Keith Csolak Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I own a set of Cornwalls from the early 80's. I presently using a Krell KSA 250 amp and Krell Showcase pre amp. the set up is great but a littlle harsh at times with horns. I have had the pleasure of hearing them with low wattage tube amps. The sound is amazing but i do like to play them loudly at times - low wattage tube amps cannot handle. Is it difficult to bi amp - thus using the Krell 250 as the amp for the 15;s and a tube amp for the mid and upper horns. I need some advice. Can I just unhook 15's speaker leads from inner crossover and hook to an external crossover? What kind of external crossover is recommended and what brand . Is it worth it . I would rather not spend 2,000 on a all tube amp is I can avoid. Need advice thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Morbius Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Uhh, just wondering - how loud do you need your Cornwalls to play? And what do you consider low wattage tube amps? I could understand those 2 watt flea amps, if that's what you mean - but I think you have too much power with the Krell, and believe me I know all about the Krell! Now I have a pair of Cornscala's - similar to your Cornwall's and I drive them with a 25 watt Scott 299C amp which is 1/10 the power of your Krell. Using a sound meter about 10 feet from my speakers (about where I sit) If I set the volume anywhere over 7 (OUT OF 10) I WILL DAMAGE MY HEARING! I usually listen, depending on the level of the recording of a CD at about 3.5 to 5.5 on the volume knob, which is pure heaven! Also I didn't spend $2000 on my amp - got it on ebay and had it redone by Craig at NOS VALVES and altogether I spent well under $700 for a fantastic amp. So, to sum up, I believe you have too much power for your speakers. Anyone chime in if you think I'm wrong. PS - my brother Denis who is a bass player for 2U, or U2 - always mix them up - came to listen to my set-up and had to turn the volume to 6 to - as he said - "really hear it", but I had to leave after a few minutes as it was hurting my ears. But he did become a huge Bernard Herrmann fan when I played him a few CD's. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 PS - my brother Denis who is a bass player for 2U, or U2 - always mix them up The bass player for the Irish band U2 is Adam Clayton. I find no reference to any band nemed 2U. [*-)]Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I wonder if the harshness could be the result of crossover caps drifted off spec. That vintage could be helped with fresh caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max2 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 It sounds like you want Henry Rollins to belt out some Norah Jones Well now wait, he just might be able to pull it off! That 250 is a sledgehammer, no way around it. I have never heard any of the Heritage line have a truly clean sound with any affordable mega watt amps out there....I can already see the Emotiva guys clinching their fists. There are several other amps out there that are more suitable for your Corns and I would shoot for the 100-150 RMS watt range as this is the point where the mid and tweet drivers start to head south no matter what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Morbius Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 PS - my brother Denis who is a bass player for 2U, or U2 - always mix them up The bass player for the Irish band U2 is Adam Clayton. I find no reference to any band nemed 2U. Bruce ------------------------------------------------- Keep looking Bruce, he's been with 2U for 6 years now, and last month they headlined in Abu Dhabi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sberger Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 PS - my brother Denis who is a bass player for 2U, or U2 - always mix them up The bass player for the Irish band U2 is Adam Clayton. I find no reference to any band nemed 2U. Bruce 2U are a U2 tribute band: http://www.notu2.com/Homepage.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Csolak Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 I do like to play them loudly at times 108 decibels. Not always -I sit about 15 feet away. I play drums and have done alot of studio work - I do like to hear music as I hear it live.. The Cornwalls can get a little bright on top . i think they sound realistic. I also own a set of B&W 801 F's -the Krell KSA 250 worked with them . I do think the cornwalls have a much more expansive sound. I have heard them with low wattage tube amps very low 1/2 to 2 watts. Tubes do sound great - but as stated earlier - have to play at low levels with low wattage tube amps.. I will look for a tube amp that has around 30 to 50 watts - I have heard the older Scott tube amps are great. i know tube amps do not need as much power like my Krell. I love the speakers - My Budy Rich CDs are really too bright - That has alot to do with the recordings . The Eagles live DVD sounds very good in DTS Music mode. Thanks for your response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 If you have a small tube amplifier that has both 8Ω and 16Ω taps on it (like most do) then it is very easy to bi-amp a set of Cornwalls. Remove the Cornwall network and store it away. Run three sets of wire, one set to each driver. Hook the tweeter wires to the 16Ω tap on the amplifier through a 2µF capacitor. Hook the midrange wires directly to the 8Ω tap on the amplifier. Hook the woofer wires directly to the bass amplifier. http://www.passdiy.com/pdf/phasecrx.pdf See fig.5 in the above, change the values of the capacitors to 0.027µF (for the 600hz crossover point required by the Cornwall). Put the parts in a small box (buy everything from Digi-Key or Mouser), or you can even mount the parts inside the amplifiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Keith(OP), just for information sake, here is a quick measurement taken of a fool's bi-amped Crites x-over equipped forte II, ATI602 on woofs, Decware amp (about 2w) on the horns...ignore the lumpy bass, that's room modal response...the 2nd order (red) and 3rd order (purple) harmonic distortion is high, but it doesn't sound bad, in fact it sounds remarkably vibrant and real. Just wanted to post this to let you know what sort of thing you can expect if you try something similar. This particular configuration is very easy on the ears. The important thing keep in mind when reading this graph is that there is a close parallel between electronic distortion and musical tone coloration. Musically, the 2nd harmonic is one octave above the fundamental and is almost inaudible, yet it adds body to the sound, making it fuller. The 3rd harmonic is a quint or musical twelfth, and produces a sound musicians describe as "blanketed." A strong 2nd with a strong 3rd tends to open the covered effect. Adding lower levels of 4th and 5th to this changes the sound to an open horn-like, choral character. Is the use of tubes for the horns now starting to make more sense? Even in this fool's bi-amp setup, it has some cool results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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