cornwall

[tremorseqh1]

I have a pair of Cornwalls I bought new in 1981. They are loaded with K-43 woofers. I think they are rated at 300 watts. Does anyone know for sure?

[HDBRbuilder]

1981 Cornwalls SHOULD be loaded with K-33 woofers unless they have been replaced or the speakers were special ordered with the K-43. The K-43 is the Industrial woofer. It is louder, can handle more power, but is not generally as smooth as the K-33. The K-43, based solely on its specs, is also not prone to produce as LOW a frequency efficiently as the K-33. When you opt for the Industrial woofer, generally you are in a trade-off compromise, you gain volume and power handling capability at a cost of smoothness and low-end response. That is not to say that a k-43 will ALWAYS have those properties, though...you can get lucky and end up with the same performance as in the K-33, but it is unlikely unless your K-43's were hand-selected for nearness of performance to the K-33 after being tested. Drivers are tested to meet stated response characteristics for their particular model...NOT to meet the specs for another model, therefore it is highly unlikely that your K-43's will meet the low-end specs of the K-33, or its other desired characteristics. The Cornwall in stock configuration is rated at 105 WPC RMS max input.

[artto]

The Architect's and Engineer's Specifications sheets I have from Klipsch say 100 Watts Average (continuous) Sine-Wave (RMS) Maximum.

The Cornwall shared the same driver components as the Klipschorn and should be able to easily handle several hundred watts of CLEAN peak power.

[tremorseqh1]

I ordered the Cornwalls with the K-43s. I wanted the heavy duty woofers. Do you know what they are rated?

[IndyKlipschFan]

HBR Builder can answer this better for the industrial line for this question. But I also believe the heavy duty ness of the total package...will allow you to play louder. I also think it had a fast blow fuse for the highs...which are more prone to blow up really insanely loud...LOL situation.

My guess is, if your even near 100 watts your ears should be bleeding...LOL.

Also remember, it's the first say 1-15 clean watts your looking for, and probably all power you will EVER need.

I would agree 100 watts or less of Clean power your ok. Klipsch speakers are very, very, efficient.

[HDBRbuilder]

Just because you ordered the K-43 in lieu of the K-33 does not necessarily mean that additional power to your Cornwalls OVER that given for them in stock configuration is a good idea. I have no idea whether your crossover network was modified for the change, or anything else based on info you have supplied. So my recommendation is to stick to stock configuration power ratings unless you know differently. If you choose not to do so, you COULD be causing damage to components other than the woofer. The biggest danger to any loudspeaker is not so much in exceeding its power ratings (moderately, of course)as much as it is to forcing an amplifier into clipping AT those higher power ratings...that is generally where driver damage comes from! Clean watts at higher power levels are much easier on drivers rated for lower levels than "dirty" ones are!

[Colin]

With 250 watts from the gorgeous Pass X250 amplifier (http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/) into my B2 Cornwalls, the needle never moved past the Class A point (75-watts). By that time, it was way too loud for us to tolerate. With my 22 watt SS amplifier, I believe peak SPL was something like 111dB. I have heard 750 Carver watts into the Cornwalls with Telarcs infamous digital cannons (Tchaikovskys War of 1812). I vastly prefer the music that flea-powered tube amplifiers make with big old horns compared to the loudness and noise of SS amplifiers. It may not be a loud as possible, but it certainly sounds better. Even a flea-powered amplifier like my Bottlehead 2A3 Paramours can reproduce the approximately 15dB dynamic range of recorded music on CDs when used with big old horns at moderate volumes (slow C weighted peaks in the mid-90s).

Years ago, the rule of thumb with amplifiers was not to turn the dial much past the half way point, to avoid clipping the amplifier. Most volume controls give out much of their power between 7 and 10 on the dial, by 12:00, you are getting a lot less power. Past 12:00, you are getting a lot more distortion. I would not dial the power much past 12:00 for extended periods regardless of the power rating of the woofer.