FastCat Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Hi guys,I currently have a pair of Cornwall II's that I'm using with my Carver amp for listening to vinyl.I have a chance to purchase a pair of Belle's now and was interested in your opinions.should I stick with the Cornwalls or go with the Belles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 should I marry the blonde or the brunette? Go listen and make up your own mind. The Belle will cost you more in purchase and in upgrade and you are probably going to want a sub or two with them but you are likely to love the additional efficiency. I would say that you should look at a set of Chorus ll if you have some available power if not and you don't want to purchase a new amplifier or two then stick with what you have a CW2 is a nice speaker and you can upgrade it for less than the cost a of a set of old Belle. Regards moray james.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 I've only heard one set of Belle's and honestly I was less than impressed-- they sounded like a large pair of bookshelf speakers that were rather annoying when played too loud. I'd give them a listen anyway, maybe you'll have a better experience than I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 1 hour ago, FastCat said: <snip> should I stick with the Cornwalls or go with the Belles? Yes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Hi guys,I currently have a pair of Cornwall II's that I'm using with my Carver amp for listening to vinyl.I have a chance to purchase a pair of Belle's now and was interested in your opinions.should I stick with the Cornwalls or go with the Belles?How much to purchase the Belles? Condition, veneer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avguytx Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Location? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtr20 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 I have a pair of belles with an older Sony receiver. They are the best speakers I've heard. My buddy has cornwall clones and they sound great, but I like my belles more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastCat Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 2 hours ago, jimjimbo said: How much to purchase the Belles? Condition, veneer? He is asking $2200 but says its negotiable,condition is a 7 according to him and in walnut veneer.there are in Ontario,Canada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 the Us Dollar is a lot stronger than the Canadian dollar is but even at that the Belle at $2200.00 CND is a lot more than I would pay for them but that's me. Having said that I would rather have a Belle than a LaScala any day but I am not not really have any interest in either. The efficiency level would be nice but they are big and really should be cut at 80 - 90Hz and crossed to a woofer. Belle were my very first Klipsch experience on a Dynaco 400 boy they could kick some butt. Am very happy right now with my KLF20 woofers and a EV DH1A with double cutaway Karlson K-Tube using a CF3 crossover running as a two way. Nice size a little work you can make them did deeper and they are reasonably efficient and compact. Back to the Belle and or a LaScala I would much rather have (and I have had) a Peavey FH1 or an SP1 better than either of the Klipsch horn cabinets. Regards moray james. I feel that I should add that the LaScala is about as good as it gets considering its compact size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 If that is 2200 CND, it's about 1700 USD, which, if they are in good shape, fully functional, is a pretty good deal. If you have the time and inclination, I'd go listen to them, take some of your favorite music, and make the decision from there. Good luck, and have fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 9 minutes ago, jimjimbo said: If that is 2200 CND, it's about 1700 USD, which, if they are in good shape, fully functional, is a pretty good deal. If you have the time and inclination, I'd go listen to them, take some of your favorite music, and make the decision from there. Good luck, and have fun. I guess that if you are looking for a set of Belle the price is ok but you can find Khorns for that kind of money which is worth considering and they take up so little floor space. Still good advice to have a listen but I guess it really depends upon where the OP is relative to the Belle's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Belles depend heavily on positioning. While it is true that they don't [usually] go down as deep in the bass as Cornwalls, if placed against a wall, or in a corner, they might do fine. My single Belle (center channel) has a little peak at 60 Hz, and declines below that, but Audyssey measures its 3 dB down point at 40 Hz. It holds its own with the flanking Klipschorns. If you like deep bass, they should probably be crossed over to a subwoofer, but as low as possible without creating a hole in the bass response, because they have very clean, tight bass, more so than almost any subwoofer, except for a horn loaded sub. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 A condition of 7 and an asking price of $1700 in a little high, IMHO. I paid more than that for mine, but with good reason. As far as A/B the two speakers, they are both better at doing their own thing. One has more bass less mid horn, the other has mid more horn and less bass. Depending on what you like to listen to, one might do better than the other. I would get both, and play them both together. They can be a match made in heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzannucci Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Everyone here has hit the right points about the Belles if you already have Cornwalls. Do you like deeper bass? You will need subs. More forward sound? Belles will do it. Mid horn, you are probably used to the exponential and the Belle horns will sound fine. Belles can be beautiful looking, but if not, you will have a lot of rework typically to get them up to snuff. That's where price comes in. It is hard to want to pay close to 2K for a set of Belles on the used market that are not pristine. That is just me though. Take some of your normal music and go listen. Get a good fill of the Cornwalls before you do though so you can remember what they do right. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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