DrWho Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Hey guys, I've got a pair of colter's cornwalls in my apartment waiting to head down to his place and then I've got my own Chorus II's. Colter has suggested I plug in the cornwalls and give things a listen so I figured I would take this opportunity to share every difference and similarity betwen the two speakers. As far as amplification goes, I've got my Sherwood reciever and a crown XLS (currently doing subwoofer duty). I'll of course conduct the comparisons in 2-channel with no sub. I will be using my computer as the source running the analog outputs out of an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum, which has the capability of outputting up to three different stereo pairs...I'll be using just two of the pairs and there's even a slider to continuously shift between the two (so we're talking instant AB here). I will be sliding the speakers all around in various configurations for the test, but for the most part they will be producing a perfect equilateral triangle with the listening position (I'll even post the dimensions and configurations later on). Source material will be selections from The Beatles, Nightwish, and Three Dog Nite (the best quality CD's that I have in my posession, not to mention I am very familiar with the recordings). I know my front-end isn't the greatest, but the relative attributes of the speakers should remain constant with better electronics. Is there anything else I should specify or tweak in the setup? Anything in particular that all y'alls wanna have a comparison on? Feel free to send source material this way (which would only be borrowed for the sake of the test and then deleted which is entirely legal for those of you worried about copyrights). Heck, if there's anyone in the area then feel free to swing on by and listen for yourself. It might be interesting to see if there are any differences in opinion. Btw, I just wanted to comment quickly on the acoustics in this room (which are actually better than most situations I've been in). I've got only two nulls centered around 25Hz and 60Hz which result in about a 6-9dB drop (measured by ear). And then I have single reflection coming off the cieling which messes with the imaging a bit, but moving the listening position gets rid of it (or at least makes it unnoticeable). The layout is very open so there's not much buildup in the room...I'm yet to get it to overload and the decay rate is very natural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Well, Who .... i was gonna jerk yer chain about room acoustic's ...but i don't have the heart to give You a hard time .... things i look for ... attack and decay ....on brass instruments, woodwinds Sax, trumpet ,Flute, and clarinet, esp ...hard, or soft, long or short, metallic, woody ..... flute ...thWEeeeet trumpet ...WHaaaaa Thwack ( short 'n HOT ) of the snare, and the rattle of the unmuffled whosamajiggers String bass ...resonance of the Top, thud of the attack, Whaannng of the string..maybe even rubbing the fretboard ... Kick ...thud of the beater, decay of the diaphram itself toms ... first the hit, then the ring....bWAAAnng room ambience/decay acoustic guitar ...miked on the sound hole, or close to the bridge, pluck, ring, decay ... oooh ..cymbols, hi-hat ...shhhht, tang, pssst ..is it there ...???? rimshot ...CRaaak.! thassa start ......[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 no CDs, test CDs or tubes?[:^)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Doc. Nice idea. Let me make a prediction. Don't let my comments change your ears. I am going to assume Michael has 1st order networks in the Corns. The CW will be more forward and more "open" sounding. It will also have a more "live" sound. The bass will have more of a "snap" to it vs the Chorus 2. Instruments such as the piano, sax will sound more realistic. At louder volumes, esp with guitar, the Corns will fatigue and be difficult to tolerate. The Chorus will have better integration, less fatigue, and less forward. It also will have a Bass that is more wall "shaking" and will shine on more modern low end songs. Now it is taking some guts to post this especially since I have never heard a Chorus. However, listened to others of the era and very familiar with the Corn sound. Let me know how my prediction flys. Sincerely "out on a limb" jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 CDs will be played through the computer (which is all digital until the soundcard) and I also have another cd player and a walkman I can hook up too. As far as tubes go....yuck [] [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 more "live" sound. The bass will have more of a "snap" to it vs the Chorus 2. Instruments such as the piano, sax will sound more realistic. At louder volumes, esp with guitar, the Corns will fatigue and be difficult to tolerate. better integration, less fatigue, and less forward. It also will have a Bass that is more wall "shaking" and will shine on more modern low end songs Sincerely "out on a limb" jc Very Out On a Limb, JW .......[] Your Half -right ... which means ... Your Half Wrong wanna guess what parts ...??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 ok so far my inital impression is that the cornwalls sound like crap [] They were the first speaker I turned on and I was like ok cool this is sounding really good...and then I flipped over to the chorus and was like holy cow, where did all the distortion go? Ok time for some more listening and to get those cornwalls sounding better! (seems this will prob drag out for a week at least). Initial impressions never tell the whole story and I gotta get the volumes matched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Duke...simmer down, let's wait to hear the results. I value the DOC's opinion. I know you area Chorus fan. That's great. In fact, we need more Chorus owners to chime in more often as I think the Chorus doesn't get the "chatter" it deserves. In fact, the Fortes need more chatter as well. So distortion for CW. This may be what I consider fatigue. Was this more noticeable with the volume up? Is that Sherwood a Tube? Not familiar with the Sherwood stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Better look at my signature line , JW ..... said , ...with a southern drawl like that Sherriff JW Peppper in the James Bond movies.......