Cornwalls

[sgarrott]

I have a mint! set of Cornwall's I bought new somewhere in the mid-70's (I think) when I was selling audio equipment in Arkansas. The back labels say C-WO serial numbers 7N506 and 507. They are finished in Walnut and I have two sets of grills (gold cloth and black cloth). What I need advice on is this: (1) when approximately were they actually made?(2) how much different is the Cornwall II's from what I have? (3) they sound great with my new HK510 AV receiver, but should I upgrade the drivers or crossover (some posts refer to the ALK (?) crossover and/or cauking the the horns. Any advice. They are in absoluting great condition but should I sell them an go to a newer matched home theatre system or will these serve as the front speakers in an home theatre system? I know this is a lot of advice to request in a single post but I am "clueless in Alabama". Thanks to any who reply.

Steve Garrott

sgarrott@troycable.net

[discusman]

those speakers suck - get rid of them.

JUST KIDDING !!! - I've been looking for a pair so if you do get convinced that somehow you want to sell them please let me know. I'm in Georgia and can't find one close enough where I can drive to pickup. If you decide on the newer line then contact me - I may have an offer you may consider.

** sorry if i did not really answer your question but i'm sure someone with more knowledge here will.

[Mike Lindsey]

Steve,

You have a pair of '75 Walnut Oil Cornwall I's (C-WO) with the type "B" network. The "N" in the 2nd character identifies the year from that timeframe. These are outstanding speakers and will work very well in a Home Theater if that is what you would like to do.

For a center channel, you could use another Cornwall or Heresy from that vintage (same tweeter and midrange horn), or an Academy which matches the Cornwall II better but would still be a close match with your Cornwalls. A KLF-C7 would also sound decent if you can't find the others.

For surrounds, I would try to find another pair of Cornwalls or Cornwall II's, but if that's not in your budget, try finding 2 pairs of Heresy's. You can use one pair for front and rear center channels (6.1) and the other pair for your rear surrounds. This would sound outstanding for 5.1 DD or DTS music DVD's. If you will be watching more movies, you might want to look at getting a pair of Dipole RS-3's or RS-7's.

I hope this helps...

Mike

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My Music Systems

[Colin]

the big old horns make great HT speakers, even without any center or side channels, don't sell them, add a sub-woofer, the ALK crossover smooths out the impedance curve making the horns easier to drive and improving the mid-range, on some models that have certain horns and/or networks, it can reduce the 6 to 9 kHz harsch glare that people complain about ...

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Cornwall 1s & Klispch subs; lights out & tubes glowing!

[Stu Pidass]

Sorry I can't comment on the different sounds of the Cornwall vs Cornwall ll. I can tell you these when driven by the right equipment are one sweet sounding speaker. I think the Harmon Kardon, although I've never heard one, is a fairly warm sounding amp and therefore well suited for your Cornwalls. If that's the case it will in fact sound great and be free of the harsh mids/highs that some people tweek to get rid of. Some replace the caps and wrap the horns with rope caulk to dampen the harshness. Others replace the crossover with the ALK crossover. If your amp/speaker match is correct, you shouldn't have any need to tweek anything. Leave them stock and enjoy!

For home theatre I'm running Cornwalls with Heresy center and surrounds. You can easily find Heresys used and cheap. Try to find Heresys of the same vintage to guarantee a good tonal match.

A good sub can come later. I'd personally recommend the Paradigm PW2200. Excellant dynamics for HT down to 18hz yet very musical. Nothing in it's price range even comes close.