VNC Studio
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I'm using the point-to-point 6 wpc Reisong EL-34 A10 SET amp with my Cornwall IIIs. Costs only $US 300 but sounds surprisingly good with great detail. Not harsh at all.
I think any good tube amp up to 25 watts is sufficient for Cornwalls but SET amps undoubtedly have a special synergy with Klipsch Heritage that is hard to describe. I have never experienced this before.
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7 hours ago, Edgar said:
The very fact that someone used the word "antiquated" in a review shows prejudice. There is nothing antiquated about the Cornwall IV.
After many years of reading loudspeaker reviews in Absolute Sound, Stereophile, and other respected journals, only to find that I completely disagreed with their perceptions when I actually auditioned the speakers for myself, I decided that other peoples' subjective opinions are worthless. Reviews are fine for things like fit and finish, component quality, and objective measurements. But for sound quality I trust my own ears. My own ears told me that the Cornwall IV is exceptionally good. Your ears may agree, or they may not.
Only recently going through Stereophile reviews after a very long time. I have yet to read a review in Stereophile where it concludes that the component under review is better than the one the reviewer owns. LOL.
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From my iMac, streaming via Audirvana through an MHDT Havana to a SET amp and Cornwall IIIs. Sounds very good.
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On 6/22/2020 at 8:21 AM, porsche987 said:
I am new to the forum but by no means new to the hobby. I have been an avid audiophile for over 40 years (I am 68). The list of equipment I have owned is extensive. Many hi end products form Audio Research, CJ, Quicksilver, Mcintosh, Vandersteen, Thiel, Dahlquist, Magnepan, Roland and on and on. Vintage form Marantz classics, Advent, EPI and Yamaha NS1000's. I was one that always turned my nose up to Klipsch. I got so burned out on chasing the elusive that I walked away from the hobby some 10 years ago and sold all of my stuff and used the room for home theater. Then I retired a year ago and started watching YouTube. Checking in on the latest. I decided to build a moderate system in a new dedicated room in my basement. A large room, 20x28x9. Started with some moderate Cambridge, Wharfedale Linton Heritage, Rega table and retaining all of my significant LP and CD collection. I started streaming. Room boomed seriously so sent room plans to GIK acoustics and fully treated my room with their traps/reflectors. WOW....single biggest improvement I have ever made to a system! Thought I would try some modest upgrades. Ended with a full Schiit system of Aegir monos, Freya +, Bifrost 2 and Mani phono pre. Still using the Linton's. Also have a vintage pair of Rogers LS 3/A's I bought in the 70's. I became intrigued by high efficiency speakers via YouTube. I tried a pair of Zu Audio Omen DW's. Disappointing although the people at Zu are awesome. Returned them. Made a trip to a dealer here in northern Indiana and heard Forte 3's Heresy 3's and an older model of Khorns. Very unimpressed but a horrid setup on all parts. Made a trip to southern Michigan and heard Heresy 4's and RF7 mk 3's Better but not stellar. Great dealer, good setup but a bit crowded display. I was intrigued enough that I looked up this forum and joined. Seeking opinions on Forte, Heresy, Cornwall and RF7's. A fellow member that lives close graciously offered to invite me to hear his system. He has a large collection! WOW! This has been the single most enlightening and spectacular audition of audio I have experienced! I heard four separate sets of LaScalas (series one and two as well as commercial), three sets of Heresy's 1, 4 and commercial. And a pair of Khorns. All driven by various vintage tubes (Scott and Fisher I believe). The Khorns were devastatingly good. They were, however, highly modified with virtually all stock parts replaced. Detail, soundstage, transparency, dynamics and any other audiophile adjective you can use were all phenomenal. I was dumbfounded!
At the same time as I joined I found, via a post here, a pair of Forte 1's for sale that were literally 2 miles from me. I very briefly auditioned and purchased on the spot. They are pristine given their age. One owner, oiled walnut, all original packaging and other than a dent on one passive dust cap near perfect. Brought them home with great excitement only to be initially very disappointed. Very dynamic but lacking definition, soundstage definition and a horridly boomy bass. Played with placement which is so untraditional for me as they require a close rear wall location. On advise here, I replaced tweeter diaghprams and crossovers from Crites. Repaired dust cap. Dampened horns with Dynamat. Much improved but still disappointing, I am listing them for sale if anyone interested? Upper bass and lower midrange seem opaque and congested. Room? Traps? I do not know. I removed traps behind speakers and things got much worse. Woofers seem to be in perfect working order and lowest frequencies are well defined. Regardless, they are for sale.
