avman Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 i'm going to look at a pair of cornwalls saturday, and was wondering what year/model(s) have the best sounding crossovers and design? if i get them, i'll move my heresey 2's to surround duty avman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 The earlier the better. Vertical horns over Horizontal horns. Look for all-alnico drivers--I think these are something like '67 on back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted September 30, 2003 Author Share Posted September 30, 2003 thanks allan, but i know these are newer than that. anyone else?? av. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 The next best might be the 1970's with Alnico Tweeters. I have 1977 according to the board. I perceive the more recent II's to be the least popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 ---------------- On 9/30/2003 4:32:51 PM Allan Songer wrote: The earlier the better. Vertical horns over Horizontal horns. Look for all-alnico drivers--I think these are something like '67 on back. ---------------- Sorry, but I concur with Allan here. I've owned Cornwall (I's) and the earlier II's ... the I's with the B-2 crossover and the II's with the B's ... The B's have it! Alnico is a plus, the vertical horns are double plus! Ah hell, we're splitting some hair here ... Cornwalls are just nice, period. Pick em up if the price is good, and if you find a pair of the older II's in the coming year, buy and sell the other pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edster00 Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 FWIW, IMO, I have to agree with Allan and Chris' recommendations (you did ask for the best years). I have also owned both horizontal (1981) and vertical (1963) horn Cornwalls and I have to give the nod to the earlier ones. That being said, I made the mistake of selling my horizontal horn Cornwalls and it took me ~1½ years to find a pair of vertical horn Cornwalls within driving distance. If you are in the market for Cornwalls, I'd get any pre-'85 model (not the later Cornwall II) and be prepared to jump on a pair of vertical horn Cornwalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 In all honesty, it really depends on what day of the week it was & who built them. Just ask Forum member HDR Builder (Andy). He was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 A lot of good advice already - Allan/Chris etc. But if able to pick, I would go with Allan's recommendation first. Unfortunately, this seldom arrives, just as Edster said. One run that seems to come up more is the 70s-to very early 80s stretch with horzontal, metal horns, ALNICO Tweeter, ALNICO Midrange, and the mud magnet woofer. I happen to also be a proponent of the most simple crossover you can find, which is the TYPE B with the OILS. If you want a quick shot of the comparison of the inside, this between Allan's verts with the aftermarket ALK crossover and my 77 stock with Type B: IF you want to figure out the DATE CODES for telling what year your Heritage Klipsch were made, consult and bookmark this page: KLIPSCH DATE CODES S/N FORMATS While there are some mods you can do to better your CW, the BEST THING OF ALL is feed it quality source components and top notch amplification. Personally, I find tubes the way to go with Heritage Klipsch but many feel otherwise. The 98-100dB sensitivity allows you much greater flexibility in chosing your amp. But you are going with the stock HT setup so I am just spinning my wheels here. Man, you sure have the HT covered ...Dont you want to leap into the wonderous world of 2 Channel?(HEll, I still marvel at that wacky DISHNET 6000! heh...) kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 ---------------- On 9/30/2003 7:02:17 PM mobile homeless wrote: ...the BEST THING OF ALL is feed it quality source components and top notch amplification. Personally, I find tubes the way to go with Heritage Klipsch but many feel otherwise. kh ---------------- I'm going to add this because Kelly will be taken to task for being biased. Well, I am biased about what sounds good with these speakers, but the usual caveat applies since this is a PERSONAL bias. Every amp that has come through here has gotten some time with these speakers (except the McIntosh 2105 which was with the Cornwall I's (1985)) and the earlier speakers sounded best (to my ears) with tubes. These included the SuperAmp, Scott LK48 (Jeff Caban's), Eico HF-81, Wright 2A3 3.5, and Jeff's Horus. Hooked up to good tube amplification, they are wonderful. They currently reside in the HT and are coasting in their duties therein. Frankly, putting jems such as these in a home theatre environment is like putting a Ferrari into carpool duty. It isn't until I pull them out and mate them with some really nice amplication that they come alive. The Cornwall will always be right there, neck-and-neck, with the Klipschorn. Two pretty different animals, but special and loveable in their own right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig6519 Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 1990 was the best year for Cornwalls !!! and there for sale too. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 My 1980s are all original and sound wonderful. Ask anyone who's heard them (quite a few here have). If you get a good deal on any cornwalls, buy them! Then we can start arguing about which tube amp you should buy to go with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 I've only heard another pair of Cornwalls besides mine, but they too were '79 models and unmodified, driven by an old Sansui 45 WPC receiver of the same vintage (certainly not the best power). I would tend to agree that any model older than my '79s would be a good choice, but if the price is right and they're in great shape, any Cornwall would be nice to own. If you bought '85 or newer models and didn't care for their sound, rope caulk the horn bells and the woofer basket, and improve the amplification (preferably with vacuum tubes). Any Cornwall would be a worthy addition to your system, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 The amp and source will make more of a difference than the model year of the speaker. And if you do not belive that; the Klipsch team captianed by PW decided to make a speaker with an extra component than the Corn. With a superior result. ooh Chorus Figure out, better bass reproduction with a passive radiator? Maybe not. Perhaps they were just bored and wanted to increase the manufacturing cost for fun. And the mind continues to wander... