turb0kat Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Just landed a new pair of Cornwalls. Initial setup they are lacking in the mid-range and bass. A hollow sound with no real impact - really sharp and clean in the upper registers with fantastic sound-staging and voice qualities. Room is 20x30. I'm running the top end Marantz HT receiver (in 2 channel mode) but maybe i need better power. Or maybe an EQ??? I thought these things were easy to power? Any other ideas? I am running an SVS SB16 Ultra sub, so sub-bass is not an issue... thanks, Aaron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 You might check out the back panels to see if they were removed for modifications. My 1965 Cornwall has almost as much bass as the K-horns. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Welcome to the forum! Congrats on the speakers! Yes, something not right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 3 hours ago, turb0kat said: Just landed a new pair of Cornwalls. Initial setup they are lacking in the mid-range and bass. A hollow sound with no real impact - if by new Cornwalls -- you mean New Cornwall IV--you have a problem with the Receiver , and by the way 20 x 30 is a pretty large room, that could fit 2 pairs Cornwalls- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 New new or used and new to you? Check wiring first to make sure they're in phase. If they are brand new, make sure the metal jumpers are secure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turb0kat Posted September 10, 2020 Author Share Posted September 10, 2020 New Cornwall IV. Fairly near divorce with just the 1 pair. I have some in-wall wiring between receiver and speakers which I bypassed and that made some improvements (will solder and/or re-fish better cable). At higher volumes i get good bass and mid-bass. Going to look at a higher quality audio source next. Then i guess it is time to look at getting more/different/better power... or just hack it with an EQ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 16 minutes ago, turb0kat said: New Cornwall IV. Fairly near divorce with just the 1 pair. the Cornwall IV requires at least 40-50 hours to break in ------first impressions are deceiving , but as the hours pass , it steadily improves and balances out -- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Is that them in the pic? They look about the size of a Heresy. If that is your Cornwalls, get them off that shelf and on the floor. Get them closer to a corner with more toe in if you can. As randy pointed out, they will need some hours of break in, that I can personally attest to. You are headed down the right road with better source and amplification. And if you ever feel you need to “eq” a pair of speakers, you have bought the wrong speakers....... Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 4 hours ago, Shakeydeal said: And if you ever feel you need to “eq” a pair of speakers, you have bought the wrong speakers....... Or the system integration and room acoustics need attention and in some situations EQ used wisely is appropriate IMHO. miketn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 14 minutes ago, mikebse2a3 said: Or the system integration and room acoustics need attention and in some situations EQ used wisely is appropriate IMHO. miketn I would much rather address acoustics issues with passive room treatments rather than digital room correction, but that's just me. I'm a "less is more" kinda guy when it comes to the signal chain. Shakey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 As said above, the first order of business is to get them on the floor and near one wall at least (toward a corner is even better). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Ditto... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 My advice: be careful who you listen to--especially on audio forums. There's a lot of "common sense" audiophilia ...that isn't... Here is an article written by the designer of the Cornwall (and company founder) that describes much of what you need to know about room placement and extended low frequency response. The advice hasn't changed since he wrote it...since the physics of the situation haven't changed since 1959 when it was published in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society (JAES): https://community.klipsch.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=47376 The horizontal grid lines are in 10 dB divisions from that linked article--which is a great deal of variation in SPL response (i.e., 10 dB is ≈ double the loudness, subjectively). 7 hours ago, Shakeydeal said: And if you ever feel you need to “eq” a pair of speakers, you have bought the wrong speakers....... I don't recommend this advice. The person that wrote this knows that this is hyperbole. It's just not true. He's also been told this is the case on this forum...many times. 2 hours ago, Shakeydeal said: I would much rather address acoustics issues with passive room treatments rather than digital room correction, but that's just me. I'm a "less is more" kinda guy when it comes to the signal chain. While I do agree with the room treatments statement above (always), I don't recommend "no SPL correction". Getting flat SPL response is the beginning of hi-fi--and not really an option. "Digital room correction" is another matter (i.e., Audyssey, YPAO, ARC, Dirac, etc.) entirely. I don't believe that MikeTN implied that in his recommendation, above. 10 hours ago, turb0kat said: New Cornwall IV...At higher volumes i get good bass and mid-bass. Going to look at a higher quality audio source next. Then i guess it is time... [to] hack it with an EQ... Recommend just moving the CW-IVs toward the fireplace masonry to pick up more boundary gain. Putting them on the floor with their backs against the cabinets will help even more, you'll get another 6 dB of low bass extension if you place them in room corners over just placing them on the floor with their backs against the front wall/cabinets (i.e., ~12 dB of LF gain vs. free standing on the floor). I recommend removing the risers under the Cornwalls if you're going to leave them on the built-in cabinet tops. The reason why other loudspeakers are usually not placed in room corners is because the owners also fail to put in enough near-field absorption to control midrange early reflections. The Klipsch Heritage line of loudspeakers control their midrange directivity to low enough frequencies to make the addition of absorption in room corners not quite as critical. Chris 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebuy Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 I would check and make sure Every Driver is working. I would Not set These to the Small settings since you're running a Sub, I would turn off the sub until you straighten things out. Set these to Large speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 Quote I don't recommend this advice. The person that wrote this knows that this is hyperbole. It's just not true. He's also been told this is the case on this forum...many times. Just because you think it's ok to add extra crap to the signal chain, doesn't mean everyone does. Being smug seems to be your modus operandi......... Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 On 9/9/2020 at 11:56 PM, turb0kat said: New Cornwall IV. Fairly near divorce with just the 1 pair. I have some in-wall wiring between receiver and speakers which I bypassed and that made some improvements (will solder and/or re-fish better cable). At higher volumes i get good bass and mid-bass. Going to look at a higher quality audio source next. Then i guess it is time to look at getting more/different/better power... or just hack it with an EQ... They're not bookshelf speakers. They need to be on the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 Well one thing we can agree on the floor.. On... floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebuy Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 Hang those from the ceiling for a Retro Look. That center ain't cutting it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Whitlow Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 Get them on the floor. Being off the floor destroys the bottom octave and deteriorates the next two.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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