Cornwalls vs. Forte/Chorus?

[MKAbroad]

Hi,

I’m a new member of the forum. I’ve been lurking for a few
days and have read some very interesting discussions, and have already gleaned
some good advice. I’m based in the UK
but originally from the States. (I became a Klipsch fan long ago when I took
a physics class and the professor used his Klipsch speakers to demonstrate the
concepts behind “the physics of hifi”).
Later I had a friend who had Klipschorns at home, and it was
amazing. I was not able to afford that
type of gear, but eventually purchased some KG4s, then augmented the system
with some Heresy’s. I’m a lifelong fan
of the Klipsch sound, it really works for me, even with my thus far limited experience.

[by the way, I’m in the process of replacing the KG4 tweeter
diaphragms with some titanium domes from Crites, and will be upgrading the caps
on my 1979 Heresy’s, in part based on suggestions found on this forum. One of the Heresy’s is beginning to sound “weaker”
than the other, but that’s possibly a question for another post, and I’m hoping
the crossover upgrade will take care of that.]

I’m now moving those two speaker pairs to another part of
the room for my home audio system (Heresy fronts, KG4 surrounds, new RC 62-II
center speaker, Denon AV receiver). This
will leave a gap in my 2-channel stereo listening, and forms the basis of my
question. I’d like purchase some used
Klipsch speakers as they become available here in the UK. I’ve recently seen some Cornwalls go on sale,
but I’m trying to decide on them vs. other models. I’ve heard Forte’s, and I’m aware of Quartets
and Chorus models as well. My impression
is that Cornwalls are perhaps the best option to get the “vintage” sound, whereas
the others came a bit later in the game (like my KG4’s). I
would be interested and grateful for any thoughts on what people think of these
various speaker options, primarily for 2 channel stereo listening? (Cornwall, Forte, Chorus, Quartet).

Thanks!

[Ski Bum]

My impression

is that Cornwalls are perhaps the best option to get the vintage sound, whereas

the others came a bit later in the game (like my KG4s). I

would be interested and grateful for any thoughts on what people think of these

various speaker options, primarily for 2 channel stereo listening? (Cornwall, Forte, Chorus, Quartet).

I think you're correct regarding the CW being in general superior, but extended heritage models are nothing to sneeze at. They're all similarly big and effortless sounding, a step above KG4s. Here's my completely biased, mostly uninformed heirarchy of the models you list, from best to worst:

1. Cornwall

2. forte (original, not forte II)

3. Chorus II

4. forte II

5. Chorus (original)

6. Quartet

Since you are rehabbing your Heresies, consider adding a sub. Heresies + sub is in the same ballpark as fortes and CW.

[The Dude]

I bought my Cornwalls before I bought my Forte 1's, I compared both in 2 channel and HT. I sold the Fortes and still have the Cornwall's, even the wife prefers the Cornwalls over the Forte's[].

[The Dude]

Oh and welcome.

[dtel]

Welcome

Like Michael said, there a set, collect them all.

[garymd]

Welcome to the forum. I'm a Cornwall fan also. That would be my suggestion from your list of choices, although there are many here who prefer the Forte and Chorus (they all have hearing problems[]). Also, you already have heresys and if you decide to integrate all into a HT, the Corns would mate better than the other choices. Good luck.

[Vital]

I am one of those who prefer the Chorus ll over the Cornwall. IMO the Chorus ll is the new and improved version of the cornwall. I have not heard the newer Cornwall lll though so I cannot comment on that one. It's all subjective though so try to listen to them both if you can before you buy.

[MKAbroad]

Thanks all for the quick responses and welcome messages. []

[moray james]

welcome to the forum this is a fantastic place with the best people and resources you will find on all things Klipsch. Don't discount the newer than Heritage speakers of Klipsch. PWK learned a lot over his life and he never stopped working to improve his product. If you get the chance listen to a set of KLF20 or a CF3.They have newer and better designed mid horns. The KLF came stock with Poly tweeter diaphragms (thank marketing) which are very poor and need to be upgraded to titanium which is easy and cheap to do, huge difference.

