carbon summit Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I just got a pair of Cornwalls and I'm surprised at how good they sound when the volume is low. To compare I've got Forte IIs which I'm very happy with but I don't think they sound as good listening at low volumes. People on here talk about Cornwalls bass but I think my Forte IIs take the Cornwalls when the volume goes up and bass is the goal but again at low volumes the Cornwalls shine and have nice bass where as the Forte IIs seem to fall off. Anyone else finding this? If so why is this? I'm just curious, I'm not trying to chose between the two, they both have there own places in my house with different systems. But the funny thing the Corns are hooked up to a Sony STR-AV1020 receiver I bought in the early 90's and the Forte IIs are hooked up to a Yamaha 663 as a pre/pro with a Emotiva XPA-5 amp so I'd expect the Forte IIs to sound better at low or high volumes. I'm just kinda rambling so I'll stop. My long winded point that leads to a question is why do the Cornwalls sound so good at low volumes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33RPM Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 My H3's also sound very good at low volumes, which wasn't my observation with other Klipsch speakers. Something about the Heritage series speakers makes them have "jump" and clarity even with very little power. I'm not sure why the Fortes wouldn't, though I would imagine they are voiced differently than your Cornwalls and are probably a little less efficient. The Cornwalls also have a bigger woofer and are ported, whereas the Fortes have a passive radiator but are otherwise sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Of all Klipsch speakers, I don't think anything sounds like the Heritage series. Each in the series is of different size but the sound is unmistakenly Heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhing Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I would think that the Cornwalls' bass at lower volumes is stronger than the Forte IIs is due to the larger woofer and cabinet size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I've got Forte IIs which I'm very happy with but I don't think they sound as good listening at low volumes. People on here talk about Cornwalls bass but I think my Forte IIs take the Cornwalls when the volume goes up and bass is the goal. I agree with you. The Cornwalls shine at lower volumes and make for a great jazz speaker. The Extended Heritage family (Chorus II, Forte II and Quartet) shine at higher volumes due to there tractrix mid and passive design and make for a great rock and roll speaker. Folks with Heritage speakers are missing the boat if they are using anything but tubes IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Of all Klipsch speakers, I don't think anything sounds like the Heritage series. Each in the series is of different size but the sound is unmistakenly Heritage. Yep they are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Glad you posted this..............because that was my exact reaction with the Fortes !.................The only speaker that brings a smile when i run them................ All that without the Bulkiness of the CW...............[H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefluffy Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 The Cornwalls also have a bigger woofer and are ported, whereas the Fortes have a passive radiator but are otherwise sealed. Someone correct me if I am wrong.... but Passive Radiator designs are bass reflex designs like ported enslosures. So, PR designs are like ported designs not sealed designs. I still need to hear a pair of Forte IIs..... Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33RPM Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Passive radiators are indeed a type of bass-reflex design, since the backwaves from the woofer cause air to move behind the speaker (via the motion of the passive radiator), similar to a port. However, they do sound a bit different. Ports can have problems of their own, such as chuffing. IMO, the sealed enclosure with a passive radiator has a tighter sound than typical bass-reflex arrangements, which can be boomy, but is less controlled than a completely sealed enclosure. All three types sound a bit different, though the drivers, size of the enclosure, and internal damping play a big role, regardless of the design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I too have a pair Forte's and a couple of Cornwalls, and I agree completely. I listen to the radio throughout my days, and typically at low volume levels. Wanna' take kick it up a notch, use a vacuum tube system. VRD's + Blueberry Xtreme + Cornwalls,... you won't get much closer to musical utopia than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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