whtboy Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 My first exposure to real "hifi" systems was my uncle's Cornwalls connected to a big amp/preamp pair and the first CD player I ever saw in person. That was a long time ago and although I've always listened to music on a budget I never lost an appreciation for the big, live sound the Cornwalls put out - especially the helicopter track in The Wall which made me feel like a chopper was actually landing outside the room! I've had a modest array of disappointing setups including speakers from Bose and Cambridge Soundworks. Nothing I've heard since the Cornwalls even comes close to the dynamic reality the Cornwalls put out. I found a local guy who is selling a pair of KLH-20 speakers for $500. Is this a good deal? Will the 20's give me anything close to what I remember from the Cornwalls I heard when I was a kid? Is there anything I should look out for? The way the guy spoke it sounded like they hadn't been used in a long time. I'm not sure if they were in storage, in an attic, or what. Any input one way or the other is greatly appreciated. Thanks! -whtboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 I remember you from a post about a month ago or so. You described the same experience w/your uncle's Cornwalls and helicopters. You didn't get Corns? I thought you were on your way to some. You can find 'em easily for about $700 used. That's what I would do. What happened? Forget your old handle and password? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 I believe you mean KLF-20s. They're very nice speakers but a little different then cornwalls. They're more of a rock n' roll speaker but I think you'll like them anyway. Check to make sure all of the drivers are working and they're in good shape cosmetically. Also, check the tag on the back for the finish type and serial # which will have a date you can de-code. They were made in the 80s and 90s so you should be able to see a year in the #s somewhere. If you don't like the sound as much as the cornwalls (from what you remember anyway), I'd hold out and find a pair of cornwalls. They sell for about the same price (between $500 and $1k for a nice pair) and usually show up locally if you're patient. I personally prefer the cornwalls over the klf-20s but that's just a matter of taste. Both are wonderful speakers. Good luck and let us know how things turn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.records Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I would make sure I got to hear them before I would spend that much money. It would be a different deal if you saw them in a thrift store somewhere for $20. $500 will buy a nice pair of used speakers, so take your time. If you have heard Corns and really liked them, you might want to patiently wait and get what you really want. That way you will have speakers you enjoy for a lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whtboy Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 I remember you from a post about a month ago or so. You described the same experience w/your uncle's Cornwalls and helicopters. You didn't get Corns? I thought you were on your way to some. You can find 'em easily for about $700 used. That's what I would do. What happened? Forget your old handle and password? Hahaha, that was a while back, yes! I forgot I had registered previously until you mentioned it. I don't remember the details of what happened - I've had hopes of getting some Klipsch speakers for a *long* time. The two biggest barriers to me getting Corns are that I don't have that much space in my living room and a $700 speaker purchase at any point in time would border on seriously questionable impulse buying for me =| Not that that has stopped me from making equally questionable purchases before, which is why I might come home with these babies tomorrow. I've already got the cash in my wallet, a high level budget planned for paying the critical bills and arrangements made to meet with the current owner for a little listening. Hopefully I will be posting again tomorrow with lots of exclamation points and smiley faces =) Thanks for all your input! -whtboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I just checked the specs on those. Not shabby at all. I doubt they'd sound as good as the Corns, but I bet they'd be close enough to remove any fear of buying a pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whtboy Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 I believe you mean KLF-20s. They're very nice speakers but a little different then cornwalls. They're more of a rock n' roll speaker but I think you'll like them anyway. Check to make sure all of the drivers are working and they're in good shape cosmetically. Also, check the tag on the back for the finish type and serial # which will have a date you can de-code. They were made in the 80s and 90s so you should be able to see a year in the #s somewhere. Yes, sorry, KLF-20's. The only Klipschs (sp?) I've heard are the old Cornwalls and some RF-5 and RF-7s at Tweeter when they still carried them. I wasn't impressed much with the RF-5s but the 7s sounded pretty nice in comparison to everything else they had at the time. Can you elaborate on what you mean by the KLF-20s being more rock 'n' roll speakers? Meaning they are more oriented to high volume or that they don't have a good soundstage or have crappy mids or something like that? I always thought of the Cornwalls as being awesome rock 'n' roll speakers because the dynamics were so strong - I never heard anything from them that sounded like they were backing off at the last decibel. I only heard one or two tracks of classical music on them, but they had a lot of the big drums and crashing cymbals that sounded incredibly life-like. I'm going to be putting them in a small room with little hope of finding a good spot for them until I get a bigger house, so I don't have any expectations for getting a decent image at this point. I'm hoping if I get these I'll have them long enough to get to put them in a proper room. The finish is supposed to be the satin black. I will do some searching on the serial number format. The guy said his dad (who only speaks Spanish) bought them at the end of the production run in 2001. Now you've made me curious to find out what the serial number indicates. Thanks for the info! I'll definitely post again tomorrow to report on what happened. -whtboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I always thought of the Cornwalls as being awesome rock 'n' roll speakers because the dynamics were so strong - I never heard anything from them that sounded like they were backing off at the last decibel. I only heard one or two tracks of classical music on them, but they had a lot of the big drums and crashing cymbals that sounded incredibly life-like. Thanks for the info! I'll definitely post again tomorrow to report on what happened. -whtboy That's what I think. Those Corns are good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whtboy Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 Does the choice of amplifier make a big difference with these speakers? Right now I've got a Yamaha Natural Sound RX-V530 http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/yamaha/a-v-receivers/PRD_133620_2718crx.aspx I used to have an Onkyo receiver driving my Cambridge Soundworks Ensembles and that sounded awful inspite of the reviews I read that led me to buy that (budget) setup. After a couple years the receiver blew a fuse and (due to my ignorant and over-adventurous attitude at the