Pete C Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 I saw too many references to Cornwall II starting in the 1980's. I know the time I ordered this and the s/n corroborates it: 2K392. It has vertically mounted horns, K77 and K55V. I put a piece of grillcloth over the K33P woofer in 1972 and noticed no bass reduction (nor did my neighbors in those days.) I was saving it from cats (but maybe saved the coil from my youthful indiscretions.) It has the original sticker on the back declaring it a Cornwall II, model C-DB-15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted March 14, 2001 Share Posted March 14, 2001 You have a pair of VERY EARLY Cornwalls with the vertical horns--IMO the best Cornwalls ever made. I think the last of these were made around 1969 or so. I'm sure someone else around here knows for sure. The Cornwall II has horizontal, plastic horns and a removeable grill cloth and is attached to a riser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted March 14, 2001 Author Share Posted March 14, 2001 Well, not a pair: only one. I went in with a friend who bought the other one. I got married and eventually matched mine with a pair of used 1979 LaScalas after our kid grew up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCturboT Posted March 14, 2001 Share Posted March 14, 2001 Pete, Welcome to the board.I too own Cornwalls (1984) and I saw your reference to the model IIs.I did a lot of reseaching before buying them and also was curious about the differences so I had asked Trey Cannon about this,here is what he wrote me. "The Cornwall came out in 1959 as a center the Klipschorn.The label II was used from the late 60s-early 70s as a way to mark the vertical horn models.That stopped when the vertical horn models stopped.Then in the late 80s we went back to using the II when we changed to the outie mounted drivers." Thats quite an interesting little know fact even on this board.Any chance of you finding that other speaker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty65 Posted March 14, 2001 Share Posted March 14, 2001 Pete, Does your Cornwall have a bass port its hard to see from your picture? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted March 14, 2001 Author Share Posted March 14, 2001 Thanks for the update on the naming sequence of I II I. I also read a story with an I.5. I would have done I, II, III, etc. or no distinction, but I am not in that business No way for me to get that other Cornwall II. He bought a match for it in late 1972 or 1973. I moved across the country from him in 1984, and he left his wife and 3 kids for a younger woman. I tracked him down once (still in the Chicago area,) but he never contacted me again. Oh well. The picture of the back was a poorly taken Polaroid photo. I got too close and cut off the view of the port. The bottom in the photo is really the top of the port. Here is a photo from the front, complete with flash glare and dust. Very rough looking, but I was young and, once the music started, no one cared what it looked like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-OH!~ Posted March 15, 2001 Share Posted March 15, 2001 That backside/internal pic, sure looks like familiar territory, to my model CD15, circa 65 Cornwall II's..., only diff. I see is that my Woofer is the K-33-J, with a big round magnet housing. mine were originally black. I'm guessing many of these black models may have been hung in theaters and the like..., these went to a private home, where the original ownwer elected to paint them off white (???), I'm still waffling between repainting them black (which would match the rear surround col.s that I purchased recently), or applying a nice veneer. ...so presently they do NOT look so good, but they DO SOUND SO FINE!! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traderfjp Posted March 19, 2001 Share Posted March 19, 2001 Peter C. I have a newer model of the Corwalls. I bought mine is 1987-New in Birch. I recently built my own sub and I am in heaven. I never thought the Cornwalls needed a sub but once you have one it's truly amazing on the extra imaging and low end that you get. Anyway, it's interesting to note that my Corwall's have no lining on the walls and that the magnet on the back of your woofer is square. I absolutely love my Cornwalls and everytime I fire them up I am impressed. I usually get tired with things but not these speakers. I was wondering if you ever compared the older Corwall's with the later ones made. Is there much of a difference. How does the sound vary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted March 19, 2001 Author Share Posted March 19, 2001 Frank, No, I never got a chance to listen to the 1980's Cornwall IIs. I moved to a remote place and we didn't get a Klipsch dealer until recently. Besides, I didn't need to listen to others, because I was happy with mine! After nine years, I had to live in a smaller house for some time and there was only room for the LaScalas, so the Cornwall was idled. I haven't hooked it up in my new house yet, either. Thus, it has been 8 years since I have heard it. (The black case doesn't match the "room decor," Wife Factor.) I think the newer compression drivers have a cleaner sound for the tweeter and squawker, but it is brand and quality dependant. I just bought two RF-3s and a RC-3 for HT, because the WF didn't want the large speakers where the TV is and vice-versa. They sound wonderful. I will be dragging in the Cornwall just to compare, so I can