bigq2002 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Howdy I recently inherited a pair of cornwalls (Y series, 1983). Everything is original and they seem to work fine with all kinds of music. However, when I play passages with deep bass, the cornwalls puts out very small sound like they are choked/stricken! If you have similar experience, please share your remedies. I do very much appreciated your comments here. Thank you. Q. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istari Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 When you say deep bass are you talking about frequencies below 40 hz or so? The Cornwall produces excellent bass response but it is NOT a subwoofer. I am thinking that you may have a phasing problem with the connection of your speakers. Please check to ensure that the + (positive) terminal on the amplifier channels are connected to the + on the speaker. Of course the same goes for the - (negative terminals). If these appear correct, then reverse one of the speakers, that is, put the + on the - terminal and the - on the + terminal. Try playing the selections of music that are bass shy and see if it helps. If you still have a problem, then the crossovers inside the speakers may need ot have their capacitors replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigq2002 Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 Thank you for the quick response. Yes, I reattached the wires and the bass improved but still not strong/solid enough. I was listening to My Name (Lahsa...) and Way Down Deep (Jenifer Warnes). I think I need new speaker wires (bare ends?). The connectors on the cornwalls are tiny screws!!!! Any suggestion? Thank you again. Please take care. Q. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istari Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Try reversing the polarity on just one of the speakers to see if this improves the bass. What size of wire are you using now? 18 gague is OK for short runs, 16 gague and up for longer runs. What amplifier are you using? if you are using an AV reciever/amp you need to check to see what the front speakers are set to... Small or large. if set to small, then the reciever strips the lower bass out of the signal sent to the speakers. And finally, what other speakers are you comparing the Cornwalls against? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 For speaker wire, a good fine stranded 14 gauge would be more than sufficient. Use "spade" clips for the wire ends. You can use the "crimp" type, although some will suggest that you also solder the wire in the spade's wire insert hole. I generally do both; crimp, then solder and it will flow into and around the inserted wire. While some members prefer expensive speaker wires, it is not usually necessary, and a good cost effective wire can be obtained from parts-express.com, etc. For an "engineering" discussion of speaker wires, look at Roger Russell's (retired chief engineer for McIntosh) discussion: http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm Given the age, the capacitors definitely need replacing. It's "DIY" capable, although many forum members send them to Bob Crites (BEC) and he does them at a reasonable cost. For a fairly complete history of the Cornwalls, including driver types, finishes, veneer types, serials, etc., look at: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/103886.aspx One other thing that can also help; remove the backs, and "re-seat" the wires on the crossover terminals. Also check the terminal connections on the drivers, etc. [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigq2002 Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Wonderful responses! I thank you. Let me try a bare run of 14 gauge wires today and report my findings. How do you know if the old screw-on connectors on the cornwalls need replacement? By the way, I have listened to lots of very highend speakers (Wilson Max IIs, Legacy Whispers, Magnepan 20.1s, Magico V5s, etc. - all with fancy associated electronics/upstream equipment) and I still like the rawness/thereness of my cornwalls driven by an old Scott 299C amp. Thanks again. Q. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I would worry less about the wires (unless one is connected out of polarity). I would suggest experimenting with speaker placement in the room. Try pushing them closer to the walls and/or corners. See if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagelle Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hi Prestin, I was thinking along the same lines. It even states in the book that comes with the new Cornwalls that corner placement will increase bass response. I've been dealing with this problem because I live in an apartment that simply does not have corners and have to use my Sub to correct the imbalance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagelle Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Another idea: When I was running 5 speakers off my home theater receiver, my Cornwalls sounded narrow and hollow. When I added an Emotiva amp to power my three front channels, I experienced a tremendous difference in sound quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhenneg Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Wow, I have the very same problem. Just got some Cornwalls (I) and am very disapointed with the base response. I was going to use these for some DJ work. Not disco mind you, just rock and pop. I already ordered the