Klipsch Cornwall III review WITHOUT RISERS by Boomzilla

[Boomzilla]

OK, for this to make sense, a bit of history is in order. My listening room does double duty as a living room. Not too long ago, we spiffed up the place by adding crown molding, painting, replacing carpet with wood floors, etc. The result was a VERY live listening room.

Into the live listening room came my Cornwall IIIs (henceforth CW3s). I placed them on the floor where Cornwall ones had worked well in the old room (with thick carpet, back then). The CW3s were the ugliest sounding speakers that you can imagine. The bass was excessive, without any pitch definition, and sounded as though the cabinet was making every bass note echo for hours. The woofer to midrange transition sounded like there was a massive hole in the frequency response. The top end sounded strident to the point of being unlistenable. The speakers, needless to say absolutely would not image.

I stuck the CW3s in the closet and went on to other speakers. Somewhere along the way, I was persuaded to buy and install some ATS sound pads for the walls. Instantly the slap echo was gone. I got the CW3s back out of the closet, but put them up on temporary plastic stands. NOW the speakers sounded good - no bass boom, good imaging, and smooth response. I attributed this to the stands. This morning, I prepared to make some permanent stands for the CW3s. Before doing the work, though, I decided to listen to the speakers on the floor as intended one more time.

Surprise, surprise! The speakers now sounded just as good as they did on the stands. Obviously, the difference is the ATS room panels. I had expected the panels to improve the treble, but wasn't expecting much difference in the bass. In fact, however, the panels improved the entire frequency range of the speakers. The effect is NOT subtle (not like changing speaker wires, for instance). The lesson learned is that if your room is live, you may NEVER hear the best that the CW3s can do.

To check your room, clap your hands. Do you hear an echo or delay in the sound fading away? If yes, YOU NEED SOME ROOM TREATMENT. You can make your own or buy commercial panels like I did. Either way, this is the best money you'll EVER spend on your stereo. Don't waste your money on speakers or electronics until after you've fixed your room. The spouse acceptance factor is high for panels also because they come in colors or you can have pictures printed on the panels.

In any case, with a good room, the Cornwalls sound ravishing just as they are from the factory - no stands required!

Cheers - Boomzilla

[CECAA850]

Great post. Many people don't realize how much the room influences what actually gets to your ears. People will throw cash at amps/speakers/eq etc instead of working on the room. I guess those are more glamorous purchases as opposed to room treatments. Your observations are spot on.

[Daddy Dee]

Boomzilla,

Thanks for the review. Which particular ATS panels did you select? How many? What size? How thick?

[Boomzilla]

I put up four of these:

http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--ATS-Acoustic-Panel-24-x-48-x-2--1001.html

Three behind the speakers, one behind the listening couch - but that's just my room...

[odysseyrevolver]

You've had quite the odyssey with your Cornwalls. I'm glad to see you finally figure them out.

[Boomzilla]

You've had quite the odyssey with your Cornwalls. I'm glad to see you finally figure them out.

Yes - I'd never have believed that the ATS panels would have made that much difference, but they did. All the nasty stuff that I originally thought was the sound of the speaker was actually the sound of the room!

Electronics sorting proceeds apace (all comparisons used Audioquest Dragonfly as source DAC). On a scale of one (sucks) to 10 (nirvana):

Dared SL2000A tube preamp + VTL Compact 100 tube power amps = 5 (too much, just too much)

Dared SL2000A tube preamp + Emotiva XPA-2 (300 wpc solid state) = 9 (good sweetness + good control)

Emotiva XPA-2 (300 wpc solid state) direct from Dragonfly = 8.5 (superior soundstage, slightly dry)

Tonight I'll try the Rogue Audio Tempest tube integrated amp; tomorrow the HK AV receiver.

Cheers - Boomzilla

[tblake10]

Boomzilla, how big is your room?

Tim

[Boomzilla]

Boomzilla, how big is your room?

Tim

Hi Tim -

25 feet long by about 15 wide. The speakers have to play across the 15 foot space.

[tblake10]

OK thanks for the dimensions and for the post. Definitely something worthy of serious consideration.

[Boomzilla]

I must say, though, that the things that make the MOST difference in your sound are (in order of importance):

1. The room

2. The speakers

3. Speaker positioning

4. The electronics

5. Everything else

In a bad room, NOTHING will sound right; in a good room even poor components can sound fine.

PS: The Rogue audio scores about a 9 on the goodness scale - a fine amp for sure!

[CECAA850]

I love it when the light goes off. I used GIK panels.

[Heritage_Head]

I agree. When i first bought a few pannels i didnt get a huge bump but it was a tad cleaner. But then over the next few months i bought a few more and then a few more tell the room was filled. I think because i didnt get them all at the same time i didnt get much impact in the change.

But then i took them all down to start to prep and paint. We still used the room for movies and the sound changed a lot compared to how it was with the pannels. At first i didnt even think about it being the pannels i was going crazy in the settings wondering why it sounded so strange. But then when i got the room painted and them back up problem solved. []

[CECAA850]

I agree. When i first bought a few pannels i didnt get a huge bump but it was a tad cleaner. But then over the next few months i bought a few more and then a few more tell the room was filled. I think because i didnt get them all at the same time i didnt get much impact in the change.

But then i took them all down to start to prep and paint. We still used the room for movies and the sound changed a lot compared to how it was with the pannels. At first i didnt even think about it being the pannels i was going crazy in the settings wondering why it sounded so strange. But then when i got the room painted and them back up problem solved.

And don't forget to ALWAYS run your room correction software after you've added any type panels or bass traps.

[Heritage_Head]

Good point i didnt run it after i pulled them down so that might have been a big part too.

[Boomzilla]

WITHOUT room correction software, the room treatment is MANDATORY for my room. None of my electronics have room correction, so I had to treat the room.

[CECAA850]

WITHOUT room correction software, the room treatment is MANDATORY for my room. None of my electronics have room correction, so I had to treat the room.

True, but even IF you had it, the room is the first thing you address. Room treatments should be mandatory for all rooms and is mandatory if you care about what you hear.

[CECAA850]

Also.......................electronic room correction works better after the room has been treated and is not a substitute for room treatments.

[Heritage_Head]

When i read your first review i was suprised how bad they sounded to you. I dont own them but from what i have read they are amazing speakers. I think you were the first person i had heard that said they sounded really bad. Glad you have them working now congrats on your speakers. []

[Heritage_Head]

Also.......................electronic room correction works better after the room has been treated and is not a substitute for room treatments.

How important do you feel bass traps are?

[CECAA850]

Also.......................electronic room correction works better after the room has been treated and is not a substitute for room treatments.

How important do you feel bass traps are?

VERY. You can see them in my pic. In my room, bass traps really tightened up the bass and helped with a null. I really need a few more but I consider myself lucky to have installed what I have, as they're not the most WAF friendly thing you can do to a living room. Cutting holes in the walls for subwoofer drivers falls into the same category but of the 2 (panels or subs) my wife dislikes the panels the most.