Lemon string Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 So after a year in the Klipsch family I made what I am considering an upgrade. I finally came across a pair of Cornwalls that were both, in really nice condition and at what I thought was a fair, perhaps even, a good deal. The only downside would be that they are II's from 86. From my understanding the build quality on the II's internal networks were a bit less than the I's. That said however thus far I am Really happy with them! I cant get over how well they image, with the right material they are halographic. I am currently running them with a adcom gfa 2535 at 60w per side and a emotiva umc-1. The room is a good size 15' x 21' speakers are placed on the short wall about 9' apart from center to center. listening position is at about 14'. Anyway I wanted to see if anyone had thoughts or opinions on a couple of things...... 1st) I am getting a slight buzz from the tweeters when the amp is on with no signal. Is this a dirty pot? Just what to expect with cornwalls? Cornwalls and ss amps? 2nd) I am planning to replace the crossovers any thoughts on either the crites or ALK crossovers are welcomed. I've read that the crites are replacements where as the ALK's are upgrades. Anyone with experience getting inside a pair of II's with any tips or words of wisdom please share. 3rd) i am also planning to replace the tweeter diaphrams with new titanium ones from crites. Have any of you done this? Impressions? and how difficult was the operation? Any tips? Overall I am really really happy with these speakers I am anxious to see what they are really capable of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 The biggest upgrade you will make is to ditch that Adcom. Start thinking about a nice low powered tube amp. Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage_Head Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) Diaphrams with titanium won't work with the cornwalls (at least i know you can't with the 1s i know the 3s have it) and I'm thinking it won't work on the 2s but not positive. Edited November 24, 2013 by reference_head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Congratulations on the new speakers and glad you like them. I am not a Heritage guy so, I can't really help with your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage_Head Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) I replaced the x over and the tweets on my 1s. They sound more refined but still have the same sound. I have not done much research on the 2s so not sure what is available on those. As far as the hiss/static that is probably an amp issue. With the high sensitivity of the corns it is going to be more present. Edited November 24, 2013 by reference_head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I have Cornwall 1s that I recently refinished, including crossovers. I run them with either my denon avr or my adcom. I get a hum thru the speakers with my adcom and no noise whatsoever with the denon. Adcom seems to be the issue here. I simply swapped original crossover with crites. Easy as pie. However, you may only need caps. So if you've got any soldering ability, you can buy just those and remove the originals. Probably don't need new crossovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 i am pretty sure mine from 85 are 2's. but either way yeah i ordered the rebuild kit and rebuilt them myself. i did one at a time to see if there was a huge difference. there was not. but crossovers could be worse i guess depending on use of the previous owner? could be wrong though. as far as opening them up just be careful with the screws. don't round anything out. i also did the crites tweeters. i did them one at a time as well. again, not a night and day difference. not that i am used to them the best thing for me to do would proxy be to swap the old ones back in to see if they are worse now. but right now i am having some issues with my old pioneer buzzing out of one channel. i need to order the cleaning stuff i need and do a deep clean on it. id say they aren't much more capable than what you have now unless you really plan on doing some heavy mods. you could go the cornscala route and swap the mid horn for a larger one and do a better driver in the mid. as well as the crates tweeter, then upgrade to the crates woofer as i hear it has a slight more on the low end, and then lastly the all crossovers with those. but then you are talking an extra 2,000$ for probably only a marginally better speaker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 (edited) So after a year in the Klipsch family I made what I am considering an upgrade. I finally came across a pair of Cornwalls... 1st) I am getting a slight buzz from the tweeters when the amp is on with no signal. Is this a dirty pot? Just what to expect with cornwalls? Cornwalls and ss amps? 2nd) I am planning to replace the crossovers any thoughts on either the crites or ALK crossovers are welcomed. I've read that the crites are replacements where as the ALK's are upgrades. Anyone with experience getting inside a pair of II's with any tips or words of wisdom please share. 