rebuild kit, but fear I will have to get a sub as well to keep the dancers happy. rh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istari Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Bottom line is that Cornwalls were built to be used in the home environment. Properly placed they are excellent! Trying to fill a gym or dance hall they will need assistance in the lower end, especially when they are cranked up for dancing. One has to realize that when the Cornwall was developed the sub frequencies that are common on todays Rock and Pop were only to be found on recording of organs.... the Cornwal really wasn't designed to dig deeper than 30 hz. Now with a modern subwoofer to agument... I let my son use a pair of Cornwalls (I's) and an Epik Conquest for his church dances (basketball court size with a very tall ceiling). When properly balanced they are a teriffic match up and can achieve extremely loud levels. He plays Muse, Lyncoln Park and others of that type. Even with the electronic sub frequencies the Conquest is a beast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Is this bad news? I tried these speakers laid out as you see them, then I ran the KL's off the B circuit and the CW's of the main front circuit and did playback with A/B selected. it sounds okay but I am wondering what others think? I did this because prior to trying this pairing, the KLF's were very very bass heavy.... now everything seems well balanced but I have lost some of that KLF bass Whoop. I may be because I ran the auto set up from pioneer while adding the CW's, this may account for some bass loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istari Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 In short, YES! The Cornwalls need Tubes to be at their best. Also: Mixing of speaker lines usually isn't a good thing as each speaker line has it's unique "voice".... But the ultimate reference is/are your ears.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 the 15" driver in the Cornwalls is for efficient bass, but it is not deep bass, the mid-bass (80-100 Hz) is okay, there is a bump in that region, but even big Cornwalls need a high output, deep bass sub-woofer, think 15" Epic, Parts Express kit, etc. The ultra high sensitivity of the Cornwalls makes them perfect for tubes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 In short, YES! The Cornwalls need Tubes to be at their best. Also: Mixing of speaker lines usually isn't a good thing as each speaker line has it's unique "voice".... But the ultimate reference is/are your ears.... I understand the timbre difference, but I was hoping to fill what sounded like a gap down below with what the klf's were doing on there own, which was an overly bassy response. so far it's not working as hoped, but I need to fiddle with it more. adding a Sub would make things a bit easier for me... maybe listen to music on channel A and listen to movies on channel B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rennoc442 Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Schu, How do you like your KLF-10s? I would love to find a pair for my bedroom and put my tangents in the garage. I miss my KLF-30's! bigq2002 IF you have the right amp and setup, those CW's should pound really nicely! I had some CW's hooked up to my dads old JVC JR-S600 and it rocked our backyard party!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Schu, How do you like your KLF-10s? I would love to find a pair for my bedroom and put my tangents in the garage. I miss my KLF-30's! bigq2002 IF you have the right amp and setup, those CW's should pound really nicely! I had some CW's hooked up to my dads old JVC JR-S600 and it rocked our backyard party!!! to be honest... very nice. they can shake the foundation of the house with the elitle solid state, and they WERE delivering a very very deep bass until I tried mixing in the cornwalls. The imaging is less than a top tier speaker, but I indeed like them a lot... specially for the price($200) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I have no problem at all with deep base on my powered Cornwall center channel. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Of the 6 or 7 pairs of Cornwalls I've owned, never have I had an issue with bass. I've run them outside with 100 feet of 18 gauge wire. No shortage of bass. Wire isn't the problem. You either have a polarity issue, maybe your wires are touching somewhere, maybe the crossovers (but I doubt it), maybe the amp. Keep playing with one thing at a time and you'll eventually figure it out. First thing I'd do is run them with a different amp and see what happens. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigq2002 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 Good morning GaryMD, Thank you for your input. My cornwalls sound fine (actually wonderful) with all kind of music even with deep bass (30 to 35 hertz). The problem is ONLY when I play the song "My Name" by Lhasa de Sela (The living road album) then I experienced this tiny little bass (almost no bass sound) for the first couple bass notes other than that things are cool! I am NOT into subwoofers of any kind! I listen mainly to opera/human voice so I don't care about the wall-shaking polluted NOISE coming out of subwoofers!!!! Have a wonderful day, Sir. Q. (If any of you have this My Name song, please play it on the cornwalls and let me know if you have the same experience! Thank you. Q.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.