doclamb Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 New to the board. Thank you for your responses in advance. I'm looking at Klipsch Cornwall's and Altec Valencia's. Would like your opinion's regarding strengths and weeknesses of each. Also your thoughts on the differences between the Klipsch and Altec sound. Regards, R Lamb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 the valencia used a 416 woofer, 806 driver and 811 horn. that is a nice combo of top quality drivers! I would assume it sounds great (I have not heard the valencia). You are asking on a klipsch b-board so you can assume most will say the cornwall beats the valencia hands down...BUT, I think you should give them both a listen before deciding. I suspect that the raw quality of the altec drivers beats the klipsch in this case but that is only part of the story and the cornwall is revered on this b-board. tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 I'm with Tony, Altec drivers and horns are highly regarded. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Not all Altec speakers much like not all Klipsch speakers are pleasing to everyone. Each has a "certain" sound. The older "Green" Altec drivers are also worshipped to the nth degree too. I was lucky enough to be at a Chicago Horn Event, and heard some voice of the theater speakers with a HUGE I mean HUGE sub bin next to them. Personally they were fantastic in a big room. I have never heard a set quite this good before, or after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Cornwalls have better bass slam and a more detailed high-end due to the 3-way design. The Altecs have a nice smooth, life-like midrange and are more natural sounding. Knowing nothing about the quality of drivers, I assume the Altecs are of top quality. Everybody says so and they weigh a ton! It's a personal preference thing and I happen to prefer the Cornwall by a fairly large margin. I've heard both and owned Santiagos which are the Valencia's half-brother or cousin or uncle or paternal twin (something like that). Actually the Valencias have a ported bass design while the Santiagos have sealed bass bins and foam surrounds. YMM greatly V. Many folks love the Valencia while just as many love the Cornwall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 I am a big fan of both Altec & Klipsch but I think for your peace of mind you should listen to both. They are both great peices but very different in the way they sound. Are you just shopping or do you have an opportunity to listen to these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCM Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Ive owned Cornwall's (the highly regarded Alnico vertical's) and ditched them in favor of La Scala's (with subs). Now I've moved on to Altec 19's and ditched the La Scala's. The improvement with each step was not small. Never heard Valencia's; I know the bass is not as extended, due to the cabinet volume, and the 19 has a better HF driver with tangerine phase plug. That might make the comparison closer, but you owe it to yourself to hear both before deciding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Robert---Both speakers have similar strengths and capabilities: excellent clarity, excellent dynamics and very low distortion. The main differences are in tonality and have already been well explained. To recap I'd call them equal in the bass, the Altec with the better upper bass and midrange and the CW with more pronounced highs. My opinion. So it's a matter of preference, you should listen to both. I could happily live with either though I prefer Altecs. I traded the set of Cornwalls I owned to my best friend for some Altec 605As. We're both happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doclamb Posted April 28, 2005 Author Share Posted April 28, 2005 Thank you members for sharing your thought's and information. I am always amaze by the valuable insight willing to shared within the audio community on forums such as this. I have listen to the Lascala's and thought them to be incredible. They got me thinking "horns" but are to large for my living space, thus the Cornwall / Valencia question. I have heard wonderful things about each. FYI. There is a pair of nice looking Belle's on Craig's list SF Bay Area for $1,600. I'd love to have them but... Regards R. Lamb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 9 Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 The progression of my life ... Electroice Altec B&W (big mistake) Linn Klipsch Altec Klipsch Much to be admired in both. I find the Klipsch sound more punchy. Though, I always had a soft spot for the Model 18, which sounds quite different to the Model 19. