Onebean

One of my K-33-E woofers for my Cornwall build has voice coil drag. I either need to get it reconed, or find a replacement. Is there a go to source for repairing this speaker? Should I have both speakers done at the same time so they match sonically and visually? My K-33-E’s have square magnets, but I’ve seen the same model number with round magnets. Is there any difference sonically?

@Coytee, that live version is what got me hooked on Fat Old Sun. The solo is amazing without a doubt, and happy is a great way to define it. I do like the original a lot now too, the song just draws me in.

A lot of my favorites have been mentioned, so I'll through out 3 deeper cuts in no particular order. Fat Old Sun - Atom Heart Mother Childhood's End - Obscured by Clouds Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts 6-9) - Wish You Were Here

Thank you Dave. I agree on all the items you mentioned.

@Dave A thanks for the response. I'll have to do some looking for 1" BB ply. I've never noticed it at the cabinet / wood shops. I agree, I don't want to re-engineer / design a speaker, that's why choose my words carefully, and asked for documented improvements. I'm not looking to mess with success, I'd just hate to hear there was a better design after I completed my build. I live in the middle of nowhere, so auditioning a set of stock Cornwalls is nearly impossible, and auditioning a pair with modifications is completely out of the question. The port is my biggest concern / question. Is there a round port design that will give identical results tot he slot port? The slot is certainly not impossible, but again, if there is a documented better way, I'd like to have the option. I did get an opportunity to listen to a new pair of Cornwalls at a high profile dealer while I was on vacation in Southern California last year. They about ripped my head off with some crazy bright tracks cranked up to obscene SPL. By the time I got to select my demo track, the owner was rushing the salesman to meet another client. It wasn't a great experience to say the least, especially since I had called ahead to make sure they had time for me, and drove an hour each way. I guess my rental car wasn't fancy enough to get a real demo. The reality is, I should stick with the existing design, or roll the dice on the outcome.

@RandyH thanks for the reply. I already have 3/4" plywood, and I have some 1/4" too, so I'll laminate them for 1" thick. I assume you maintain internal dimensions for the same internal volume as the original. Flush mounting the horns and woofer is no problem. Is there a design for the a1 brace I can copy? Can you elaborate on the acoustic foam recommendation? Like the Parts Express Sonic Barrier, the Owens Corning stuff used for room treatments, or something else? Any input on the round versus slot ports?

Over a year ago, I bought components for a pair of Cornwall 1's. Time slipped away from me last summer, and I did not get the cabinets built. My plan was to start on these as soon as the weather turned this spring, but graduation, quarantines, and some other stuff popped up, knocking me off my game a bit. I am close to starting this project though, and I've been thinking through the build process, mentally preparing myself. I got a copy of the the cabinet plans from the Crites site, and now I have some questions. In no particular order, here they are: Cabinet bracing? - The plans don't show any bracing. I think bracing would help keep my plywood panels stay straight, and square (seems like I always fight plywood warp). What can I add for bracing, and what should I add? Support for the mid horn? - Again, nothing on the plans, but I assume that horn needs a support board under it. Base riser? - The plans show a riser 1-3/4" tall. Should modify this height at all? Ports? - when I initially joined the forum, I mentioned the build, and some folks recommended round ports along the sides of the mid horn, instead of the slotted ports at the bottom. I believe the reason was the slots are too close to the floor, and the floor can cause turbulence. All things equal, the round ports are much easier for me to build and install. I would need to know the size, length and quantity. Mounting the drivers in front of, or behind the baffle? - I know these were rear mounted originally, is there any reason not to front mount them? Front mounted might look better???? Mid range position on the baffle? The other thing suggested to me, was mounting the mid range above the tweeter? Any thoughts or opinions on this? Mid range at ear level? K-33-E rebuild? One of my K-33-E's has a rubbing voice coil. Should I send both out for rebuild, or replace them with Eminence Kappa 15C? What about cabinet damping?- I've used R-13 insulation on some other speaker builds, and i've seen material like sonic barrier from Parts Express. Should I cover the top, sides and back in this stuff to help damp the cabinet? Modifying the cabinet size? - Is there any documented benefits to changing the size or shape of the cabinet? What else should I be considering for this cabinet build? Let me know if there are other documented improvements I should be considering. I'm less concerned with making an exact replica of Cornwall 1. I'm more focused on making these the best performing speakers that they can be. I'll also be rebuilding the crossovers, and rewiring the speaker as I put it together. Thank you for any help, guidance, or advice.

Nice follow up Gary. Since my return to this audio hobby, I have begun to be much more careful with my ears. My father suffers from hearing loss due to military service, and working in a factory before anyone cared about PPE (personal protection equipment). The last thing I want is to be a buzz kill. I just want to make sure I get to enjoy this hobby for many years to come, so I roll the volume back a bit.

Heck, if you're building all of them, it only seems right to run them in and make sure they are 100% before giving them back to your friend. That will also give you a chance to demo them in your system. I have experience with Bottlehead, and that would be the first thing I would try. I've ready good things about the Elekit and the Amp Camp amp, so they would each get some demo time. There's probably not a bad choice in the bunch, but at least one should hit the sweet spot. Keep us posted, I'm very curious which ones you like the best.

Very cool Matt. I always enjoy your videos.

Hi Fido, I'll throw out another option. Vintage tube gear is typically always available, and finding a nice piece that has been restored electrically can offer a piece of equipment ready for another 20-30 years of use. Quite often these restored integrated and stand alone amps can be bought for well under $1000. I assume you could use the preamp in your McIntosh 252, and use a vintage stand alone amp with great success. That gives you tube preamp and tube amp. It looks like the Forte 1's are 98 db sensitive, so with 1 watt of power, they will play 98 db loud at 1 meter from the speaker. We know that to increase the sound pressure level 3 db, you have to double the power. So in your case, you can go to 101 db with 2 watts. That's quickly approaching ear splitting sound pressure levels. This math tells us that a 100 watt per channel amp won't even use 10% of it's power. This high speaker sensitivity opens the door to a world of wonderful amps using EL84, 300B, and 2A3 tubes. Amps using these power tubes typically deliver 3-12 watts, and for my mileage, are some of the best watts I've ever heard. They work terrific for me using 90 db sensitive speakers, playing everything from Sonny Rollins to Black Sabbath. Deep bass, detailed but smooth highs, and midrange that is very real. I often say I can hear the wetness in Freddy King's voice. Living in SoCal should offer you quite a few options for demoing these types of amps, and if you buy one at a fair price and don't like it, they are typically easy to sell for little or no loss. Good luck with your journey. Onebean

And I was concerned the "suggest a capacitor" would cause an uproar. Tom and Jim, thank you for your answers, and sharing your knowledge and passion. I think I will move forward with ordering the Sonicaps, and sort out the woofer selection as I'm getting closer on the cabinet build. On a side note- I was watching my notifications, and did not see anything. I thought I would find this post in the form and double check it. When I opened it, I found there had been all this activity I was unaware of. Is there a setting I need to adjust to get my bell to notify me?

John, I was lead to believe it was a drop in replacement for the K-33-E. Is there a published cross over adjustment for replacing the K-33-E with the Kappa 15C? I don't have the tools, skill, or knowledge to be designing cross overs. One of my K-33-E speakers has a voice coil rub. It was recommended to me, to swap them both for the Kappa 15C, versus sending the one bad K-33-E out for repair, and then not having the speakers match anymore. I'm a newbie to Klipsch, so I'll take all the help I can get.

Thank you.