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Cornwall/Forte Mating


spacelord2002

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I currently have a pair of 1983 Cornwalls and am thinking of adding a pair of Forte's to them. I'm not too sure when the Forte's were made, and I'm wondering if this pairing would be okay? I have a set of Heresy's I'm using as my second pair but with the Forte's would I Iose anything from the Cornwalls?

Thanks, Dave

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It's mostly music, I have a good dvd player but music is my first love, I pretty much listen to everything, mostly rock and classical stuff. I'm not too sure when the Forte's were made, I think they're around early ninetys or so. I figured they would be good being in the same Heritage class as the Cornwalls.

Thanks, Dave

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Selling his Cornie's? ...maybe not.....

I have a home theater setup that has progressed from:

Four Forte's and an Academy Center, to...

Four Forte's and a Forte Center (5 Forte's), to.....

Two Forte surround, Corn's L&R, and a Forte center

This is the BEST setup I have had so far in all of these combinations. The Forte's and Cornwalls all have new crossovers in them, and the sound across the front stage is marvelous. The Cornwalls are MUCH more detailed in the mids and tweets than the Fortes ever were, and have really brought new life to the setup. The center Forte is uniquely complemented with Mundorf silver/oil caps, with the sound lush and realistic - perfect for a center channel; everything else has Kimbers.

Is the timbre match PERFECT? I would not claim that - but the difference between the Corn's and Forte's is so minor that it is easily excusable. I far prefer this setup to all Forte's, though most would claim an assemblage of all the same speakers is BEST. I thought so too - until I mixed them to reap the complement of both.

My answer, personally, is YES - have no fear in mixing Forte's and Corns. They are more complementary than you would think. I am glad I tried it.

Chris

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"The Cornwalls are MUCH more detailed in the mids and tweets than the Fortes ever were"

The pre-85 Cornwalls had a much rougher frequency reponse than the Forte. Some might mistake this for 'detail'. The Cornwall II shares the same basic mid and HF drivers as the Forte, and are a better timbre match. A mid 80s Cornwall may have the same midrange driver as the Forte, but the older tweeter.

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Djk:

"The pre-85 Cornwalls had a much rougher frequency reponse than the Forte"

As fitted with stock crossovers? Does this statement apply with any certainty to these speakers now fitted with improved networks? I can believe that the above statement may be true, but what I am hearing now is not in any way "mistaking roughness for detail". Besides, how does roughness equate to detail? That's kind of like saying, "hey, this 800 speed film sure produces more detailed pictures than that 25 speed film".

Chris

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for most 2 channel listening situations, I recommend one pair of speakers only. In other words make a choice. There are numerous reasons against using multiple pairs in the same room for critical 2 channel music.

But I would not sell the other pair, surely there is another room in the home that deserves a great sound system.

Michael

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"As fitted with stock crossovers?"

Especially with the stock type B crossover. I have always advocated a steep crossover point on the tweeter (like the Cornwall II).

" Does this statement apply with any certainty to these speakers now fitted with improved networks?"

If they're steeper, it reduces the magnitude and spacing of the comb-filtering dips and peaks caused by the drivers not being coincident.

" I can believe that the above statement may be true, but what I am hearing now is not in any way "mistaking roughness for detail". Besides, how does roughness equate to detail?"

The narrow peaks seem to bring out more detail (because it's louder). The K77 is rough as a cob, I think it even sounds worse than it measures. Given a choice, I won't listen to one. The K79 both sounds good and measures good. The 18dB Chebychev high-pass works well with it too (Cornwall II).

"That's kind of like saying, "hey, this 800 speed film sure produces more detailed pictures than that 25 speed film". "

I don't do film, and so have no idea as to whether or not your statement has meaning in this context.

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The Fortes/Cornwalls play well together in the sandbox. The Fortes seem to be smoother and hang together well if you really start slamming them with power, while the Cornwalls(with stock crossovers) start showing DJK's corncobs past a certain point.

If you like to slam, you'll end up modding the xovers and maybe changing the K77s on the Corwalls, while not touching the Fortes. From my formative years, spent in dissolate drunken excess, debauchery, and foggy recovery[;)] I still have a very soft spot for the robust Cornwall low end.

And Michael - the DTels will always like the CIIIs over any other speaker set, given their history in acquiring it. I know I would.[:P]

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Along these lines, I too have a set of the 83 Walls w/K51V squawker. Someone suggested a set of heresy's, and another person said use the Cornies's as flankers to compliment a set of Klipschorns.

Advice/suggestions for optimal setup please. NOT SELLING THE CORNWALLS!

Strictly for 2-CHANNEL audio ONLY, NO sound surround or Theatre applications!

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