firo Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 (edited) So after a lot of bugging people and scouring ad's I have found a pair of Black Chorus II's and Oiled Oak Cornwall II's about 10 hours away in different directions. I am going to buy one this weekend. After spending the last couple months researching these and reading every thread and opinion I can find I can say without a doubt that I have no idea which one to buy! Help me!! I listen to lots of music of all kinds from classic rock to indie to rap to edm all equally. Upgrading from KG 5.5's. Please tell me which one and why, I need someone to slap me in the right direction. Heading out to get the Chorus II's. Thanks for your suggestions! Edited July 21, 2018 by firo solved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 I'm a fan of the tractrix horn in my Forte II (sold them for reasons unrelated to audio) and my Quartet. This is in contrast to the exponential mid in the CW II and Forte I. Some people here have listened to both mid hors and find little difference. Maybe in a certain room they are similar. OTOH. The people at Klipsch experimented with the tractrix. It seems to me they put it in a Forte I, maybe as a mule set up, and found very favorable results. They then used the tractrix in the Forte II, Chorus II, and Quartet. These were the baby bear, momma bear, and papa bear of what I call the neo Heritage. All with passive drone radiators in back. Eventually Roy patented an improvement to that tractrix mid and it is used in the Forte III. I conclude that Klipsch likes the tractrix a lot. As far as bass I don't know. The CW (ported) always gets top reviews. My Forte II were terrific and I'd expect the same of the Chorus II with a passive. The other thing is that the Chorus is bit taller (?) and slimmer than the CW. The CW has a vent in the front where the Chorus has the passive in the back. The latter should not be a problem unless you absolutely must have them against a wall with zero clearance. I say six inches is enough and angled in corners is wonderful. So, I say Chorus II. WMcD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus89 Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 I ride with my Chorus II. I hadn't been a fan of the exponential horns in my previous Forte I, but it must have been because at the time as i started into this Klipsch venture i was using a cheap yamaha avr with the Forte I. I recently sold some Heresy II's(needed funds) and they sounded great so i assume a CWII is like a huge Heresy II. My Chorus I also has exponential horns and they sound fine too, but prefer the Chorus II over it easily. You can't go wrong with either. I personally want a pair of CWII myself on top of already having a pair of Chorus II and Chorus I. One plus to the CWII is mods. If you're not afraid to perform some surgery, some people here have cut out a large enough fitting to put in the Chorus II tractrix mid horn. You can even go bigger as there's quite a bit of space to fit in some different horns - Cornscala. One person here went 2 way with a K-510. I currently have titanium mids and tweeters in my Chorus II and Moray James recommended mod of adding 2.5 oz to the passive radiators. The Tis really smoothed out over the past few weeks, but be aware that they're very revealing to bad recordings and source. I'm loving it with good recordings. CWIII uses Ti diaphragms, but they have an even smaller mid horn IIRC and obviously newer, higher placed 15'' driver and network to match. I don't know if there's a CWIII upgrade like there is for the HII to HIII upgrade, but that'd be awesome if there was. The Ti mid and tweeter diaphragms can be used in CWII's all the same. Klipsch makes a bandpass that Crites can build for you or you can build yourself. Just do a google search for Klipsch Titanium mid diaphragm and you can find some different topics with discussions on it including schematics for the bandpass. From personal searches through the years, i think Chorus II are harder to find, at least here in Texas. I feel like Cornwall lovers prefer the original Cornwall I's, but i'll let Cornwall guys chime in and speak for themselves. Everyone loves what they have so hopefully you get opinions from those who have owned both the CHII and CWII, especially at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldred Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Chorus II....... but I am biased I also run a Chorus II / Academy / Forte II / Quartet . George 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEH Synergy Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Not a bad speaker to be biased with 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus89 Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Here's a good review of a Cornwall II vs Chorus II shootout Sorry looks like Cornwall I shootout with Chorus II. If they found more similarities than dissimilarities in a CWI vs CHII, i'd imagine a CWII is even more similar to a CHII. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firo Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 I've read all the related threads a ton of times on here and other forum's. Just looking for new input. Sounds like everyone today is recommending the chorus II! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 If I couldn't have LaScalas, I would get the Chorus II. Bruce 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Marvel said: If I couldn't have LaScalas, I would get the Chorus II. Bruce +1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rah Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 +2 on the Chorus II's 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus89 Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Cornwall old timers fell asleep on their couch around the time you posed this question. Might want to wait till 5am for some Cornwall responses Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Chorus II here, too. I had Cornwall I verticals and Chorus IIs at the same time. After comparing I like the Tractrix improvement and the bass of the Chorus II was better. To my ears the Cornwall's bass started to get 'floppy', not as accurate, with louder listening. And the Chorus II has a smaller footprint. The differences between them were not extreme. If you were to only purchase one pair with no chance of hearing the other, I think you'll be happy with the sound. KG 5.5s sound excellent with rock, IMO. Compared to the KG 5.5, voices and midrange will be more noticeable with either the Cornwall or Chorus II. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHall Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 8 hours ago, Maximus89 said: Cornwall old timers fell asleep on their couch around the time you posed this question. Might want to wait till 5am for some Cornwall responses Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I’d pick cornwall. Oh look it’s 5am 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 I prefer the Chorus II to any Cornwalls that I've heard...good luck with your choice Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KROCK Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 1 hour ago, AHall said: I’d pick cornwall. Oh look it’s 5am +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 When I heard the Cornwalls at Klipsch HQ a few years ago, I thought they sounded a bit boomy in the bass, compared to the Chorus IIs I heard later. Perhaps, the tighter bass is why I compared to LaScala bass. 😉 Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emile Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 18 hours ago, firo said: Black Chorus II's and Oiled Oak Cornwall II's Haha ... IF you are married it will be obvious ... ask your wife "black" or "oak" boxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 23 minutes ago, Marvel said: When I heard the Cornwalls at Klipsch HQ a few years ago, I thought they sounxed a bit boomy in the bass, compared to the Chorus IIs I heard later. Perhaps, the tighter bass is why I compared to LaScala bass. 😉 Bruce Hi Bruce, If you heard Cornwalls in the demo room near the front door, know that that room is bassy, reinforcing the 80 to 100 Hz range of every speaker put in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 I can't remember which room they were in. It was at the second pilgrimage (you attended, if my memory hasn't totally failed). Partly, if I would get something that size with a direct radiator woofer, I would find some Chorus II or Forte III for nicer aesthetics and waf. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 I bought the chorus II tractrix mid horns to put in my cornwalls. I think the floor standing Klipsch sound better with tractrix mid horns. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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