mbajner Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 If you live in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Chicago area, you owe it to yourself to make a visit to Simply Stereo in Hoffman Estates. It is here that one can compare Heritage to Reference speakers. I finally made the trip to SS last Thursday 08/23. My initial goal was to finally hear the Cornwall IIIs. Brought along a familiar CD for a reference as one should. The salesman I deal with over at SS is Ken. He showed me which selector buttons to press to listen to the speakers that I wanted to review then left me alone in the room. I started off with the RF-83s, then to the Heresy IIIs, followed by the Cornwall IIIs and last the Klipschorns. The RF-83 sound initially impressed me with its bass and warm sound. The more I listened I noticed that something did not sound to my liking in the midrange and the bass was heavy in the upper bass. Then I switched over to the Cornwall IIIs. The midrange came out. The sound was more to my liking having Heresys since 78 and Forte IIs since 96. The bass was full and the upfront sound was there. Not to dismiss the Heresy IIIs I gave them a listen too. Since the Cornwall III and Heresy III have the same midrange and tweeter the sound was about the same except for the lack of bass which is expected from a Heresy speaker. Last but not least listened to the Klipschorn. The sound of these is different as expected from all the others. It is probably the room set up but the Klipschorn bass was boomy compared to the others. Not clean and tight as I would have wanted at all. From what I heard that day, I would choose the Cornwall IIIs as the best sounding speakers of the bunch. Went back home and listened to my Forte IIs. Have to say they still sound great. So no order will be placed for the Cornwall IIIs at this time. On a side note. Talking to the guys at SS. When they sell the used pair of Klipschorn they might be getting in a pair of La Scala IIs. Now that would be great. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbie Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Glad to hear Simply Stereo is still in business. They had a For Sale sign outside the Hoffman Estates store for some time and as they told me, they were looking to close whichever store sold first. I bought my Chorus II's and RS7's from them. They are very competitive with prices and a nice change from the big box stores. I'll have to stop by and have a listen. Thanks for the info!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbajner Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 The finishes of the speakers are as follows Heresy III Cherry <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Cornwall III Walnut Klipschorn Black The walnut looked very nice, not too dark at all The Cherry finish looked good on the Heresy since it was small Probably would not look to good on the larger Conrwall The Black finish on the Klipschorn is not attractive at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel's wife Posted August 28, 2007 Moderators Share Posted August 28, 2007 I have to preface this post with this statement: I have never heard a Klipsch speaker that I did not like. It's gotta be the horns!!! That being said, we have forte IIs...they do sound great...we also have Cornwall IIIs....after breaking them in for a while....they do sound significantly better than the forte IIs. Initially I did not see a big difference...and I actually preferred the forte IIs....that is until about 100 hours playing time on the Cornwalls. I can say beyond a shadow of doubt the Cornwall IIIs ROCK! They are wonderful sounding speakers. The clarity of the Cornwall IIIs is unbelievable. Again, it took about 100 hours of break in time. We have had the Cornwall IIIs for almost a year....as a matter of fact I am listening to them right now and I can tell you they just keep getting better. Every so often I sit down and really listen....rather than letting them play in the background and every single time I can hear an improvement. The speakers "loosened up", deeper bass, better separation and overall an improvement in voicing. No sub needed for the Cornwall IIIs I know some of the guys on this forum would say that's [bs], everyone has an opinion. I would love to know what other owners of Cornwall IIIs have to say after they have played thier speakers for a few months. I have heard Klipschorns in four or five different settings Three of the auditions did not impress me at all. One sounded decent. Klipschorns are not as forgiving as most of the Heritage line up. So...I do agree with your comments regarding the Klipschorns...based on my personal experiences. It is possible the listening evironments in which I auditioned the Klipschorns had a lot to do with my response to them. In all, the forte II is an excellent speaker, probably one of the best buys for the buck in the used Heritage market. However, do not discount the Cornwall IIIs as an option to purchase new, especially if you have not heard a pair that has a 100 or so hours playing time on them. La Scala IIs are truly awesome...I think you would be surprised.[] Heresies...well I just love them also....dtel has a pair in his workshop....totally awesome speakers for the size and price. All of the Heresies, especially the III are outstanding! Thanks for the report. I am glad to see dealers still stocking Heritage.....just wait till they see the Palladium line-up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesV Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Great bunch of guys at SS. That was were I purchased my RF-83 setup from. Thinking about picking up a pair of Cornwall's in the near future and SS is going to be the place I get them from. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Which version of the khorn did they have? And do you have rough dimensions of the room? The next time you're in there you might try walking around the room to see if that boominess comes and goes - indicating most likely that it is an issue with the room. I too find a lot of things that I like with the Cornwall more than the khorn, but some of the latest khorns sound pretty nice too (I think it's that AK-4 crossover). I would probably go with the Cornwall though because it is a much more flexible speaker (with both source material and listening rooms). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Doc, I believe they are newer AK-4s...my feelings on these sounds mirrors exactly what was reported by mbajner...since I currently have AK-4s and I feel mine sounded FAR better than those on display (with the major difference being mine are "C" cabs and not the "B" cabs on display), I blame the room...fairly large room with KHorns in the corners BUT there are also MANY other speakers in that room as well as various Subs and Amps etc...I had forgotten that the Cornwall III and the Heresy III shared the same mid and tweet...this might explain to me why while I enjoyed the Cornwall III, I didn't think there was enough of a difference to justify the price...not a knock on the Cornwall III but a trumpet for the sound of the Heresy III (and I like heresys anyway)... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbajner Posted August 30, 2007 Author Share Posted August 30, 2007 the room at SS is packed / over crowded with equipment that probably did account for the sound of the Klipschorn also they are placed in the narrow end corners of the room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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