Dave9

You might consider a Rogue Audio preamplifier. Their products are tubed. Some are tube/solid state hybrid, some are not. I have a Rogue Audio RP-7 preamplifier in my system and there is absolutely no audible hum, to my ears, produced by this preamplifier. I am very pleased. Dave Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

Listening to some jazz flute music today through my Cornwalls and I heard something that grabbed my attention. At first, I did not recognize what I heard. Then I heard it again. It was the sound of the flautist' s breath between music phrases. Wow oh wow, the music was great and it felt like I was in the room with the musicians. Klipch Cornwalls First Watt F7 Rogue Audio RP-7 Chord Qutest Gotham interconnects Kimber cables Cheers, Dave Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

It is not a myth; however, there is more to it than the speakers breaking in solely in terms of hardware. As Nelson Pass has said, ears are not microphones and the brain is not a tape recorder. Sound from a HiFi system improves over time as the hardware breaks in and as the brain adapts/recalibrates to the information received through the ears. The brain knows what a human voice sounds like and adapts to input stimuli to make them sound "normal." It is all real, just realize there is more to it than the hardware. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Okay. I just listened to Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and it was as if I heard it for the first time. I felt as if I heard the guitar live and in person. Bliss. And, hey, today is my birthday. Dave Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I just purchased and received a Schiit Freya S Passive and Active Preamplifier. Listening to it right now in Passive mode - fantastic! I am using a First Watt J2 as my power amplifier to drive my Klipsch Cornwallis. The Freya uses a relay-switched stepped attenuator with discrete thin-film resistors , 64 1dB steps. A dead quiet preamplifier. Tried the active stage and it was not up to the challenge compared to my existing Rogue Audio preamplifier. However, with the 25 wpc First Watt power amplifier, the active stage is not necessary, so the Freya S will definitely stay. Cheers, Dave Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Perhaps look into Schiit components. Great bang for the buck. https://www.schiit.com/products?gclid=CjwKCAjw1K75BRAEEiwAd41h1Kqiv7lf7rWkdxBJX6fAJYUdHl_RiMm8789MfxsWhpg7pxVRjlXe5RoCbewQAvD_BwE Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Sorry, I just noticed your target price. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I have a Line Magnetic tube integrated that sounds great. However, I just purchased a First Watt J2 power amplifier and love it connected to my DAC/headphone amp. Waiting on my Rogue Audio preamplifier. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

The electrostatics are in storage. Contemplating what to do with them. Sell? Set up another system in another room? Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Thank you very much for the information. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

What causes the degradation? Is it use? If so, then these Cornwalls may have been lightly used. The original owner (1976 - 2000s) was not someone who listened to music often. Then, of course, I had them in storage for a number of years. Does this make sense? Or is it something else with the capacitors? I found this from Emerson Network Power: Capacitors have an end of life The aging process in the capacitor can be visualized by considering a water dam with a small leak. Over time, the small water leak grows. The movement of the water through the dam causes deterioration within the dam structure. In spite of the growth in the leak rate, the leak rate is still small and the dam still functions as a dam. As water continues to leak, the structure of the dam is compromised. When sufficient damage occurs, the probability for a near term failure becomes very high and the dam needs to be taken out of service. During the capacitor aging process the electron leakage current and the chemical reactions both cause a decrease in the capacitance value and an increase in the resistance value. Both of these changes (decrease in capacitance and increase in the resistance) are tied to damage taking place inside of the capacitor. Once sufficient damage to the capacitor has been sustained, the probability for the capacitor to fail increases and when this probability becomes high, the capacitor should be taken out of service.

This is my first post here and wanted to share my audio journey to, from, and back to Klipsch, fraught with errors and missteps. After graduating from college and working a few years, I decided to upgrade my stereo system in 1981. I auditioned classical and vocal pop/rock music at a local shop, listening to a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers and a pair of another brand to remain nameless here. The shop recommended a NAD amplifier for the Klipsch speakers and a Denon 80-Watt Class A amplifier for the other pair. I had a hard time choosing, because the classical seemed to sound better on the other pair of speaker but vocal pop/rock sounded better on the Klipsch. I purchased the Denon amplifier and the other pair of speakers, took them home, and became immediately disappointed by the flabbiness in the bass. I exchanged the speakers for the pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers, took them home, and was very excited and pleased by the sound. Actually, the 80-Watt class A amplifier paired with Klipsch Heresy speakers was amazing, not to mention being a great room heater! Fast forward more than 20 years - the Denon amplifier died. I replaced it with some vintage tube amplifiers and receivers that sounded good, but the vintage tube amplifiers kept dying, so I transitioned to vintage solid state Sansui. Fast forward a few years - a friend wanted to downsize (based on room ergonomics) from Cornwall speakers to Heresy speakers, so I straight-up traded my 1981 Klipsch Heresy speakers for a pair of 1976 Klipsch Cornwall speakers. At some point, I became unsatisfied with the sound, likely because the Cornwalls revealed the limitations of my amplifiers. But I made the mistake (blunder) of thinking I needed to upgrade my speakers and not my amplifier. I read a lot of reviews, auditioned some speakers at a local shop and purchased a $7K pair of electrostatic speakers. I took them home, hooked them up, listened, and something seemed missing. This was not the sound I heard at the local shop. Remembering that the local shop used tube amplifiers with the electrostatic speakers, I set off the purchase a tube amplifier. I auditioned a few, made up my mind and purchased a Line Magnetic tube amplifier (the owner of the shop also loaned me a pair of good speaker cables). I took them home, set the amplifier up, connected to my electrostatic speakers and they sounded better. Then I replaced my speaker cables with the upgrades, they sounded even better. I returned the loaned cables, purchased some new ones. I put my Klipsch Cornwall speakers in storage Mistake! Fast forward again - wanting to stream music to multiple rooms, I purchased some Sonos One speakers, a Sonos Soundbar, a Sonos Subwoofer and a Sonos Connect for my Line Magnetic amplifier/electrostatic speaker combo. I hooked them up - Sonos makes it so easy - and began listening to them. I really enjoyed the listening experience. Then, the unexpected happened. Were the Sonos speakers outperforming my $7K electrostatic speakers? It sure seemed so to me. I kept going back and forth between the Sonos speakers and my $7K electrostatic speakers. How could the Sonos speakers sound better than my $7K electrostatic speakers? Shock! Then I wondered about my Klipsch Cornwalls. I realized I had never listened to the Cornwall speakers connected to my Line Magnetic tube amplifier ... how would they sound? Looking backward, I questioned my decisions. I read some glowing reviews on Klipsch speakers by Steve Huff and Steve Guttenberg. Had I made some serious errors in judgement? Yes, I had! I pulled the Klipsch Cornwall speakers out of storage and hooked them up to my Line Magnetic tube amplifier. I will never forget what happened next - the music experience was incredible! It took a lot of twists and turns, but I finally understand the magic of the Klipsch Cornwalls!