I think that you will need to establish what size woofer sound you like that way you can gravitate toward speakers you will like. I happen to feel the ten is the best compromise for me. Some prefer twelves some fifteens. Listen and find out because you likely do have a preference. Two tens push more air than a single twelve. Two twelves push more air than a single fifteen and so on. To me the overall compromise winners in every way except for ultimate efficiency are the Epic series CF3 and CF4. They do need to be raised up to get the centre of the horn at your seated ear level but so should any speaker. The CF series was designed by Roy Delgado and they are the true gems of the Klipsch home line up. I have owned Forte, Forte ll, KLF20, CF3, Quartet, Heresy, Heresy 3 and a set of RB61and listened to a bunch more. The most beautiful loudspeaker PWK designed (IMO) was the Belle and from what I understand the Best was co designed with Roy Delgado and that is the Jubilee with a K402. Have fun and buy and try is the very best advice I could possibly give to you, that way you will know what they sound like. It has been a pleasure owning the Klipsch speakers I have, all of them and I would like to own more. Best regards Moray James.

[chisoxpurdue]

I think the Cornwall vs Forte/Chorus question will lead to multiple opinions. The Cornwall II was discontinued while the Chorus II was in production so I see it as a direct replacement.

I prefer the Tratix Horns and would Rate the Chorus II ahead of the Cornwall. For the Money, the Quartet is hard to beat, but the Chorus II or Forte II I ould prefer just due to the midrange horn. If you have the room, I would prefer the Cornwall to the Forte.

So my personal opinion:

Chorus II

Cornwall

Chorus I

Forte II

Quartet

Forte I

Again Just one man's opinion. And do not count out the KLF 20 and 30 or the CF 3 and 4. I have not heard them but I have heard fro m their fans.

I need to make sure to listen to them so I can put them in my rankings.

[oldtimer]

Put me in Gary's hearing impaired group. I have heard awesome cornwall set ups but still prefer the balanced and better bass response of the forte II's. forte II's are more placement dependent though. Chorus will have bigger presence due to higher displacement but still not have the refined forte II sound. You can't go wrong no matter what look for a good deal. My caveat is I also have not heard the latest cornwall III model.

[jlfx64]

I’m still pretty new at this, so please take that into
consideration. []

I recently acquired some Forte II’s to go along with Quartet’s
that I am now using in an enhanced stereo mode, and I absolutely love the sound
they all make. I got the Quartet’s a
couple of months back, which replaced KG 5.2’s, and I was (and continue to be)
blown away by the sound these speakers can produce. Granted, they are all Crited up (TI
Diaphragms and Xovers) but they produce an awesome sound for a great price and
a decent footprint. The Forte II’s (TI
Diaphragms on the way) sound very similar, just more pronounced base. From 5 feet away (my listening position) a
kick drum seems to vibrate through my chest (in a good way). The footprint gets a little bigger and the
price goes up a decent amount if you compare by % between the two. Now, when I went to pick up the Forte II’s
this weekend, the owner just happened to have a pair of brand new Cornwall III’s
hooked up to a Cary Audio 12 wpc tube amp. (Turns out the guy owns Cary Audio
or something along those lines, how about them apples…) Anyway, he was nice enough to give me a quick
listen. Playing in a room that was
roughly 25ft square with 30ft ceilings (uh yeah, the house was awesome) my jaw
hit the floor when I heard and felt Pink Floyd fill such a massive room with
ease on less than 12 watts per speaker.
I don’t think I have the technical terms down yet to explain how amazing
those speakers sounded, but rest assured, they were breathe taking. On the down side, the price is obviously
exponentially higher, and the footprint is considerably larger than a Forte II.

