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Got a nice surprise with my Cornies today


svberger

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I usually try to use only one of my McIntosh tube amps with my Klipsch speakers, but today I decided to experiment and connected my '77 Cornwall's  to my McIntosh MC2105. For those that might not know, it's a early Mac solid state, and has a presentation that has given it a reputation of being somewhat tube like. I dislike using that term, as it doesn't sound anything like the 3 Mac tube amps that I own, but I digress. Anyway, whoa! I dare say the Cornies sounded better then I have ever heard them. For some reason, my ears liked them better with this amp hooked up to them then any of the tube amps I have. I kinda knew that the combination would work to some degree, but had no idea how much.  Incredibly rich, alive and dynamic.

 

My La Scala's still sound better with tubes, BTW.

 

That is all.

 

 

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My 76' Cornwalls were on a Schitt Aegir - which I absolutely loved but now that my tube amps are finished - they are back in the picture.

 

Cornwalls sound great no matter what (assuming the amps are very good.)   They only sounded somewhat flat (soundstage wise) using an older Pioneer receiver (which needs a rebuild.)

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I had a similar experience to svberger last week. For 22 years I have 1993 Tannoy Canterbury next to Klipsch speakers. (As with my LaScala, I had restored the xovers last week to their original condition, also with polyester caps, I corrected youthful sins, and achieved the best result for my ears). The Canterbury is comparable to the Cornwalls in that both have large bass reflex cabinets with 15" drivers. Since one week I listen to these Tannoys for the first time ever with a transistor amp, a Quad 306. I should have done that much earlier. The timing, the percussiveness, the speed of the sound, the bass control, all that. I have now read that these drivers were "made" for transistor amps. The older models, Red, Silver Gold Monitors were 16 ohm and made for tube amps. Even though I had heard the Canterbury with my 75 watt MC275 for many years, the 50 transistor watts of the 1985 Quad 306 now are different in terms of cone control. At least that's what my ears say.
At Abbey Road Studios in London, it was always my driver in Lockwood cabinets with quad transistor amps where all this famous albums like Dark Side of the Moon were recorded. The control of the big cone in the big cabinet is much better with the solid state amp. I think it's similar with the Cornwalls. It's not the whole truth if one is only tempted by the efficiency of mid tweeter horn but bass reflex speakers. As has been said here, a bass horn has much better self damping and actually always works very well even with weak tubes.

I haven't forgotten that I'm on the Klipsch forum here but I am concerned with the effect of the solid state amp in a comparable speaker.

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I think one reason why SS sounds better to me on the Corns then I thought is that they are a softer sounding speaker then other various Heritage options. Not that those might not sound ok with SS also, but an amp like the 2105, or my Mc Mc2120(the meter less version of the the 2125) seems to provide just enough edge to offset the warmth of the Cornwall. The updated crossovers also helped there. And FWIW, those Mac amps are Mac's early entries in the solid state game, so they tend to be a little warmer then more modern options.

 

And the other plus is that it frees up the tube amps for my other 7 pairs of speakers😄

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