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blown cornwall speaker???


DaveMayes

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Hi All, Newbie here.

I recently acquired a pair of used cornwall speakers for my new garage and after getting things all set up, I notice the left speaker woofer has no output. I'm assuming I some how damaged it in the initial few weeks I've been listening to them and have just now realized the problem. I'm driving them with an older Pioneer 165 watt receiver (early 70's vintage). I really haven't pushed the system hard, maybe half way at the most.

First question. Is there anything else that could be wrong other than a blown voice coil?

Second question. Is this amp too big for the speaker (If I'm thinking correctly, the cornwall is rated at ~100 watts) and even if I replace the woofer, will I end up with another problem soon?

Third Q, In a previous post from 2003, I read you can order replacement K-33 woofers (assuming the woofer is the culprit), is this still the best option I have?

Thanks in advance

David

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Congrats on your Cornwall purchase. I'm assuming that you have better speakers in the house? I personally love CW's and have them surrounding me, with a spare 4 or 5 in the garage for good measure.

Although it's rare, you might open the cabinet and check the wiring. The crossover to driver connection is screw terminals, so could be loose. If it's an older model, open the back, if CWII, take the woofer out. You might push gently on the woofer with amp off to see if you hear a scraping noise that would indicate blown voice coil.

Spares are easily obtained and are only like $129, a very good value, so no one here bothers to have them reconed, we just buy new. You can get them from Klipsch or Bob Crites (BEC, often found on the Mods column), who is one of our chief repair wizards and crossover guru.

I doubt if your receiver was the culprit, too much power rarely blows Cornwalls. Generally you'll go deaf before you blow them up. Most of the time, you're probably using only a watt or two due to their efficiency.

Good luck and good listening.

Michael

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I seem to be the first responder on such questions.

Let me first say you have some gems there. These are very highly regarded speakers and worthy of your efforts to repair them. I like to groove on good sound in the garage too.

It is tough to say in hindsight what the previous owner may have done to them or what exact misfortune occured. Maybe an amp got wild on very low bass. But you should check for loose connections first. Investigating the innards is worthwhile.

The K-33 is still available from 1-800-KLIPSCH at about $100+. It is regarded as a good driver for the application. I.e. there is no reason to fish around for anything else.

There are some of us here who believe that old vintage amps from the orient are very good. Certainly the simple power output is not a problem when the volume control is used with some responsibility.

Best,

Gil

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Dave,

Check your crossover wiring first. Make sure all connections are snug tight. If it's your woofer, you can either buy a new one from Klipsch for about $140/ea. + some shipping. Or you can have both of them rebuilt Like-New for about the same price as 1 new one.

If you decide to rebuild, I would recommend Paul at http://www.woofer.com/. I've used him before, and his work is perfect.

Your amp is significantly larger than required to drive a pair of cornwalls, but there's nothing wrong with that. Congrat's on your Cornwalls, you will love them once they're up and running right.

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Congrats on your CW's, it is pretty tough to cook a woofer, as Michael said you'd be deaf long before you did it. Your tweeter and Squawker diaphragms should have gone first. Unless you were doing your best "We like the garage, the garage that goes boom" impersonation. I agree check your crossover connections. As Gil indicated the previous owners role in this is indeterminate. I have ordered a K33E from Bob Crites and I think he is about $2 cheaper than any other source, but still Bob or Klipsch for <$140 and they are at your door.

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I don't think 165 "good"' watts will blow these speakers. But an overdriven an (distortion/clipping) might, especially on a cheap amp. The position of the power knop is not an absolute measurement, you need to listen to sources of strain (by either the speakers or amp). If that receiver has tone controls you also need to be very carfully, cranking up the bass can drive the amp to clip/distort at an even lower level. Though I am not clear on which receiver you have, the Cornwalls may deserve some better power.

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I'm using an older Pioneer SX-5590 receiver. The volume control has never been over half way as, yes, it is WAY LOUD :-). Now I have played around with the 4 tone controls a few times and yes, cranked up the base up, but never did I hear anything that sounded like something was straining. I'll pull the cover off the speaker this evening and push the woofer cone and listen for anything abnormal as previously suggested and then take the back off and inspect the cross over. I did recently hoist the speaker up such that it is now suspended from the ceiling, maybe I did jostle something loose.

thanks all for the comments. I'll let you know what I find.

Oh, by the way, my friend that suggested getting a pair of klipsch for the garage tried to talk me into an older scott 340A receiver but the thought of tubes in a varying temperature environment scared me away.

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I shudder to ask , but how do you have that behemouth suspended? The only safe way is to drill holes through the cabinet and insert threaded rod all the way through to large area washers on the bottom. Eye bolts in the top panel is an excuse for cabinet self-destruction.

My gang will get you...

Michael

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I built a metal hanger that is bolted to the side wall and then to a ceiling joist. The speaker sits on it's side in it with a little padding, protecting it and keeps it from vibrating. The cabinet was not drilled, modified, or harmed in anyway, don't worry.

Oh, and big props to all of you with the suggestions regarding a loose connection. I opened the back last night and found a bad solder joint on the woofer. A quick minute with the solder iron and I was back listening to good stereo sound.

Now, while I have your attention, any one care to suggest a CD player I should look for under $300?

thanks again.

David

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I built a metal hanger that is bolted to the side wall and then to a ceiling joist. The speaker sits on it's side in it with a little padding, protecting it and keeps it from vibrating. The cabinet was not drilled, modified, or harmed in anyway, don't worry.

Oh, and big props to all of you with the suggestions regarding a loose connection. I opened the back last night and found a bad solder joint on the woofer. A quick minute with the solder iron and I was back listening to good stereo sound.

Now, while I have your attention, any one care to suggest a CD player I should look for under $300?

thanks again.

David

Good hanging method and good fix [:D]

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