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Taking the plunge!


WPM

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Greetings to all,

After reading through some of the forum threads I decided to become a member. I must say, Klipsch owners remind me of Harley-Davidson owners (read on, it's a good thing), in that they are the most loyal, music loving, people I have ever come across. True to their Klipsh loudspeakers just as Harley owners are to their bikes. Something must be said of this kind of loyalty... and I attribute it to sheer passion and devotion. Well, to make a long story short, I have decided to see what all the fuss is about, and will be ordering a pair of Cornwall IIIs (in cherry) this weekend.

Like many of you I am going the way of tubes to drive them, namely a pair of Quicksilver Horn-Monos and a Quicksilver linestage preamp. I already own a Rega Jupiter CD player and some great Audioquest cables, so it's just a mater of waiting for the Cornwall's to be built.

This is going to be new territory for me, as I have been a Magneplanar user for gone 20-years. But I cannot escape the burning desire to try a pair of high-sensitivity loudspeakers (particularly Klipsh) and a good, low-wattrage tube amplifier (or, in my case, monos). I haven't been this excited about an audio purchase since my first pair of Maggies back in the early 80s. Seriously. I feel like a kid in a candy shop.

I am looking forward to my new experience, and will be pleased to share my thoughts with you all, should you care to hear about them.

Regards,

WPM (William)

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Hi Ron,

I am making the purchase sight unseen (sort of). However, on two (very brief) occasions I have heard the Cornwall IIs. Sadly, both times I was wrapped up with some other audio purchase, so I was not able to fully take advantage of their sound.

From what I do remember, they sounded very clean and dynamic, with lots of sparkle and air. They were being driven by an Mission Cyrus One amplifier and Mission PCM 7000 CD player.

William

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Don't worry you will be happy, very little power neded, and a great sound. Where do you live ?

I have not seen the cherry we picked the walnut, have you seen how they are built ? If not look in the Pilgrimage section of the forum, good choice.

Made by hand in Hope AR !

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Welcome aboard. Man you don't fool around. Most of us have had to

scratch and claw our way up to audio nirvosa, and you will be doing it

in one fell swoop (whatever a swoop is)

Make sure you share your impressions with us when things are set up.

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William,

Welcome and congratulations on your (anticipated) purchase.

It is interesting that you are changing from panel speakers to Cornwalls. I also own Martin Logans and enjoy their sound. It is different than the Klipsch Heritage sound. They do not do everything, but certain things they do very well. I will be interested in hearing your opinions regarding the differences. Are you going to hang on to them?

Again, good luck!

-Tom

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William,

Welcome to this forum, and congratulations on your Cornwalls!

I am new to this forum too. In addition to my recently-purchased Klipschorns, I also have a pair of PSB Stratus Golds and a pair of Magnepan MG1.6/QR's sitting in my listening room right now. It's fascinating to listen to the differences.

What Maggies do you have?

I'd be very interested, as would others here, to see pictures and hear your take on the speakers.

George

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Thanks to all who have posted a warm welcome to me thus far. I am humbled. Also, It's a comforting thought to know that in such a mixed up world we live in today, people from all walks of life can still gather together and agree on one thing... good sounds are coming from Hope, Arkansas.

To answer a few of your questions... I'm not sure if I will keep the Maggies, which are, by the way, MG-IIBs (rebuilt by Magnepan back in 1998). I am driving them with a Classe Fifteen amplifier and Five preamplifier. The sound is actually pretty darn good, but what compels me towards the Cornwall III/Quicksilver combination is that I want great sounds at lower volumes and, frankly, you just cannot get that with Maggies, even with my brute of an amp.

I long for clarity and sharp leading-edge transients (dynamics, if you will) without the need to crank up the volume. Sure, when the juice gets flowing into a pair of Maggies they really come alive. Big planar speakers in full-swing are a marvel to listen to, but again, I want that, or at least a good part of that, at a lower listening levels. And this, is what I am told, is the forte of the Heritage speaker line, among other desirable traits.

Someone asked where I live. I live in San Antonio, TX., where, thankfully, there are two Klipsch and one Quicksilver dealers in town. I was also asked about the the cherry Cornwalls and where I saw them. Another member has posted a couple of great pics on this forum, though the member's name has escaped me. I think I came across them by simply typing "cherry Cornwall IIIs" in the search bar.

I will definately post my impressions of the Cornwall IIIs/Quicksilver combination as the system comes together. Also, I will post plenty of pics, too. Again, thanks for the warm welcome. Already I feel like I am at home.

William

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Welcome WPM

The Horn Monos are a great match for horn speakers and I think you will like them. I bought a pair along with a Full Function Preamp after reading Sterephyle magazine's review calling them the quietest amps for listening to horn speakers at low volume (though I don't ever do that). They are a fine match for my LaScala clones built by another forum member. The Quicksilver amps can use a variety of tubes and I look forward to doing some tube rolling with mine in the future. Maybe some winged "C" KT-88s.

If you haven't read the review go to Quicksilveraudio.com and click on the link to the Stereophyle review.

One other positive is Quicksilver's support after the sale. It is probably one of the only companies that you can call and have CEO Mike Sanders answer the phone and field your questions.

Enjoy!

Chuck

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