Dave9 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 (edited) This is my first post here and wanted to share my audio journey to, from, and back to Klipsch, fraught with errors and missteps. After graduating from college and working a few years, I decided to upgrade my stereo system in 1981. I auditioned classical and vocal pop/rock music at a local shop, listening to a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers and a pair of another brand to remain nameless here. The shop recommended a NAD amplifier for the Klipsch speakers and a Denon 80-Watt Class A amplifier for the other pair. I had a hard time choosing, because the classical seemed to sound better on the other pair of speaker but vocal pop/rock sounded better on the Klipsch. I purchased the Denon amplifier and the other pair of speakers, took them home, and became immediately disappointed by the flabbiness in the bass. I exchanged the speakers for the pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers, took them home, and was very excited and pleased by the sound. Actually, the 80-Watt class A amplifier paired with Klipsch Heresy speakers was amazing, not to mention being a great room heater! Fast forward more than 20 years - the Denon amplifier died. I replaced it with some vintage tube amplifiers and receivers that sounded good, but the vintage tube amplifiers kept dying, so I transitioned to vintage solid state Sansui. Fast forward a few years - a friend wanted to downsize (based on room ergonomics) from Cornwall speakers to Heresy speakers, so I straight-up traded my 1981 Klipsch Heresy speakers for a pair of 1976 Klipsch Cornwall speakers. At some point, I became unsatisfied with the sound, likely because the Cornwalls revealed the limitations of my amplifiers. But I made the mistake (blunder) of thinking I needed to upgrade my speakers and not my amplifier. I read a lot of reviews, auditioned some speakers at a local shop and purchased a $7K pair of electrostatic speakers. I took them home, hooked them up, listened, and something seemed missing. This was not the sound I heard at the local shop. Remembering that the local shop used tube amplifiers with the electrostatic speakers, I set off the purchase a tube amplifier. I auditioned a few, made up my mind and purchased a Line Magnetic tube amplifier (the owner of the shop also loaned me a pair of good speaker cables). I took them home, set the amplifier up, connected to my electrostatic speakers and they sounded better. Then I replaced my speaker cables with the upgrades, they sounded even better. I returned the loaned cables, purchased some new ones. I put my Klipsch Cornwall speakers in storage Mistake! Fast forward again - wanting to stream music to multiple rooms, I purchased some Sonos One speakers, a Sonos Soundbar, a Sonos Subwoofer and a Sonos Connect for my Line Magnetic amplifier/electrostatic speaker combo. I hooked them up - Sonos makes it so easy - and began listening to them. I really enjoyed the listening experience. Then, the unexpected happened. Were the Sonos speakers outperforming my $7K electrostatic speakers? It sure seemed so to me. I kept going back and forth between the Sonos speakers and my $7K electrostatic speakers. How could the Sonos speakers sound better than my $7K electrostatic speakers? Shock! Then I wondered about my Klipsch Cornwalls. I realized I had never listened to the Cornwall speakers connected to my Line Magnetic tube amplifier ... how would they sound? Looking backward, I questioned my decisions. I read some glowing reviews on Klipsch speakers by Steve Huff and Steve Guttenberg. Had I made some serious errors in judgement? Yes, I had! I pulled the Klipsch Cornwall speakers out of storage and hooked them up to my Line Magnetic tube amplifier. I will never forget what happened next - the music experience was incredible! It took a lot of twists and turns, but I finally understand the magic of the Klipsch Cornwalls! Edited April 14, 2020 by Dave9 clarification, spelling 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Ah, the "Eureka" moment of magic with Klipsch... Dave 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Cool and welcome to the forum! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 For what it is and design parameters the Sonos system will surprise a lot of people. I’ve heard them in the normal home and several thousand square foot building environments and they can really shine. And their ease of connectivity is a big plus — 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Welcome to the Forums! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Great story. So what happened to the electrostatic speakers?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 I hear they keep insects away. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave9 Posted April 15, 2020 Author Share Posted April 15, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, Randyh said: it is very odd that they sound so good as normally capacitors in the XO degrade over time , if they sound that good , they may sound better if you upgrade the capacitors What causes the degradation? Is it use? If so, then these Cornwalls may have been lightly used. The original owner (1976 - 2000s) was not someone who listened to music often. Then, of course, I had them in storage for a number of years. Does this make sense? Or is it something else with the capacitors? I found this from Emerson Network Power: Capacitors have an end of life The aging process in the capacitor can be visualized by considering a water dam with a small leak. Over time, the small water leak grows. The movement of the water through the dam causes deterioration within the dam structure. In spite of the growth in the leak rate, the leak rate is still small and the dam still functions as a dam. As water continues to leak, the structure of the dam is compromised. When sufficient damage occurs, the probability for a near term failure becomes very high and the dam needs to be taken out of service. During the capacitor aging process the electron leakage current and the chemical reactions both cause a decrease in the capacitance value and an increase in the resistance value. Both of these changes (decrease in capacitance and increase in the resistance) are tied to damage taking place inside of the capacitor. Once sufficient damage to the capacitor has been sustained, the probability for the capacitor to fail increases and when this probability becomes high, the capacitor should be taken out of service. Edited April 15, 2020 by Dave9 spelling, added information from Emerson Network Power 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 If they sound good you are good to go for now. Can always refresh caps later after much more listening and feedback, later on. Could be a year or 5... Congrats! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1290 Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 I picked up a pair of 81 La Scalas and decided to go thru them and put together a new system pairing my Linn turntable with them. I'm ALL about analog 2-channel. Period. No home theater or other stuff. I was running an 81 SAE system with a pair of Infinity Ref Standard 2.5's, which always had a problem with their EMIM's. Tough to find now and when ya do they're pricey. I'd lugged LS around for years and they were my first choice for a speaker so why not go back and get what you'd always loved? Yup, done deal now and I'm one happy boy. Ya got the bestest gang on the planet in here! Welcome to the Forum! Buckle up, put your helmet on and crank it up! You'll be fine! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave9 Posted April 15, 2020 Author Share Posted April 15, 2020 Thank you very much for the information.Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave9 Posted April 15, 2020 Author Share Posted April 15, 2020 Great story. So what happened to the electrostatic speakers??The electrostatics are in storage. Contemplating what to do with them. Sell? Set up another system in another room?Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P. Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Thanks for taking the time to write your story. A worthwhile read. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechEngVic Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 On 4/14/2020 at 4:03 PM, Sancho Panza said: I hear they keep insects away. I love how the popping and zapping widens the soundstage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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