salbake

Welcome to the forum. I A/B’d them at my dealer’s this year and you can’t make a bad choice. Not a whole lot of difference in the mids and highs. I thought the Forte’s bass was a little punchier, more compact, compared to the Cornwall’s more open, fuller bass. Overall I thought the Cornwalls were a bit more cohesive/disappeared better. They started with the Fortes and everyone was in agreement that they sounded great 👍. Full disclosure I am a biased Cornwall I and Cornwall IV owner 😬 *I was also off center in a giant room full of people, to be fair

Added a Green 24” iMac and had a walnut desk made that will hold more vinyl one day. Behind the chair are 2 vinyl cubbies same size as the others. Desk is same width as console the MAC7200 rests on, and the opening the keyboard rests on is same width as the opening where the furman power conditioner is…so the desk and console are kind of cousins. (Vinyl towers are 1/4 width of center console. desk and console are 4 cubbies wide, center openings are 2 cubbies wide. I think the towers are 7 ft tall, can’t remember). Anywho….Cornwall IV mancave just about complete. The room is an absolute blast and Cornwall IVs should be on your shortlist IMO. They are highly detailed, full, not too bright. Home theater I might add a subwoofer but I find absolutely no need in a two channel setup. Sometimes I add a little base at the receiver controls if I feel like it.

A. This thread is way over my head, but I really enjoyed reading it. B. Are my Cornwall IVs more valuable now as long as I hang onto the manual? “Rare misprint, limited run edition,”…..?? 🧐😜

I think it’s about the most underrated thing McIntosh makes. I’ve heard just about any McIntosh separate you can think of at my dealer’s showroom. (They don’t have the 901s or the 2KWs and I wouldn’t spend that much anyway). If the separates sounded better I would have purchased them. I swear “separates-or-bust” people either sell stereo equipment or already own separates 🤣. That being said, I really want an MP1100, a Transrotor Zet3, and a Kiseki Purple Heart. But I’m not going to do it. I’m about $13K into gear, $2K into cables, and $6K into the speakers. It’s time to stop and enjoy. If it’s considered a bagging groceries until I get a real job type of stereo to audiophiles I’m okay with that. I’d love to hear their system, I suppose. (I bet mine sounds as good or better 😜)

https://www.stereophile.com/content/mcintosh-mac7200-stereo-receiver Mine is almost double that weight. I think it sounds good. My fist next to the autoformer for size comparison. Link to Stereophile magazine review above. 🤷‍♂️

People always hating on receivers 😜. I’ve heard plenty of nice systems with separates and, IMO, my stereo receiver to Cornwall IV system sounds as good or better 🤷‍♂️. It’s just an integrated amp w/a tuner attached

Upscale Audio is how i purchased these walnuts. They’re ridiculously good. Buy em!

It’s not basic, it’s awesome! I really want to hear a PrimaLuna sometime.

This Yamaha CR-1020 is the heart of my vintage Cornwall setup. I am the second owner. I took it into a local stereo shop last year to have some white LEDs installed since the bulbs had burned out. They also brought it into spec and gave it a good cleaning. I love the sound and the looks...and also the sharp, heavy clicks the switches and dials make haha! Even the volume and tuner knobs have a heavy, satisfying feel to them when you turn them. Good times!

Same system. Same wall. 3 years ago. Same amount of joy. Just change a lil as I can.

I accept any ridicule, but I love them and they sound amazing 😜 *yes I removed the metal coupler that comes attached to the speaker terminals after bi-wiring, just snapped a quick pic

I’d love to see and read about your Klipsch setups! I think they’re all fantastic. I smile at how passionate you guys/gals are about your systems. We’re all the same in a way, price doesn’t matter, the music does, post it! Share it! $50 - $1,000,000 all fantastic. Klipsch Cornwall IV walnut McIntosh MAC 7200 stereo receiver McIntosh MB50 streamer MoFi UltraDeck turntable w MasterTracker cartridge Furman Elite 15 PFI power conditioner Cardas Clear Cygnus cables McIntosh RS200 (other room, not pictured) McIntosh RS100 (X2) (other room not pictured)

Beautiful! What’s in the center? Heresy on its side?

Let’s see the side pics! And tell us about your system? Looks awesome! PS is there a “show us your system” thread? I love looking at other people’s setups and reading the descriptions. Fifty bucks - 1 million bucks doesn’t matter, I think everyone’s system is special - would love to see them.

My dealer has Black CW IVs and Cherry Heresy’s. Both look great. I think black looks good in a theater or if your rack/stand and gear is all black and silver. I remember having to ask the dealer if the heresy’s were cherry or walnut so not a gigantic difference unless they’re next to each other IMO. You can’t make a bad choice. All good looking, don’t overthink it. If your rack/entertainment center is wood, pick the closest color. If black, go black. You’re gonna love your CW IVs, happy listening 🤙