rborder Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Hello, I have some professional Klipsch speakers- 1 pair of CP-1's (Cornwalls), and 2 pair of Heresy HIP. I am assembling a home theater around these beasts. I am wondering if anybody knows the actual differences between these speakers, and their consumer counterparts. Obvious differences are the finish (textured, satin black finish), rounded off corners, fuse protection at the inputs, and handles for lugging them around. I've been told that they also have "heavy duty" drivers, making them capable of handling more power. Does anybody know if this is true? Does anybody know what the actual power handling specs are? Are the crossover's specific to the professional speakers? Right now, I've got the Heresy's torn apart to re-finish the cabinets. They're sanded down, repairs made, and are ready to re-apply texture. Anybody got the inside scoop on how the factory did it? There is evidence of overspray, inside the cabinet, and it really looks like it might just be wall-board texture (thinned dry-wall mud), sprayed with a texture gun. Lastly, how about paint? Just good old oil-based satin black from the local Sherwin Williams shop?? I am guessing that the factory did not use a latex paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am not sure what exactly is different but usually professional to consumer means that the parts are capable of more abuse or more mean time before breakdown. That is why a professional laundry machine is 10000 dollars as opposed to one thousand. They are made to handle day in and day out instead of one a week. Latex paint is only good for walls..... and really just because you can clean them easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 In the case of the pro or industrial LaScala, the K33 woofer is replaced with the K43 which handles more power. I would think the Cornwall would use the same K43 in the pro model since it uses the K33 in the consumer version. I don't know what model woofer the pro Heresy would use, but would assume that it also handles more power than the consumer model. It is my understanding that the other drivers would be the same in pro and consumer models. BTW, welcome to the forum. Hope you have a chance to do some posting on your refurb project and to post some pics if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Pearlman Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Just my .02, I doubt shooting texture on the cabs with a gun will work out; its OK for walls but I don't think it'll hold up too well on the cabinets. In addition, the spackle won't stick as well to the plywood as it would to sheetrock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Just my .02, I doubt shooting texture on the cabs with a gun will work out; its OK for walls but I don't think it'll hold up too well on the cabinets. In addition, the spackle won't stick as well to the plywood as it would to sheetrock. On the subject of texture... SVS (the subwoofer guys) use pick-up bed liner paint. Colour, texture, and durability greatly resemble the finish used for pro speakers. Paintable rocker (sp?) guard paint from the auto parts store is very similar too, and is pretty easy to work with apart from the odor. ROb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Then difference between the pro versions is that they have more power handling and can go louder (as already mentioned), but to achieve this they sacrifice LF extension...so they won't go as low. Consumer speakers generally have a flatter frequency response too. Since you aren't going to even come close to the max SPL of the consumer versions, you would be much better off moving in that direction. Who knows, maybe you'll even find some people willing to make some trades. I know of one guy with a bunch of consumer cornwalls that is looking for a pair of the pro versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rborder Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 I dunno- I bought my Cornwalls (CP1's) new, quite a few years back. I did side-by-side comparisons with a lot of speakers, including consumer Cornwalls. What finally sold me on them was their incredible low frequency response. I certainly wouldn't call it something I compromised on :-) I almost wonder if they deviate from a optimally flat response, if the deviation is such that the low end is slightly boosted. The other point you made, about the flat frequency response was why I asked about the crossover. It sounds like the pro versions should have the same mid/tweeter setup as the consumer speaker. If the crossover is the same, then the frequency response from the mid-range up, should be exactly the same. No? I run them through a Crown PSA-2; @~275wpc. Of course, I don't think I ever use any where near that kind of sustained power; but I'm a believer in having an abundance of headroom. Last night, for the first time, I got them hooked them up to a pair of these amps; bridged @~915W per side. I think the low end could now break up a kidney stone. A trade? I wouldn't trade them for anything. The Heresy's might be a different story. I only played with them for a few days before tearing them apart for the rehab. On one hand the woofer might be less efficient, or have an inferior response curve. On the other hand, the "P" in HIP indicates a ported enclosure, designed to boost the bottom end. So, my guess would be that they might have a stronger lower end, which doesn't extend quite as far down in frequency. Side by side with the Cornwalls, that was kind of the impression I got. If I had to choose a word to describe it, they might be a bit "boom'y". Like the Cornwall's, I found them to be VERY sensitive to the power amplifier used; for instance an old Hafler DH220 I first set them up with almost left me thinking there was something broken with the speakers. Horrible. Hooked up to my main system (one of my Crown's) they really came to life, and were a joy to listen to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rborder Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 Well, let's see if I can post a pic. Here they are all torn down (router, sanded, puttied, etc.). Since this picture was taken, I also decided to router the openings for the drivers too. Last night, I shot the texture on them. Played with truck bed liner, undercoating, textured paint, and texture from a can. I finally decided that wall texture (thinned a bit, finest possible spray) was the closest match I was going to get. I actually think it turned out very well. I am hoping to paint today. Will post another pic or two when they're done. Interesting that the factory primer seems to be white. Faces of the speakers did not have this primer on them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Your pro HIP speakers should be using a different x-over and should out perform the unported vintage Heresy. You are also right about the Heresy being no match to Cornwalls when it comes to frequency response, esp bass. DrWho is correct in saying that the K43 (pro woofer used in LaScalas) does sacrifice bass response to improve power handling in that enclosure, but this may not apply to the CP1. Depending on x-over, woofer, and enclosure tuning... it would not be hard to improve bass response. What's the model number on the woofers and x-overs (HIP and CP1)? Progress is looking good... the rounded edges and bedliner finish should make them look new again. You should check out Tom Adam's rounded over Heresys... ROb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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