merkinman

Thanks for the input. The 2x4 panels are 2" deep and the 1x4 are 1". I have bass traps in the corners as well. Nothing on the side walls behind the seating position. The back wall is floor to ceiling book shelves.

I found that having them next to the side walls and facing my listening position to where the tweeter fires just over my shoulders the best for a seamless soundstage and to where they don't make themselves known. Need to do some tube rolling or make a cable change to tone down the high frequencies just a tad. What has me confused is that the sound is a bit inconsistent. Sometimes I find it perfectly smooth and even and other days it tends to sound a bit bright with the same music/source. They should be broken in by now...at least a couple of hours on them i think.

Did more toe out work for you? I find there is a trade off as the imaging suffers with less toe in but the tonal balance is warmer and less harsh.

Are you using all stock tubes with your CW4s? Any brightness issues?

Do you have any recommendations?

I'm a bit wary of class D amps, especially with horns. Haven't heard the Lyngdorf, but it definitely has a great reputation. My thinking is that since I have this incredibly efficient speaker, it would make sense to utilize a low power amp that may have some inherent advantages because of the low power and simplicity.

Has anyone heard the Luxman SQ-N150 with Cornwall IVs? Looking for a sweet sounding amp that can take the edge off. I'm driving my CWIVs with a PrimaLuna EVO300 and the sound can be somewhat bright with stock tubes. Tried changing out the input tubes to NOS Bugle Boys and it improved, but still inconsistent. Also intrigued by the Decware Zen Triode.

I have a pair in San Antonio that's for sale.

I would have to agree that Tannoy look too vintage and overdone. Unless you live at Buckingham Palace, they are just too ornate. I think the Klipsch Heritage speakers have a retro modern look and fit in much better with any decor.

So you are saying to make sure the Klipsch horn is on axis vertically, correct? I thought you were talking about the Tannoys needing to be elevated. Shouldn't the Fortes already be at the correct height by virtue of them being taller and should be at the optimal height relative to normal sitting position. I could see your point if you are auditioning both and are not seated, but I wouldn't think that would typically be the case.

But if the Tannoys are intended/designed with the tweeter firing just below you ears, why would you want to raise them up to compare? They are not intended to be placed on stands. The soundstage has realistic height without them being elevated ...not like the Heresy where you get the impression of the sound coming up from below. I would think the designer compensated for the height to achieve the desired tonal balance.

Soundstage depth is also better on the Klipsch.

Why? Cheviots were designed that way and it didn't seem like the soundstage was any lower than the Forte.

I would agree with you. I would really need to crank up the Tannoys to get engaged and otherwise they sounded a bit dull. The Klipsch sound engaging at any volume. I own Cornwalls now and I'm still trying to optimize them. Very sensitive to placement and any other equipment you hook up to them. The CWs can be placed much closer to the front wall without bass becoming boomy. I had to place the Cheviots about 4' off the wall before the bass sounded right in my room.

I've owned the Tannoy Legacy Cheviot and had the Forte III for audition at the same time. The Cheviot was far superior in imaging and refinement. Much better tone as well. By comparison, the Forte sounded more transparent but also grainy and gritty. I chose the Tannoy, but ended up selling it later on because the horn was way too fatiguing...beaming and ringing was crazy. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't get the same fatigue from the Klipsch. The main shortcoming of Klipsch is the lack of refinement. I would add that if you are not comparing them directly, these characteristics would not be as apparent. That being said, I do think Klipsch are more engaging.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649679937-klipsch-cornwall-iv-black-ash-mint-less-than-6-months-old/

Contrary to the name, I think they need to be pulled away from the front wall by at least a couple of feet. The soundstage improved significantly in my case. I do have them very close to the side walls and pretty far apart giving me a huge soundstage. The side walls are treated for reflections and they are only slightly toed in. I really didn't care for them crossing in front of me.

Large baffle speakers like the CW are not going to disappear completely with every recording, but you really have to spend some time with placement to optimize. I've been tweaking mine for a couple months now and finally got them to where they give me depth and good imaging...disappearing is very recording dependent. I've seen a lot of people put these up against the front wall and that will not give you depth. Speakers need room to breathe and minimize reflections. Toe in makes a big impact as well. In my opinion, the CWs excel at giving you that effortless sound with an incredible midrange. Tradeoff is they can't disappear like small speakers. What are you currently using to power the CWs?

I'm looking forward to trying out the miniDSP. Does the DSP correction degrade sound quality in a noticeable way?

Haven't really noticed. What are you thinking?

Appreciate the advice. I have a pretty well treated room. 3' tall 6" thick corner bass traps behind the speakers, carpet, and 2" thick panels at first reflection points. A wall to wall bookshelf on the back wall. I really think it's the concrete floor and walls. I ordered the minDSP DDRC-22D and will see what that can do. I would say the bass issues are only audible with 20% of the content, so it seems pretty isolated/specific. Will report back.

I was able to install threaded inserts to the base without any issues. Ironically I prefer the sound without spikes. At least now I know.

I've noticed what to me sounds like bass resonance from inside the speaker cabinet and it seems to vary to a large degree on the recording. I have a bit of a challenging room...14' x 20' basement with concrete floors and front/side walls. The speakers are positioned 1-2 feet from the front wall near the corners and toed in a bit on the short wall. I've experimented with placement and it doesn't seem to help. Are there any known issues with lack of bracing of the cabinet? I don't have a lot of flexibility with speaker placement due to them being located in my home theater on either side of the screen, so I was thinking of getting a mini DSP or ACS tube bass traps for the corners to see if that would help in case it's the room. Appreciate any advice.

What are the chances the MDF will split if I try to drill/screw in the threaded inserts?