[] Boy ...Youse inna heap 'o trouble, Boy........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 holy cow, where did all the distortion go? . it's that damn Mid horn / driver half the time i can't take it .... the rest of the time, on 80 dB ...Jazz ... it sounds heavenly .... quite the Paradox, eh ..??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 The Sherwood reciever I'm running is very minimalist and the only problem I have with it is that annoying SS amp hiss. You can't hear it when the music is playing or even during pauses, but it's always there whenever the reciever is on and it drives me insane, lol. I am probably listening around 70dB right now, which tends to be my normal relaxed volume. I have been swapping back and forth between the main LR and the surround LR amps and can't really notice any difference between the two. If I put the cornwalls on for a while and get accusomted to the sound they sound fine, but the second I go over to the Chorus II's it's like the mud on the window is washed off. The Chorus definetly have a lot more HF information...the bass goes deeper but there isn't as much. I think the woofers on the Chorus II's would benefit from a 1 or 2 dB boost and the tweeters in the cornwalls could use another 2 to 3dB. On some other songs the Chorus II's are empty sounding, though it's probably the recordings. For instance, rammstein sounds way better on the cornwalls, But Loreena McKennit and Yello sound better on the Chorus The more I listen to just one speaker though, the more natural it sounds over time. Then when I switch to the other speaker it sounds wierd until it settles in and then switching back sounds wierd again. The more I think about it, the distortion in the cornwalls sounds like sound playing through a tin can...I wanna call it ringing, but it's not that....almost like those mid horns are just too narrow causing that signature horn sound that most people can't stand. The chorus II's are totally free from that, but go figure considering they are so open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 don't forget that huge 6 + dB hump in the cornwall bass @ 80 hz ..... +1 on that Honk .... when i first got my CW's .....i was horrified but, for low volume Jazz ... it does sound "so right" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenc319 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 hi, "Duke...simmer down, let's wait to hear the results. I value the DOC's opinion. I know you area Chorus fan. That's great. In fact, we need more Chorus owners to chime in more often as I think the Chorus doesn't get the "chatter" it deserves. In fact, the Fortes need more chatter as well." I have the Forte's (1982) as well as the Cornwalls (1979). Both are great. The Cornwalls are just a little bit better. good listening, Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 Here's a pic of the bad boys in action. From left to right you have a heresy, marantz 940, Chorus II and Cornwall. Please excuse the crappy quality...this was taken with my webcam (so very limited by the angle due to the cord and the camera just sucks). And yes, I did move the other speakers away when listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivendell61 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Well this is all interesting to me-- I've got Forte's and like them--but when looking for another pair I am wondering if I would really do better going to Chorus II or Cornwall..... Thanks for the comparisons Doc. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 Hey, chalk one up for the cornwalls...System of a Down is practically unlistenable on the Chorus but sounds very very nice on the cornwalls. And it's a toss up with VNV Nation...bummer I don't have any jazz or anything like that for all you oldfarts that like that stuff. I have to say the chorus seem to have a certain grit that the cornwalls don't have...dunno if that's just more detail or they're revealing problems with the amps/soundcard, but the cornwalls are definetly more liquid/smooth sounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Jazz doesn't have to be for old farts .... ck out Robert Walter Stanton Moore Karl Denson Galactic Lotus Will Bernard Das Vibenbass DTB Scott Law Band P.G.F. Addison Groove Project Papa Mali Robert Randolf Green Light Jeff Scotts Public House Not On Mars Caribou Foot Steve Kimock KVHW Sam Kinninger Band and ....go from there ......[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 lol, never heard of any of em...mind sending a track this way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Oh, Who .... for a young guy, ... your dreadfully Behind the times .........[].. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnyholiday Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 could be possible the corns are uncovering distortion up the chain of gear, they will do that, an there was already a hum, if i read that right? never ran across a Klipsch speaker that makes distortion any worse,than the source, have ran across Klipsch speakers that uncover distortion,bad source,FM whine&bad live DJ, in studio mic mix, ie levels, pops,crackles ,that aside crack em up an see which one pressurizes the room, an gets the music off the motor board, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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