time) I decided to replace the fuse with some heavy guage speaker cable since I was so sure there was nothing wrong with my Ensembles. Well, I'm sure everyone can guess the outcome of that move! That led me to buy the Yamaha which I thought would be a great choice b/c it has an impedance selector - 4 or 8 ohms. The Ensembles are rated at 6 ohms so I decided to be safe and set the receiver at 4. After another year or so that receiver started shutting off - first at high and then even at moderate volumes. When it turns back on it says check speaker cables. My cables are fine - checked with a digital multimeter - no shorts. I wanted to check the speakers themselves, but my multimeter does not check impedance - only basic voltage/resistivity/continuity. I did a little plugging and unplugging and found that both of the left-channel speakers (satellite and sub) would cause the receiver to shutdown and report cabling problems when plugged in to either front channel. I called CSW, explained the situation and they gave me an RMA number to send the speakers in for repair or replacement. I was impressed that they were able to pull up my warranty information based on my name and the city I lived in when I made the purchase, but I never sent the speakers in b/c I figured at best they would send me new speakers that sounded like the originals - nothing to write home about. Six months after that the receiver started shutting down with right channel sub connected and now I'm listening to music and movies through a single Ensemble satellite. I'm really hoping the problem is in fact with the speakers and not the receiver itself. It seems unlikely 3 out of 4 of the speakers would develop shorts (unless they were all from a bad batch with poorly built crossovers or something like that) but it also seems unlikely the Onkyo would start burning fuses *and* my Yamaha would report short problems too. What do you guys think? -whtboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I find it funny. Running out of dough to get some speaks that aren't the Cornwalls you remember so well, and now, spending your future for an amp. Welcome to the madness! It's not all that mad, though, unless you let it get out of hand. Amps.... Hmmm.... We covered that topic to death in the "I bought Klipschorns," "Headroom" and "Liquify my Crown" threads in this 2-channel forum. No complete consensus came of it, but I'll say I really LOVE my Crown. It goes great with either my Cornwalls or my KHorns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whtboy Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 Not that I'm considering a new amp purchase or anything, he he he . . . just trying to get an idea if my current electronics setup is going to seriously limit the sound I get. I'll check out those threads, thanks!!! -whtboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Being that they are offered in 2 colors, it depends on whether yours is black or gold. [] Seriously, what you'll see is that the Klipsch speakers like those KF's and Corns will be vastly more efficient than what you are used to. So, just by the speakers alone, you'll notice a huge difference. But the receiver still will not do full justice to the speakers. Since the speakers' efficiency will surprise you, you'll have alot of fun with them, and that will give you time to save for a better amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 That model Yamaha is a Home Theater receiver. This is the two channel forum. Not that your post is unwelcome here, but to be clear, if your goal is top flight 2 channel sound, it is unlikely your desired results will not be achieved with a typical home theater receiver. I owned an RS XV620 for a while. Good for HT, not my cup of tea for music, however. OTOH, some 2 channel fans have had alot of good things to say about the latest generation of "digitally amplified" Panasonic receivers. These receivers are relatively inexpensive, and can produce good results with speakers like the KLF-20. The key is the "digital amp", and the "warm" sound at low output that it is capable of. It might be an option if you've got room for only one system that must do double duty for both HT and 2 Channel. Inserting the KLF-20's into an existiing system that would not use matching Klipsch center and rear channels would produce matching and leveling/balancing issues, since the 20's are so efficient. If you're buying the KLF-20's to build a good 2 channel system around, it would be a good ideal to do a seach on the forum to see what other members have had success with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Why is using a receiver that has extra ports for surround sound but can still do 2 - bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 In short, your basic receiver is to sound quality like a "Big Mac" is to lunch. Cheap, reliable, filling, and plentiful. A good many people who go "further" into the audio hobby do so for more than the loudness, watts and power, and begin to get addicted to the more subtle nuance of musical reproduction. Then, receivers don't sound so good anymore. We'd agree there, md. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whtboy Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 Damnit... this guy isn't returning my calls. I hope he is just at work or something. I was hoping to get this taken care of while my son was still in school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Whtboy, I see you're in Houston, too. Look here, if you want some Corns, I think I know where I can get them for you. Maybe $600 if you're lucky. You'll just need to make the guy an offer if he still has them. Seeing as he had a complete house and garage just absolutely overflowing with hi-fi, my bet is he stil has them. I saw them when I got my KHorns from him. I was close to buying them myself. He mentioned that 1 of the tweets in 1 of the Corns might be out. (FYI, if that's all, that's no big deal). Interested? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whtboy Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 =| =| =| The guy just called me back. They decided to sell them to a family member instead. http://houston.craigslist.org/ele/120341529.html I guess it wasn't meant to be. I suppose I should use the cash to pay off part of my visa card anyway. Seems like I'm never going to get a decent system put together! -whtboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Guess you're not interested in the Corns...... Oh, well. It sure doesn't hurt to get out of CC debt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whtboy Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 Whtboy, I see you're in Houston, too. Look here, if you want some Corns, I think I know where I can get them for you. Maybe $600 if you're lucky. You'll just need to make the guy an offer if he still has them. Seeing as he had a complete house and garage just absolutely overflowing with hi-fi, my bet is he stil has them. I saw them when I got my KHorns from him. I was close to buying them myself. He mentioned that 1 of the tweets in 1 of the Corns might be out. (FYI, if that's all, that's no big deal). Interested? well, i've got $500 in my wallet, but i really don't have the room for them - the KLF-20s would have been a tight fit the way things are arranged right now. my current house is a small 2 bedroom in the heights and it's got a pretty small living room. do you know if he has anything smaller? thanks! -whtboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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