GRB Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Hey guys. Need some help / advice. I found a pair of 1978 Cornwalls (cwo) #17S825 & 17S826 that a lady in Chicago had for sale on e-bay. They were her husband's and she knew nothing about them. She did not even have a stereo to connect them to. They have been sitting in a closet for 3 years. After having some discussions with her on the phone she agreed that if I won the auction, she would have a friend come over with his amp and cd player to connect the speakers and make sure they worked. Well, I won them for $700 and was pumped because the pictures of the Corns looked beautiful. She just called me to give me the bad news, after hooking them up to her friend's amp, one of them produces zero sound! She offered to try and take them into a local stereo repair shop (within 2-3 weeks) and see what they thought. What does anyone think? Do I wait to see what the stereo shop thinks? Offer her significantly less money? Or run away. What are probable issues and approximate costs to repair / replace parts? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Anderson Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Sounds like a loose wire...in the connection or the people connecting them. For $700 in great shape with those symptoms..I'd go for it and fix what ever is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I'm with Jon, I can't imagine anything major being wrong with them. For $700 bucks I'd just jump on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good2BHome Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I'd offer her something less, say $600.00. That $100 should fix anything wrong with them, if there is anything wrong. If NO sound came out of ANY driver in the speaker, it's almost a given, that there is a bad connection some where between the amp and the crossover. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRB Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 Thanks guys. I just talked to my brother-in-law. He has a set of '76 Cornwalls and he is of the same opinion. He looked at the pictures and said they looked better than his (and his have been babied). I think I will sleep on it and maybe call her back in a day or so. Been a Klipsch fan since I first heard my B-I-L's Corns in 1976 and thought I had a pair of my own. Maybe I will yet. Any other thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Call tomorrow before she changes her mind or gets another offer (like from the stereo repair shop!). Bring an amp with you, open the back and look for a bad connection. You can test the drivers at very, very low volume. Then offer her $600. She'll probably take $500 at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Just noticed you live near me. Hard to just run over to Chicago! Maybe someone could go for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Ask for a lower price and grab 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 The local stereo shop will not appreciate them or want to buy them from her thus confusing your sale too. (2-3 weeks might turn into months...and what parts will they use too?) I also would take em..take cash with you when you pick em up. I also feel, not over the phone but you might get them for 100- 200 less too if you can say, I did some home work the Tweeters are..the mids are..and the woofer n x over will cost (x ) amount of dollars if I need to replace them all. Lets assume not everything is broken but something is. Would you take 500 knowing I might have to spend 200- 400 or more to get this one speaker working again? Look for the win win...and see. If not, this board is a great resource. I am sure you will be able to find parts too. Cornwalls are incredible, enjoy em!! Nice Crossfire too. I am driving my dads Crossfire car he bought just before he passed away Jan 4th 2004. Select the gears your self, stop on it... Especially through corners. Unlike any car I have driven for under 100K by far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 $700 is a good deal. I wouldn't try to talk her down unless there is something really wrong with them (i.e. not just a loose wire). You can probably find someone on the board from Chicago who'll check 'em out. Do you have a link to the auction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillmbil Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Offer to save her the trouble by taking them at a reduced price. Letting her have them checked could cost you a purchase. I agree with others, no sound means they did not hook them up properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 You have Tom Brennan, Smilin, and a host of other knowledgable Cornwall owners in the general area. The easy way to test speaker components with a receiver is to hook the speaker wire to the individual speaker, bypassing the xover, at LOW volume. The stereo store doesn't care two figs about the speaker, and will charge $$$ half the time. It takes a true rare bird to blow an entire speaker, and even then you will still get noise. Ergo, there is probably a loose main harness wire at the crossover. Shoot, talk to Tom, and if he is around Chicago, he would have the crossover connection fixed as the speakers boxed up better than the seller, and on their way to you. Having an experienced Klipsch owner scoping things will also give you a high level of insurance that all is above board, FWIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRB Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Guys, thanks for all the great advice. This board is amazing. You guys are the best. Based on the fact that this lady lives alone and by her own admission had to have help just moving them into the family room to take pictures, and she drives a Honda, I did not get the impression that she was going to run right out and take them to a repair shop. She actually was very concerned initially that I was going to raise heck with e-bay because the speaker didn't work. After getting her to calm down (she must have apologized five or six times)she told me to let her know if I had any other ideas or if I decided I just wanted to drop the whole thing. With all of the positive comments and offers to help if I get these home and need to repair or replace some components, I think I will make her an offer to buy them "as is". BTW, thanks for the compliment on the Crossfie Indy. How the heck could you tell that it was a Crossfire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I blew it up////(the pic in your profile.) Copy, paste, and enlarge. You can do the same to my pic also. It is my family room with the custom cabinets and everything listed below. I feel Chrysler had a major home run with this Crossfire. Mostly a Mercedes... Corners like a rail. if they turbo charge this one or get a bigger engine...Look out. My father, before he passed away Jan 04 2004 bought a black one. I am driving it this week to "get the carbon out..LOL" Use your own feel for switching gears....there is a LOT more to this car than whats been published. Amazing feel and fast too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I hope you are able to pull it off. 1978 is a good year. Those are the nice alnicos. Let us know what materializes if you wouldn't mind. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 GRB, if you don't buy those Cornwalls let me know, i am 4 hours away from Chicago and you out bid me on them to. i sent you an e-mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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