So now, after my incredible audition I am on the look for my next speaker and it WILL be Klipsch. Used Khorns? Cannot afford new. Used LaScala's? Again $$. New Cornwall IV's. Found a B stock pair for $4700. Still more than I would like to spend but will do if necessary. I do plan to head to Indy soon to audition all new Klipsch models at Ovation. Perhaps that will help me decide. I am not at all opposed to buying a used pair of Khorns or Lascalas but I am very picky about finish and aesthetics. They have to be walnut and cabinets must be nearly new in appearance. I am not opposed to doing upgrades and driver replacements. I sure wish I could justify new Khorns but I swore I would not go $$$$ crazy like I have in the past. Any and ALL advise is welcomed and appreciated. I am grateful I have found this forum as it is a wealth of information.
I finally want to extend a warm thank you to the member that so graciously invited me to his home during these difficult times and did an awesome job in introducing me to the wonder of Klipsch. That experience has changed this audiophiles life like no other. Best I have ever heard and I have heard many!
You are lucky to have the opportunity to hear so many Klipsch models. :-)
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3 hours ago, porsche987 said:
So I have posted before that I purchased an immaculate pair of Forte I's in oiled walnut. I have installed Crites crossovers, tweeters and dampened the horns with Dynamat. The improvements were not subtle. BUT, I am still having some lower midrange upper bass issues. One note, muddy, resonant might be a good description. I have played, extensively, with distance from rear wassail, toe in and tilt. Image depth is better but still lacking compared to my other speakers. Image width is good and solid. YET, I am addicted to the dynamics, image size and overall "liveness" to the sound. My other speakers also have a better defined (transparent?) high end.
My questions are, what will I gain by moving to one of the aforementioned speakers? The Forte's I have are very much enjoyable but they are not my end game speakers by a long shot. I will assuredly be selling them in the very near future. All boxes and cabinets are very very good to excellent as are the grille cloths. I also have the original crossovers and tweeter diagrams. I am going to a fellow members home tomorrow to their his Lacalas and K'horns so I hope to gain much knowledge on better Klipsch speakers.
Love any advise you guys can give!
If you are able to keep the speakers at least 7-8 feet apart, definitely get Cornwalls. Cornwall is a nice middle ground between the smaller and larger Klipsch Heritage speakers. The sound is large and rich particularly with tube amps.
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33 minutes ago, muel said:
Good to know! Lava lamps ok? I think my 1967 Cornwalls came with one didn't it??
I've seen a Lava lamp only once in my life. I think it should be safe but put it on a coaster. The salt lamp will cause untold grief. :-)
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On 6/13/2020 at 9:59 PM, LoudnClear said:
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, get that damn Salt Block OFF of that speaker!!!!!!!
If you ever turn the light off, those stupid things will condense water out of humid air and drip down onto the speaker.
The light keeps them warm and above the dewpoint, but if they are off and conditions are right, they will attract water and drip.
Its as terrible of a situation as having a potted plant on a speaker.
I had that on a veneered chest of drawers. It destroyed the top.
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I don't even want to know how good the Cornwall IVs are since I have tweaked the positioning of my Cornwall IIIs to my satisfaction. They are very sensitive to placement. I'm in a 14x19 listening area within an open concept floor plan. Have them quite close to the wall. I find this works for my 6 watt SET amp and gives me good bass.
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On 5/19/2019 at 3:31 PM, ODS123 said:
I don't mean to offend, but I would not even think about modifying a speaker in this way - particularly a current production model that may still be under warranty.
So you're adding bracing to fix presumed resonances, but you're also decreasing internal volume which is apt to have all sorts of ill affects. Remember, those who engineered these speakers had every opportunity to design bracing into the design if they felt it would improve their sound. And they didn't.
Before even considering this I would insist on a careful direct and blinded comparison b/w a pair so modified and an original pair - I would NOT simply take someones word that it improves the speaker.
I have Cornwall III's and will admit that they sound fairly hollow and unbraced when you knock on them. Yet, I hear ZERO smearing at ANY volume and with any kind of music or test tones that could be attributable to resonances. To my thinking, adding bracing sounds like a solution in search of a problem.
