Jump to content

Cornwall III ?? Set up woth Dinakit S-70


ferpromo

Recommended Posts

Hi 

Im new here and pretty new to vintage audio equipment in general.   Have a pair of 1981 Klipsch Cornwall 3 ( that's what the tag says ) CBR , I restored the cabinets and grills, sent the speakers to a local audio technician to go over them. They sound beautiful , my question is , I have a few pieces that I came along over the years , some need to be sent to check and probably repair . Right now I have  a Dinakit S-70 and a Marantz 2270 receiver  both in good working condition .  Is this trio a good set up ?? I only tried the speakers with the Marantz and they sound great , Im hoping to add a good turntable to the set up.. Do I need the S-70 and if so why ?? 

I also have other pieces , if the audiophile espert  here had to choose a set up to use with these speakers what would be the ideal combination , given the piece I have ?? Don't want to waist time /money repairing what I don't have too . 

Here's what I have 

Cornwall speakers ( working ) 

Marantz 2270  (working )

Dinakit S-70 amp  ( working )

Dynaco Stero 120 amp  ( to test ) 

McIntosh Mac 1700 receiver ( to test ) 

McIntosh 2100 amp ( to test )

 

Thanks for the help !!! And sorry for my ignorance but we all need to start somewhere . 

Attached are pics of the Cornwall and my restoration  of the speaker boxes ( I added steel borders to the bottom base ) also did the grills

 

A36BEA0A-05F2-4A32-A75E-E3A825E29EBA.jpg

AD30E9AD-ABD2-4E55-A550-7CC6B1B465E9.jpg

05E2105E-3EC6-49BA-AD13-04A5FBF52D31.jpg

A3B3B0C5-213D-4DBB-8235-2D1BA3F7072B.jpg

BB972DB9-9EA1-4E22-96A4-130B7A01FAD6.jpg

Edited by ferpromo
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi @ferpromo... welcome to the forum.

 

Nice job on the speaker restoration :)  Pretty sure these are Cornwall ONE's (last production year 1985).  Have a set of these and (used to ) run them with a Marantz 2252B ... GREAT setup, so I vote for your (SOLID STATE) Marantz 2270.

 

They Dynaco ST-70 is a TUBE amp with different sound characteristics.  Loved by many ... but I wasn't impressed by it :(  Haha; other people will "chime in."  Also had a Dynaco 120 and "gave it away." 

 

You have some nice McIntosh equipment ... not sure if it is "working."  The 1700 receiver is a hybrid model ; the 2100 is highly regarded. I suggest you have these units checked out as they are worth some money :D 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great job with the restore!!! I’ve got a set from 83 and they sound excellent. I had an ST-70 and that thing had a thick lush midrange, nice highs that weren’t biting, but I couldn’t get the bass to have the punch and attack I liked until I got a 2 channel Parasound amp, once I did though the bass was kicking like Kung Fu Jones! 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The closest thing I found to the originals . found it on Ebay ,   Duracrest " Cane"  fabric , they sell a roll of 36" wide x 72" , good enough for both speaker grills  and still have some left over I'll save just in case for future repairs or patches

They are selling it for $ 76 the roll

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, ferpromo said:

I'll post a few pics later , do you think the ST-70 is a nice match for the Cornwalls ? 

In my experience, push-pull, class A amps powered by EL-34 tubes are some of the best to combine with horn speakers. Tube amps create specific harmonic distortions that work well with horns, and in turn, the horns seem to work better in the rooms they're in. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, ferpromo said:

Need to replace the EL34 tubes on the ST-70

 

That's a great looking ST-70! It looks like the driver tubes are the original 7199's. It they work, keep them. NOS 7199's are going for 40$+ per tube. If they are bad, you might consider buying and installing adapters on the sockets and use 6GH8's. The 6GH8 measure just as good or better than the 7199. Used 7199's are hit or miss.

 

If you're not sure of the condition of the rest of the circuits, they might need to be gone over. Capacitors and carbon composition resistors go bad over time.

 

I recommend new production Mullard or Tung-Sol EL-34's. If you want the best, NOS Mullard Blackburn XF2,3, or 4's, they start at about 400$ a quad.

 

The rectifier tube is the most tricky one. If it needs replacing, try to get a NOS Mullard GZ34/5AR4, they go for over 100$ but they are worth it. New production versions don't last very long. 

 

The guys over at the Dynaco forum can help you with everything you need for this amp.

 

https://dynacotubeaudio.forumotion.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...