mcp Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Even though I don't think the wife would approve of their size, I just went to look at a pair of Cornwall II's. Unbelievable! These speakers are amazing. Bass was deep and quick and the midrange was to die for...the owner played some acoustic jazz and dynamics were incredible. Image size was a revelation to me (all this and he was using a junky Technics HT receiver with an equalizer)... so depressed to come back home to my KG4s... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 I can "afford" just about any speaker you can name. I have 40-year old Cornwalls because they are THE best speakerrs I have ever heard when playing small-group acoustic jazz. Period. Other speakers are far better for other types of music--but since I listen to jazz 98% of time, the Cornwall is for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Don't be too depressed about your KG4's. Those were the first Klipsch speakers I ever owned and I can remember they sounded way better than anything non-Klipsch the dealer had no matter what the cost. Now if you had to come home to Bose...there's reason for depression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heresy2guy Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 If you thought those Cornwall IIs sounded good on a Technics, I bet you'll think you'll have died and gone to Heaven should you hear them on some quality gear. And "quality" doesn't always have to mean big $$$. The difference I noticed on my Heresy IIs between my old 100 wpc Technics receiver I bought from Crutchfield and my current sixty-dollar, 25wpc, Ebay-sourced HK430 was truly astounding! The term "night and day" can't possibly do it justice. And when I scored some La Scalas, and did an extensive A/B comparison to my Heresy IIs using my HK430 as a source, it was yet another revelation. It's true that my wife and I think that the Heresy IIs sound better at providing night-time, low-level, background music, but when you want to drive the music up to concert hall levels, the La Scalas simply step on the Heresy IIs like a person does an ant. There's that big of a difference. The La Scalas open up and sinnnnnnnng like the Heresy IIs could never do. They also dig so deep into the music, dissecting it almost, that you realize you're hearing minute sounds and instruments that you've never really heard, or heard so clearly, before. Therefore, we use the La Scalas for medium to loud listening levels and we use the Heresy IIs for quiet, low, background levels (see my response to the "H/K 730 vs. Crown IC 150 & D150 on Cornwalls and Fishers" thread). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Don't be depressed, just go out and buy some Cornwalls. KG4 not a bad speaker, in fact there's no bad Klipsch (okay maybe the quintet). Do you WANT Cornwall? Do you have SPACE for Cornwall? Can you AFFORD Cornwall. So what's the problem? I just spent $1000 and drove 1300 miles for a pair of 1963 Cornwalls-not a bit sorry, nor depressed. Of course I don't have a wife and probably never will if this hobby keeps up. But I'll always have my music! Michael- just a big teenager! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 He'll get the Cornwalls right after he gets the boys back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triode Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 ---------------- On 2/20/2005 6:45:19 PM heresy2guy wrote: It's true that my wife and I think that the Heresy IIs sound better at providing night-time, low-level, background music, but when you want to drive the music up to concert hall levels, the La Scalas simply step on the Heresy IIs like a person does an ant. There's that big of a difference. The La Scalas open up and sinnnnnnnng like the Heresy IIs could never do. They also dig so deep into the music, dissecting it almost, that you realize you're hearing minute sounds and instruments that you've never really heard, or heard so clearly, before. Therefore, we use the La Scalas for medium to loud listening levels and we use the Heresy IIs for quiet, low, background levels (see my response to the "H/K 730 vs. Crown IC 150 & D150 on Cornwalls and Fishers" thread). ---------------- Get some low powered SET amps and you'll change your mind about Low level listening on the La Scalas. The La Scalas are more efficient. So the amplifier is your problem, not the speakers. You only need a few watts. This will move you up to a level that you will truly not believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcp Posted February 20, 2005 Author Share Posted February 20, 2005 Wow CECAA850, that's harsh. I'm really trying to figure out a way to do this...what do you think about the Cornwalls in the corners of a 17' X 13' room (placed on the 13" wall)? Will the room be too small? Should they be corner placed or wall-placed away from side walls? So many questions about these monsters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 mcp, welcome to the forum. I'm pretty harmless, just trying to inject some humor. Guess I should have put the smiley face on the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Oh, you had a question, too close to the corners will REALLY overemphasize the mid-bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 ---------------- On 2/20/2005 7:03:59 PM mcp wrote: Wow CECAA850, that's harsh. I'm really trying to figure out a way to do this...what do you think about the Cornwalls in the