I'm new to Klipsch and very happy with my Cornwall IIIs. I really don't see or hear a problem that needs to be fixed with a bunch of wool and sticks. :-D
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On 6/5/2020 at 7:17 PM, Brock63 said:
Still no regrets on price on this end. Cabinets are tight and solid, grills are tight and no sagging or vibrating....speakers produce crisp clean and vibrant music with good sound stage dispersion. I have listened hours on end and not experienced any nagging squawkbox horn tones...everything has been balanced and as expected. The only big surprise is how distinct sounds are no matter volume. Not sure how much is my old amp and how much is speaker but I like how they sound for sure. Been streaming with BT adapter into amp direct...may have to pick up a NAD or Marantz CD Player to put on rack since I have about 300+ discs.......but then I want a second system in my home office and trying decide between vintage Pioneer integrated amp and component tuner that matches.......or dip my toe into the tube world of debauchery and temptation and get one of the well reviewed import amps like the Reisong A10...find some old Heresy or JBL speakers with high efficiencty and see what it can do for me.....if I love it could be a problem....if I dont get goose bumps and a hard on then will get a vintage Pioneer, Sansui or Akai receiver or integrated amp setup later. decisions decisions.
HOpe you all have a great weekend....cheers!
Hope you can try the point-to-point A10. After two weeks of listening to it with Cornwall IIIs, I'm very impressed. Sometimes the sounds in the recordings startle me with the detail and realism. Cheaper to run than exotic tubes too.
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In the early 90s, my friend and roommate went to the local Klipsch dealer and came back with a brochure of the Klipsch Heritage models. He raved about it. A year or two later, I went to a store and heard Klipschorns. Unfortunately, they had it hooked up to some dreadful solid state amp. It sounded really bad.
Many years later, I was reading a book on guitar tube amps and it mentioned Klipsch speakers with tube amps sounding wonderful. Finally, this year I got Cornwall IIIs and a SET amp.
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Maybe focus on room treatment and speaker isolation first rather than potentially damaging the speakers.
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Try with a tube amp particularly SET and when positioned correctly in a good room, you will be impressed.
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On 5/29/2020 at 6:29 PM, aceinc said:
I had the opportunity to purchase a pair of Cornwall IIIs.
The story;Late on a recent Saturday night I popped up Craigslist and saw an ad for a pair of CW IIIs right on the first page with no filters. They were in my neighborhood and they were asking $300. I have a lot of audio gear and really wasn't looking for new speakers The pictures made the speakers look pristine, and the ad said they were selling them as part of an estate. I sent the person a text saying, you are selling the speakers for way too little. They are worth more. I continued looking through CL and saw a kit built tube preamp for $50 from the same seller. By then the seller had replied and said thanks they were their father's and they just wanted to get rid of them. I told them again it was too little and they responded they weren't sure if they worked. I said "I tell you what, I'll come over get everything hooked up and running and you should be able to get a lot more for everything."
The next morning, Sunday I head over and the woman selling the equipment she said her phone blew up with everyone sending offers. I said I will be happy to set everything up told her she could get a lot more than what she had it posted for. After talking for a few minutes she said she would be happy to sell it to me for the price quoted knowing that her father would like someone who appreciated audio gear to have it rather than someone who would just buy to sell it. Long story short(?) I am the proud owner of a fairly pristine pair of CW IIIs (B stock) and two 125 watt kit mono blocks (tube4hifi M125) and a kit tube preamp (tubes4hifi SP9).
After futzing around I have everything hooked up in a guest room which is too small, 11'x13.5' and other than a 4-5 db hum per speaker things sound pretty good. I do not self identify as an audiophile. I consider myself an audio hobbyist. I have been intrigued by high efficiency speakers, but never owned any, but now I do. My fronts in my main system which I use for both HT and music are the antithesis of the CW IIIs. I have a pair of Magnepan MMGs in custom designed and built bases sitting on OB sub woofers driven by a pair of 1KW SS mono blocks.What should I do with the CW IIIs and tubes?