I have not heard or seen the Chorus line, have not heard the
Forte I, nor do I know how the Cornwall III compares to the older
versions. So, assuming that cash and
space are of no consequence, and the older Cornwalls sound even nearly as good
as the Cornwall III, then I would tell you to go that route hands down, no
questions asked. If footprint matters
and/or you a looking to stay on a budget, you would be very hard pressed to
beat the performance of a Quartet. However,
the Forte II’s 12” woofer and 15” passive really do make a noticeable difference
on the bottom end. With the tweeters and
mids being nearly the same between the two, I definitely prefer the overall
sound of the Forte II’s. I imagine
stepping up to the Chorus line would simply be one step further in the same
direction, but again, I can’t speak from experience there.

Hope that helps!

[Daddy Dee]

MKAbroad,

Welcome to the forum. Yeh. If you can snag a pair of Cornwalls, by all means. They are definitely very good and have some classic cool factor.

Of the speakers you have named, you can't go wrong with any of them.

[Schu]

welcome to the form OP... I would rather have five sets of cornwalls than five sets of different models you've listed.

[rockhound]

Welcome to the forum and to your new obsession! Moray James is giving you good advice. I went down this same journey, started with a set of cornwalls, then moved to Forte II, then to KLF 20's and lastly to Chorus 2's. in the end it came down to what sounded best in my room and believe me the room makes a difference. It's best to try as many as you can and if you don't like em sell em as they hold there value and its a helluva lot of fun trying different combo's. The 3 you have chosen are all wonderful speakers that you will enjoy for many years, good luck with your journey and most of all have fun!

[stormin]

Give me pitch definition over a rumble box anyday!

[wuzzzer]

I had an opportunity to listen to Cornwalls a couple years ago. I was thinking they would be a huge leap over my Fortes. In my opinion they really weren't. They sounded fantastic, just like my Fortes. In fairness the Cornwalls were all original and from the early 90s and my Fortes had new crossovers and titanium tweeters. That said, my new Chorus have now de-throned the Fortes.

[hugeroost]

I dont think the op mentioned chorus, but I have a set of Cll"s and my buddy has original cw"s, both unmolested. For a few years we both had near identicle amps, pioneer sx-1080 and 1050, imo the cll"s smoked the cw"s. I know there is about a 15 year difference there, and he badly needs to update the cw"s, but the chorus takes up half the space and sound so much better, would like to hear a set of cwlll"s. I believe the size of the cw"s really impresses alot of folks and they are a little swayed by that alone. If i"m not mistaken that is the reason PWK came out with the chorus in the first place, the original cw was just a huge box with alot of empty wasted space, so he re-designed it and called it chorus. I also think the Cll with the passive sounds quite a bit better than the first ported Cl. Like another poster said, I would buy whatever comes up in the heritage line and play with them awhile, if you buy smart you can always get your money back plus some.......Roost

[Gilbert]

I owned both Forte's (I) and a number of Cornwalls (rear-ported early 60's thru early 90's). My recommendation is the Cornwalls. Not only because of sound, but because they're a better match for your Heresy's.

[stormin]

I dont think the op mentioned chorus, but I have a set of Cll"s and my buddy has original cw"s, both unmolested. For a few years we both had near identicle amps, pioneer sx-1080 and 1050, imo the cll"s smoked the cw"s. I know there is about a 15 year difference there, and he badly needs to update the cw"s, but the chorus takes up half the space and sound so much better, would like to hear a set of cwlll"s. I believe the size of the cw"s really impresses alot of folks and they are a little swayed by that alone. If i"m not mistaken that is the reason PWK came out with the chorus in the first place, the original cw was just a huge box with alot of empty wasted space, so he re-designed it and called it chorus. I also think the Cll with the passive sounds quite a bit better than the first ported Cl. Like another poster said, I would buy whatever comes up in the heritage line and play with them awhile, if you buy smart you can always get your money back plus some.......Roost

We hear alike Roost! [Y]