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'76 Cornwalls - amp matching


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I first heard a pair of Cornwalls in 1984 when my dad took me to a high end audio shop while shopping for a stereo. Long story short he ended up getting a cheaper Pioneer system and I've longed for these speakers ever since. I finally am in the position to have the space and means and ended up buying a pair of Cornwalls this weekend. According to the serial they were manufactured in September of 1976. I'm a total newbie so forgive my ignorance but after looking through some of the forums I've narrowed a list of potential amps to the following and would like input: Marantz 2230, Marantz 2252B, Marantz 250M, Nakamichi TA 2A

Long term I'd love to move into the world of McIntosh but don't have the means to afford it at this point. I'm primarily listening to vinyl on a Pro-Ject Debut III. Any and all input, opinions, or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Travis Hill

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I have '84 CW's hooked to a Nakamichi SR-4A that sound really nice to me. I tried TA-4A on the CW's also but the SR-4A had a little more detail. I could only tell through an A/B switch. So I would think the TA-2A would sound really sweet also. 50w is more than enough for the CW's. I had a Marantz 2250 that crashed before I had the CW's so wasn't able to try out that combo. I prefer the Nak sound. It seemed a more dynamic sound. The Marantz sounded a little softer.

The TA-2A would be around $100 through CL, higher on eBay.

Good luck.

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Another item I like on the TA-2A & 4A is the loudness control. It's nice to dial in the loudness to suit the volume level. Better than just a switch. It may not be audiophile but it sures sounds good at lower volumes. Try using "SearchTempest" to find the equipment. By the way, I have family in Little Rock. I'm afraid they are not into the audio scene.

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I am suprised to hear this, I ABed a Ta series integrated against a vintage technics sa-700 with some suprising results. I found the TA to be overly warm,and lacked upper end detail and separation and had week bloomy bass. The build quality I was not overly impressed with either.

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It's hard to beat classic vintage Marantz. I have a 2235 which is more than enough power to drive any of my speakers, and it has a good damping factor which helps keep the bass from getting flabby on Cornwalls. You might be able to locate some Mcintosh power if you are patient. There's a mac 2100 that's up for sale on the detroit craigslist for $500 which would be a good amp for Cornwalls, but you'd need to drive it with the preamp section of a Marantz, or find another preamp. The main difference between something like the 2100 and most other solid state will be the output drive via transformers. I'm currently using a Cambridge Audio 840a integrated amp, which really drives everything I have very well, and also has a balanced input stage which is nice for something in the price range, but lacks a phono input. (to stay with cambridge you need to buy their matching phono preamp.) The important thing to remember is that Cornwalls are very easy to drive and don't require huge power inputs, so it boils down to whether you want a lot of modern conveniences like remote controls and electronic switching or don't mind a vintage system. My Cornwalls were also very fond of my Adcom 5500, and there are a number of Adcom separates with a bit lower power that are readily available used and have excellent performance. (and many with remotes and phono stages.)

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Travis,

If you're ever in Hot Springs, there's a store that have Klipsch Heritage on display. LS, CW and Heresy but no Khorns. Solutions Home Entertainment. There are very eager to demo the Heritage line. Most of their Klipsch is HT. I was visiting family at the time in LR.

Did you ever get your amp?

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There's a couple of Bedini BA-801's on eBay right now. Spendy and would require a Bedini pre-amp too, but buy once cry once.

-QH

Yeah but if you're gonna get spendy, then you might as well drive the Heritage the way they are meant to be driven - with vacuum tubes[H]

Solid State can provide respectable cost effective solutions, but when the budget allows, tubes will be recommended.

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  • 1 month later...

Much appreciated info. I have a friend who is going to let me use a ss McIntosh until I decide what tube amp setup to go with.

I can tell you this...you just may find yourself taking your sweet time looking for your tube setup with a nice Mc to tide you over.

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