3rd) i am also planning to replace the tweeter diaphrams with new titanium ones from crites. Have any of you done this? Impressions? and how difficult was the operation? Any tips? 1-this could be a few things... one of which is merely be the alternating current +/-... because they are so efficient, my cornwalls also did the same thing until I added a filtered power source and I can replicate the buzzing by plugging my amp directly into the wall outlet. Now that I use a filtered power, I have an extremely black floor in my system with superb separation and spacial qualities. 2-as others have stated, crites is an OEM type cross over replacement... so if that is what you are looking for, go that way(they are also more reasonably priced). if you want to upgrade your cross over components, an ALK designed unit is a really good way to go... as are the cross overs that aletheia audio builds. 3-crites CT-125's are a fairly inexpensive replacement for the Klipsch tweeter if you feel the need. as far as the cornwall and solid state goes... don't let anyone tell you it's not a good match up. it's simply not true, it's just different... and in some cases, not that much different. Edited November 25, 2013 by Schu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I agree on the solid state. My pioneer sx receiver sounds freakin awesome on these. And keep your eyes out for some used ct-125. I got mine fairly cheap used. In fact if I go back to my stock ones I'll be selling mine in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Good SS perhaps. But receivers and Adcom amps ain't it. Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Ok shakey. That's your opinion. Guess my Cornwalls sound terrible then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 What classifies as good solid state to you shakey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I heard CW2 and adcom 25 years ago, completely brand new system and it was a very nice setup. Volume and clarity for days. Room, setup and source can probably sound ok. And my denon avr sounds really nice with my cw1. Everyone's ears different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I'm sure they don't sound terrible. Just not the best that they could sound. Some ss amps that I thought were pretty good: McCormack Coda Plinius Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I have no doubt your loving that Pioneer SX! No, it isn't HIFI but I really enjoy the SX-1250 once in a while! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 How is it not hifi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 As I was getting ready to click "Post" I had second thoughts about using such a subjective term. I thought somebody might call me on it! In the end, I am a nut for tubes and find them to give me the most "real" sound that is most likely to make me feel that I have been transported to the live performance. As much as I love the Yamaha CR2020 or CA2010 or the Pioneer SX they just don't move me quite as much as the VRDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Back on point with the original questions I'd say that the tweeters are about the last thing I'd worry about tweaking. Don't forget to pay attention to the acoustics in your room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon string Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 Hey guys, thanks for all your responses. Im fairly certain that the first mods I'll make are the tweeters and crossovers. I did have some correspondence with Bob Crites, whom I do consider an expert, he did say that the crossovers were good for about 20 years. That said I'm probably a bit overdue. I am curious if anyone with experience with or that has heard both the crites and the ALK crossovers had any insights. As far as the amp goes, Ive been pretty happy with the adcom gfa 2535 but it too is getting along in years. I originally went through 2 newer yamaha avr's with my RF 82's before settling on the Adcom, it was night and day. The yamaha's were really fatiguing to the point where my ears just hurt. I know that the tube vs ss is a hot topic but I believe the GFA 2535 was one of the amps that Nelson Pass designed for adcom and I've really enjoyed getting to know about his approach and views on music production, to me it makes sense. I would love to hear the Cornwalls matched up with some tubes though, I'd love to hear the difference. The buzz/hiss I mentioned is present within in one meter but not from my listening position but it does make me wonder if Im losing anything in quality. If anyone knows of any good info on cleaning older ss amps please pass along or if you've had experience with the gfa 2535 or other adcom amps of this era i'd love to hear from you. Again Im loving these guys! If anyone in the chicago area would be interested in a really nice pair of RF 82's Im thinking about letting mine go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Can you put a wood horn like a Fastrac in a 1986 Cornwall ? I'd talk to Gothover to see what he could do for you. I think a better midhorn will take you a LONG way on your journey! To me the midhorn was the biggest source of listening fatigue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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