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triode Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 I've got a friend of mine with Altec 19's. He was just remarking how great the Klispch Chorus II's sounded. And he was blown away by the Khorns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 ---------------- On 4/28/2005 6:15:58 PM Number 9 wrote: The progression of my life ... Electroice Altec B&W (big mistake) Linn Klipsch Altec Klipsch Much to be admired in both. I find the Klipsch sound more punchy. Though, I always had a soft spot for the Model 18, which sounds quite different to the Model 19. ---------------- Could you please list the models? I am especially interested in which B&W was a big mistake. I have heard the 801's and they are nothing short of spectacular. They also come with a spectacular price tag and need an amp and a pre-amp in the big bucks category with oodles of power. As wonerful as a Scott 299 or Moondog SET is with Heritage, it won't do much for B&W 801's. In my humble opinion, the thing that makes Klipsch shine is its value for the money. Great speakers for reasonable prices. Klipsch is probably the best buy in audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 9 Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 That list spans thrity years. So this is not stuff I cycled through over the past year and have vivid memories of. Going from Altec (Santana's) at the time to B&W (DM7s) was a huge change, not only in sound but listening philosophy. I went through a "British" phase if can call it, where I thought Linn/B&W/Naim was the ultimate because Stereophile said they were great. A lot of people did that in the '80s. I woke up and got off that bandwagon when I hear a pair of Cornwalls (picked them up for $200) and realized that my listening tastes leaned towords the American sound (and much of that audiophile crap was BS). To me, the Cornies sounded alive. I have Forte IIs now. The point I was trying to make I guess, is that while Altec and Klipsch may sound somewhat different, people who like one will also find an appeal in the other. Its classic, bold American sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Number 9, An illuminating response. I thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Both are large. (What great comparison, huh?) The Altec horn can project natural voice extrememly well. HOWEVER, they are not quite the near-field home listening speaker. To get really good sound from mine, I have had to turn it up but I paid a price on good overall tone range. I don't know if an equalizer would have helped. You may do better with Cornwalls, since they were designed as a home speaker. The Altec is a domesticated commercial speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Cornwall ...more "Slam" Valencia's ... lotsa MID . 'n more detail you need to audition both, to get what you may want IMO ..niether are small room friendly .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 9 Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Stan ... I would add, that when I sold my B&Ws and Linns, the people that I sold them to thought I was crazy going to Klipsch. To each his own. They were happy, and I was happy to move on. Klipsch speakers are a bargain IMO. I think bsafirebird1969 has got the sound chrarecteristics spot on. I would add that the Klipsch Heritage line have a consistent "house sound" across the board. Wheras, Altecs at least to me sounded quite different. The 19 sounded big and laid back to my ears compared to the 18, which was considerably more forward and punchy (almost Klipsch like). I heard a pair of 14s not that long ago, and did not like them too much. They were too low to the ground IMO to get good dispersion. The bass did not seem as good as my Fortes or Cornwalls (from memory). One that I also liked in the Altec line was the Stonehenge with the 15" 604 driver (not the smaller ones). Altecs also seem to need a bit more power than Klipsch if you want to get good bass. Those who like the Altec sound, should keep an eye for Westlake spearkers which were used as Monitors in many recording studios. These used Altec drivers in proprietary enclosures and custom horns. Great sound ...if you have the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriven Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Robert, I have a pair of '86 Cornwall IIs that I use as the center front and rear of my HT. My girlfriend, who lives in the other half of the duplex, runs a pair of Valencias as her mains. We both run McIntosh SS power amps. If you are ever in the Chicago area we could set up a sub-optimal comparison test. To be reasonable we would have to move my Corns and hook them up as mains. (A bit of a pain but doable.) Not as good as A/B but it might be worth a try. Given the choice, I would go with the Corns but I have a VERY HEAVY Klipsch bias! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 bsaFirebird1969 not only has the sound down, but also gives the best advice you you could get, audition them yourself. We all have our bias, hearing curves, budgets and thoughts as to what home speakers should be. We can help a lot with advice with regards to fine tuning your room, service records that we may know. But you know what equipment you are using with the potential speakers and will know what sound you like, or find more pleasing. The suggestion of Westlake as one more to consider is also good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Ive briefly heard LaScallas and Cornwall 1s, with B-2 crossovers, in the same room with the same equipment. I would not say the Cornwall footprint is smaller, unless you plan to shove your speakers up against the wall. Doing that drastically reduces the illusion of a 3D sonic image and reduces the depth of your soundstage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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