organ Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Hey guys, I've been listening to a pair of 1982 Cornwall for the past 2 months and I DIG them. The best speakers I've heard so far. I was running a pair of RF-35 for several years before the Corns. OK, I've done a lot of reading around here and noticed some people talking about updating drivers and networks. Should I replace the tweets, mid horns, and woofers to a more recent one? I took the back off to take a look and the x-over seems very clean. It has some big oil type caps I think. Do you guys think it should be replaced? Where can I source parts from? Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisc Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 hey happy holidays start with the caps, you can go oil, film or poly i used auracaps, theta film/foil type....i think I have a hybrid crossover right now utilizing both. the drivers should be fine unless they were damaged from misuse or a bad amp. the caps are really all you should do after that your modding enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Thanks, Travis, and a happy holiday to you too. I've read about a guy name Bob that build and sell x-overs. Where can I get more info? These Cornwalls continue to blow me away. It's the closest thing I've heard to live music. I can't wait to try a 300B or 2A3 amp on them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsched with Yamahas Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I dearly love my Cornie's (1983), and liked them so much I spent part of my student load (college) to acquire them. Currently getting my B-2 xovers upgraded as we speak. Congrats on your purchase. Contact BEC, Bob Crites if you require the upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisc Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 oh ya what type crossover ya got I would think type B but not sure about the later models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisc Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 ole Bob will set ya right up with some new crossovers using fresh GE caps, though just so ya know there are different options as to cap type and price I have Bobs caps in my heresy and they sound fantastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Thanks K/Y. I think I'm going to order replacements after the holidays. I'll probably re-wire the internals as well. Glad to hear you're enjoying yours too. I just can't get over the way they handle dynamics and the sound is so effortless. What I like most about them is the super large images they project. Travis, If I remembers correctly, I have the B2 x-over. I opened it up on the first day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Travis, I can't wait to try it out. Sweet how he could voice it with different caps. Now I'm just thinking about the type of sound I want. I really like fast transients and lively mids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsched with Yamahas Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I have the B-2 networks that had the HUGE gelcaps, and were replaced w/sonic caps, but I was a little dissappointed about the bass response (too much resistance), so I am sending them back to compare a set of networks (gel vs sonics). The squawker/tweeter resonance response was fantastic w/the new caps though. We'll see when they come back, but I lost significant bass/mid-bass response below approx 300hz. Sometimes these things happen, but maybe I may go back to gelcaps. Bob is going to let me know after he evaluates the (2) networks. Do you have the K51V midhorns also? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 oh man, can't remember which mid-horn I have. It's been 2 months since I opened up the one speaker. It's the metal mid-horn installed from the inside, if that helps. I'm very interested to hear what x-over you decide to go with. I think we have the same stock x-overs. I posted oil caps on my previous post because that's what I thought they were. Please let me know how it goes. What sets the gel caps apart from others, other than size? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 If I offer any advice, get it back to specs... BEC can help.. but do this.... Listen to that for a few months before you go all out upgrade "itus." You seem to like what you have now.. change it too much, and you might not like them anymore... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Thanks for the help IKF. I've been listening to them for 2 months so far. I love the sound, but it could be improved upon, I'll be very happy. I'm going to have to install binding posts as well. It's very difficult working with the screws. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Congratulations on the Cornwalls, I have a similar vintage. You have mentioned several possible mods; new caps, fancy caps, new style of crossover, fancy internal wire etc. I will be a bit of a heretic in my suggestions. You will probably get an improvement if you replace the 25 year old caps. It can be cheap and simple and there are others who can either do this or help with this. It is questionable if you will get any difference if you use fancy caps. It is questionable if you will get any difference if you use fancy wire. If you change the style of crossover (crossover points, order of the filter / number of elements), you will get a difference; however, it may or may not be an imnprovement. However, if you have not done so yet. You will definitely get changes and sometimes improvements if you do the following. Relocate the speakers and the listening chair: experiment, experiment, experiment Bring an extra carpet (or carpet pad) into the room, or remove one. Re-arrange the furniture, especially if it is something with a good deal of stuffing, Spend some time toeing the speakers in or out, or moving them closer (or further away) from a corner or a wall. Again, experiment with all these suggestions. All of my suggestions will make a difference in the sound and it will be sometimes difficult to judge whether the change is an improvemnt or not, so be systematic. But seriously, have reasonable expectations regarding the crossover etc. Good Luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisc Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 nice post Tom[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Thank you for the excellent post, Tom. Yes, for the past month or so, I've been playing around with placement, furniture arrangement, toe-in/out, etc. I've finally got them dialed in. It's amazing what toe in/out can do to the size of the soundstage. They needed less toe in than I thought. What I didn't mention in my previous posts is that I'm extremely satisfied with what I already have and could easily live with it. It's just that when I read some archived stuff, I thought that replacements of the old parts are necessary. The caps is something I can do myself. I'm pretty good at soldering. I'm still in the process of restoring my Dynaco ST-70. Do you think the stock caps are on their way out or should they still be good? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organ Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 btw, here are some pics on the Polk forum when I first received them. Mind the mess. I was still in the process of cleaning up the rig and it looks much neater now. The only change in equipment since I took the pics is the pre amp. That little ASL was just a temproary thing while my Golden Tube was out for repair. Got it back a few months ago. The mono blocks are 22w/ch SET using a single 6C33C-B output tube on each unit. http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45176&highlight=cornwall 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 The stock caps will be somewhat high in ESR (equivalent series resistance) by now. At least every one of the hundreds I have rebuilt that age and older have been that way. In general, expect caps to last about 20 years. That goes for caps on the shelf or being used in crossovers. What the new caps should do is tighten up the actual crossover frequency points and give somewhat more output to both the midrange and tweeter. Expect no audible change in the woofer output with new caps. Bob Crites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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