report back. I assume I will notice the change between the 2-way and 3-way setup, but those new horns are surprising. pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chockstarfish@hotmail.com Posted March 19, 2001 Share Posted March 19, 2001 with the vertical horns doesn't that limit the way you can sit to listen to them? to get the full sound of the horn don't you have to be in there range? if you move one way or another on those you move out of the horns range don't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted March 19, 2001 Share Posted March 19, 2001 chockstarfish, The horns used in the Heritage line of Klipsch speakers "ought" to be mounted with the longer axis verticle. They used to be mounted this way, but aesthetics and the problem of making mirror imaged cabinets (tweeters on inside edge) was to eggspensive. The dispersion of the horn, sort of counter-intuitive, is CONSTRAINED by the longer axis, not ENHANCED by it. That is, with the horizontal mounting as used in today's La Scalas, Belles or KHorns, the VERTICAL dispersion of the horns is broader than the HORIZONTAL dispersion of the horns. I didn't know this 'till I read it on this board. Check the archives for dispersion and you might find some of the relevant posts. Or perhaps someone who knows what they're talking about will continue this thread... ------------------ Music is art Audio is engineering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted March 19, 2001 Author Share Posted March 19, 2001 I never noticed the "sweet spot" being small. If I had people sitting off-center, they would still turn and try to locate a HF or MF sound elsewhere in the room, and not near the speakers, when a music (or comedy) passage contained a sound that didn't fit what we were listening to. The "soundstage" was very large. Thanks for clearing this up, Ray. You got in while I was typing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-OH!~ Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 Ray, I had only acted on intuition (which apparently might be wrong) when I've set my mirrored Cornwalls up, with the horns set to the outside...., just seemed more right. I've not tried setting them up with the horns inbound......., I also was about to report that I thought these set up a rather defined "sweet spot" (with me trying to point the horns directly at the sweet spot), but I may have been 90 degrees out of whack, on that dispersion notion also.... do you know the rational for setting the horns up, inbound in the pair???? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted March 21, 2001 Author Share Posted March 21, 2001 quote: Originally posted by traderfjp: Anyway, it's interesting to note that my Cornwalls have no lining on the walls and that the magnet on the back of your woofer is square. I read about this in a Heresy thread, but my brain's memory storage is at a premium. Some brands of woofers needed to be dampened to accommodate their size in a smaller box, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted March 22, 2001 Author Share Posted March 22, 2001 I dragged my Cornwall (II) in from the garage today. It still works fine. I set it up as the left speaker and the RF-3 on the right. I'm sure a sound generator would show the difference, but my ears couldn't (on a Sony STR-DE945 & Tosh DVD playing a CD with a recorded Lesley organ passage phasing between the two.) RF-3 = Cornwall at 1/3 the size. I'm sure a KFC-20 would have matched it better, being 3-way, but that K105K horn sure has range. Now I know why Boa12 uses his Cornwalls to back up his Reference speakers in the front. Very close. Anyone know what the base Cornwall cost in 1972? I can't even picture the invoice when I bought it from HiFi Hutch in IL. I think the RF-3 is a bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 I think the Cornwalls ran $1300-1600/pair in the late '70s... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traderfjp Posted March 30, 2001 Share Posted March 30, 2001 Pete, You can always re-finish your Corwalls and bring them back to a wood tone. It might make them wife friendly. I was living in a 500 sq. ft. apt when I first bought my Cornwalls. They took up lots of space but somehow the wife never complained. We lived in a big house. The sound has improved too. I recently bought a C5 center channel and S5 sorround speakers. The center channel speaker is excellent but when I switch voices and music from the cetner to my Corwalls I can hear a big difference. The Cornwalls are smoother and sound livlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted March 31, 2001 Author Share Posted March 31, 2001 traderfjp, Thanks. I've been considering that. I think they used birch plywood back then. My wife likes the birch LaScalas. And she did buy a power sander for another project. I guess I'll buy some paint masks. We rented our first DTS encoded movie, Fantasia 2000. It sounded great on the RF-3 & RC-3 speakers. The LaScalas are in the back corner, so it's time to run another set of speaker wires to them. My receiver predates HT 6.1, so the Cornwall wouldn't help there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted April 1, 2001 Author Share Posted April 1, 2001 Here's the more expensive model of my speaker. And much higher quality photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted April 6, 2001 Share Posted April 6, 2001 ...Sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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