Forte III to Cornwall IV Impressions

[aperfectcircle]

Forte III to Cornwall IV

 

I was lucky to get a trade in offer for full price on what I paid for the Forte III to upgrade to the Cornwall IV.  It was a no brainer deal, so I had to take it up.

 

Those that say the Cornwall is like a Forte on steroids aren’t wrong.  They deliver a bigger presentation more effortlessly.  The word I keep coming back to with the Cornwall is delicacy.  Slightly ironic given the sheer size of these speakers.  They are massive.  But as large as they are, the craftsmanship is impeccable.  

 

The shift to a polymide compression driver in the midrange is immediately noticeable; the scale of the larger mid horn is perfectly complimented by the silky smoothness of that driver.  Vocals and instruments are effortlessly natural, presented on a wide and deep soundstage.  Imaging is tighter, particularly noticeable on good recordings.  

 

Bass is a bit different with the Cornwall.  It’s bigger, cleaner and deeper, but initially feels weaker than the Forte.  That might be due to the rear passive on the Forte creating extra bass reinforcement, or possibly the tuning with the passive or the prior crossover design creating a mid bass bump.  However, the Cornwall feels more balanced overall and the bass feels more natural.  Drums are ethereal.

 

For double the price I paid for the Forte (it’s now priced higher), the upgrade was absolutely worth it.  The music is bigger, more natural and lifelike, and more detailed.  It’s more delicate and warmer, more nuanced.  

 

Gear:

 

Cornwall IV

PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP Integrated

Gold Lion KT88

Gold Lion 12AU7

Cambridge Audio CXN v2

Project 2Xpression

Benz-Micro Ace SL

Project TubeBox SE II

 

 

[Shakeydeal]

I concur. My progression was such

 

Forte III > Klipschorn > Spatial Audio X3 > Cornwall IV

 

The new version of the Cornwall is pretty special. The better the equipment upstream, the better it gets.