Some of my ideas include;
One of the bases (risers) seems to have experienced some damage, but is still serviceable. Klipsch wants $150 for a new riser, I could build one myself but maybe not match the stain perfectly. or build two and paint them black like the CW IVs.I have also read that the bass is a bit boomy in these speakers (I experienced this as well in my limited listening) It is recommended by those folks to raise the cabinets. What is the minimum height the CW IIIs need to be raised to achieve a positive result? What I read said to get the squawker at ear height, which is both ambiguous and kind of high I think.
Which brings up tweaking mania. what are the best bang for the buck (and effort) tweaks for CW IIIs?
In the end, I do not know what I will do as I am not sure they can/will out perform my current system, and another large pair of speakers in my main listening area seems untenable.
Here are some pictures of the system I bought and the front wall of my existing setup.
You are very fortunate! I just bought B stock Cornwall III. I have them on wooden dollies and 8 feet apart and very close to the walls at a slight angle. Dollies make it easy for me to make small adjustments.
In a review of Klipsch Forte, Stereophile used 2" thick rubber cork pads that were 6"x6" for isolation. Gramma pads might be another thing to try. I haven't tried this yet. The speakers do not make contact with my dollies since there are small metal studs at the bottom.
I'm listening from around 15-20 feet away. With an inexpensive PTP EL34 SET amp, they sound fantastic. Not boomy at all and the human voice, guitar, and saxophone sound rather remarkable. I will experiment with room treatment in the near future.
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On 4/27/2020 at 5:38 PM, Drewg said:
I’m really enjoying my first tube amp, this Reisong Boyuu A10. I am new to tubes, and really enjoying this unit with my LaScalas.
I wanted to inquire about tube rolling. The tubes that come with these are:
5Z4P x 1
EL34 x 2 - stock tubes are Shuguang el34Bs
6N2 x 2
The stock tubes sound really good, so I’m in no hurry to tube roll. I just want to order some tubes to have on hand as well as to test different combinations.
I mainly listen to rock/classic rock music, if that helps.
Also, where are the best stores to order from? Any info is very much appreciated!
Thanks,
AndyI buy tubes for my guitar amps from the tubestore.com. I never had a problem with the tubes that I bought from there. I'm very impressed by the A10. I was able to confirm the established fact that the combination of Klipsch and SET is quite magical. It's very silent and has more than sufficient power and bass with my Cornwalls.
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5 hours ago, Dave A said:
There is hardly any good used Klipsch around period no matter what you have to spend right now.
That's true. I tried Audio Mart and E-bay. Not much luck. Plus people are not too keen on shipping. Then I saw the B-stock sales from Sound Seller on E-bay. Very reputable dealer and I was able to ship to Canada using a freight forwarding service.
I'm totally starting from scratch. I'm on Day 3 of breaking in.
I always wanted a system with Klipsch Heritage speakers with a SET amplifier forever. I am pretty happy. Some people claimed Cornwalls are boomy, shrill, and whatever.
Not what I'm hearing when I feed TIDAL via Audirvana through an MHT tube DAC to the SET amp. I have a fairly large room. I will also be doing some room treatment if needed after the break-in period. Next is to get a CEC TL5 CD transport and perhaps vinyl (not so sure about this since it seems like an endless money pit). :-)
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This is the reason I did not buy Cornwall IVs even though reviews claim they are much better. Hardly any used ones around.
At 6K, I would be entering a price bracket where there were more options to consider esp. used. So I got B stock Cornwall IIIs for 3K. One of the speakers had a barely noticeable blemish. Otherwise perfect. I plan on keeping these for a long time.
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I finally hooked up the Reisong A10 to the Cornwall IIIs that I bought recently. The construction quality is excellent and it is shockingly heavy for a tiny amp.
Out-of-the-box, it sounds very good and very silent in operation. What you put in, you get out. Good recordings sound good and bad recordings not so great. Smooth and no harshness on the best recordings.
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I recently ordered the handwired version of the A10 from china-hifi and it's on its way. The construction quality looks very good from the photos. With the exception of a small board, everything is true point-to-point wiring. With an amp this simple, very little can go wrong that cannot be fixed by a good amp tech locally.
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Cd Player For Klipsch Speakers
in 2-Channel Home Audio
Posted · Edited by VNC Studio
I have a CEC TL5 and a MHDT Havana tube DAC. Sounds smooth yet detailed with my Cornwall IIIs. You can try to find a used CD player or transport made by CEC.