ndavis1971

I a/b’d a Macintosh 5200or something like it to the audio mirrors and the latter were 25 percent or so better in terms of warmth, naturalness, etc. but the latter cost 50 percent more and yes have lots more cables. Never heard Conrad Johnson. My friend who recommended audio mirror to me raves about quicksilver. I noticed they recently released an integrated and it looks solid but I haven’t heard it. Call me an odd duck but the ma230 is my favorite Macintosh integrated. It sounds so organic even thOugh part of it is SS. The key though is it was early SS and I think that’s one reason it sounds so natural. If I had to have one integrated for size, price and cool factor, it’d be that one.

Quicksilver makes great hand wired amps. No green board garbage like modern Mcintosh stuff. Check out their new integrated. I personally prefer a separate preamp and SET amps from Audio Mirror. Nothing to my ears has beaten my setup of these, with the Audio Mirror tube DAC, when matched with horns like the new Forte IIIs. If if I were gonna buy Mcintosh, it’d be the vintage tube separates. And some companies nowadays make stuff better like Audio Mirror in my view.

Thanks for posting. Given the other speakers he cited as examples of doing something better in certain ways, I am a little skeptical. I don't care for those other speakers. I also don't know why any serious reviewer of klipsch would use solid state instead of tubes, or seriously use these as part of some surround sound system. But then again it's CNET, not Absolute Sound. The most accurate insight was the comment: "A modernization of the venerable Cornwall / Heresy designs - biradial mid-horn, passive radiator to extend low end. Horn mid / treble exceeds in one seldom mentioned area - transient response. If your musical preference points to rock / hard rock or night club music these speakers would be incredible. As a DJ, used Klipsch in clubs and owned LaScalas running on a vacuum tube McIntosh 240 myself. Strong, punchy and LOUD!"

I actually wasn't able to audition them. I'm buying from Cory Harrison of Metropolis Lake Outfitters who someone recommended in the forums. He's heard them all and patiently answered all my questions. I don't think anyone can go wrong with the Cornwalls or Fortes, but the Klipsch engineer R. Delgado worked really hard on the Forte III's and the forum auditioned them at Klipsch. That counts for a whole lot in my book. I just sense the Forte is the start of a new round of (re)designs that are based on newer technology and experiments. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Cornwall IV with a better and bigger midhorn, etc.

Thanks for everyone's help. I'm really glad I hopped on this forum for the first time. First I learned about the Forte III's when I was about to pull the trigger on some Cornwalls. And second because it led me to buy the Forte III's from a fellow forum member. The short of it is that the midrange and tight bass led me to the Forte III over the Cornwalls. Apparently the Cornwalls underwent some changes, including a smaller midrange horn, after not being sold for 15 years or so. The technology is also lagging behind the Forte III from what I have read. FYI, I called all ten or so dealers in H Town to sample the Heritage line. Not one had the line available to hear before buying. It is sad to think so many people have moved onto AV surround sound equipment, or are not willing to pay a reasonable amount for speakers, that those of us serious about two channel audio cannot even sample products made right here in the USA. Anyhow, this forum was so helpful and I really appreciate it!

Thanks for everyone's ideas. I would love to hear if anyone prefers the Cornwalls to Forte for the setup and type of music I listen to. Or specific reasons why not. I ask because I got this friend here and he's so adamant about cornwalls. He's like I've heard them and then and quads are the best. I've never heard fortes. If they're so good why did they stop making them. They're just bringing back to make money and make them sound new and better etc etc. So he's really trying to steer me to the cornwalls big time. I'd tell him to bug off but he's one of those annoying friends who's almost always right!!! But maybe he's wrong here?

This gives an idea of room size by the way

Wow, thanks for the replies so far. I'm here in Houston, TX USA. Wow, those Forte III's have a nice tight base, which I like. I don't like ill-defined or bass heavy speakers, which is why I like Spendors. It's a speaker that really meshes across the spectrum, unlike some Salk transmission line speakers that I had to return because the base was just too pronounced. I can get open box (but otherwise new) pair of Cornwall III's on the Bay with a 30 day return, so that's what I was eyeing (I know kinda high but I can return them). But now I'm curious about these Forte III's...

No. I've never heard any Klipschs that I can recall. I trust my amp maker and he's even made his own speakers, including horns the size of refrigerators, and I know he knows of what he speaks. So I am KIND OF going out on a limb but he's never steered me wrong

Ok, here's the deal. I have a tube preamp and tube amps at home. My amp specs are below. Historically, I've owned and enjoyed Spendor speakers. I love their British neutrality. My A6's, the tower version of the traditional Spendors, is a little too relaxed and slow. It also (at 86 db) strains my 45 wpc SET tube amps... So make a long story short my stereo maker suggested I look into horns. He's a big believer in their magic with tubes and feels nothing is comparable. I asked him and a reliable hi fi friend what to get, and they both approved of Cornwalls. Highly. Over Chorus II's...but they don't have much experience with the Chorus II's...they also like the Tannoy Prestige line but say they haven't heard it and it'd be risky given weight/size/lack of returns and dealers in USA. The Cornwalls are about the largest I can go without overpowering the room (which has a sofa and club chairs and a TV), especially since I can put them close to the wall. So my question is--with these amps, AND THAT I LISTEN TO ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC BLUES (FROM LEADBELLY TO SRV) AND CLASSIC ROCK (VAN MORRISON, DOORS, ETC.) 90 percent of the time--what speakers do you recommend? My room is quite large--it's a living/play area but my sofa is in the middle facing the wall. My wall is 15 feet wide and it is about 11 feet from the wall to the couch, and the ceiling height is normal. Of course the room extends significantly behind my couch but that's the listening distance from the wall. Right now the Spendors are slightly towed in and about 8 feet apart. Spendor specs are below amp specs. THANKS IN ADVANCE...THIS IS A BIG PURCHASE AND I WANNA GET IT RIGHT The carcass is constructed from 18mm MDF throughout, with critically placedcircumferential braces to create a rigid structure without adding mass. Indeed, despite its rigid structure, the A6 only weighs 18kg – far lighter than you expect when you go to pick one up. The tweeter is the familiar Spendorversion of the 29mm SEAS ring-radiator design, its faceplate enhanced by a sophisticated elliptical wave-guide. The bass/mid unit uses an ep38 plastic cone built into a 170mm die-cast chassis, which operates up to a high 4kHz cross-over point. The drivers are carefully pair-matched for consistency. Which brings us to the crossover itself, a key component in the speaker’s design and thinking. The S6 was never a particularly awkward load, but Spendor were determined to improve matters still further,off-setting the A6’s lowish 86dB sensitivity by combining it with a flat, 8 Ohm impedance characteristic. The network itself uses hybrid second/third order slopes and is engineered to offer minimal phase shift and good impulse response as well as a smooth frequency balance. Overall phase coherence is a keyaspect of Spendor designs, and the crossover is a critical contributor to this goal. But it’s not just the design but the execution that’s impressive. The circuit board is mounted into a substantial MDF traythat is inserted into the base of the speaker, forming the upper face of the rear mounted slot port thatexits at the foot of the cabinet. This both braces the components and provides a firm mounting for the single pair of WBT binding posts, removing the need for a terminal panel and the weakness it would introduce into the cabinet.