again for any and all help! Best regards, JD/triceratops

Mobile-- Thanks for your prompt response. I listen primarily to CDs with a Sony ES-series player (CDP XA1ES) and a little vinyl with a B&O tangential turntable (TX2 w/ MMC4 cartridge). Separates would be fine, but my budget is fairly limited. Ideally, I would like to keep the total for amp and preamp in the $500 range, so I'm thinking that would limit me to an integrated rig. On the other hand, I recognize that you get what you pay for, so if I need to go up a few hundred more for a significant improvement, I'm willing to do that. I'm also receptive to building from a kit. I've been a hobbyist for tape recording, slot cars, guitars, bicycles, and various other DIY fetishes for years, so no problem with assembling and soldering stuff. Are there any kits that are actually competitively-priced relative to assembled gear? I'm curious about the Jolida, Golden Tube Audio, and any other inexpensive tube gear you may suggest. I greatly appreciate your advice. Best regards, the three-horned dinosaur

Hi Folks, I've been reading the list for a few months and currently have two pair of Cornwalls (circa '67 with vertical horns and '77 with horizontal), and a pair of KG-4s. I owned a pair of '81 Khorns until last year when I sold them because of a house move--big mistake. Anyway, my two main power units are both solid state: a McIntosh MC 2105 w/ C 28 preamp in the bedroom and a Sony GX99ES receiver in the living room. I've been reading Mobile's (and others') postings about tube amps and have become interested in giving tubes a try. My question is this: I have borrowed a Dynaco SCA 35 integrated tube amp to try out. Is this a unit worthy of the Cornwalls? The Dyna seems to be in decent shape and is for sale for $150. My first trial hasn't gone that well--there is considerable hum from the Dyna when hooked to the Cornwalls. Should I try to track it down or look for a better amp? Thanks for any help or suggestions. I listen primarily to cool jazz, world music, and Richard Thompson (sorry, he's in a class by himself!) Best regards, Triceratops