corners of a 17' X 13' room (placed on the 13" wall)? Will the room be too small? Should they be corner placed or wall-placed away from side walls? So many questions about these monsters... ---------------- the room you have is plenty big enough for the cornwalls, i have 2 pair and both pair are in rooms smaller than yours, the further apart the better they sound, corners bring out the bass more, i actually also have a set of heresy's atop 1 set of my cornwalls and they are still sounding good in my small room 12X12, best sound i have ever had from any stereo i ever ouned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heresy2guy Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Triode, Maybe I'm off the mark here, but the difference to me doesn't seem to be in distortion levels, but rather in the overall presenation of the music. The La Scalas definitely have a pronounced midrange. At very low levels, the midrange overpowers the tweeter and woofer, and the resulting sound isn't to our liking. It make severything else seem "weak." Even with increased bass on the pot and the "contour" button depressed (HK's version of a loudness button) the lower-end simply can't keep up with the mids. In addition, the Heresy II seems to our ears to have an extended treble range that's clearly audible (La Scalas drop off at 17khz while Heresy IIs go to 20khz). Is this what I'm hearing or is it that the midrange simple overpowers the treble on the La Scala? The Heresy II, on the other hand, sounds better at very low levels because the music sounds, well, "all-of-a-piece." When you increase the bass on the pot and engage the contour switch at these very low levels the resulting sound is "full," and "complete." The highs, mids, and lows all mesh together well. The big difference is at higher levels (90-100dbs). Here the La Scala comes alive and what you hear from it sounds better, to our ears, then what you get from the Heresy II. The La Scala's project a HUGE wall of sound, but that sound is so clear that it acts like a knife cutting the music apart, dissecting it and allowing you to hear every DISTINCT piece or sound within it. The Heresy IIs tend to "smear" the sound at higher levels; it's harder to differentiate the sounds within the given musical piece. It simply doesn't sound as "defined," and it's bass simple can't keep pace with the La Scala's horn-loaded design. But notice the levels I described as loud. That means the amp's using 1 watt or less. For the low, evening, background levels, the amp can't be putting out more then a few hundredths or even thounsandths of a watt. The HK430 owner's manual from the HK website lists the THD as less then .3% from 250 milliwatts to 25 watts, RMS, 20hz-20hkz. This seems like a fairly accurate disclosure on HK's part. Some companies run 1khz of pink noise into a unit at full power, which could be 50, 100, 150 watts RMS, and then claim .005% THD. How the unit sounds with 1 watt or less RMS is another story altogether. And we all know it's the 1st watt that matters the most with Klipsch speakers. I personally think that the reason for the difference in sound between the Heresy II and La Scala at very low volume is due to the drivers and enclosure. To us, the sealed-enclosure with the front-mounted driver gives better sounding bass compared to the La Scala's horn-loaded cabinet at very low levels. The La Scala's midrange overpowers the tweeter and woofer to the point where the music sounds funny at these very low volumes. The Heresy II drivers on the other hand seem to blend together better, with nothing overworking or overpowering anything else. The resulting difference in sound is very noticeable. Turn the volume up, on the other hand, and the La Scala's weakness at low levels now becomes it's forte (ha! a little joke there) and the extreme clarity (and dominance) of it's gigantic midrange squawker and it's super-tight and clean horn-loaded bass come into their own and provide a listening experience the Heresy II can't offer. I don't think it's the amplification; I just think it's the differences between the two speakers. Like another poster said, to find a speaker that provides both very low and very loud sound compatible to somebody's individual, particular taste is as rare as a flyin' pig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klewless Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 heresey2guy, "The La Scalas open up and sinnnnnnnng like the Heresy IIs could never do. They also dig so deep into the music, dissecting it almost, that you realize you're hearing minute sounds and instruments that you've never really heard, or heard so clearly, before. " The K-horn does to the La Scala what you said about it doing to the Heresy. Just my 2 cents worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Your room IS big enough. If there's any way to put them along the long wall, do it. About 12 feet apart, toed in slightly. Re-arrange furniture if necessary. Otherwise, use the short wall, not quite all the way into the corners, toed in slightly. Experiment with placement until you get the soundstage and imaging you like. You do get more bass if jammed into the corners but you'll find it isn't necessary. One thing the cornwall ISN'T is bass shy. They are wonderful speakers. Matched with a nice tube amp (doesn't have to be expensive), you'll be in audio heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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