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I am almost embarrased to say this but, I have 6 Cornwalls presently. One vertical used between two klipschorns upstairs, and left, center, right, and two rear Cornwalls...with Hersy sides...To be used in a future HT this winter. IMO the origional Cornwall II's the older say 1967 vertical corns sound wonderful for HT as well as pre 1985 regular Horizontal Cornwalls I's too. I can't put my finger on it.. Kinda like the Heresy line too, if you buy/ have them built after 1985 Heresy II's or Cornwall II's, they are (on paper) basically the same.. But seems my ears and everyone else who has heard them side by side agrees, the older ones sound MUCH better. Not meaning to stomp on anyone on the BB who ownes later Cornwalls or Heresy's sorry. ( I have owned the Cornwall II's and did not care for them. I feel the same about the Heresy II's as well. Although, that said, at the Klipsch Weekend, I was pretty impressed with the New and improved Heritage lineup!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 At one point I had 2 pairs of corns simultaneously. A 1980 horizontal pair and the '73 verts listed below. I used to have them connected on speakers A and B of the same amp. So I was able to compare pretty exactly. My results are a little different. Both pairs sounded very much alike. Some people may not have noticed any differences. However, to the trained Klipsch ear there was a slight difference. The 1980s corns always outperformed the older models at very low to moderately low volumes in overall sound quality. Now, not by much, but noticeable. When you turned it up some, the differences seemed to minimize, almost go away. It seems the newer pair just had that slightly better sound quality at the lower volumes. Now, I am not saying the old verts were no good. Not that at all. I ended up keeping them, and they are in my livingroom. They sound absolutely excellent. Especially since I drive them now with that little Scott 222 below. So there is another comment for whatever it is worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Hey Avman, did you finally get ahold of the guy with the birch Cornwalls that I posted the link to? Hell for $600 I would not care what year they are, the bottom line is they are going to sound good no matter what. At that price how can you be fussy? If you are not pleased with the sound there are a ton of mods that can be done to improve upon them. Obviously the older Vertical Cornwalls are more desireable but they do not come around that often. In addition the raw birch finish will match that of your Heresy's which makes them very desireable, and you don't have to worry about shipping you can check them out in person. Bottom line is get them! You will not be disappointed no matter what year they are. At the price if you don't like them I am sure another forum member would take them off your hands. It is a win-win situation. Go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 thanks to all who replied!! kelly-thanks for the pix and link...and yes, the dishnetwork model 6000 hd satellite receiver w/optional 8vsb digital tuner module IS a wonder! i am up to 11 high-definition channels, and on my 106" 16:9 screen the picture is like a window on what was filmed craig6519-have you/can you compare the cornwalls to the klf-30's? freezin'-yeah those are the ones,thanks, and i may be thanking you again after saturday...hey! it's nice to have a klipsch dealer as a buddy avman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 It's funny when Klipsch guys say they prefer the old Alnico drivers. Funny because the drivers are so junky anyway who cares, it's not like we're talking quality drivers like Altec, JBL and TAD here. Which makes it doubly funny because most of the JBL and Altec freaks I know who are into perfomence, instead of collecting, are pretty much in the camp that the ferrite drivers are better anyway. You Alnico fetishists here really should familiarize yourselves with the problems inherant with Alnico magnet drivers, indeed some experts figure that ANY Alnico magneted driver that has been driven hard, if only for a split second, should be considered as having a weak magnet and being out of spec. Some of you fellas are into what Paul Fussel calls the Cult of the Archaic; the belief that old things are inherantly better and that by valueing such things one shows superior refinement and taste. This cult is really about thinking you're better than others than about the actual quality of the object in question. Like wood boats, which have quite a following. What wood boats are really about is showing that the owner has the luxury (either in terms of money, spare time or both) to putz around with a wood boat, something people pressed for money or time cannot do. And something that people looking purely for function are not inclined to do, thus showing their lack of "refinement". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Frzninvt If he does not take the birch raw corns let me know... I am sure I might be able to find a good home for them too. About 1 yr ago for $599.00, Buy it now, was a pair of Cornwall I's 1980 on Ebay that were a 9- 10 unfinished.... just beautiful. I slept on it, woke up early to place a bid to find them gone. Bottom line is this, if your looking for Cornwalls in great condition and find them, do not wait too long... they are scarce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I actually found them listed on Audioreview and posted the link on the forum. They are a short distance away from Avman's locale in Louisiana, hence his obvious interest. I am way too far away here in Vermont. I prefer the horn loaded bass of the Khorns and La Scalas anyhow. Cool I have another buddy that is a Klipsch dealer! Now that makes two since I know another guy that is part owner of a shop across the pond (Lake Champlain) from me in Plattsburgh, NY. Good luck, hope that they are in nice shape and you pick them up. With Corns in the front and Heresy's in the back - watch out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.