Room size for Cornwalls?

[kelly001]

I listened to some Cornwalls and love them however the room I'm working with is 12'x 12'x 8' with no available corner to place a speaker. Are Cornwalls just going to overpower and not breathe enough in such a small space? Has anyone used them in such a confined space?

[WMcD]

I have Forte II in an office about that size. And, granted, the Forte II are more compact and they are in corners. There is no issue for me of them not having room to sing or whatever jargon is used to describe misgivings about big speakers in a small room.

The CWs are a dang good speaker. It would be a shame if you pass them by on this issue. I expect you will do a little experimentation regarding placement, and find some arrangement very pleasing.

You might have an issue just that the CWs take up too much of the space, mostly a footprint thing. If so, a set of Forte II would be my first recommendation, with Forte (I) as a fall back. Then maybe Chorus I or II.

The next fallback would be some Heresys or Quartets. I love my Qs but had to put them on stands to get the mid and tweeter up to ear level. Therefore short speakers have their own problems.

If you're buying used, then please consider that shipping and honesty of a distant seller can come into play. I infer you've got a line on some local CWs. If so, I'd say, go for it, if the price fits your wallet.

Gil

[Duke Spinner]

gil ..

nail's it ...[]

by the way ...

Forte 2 's ... Rock ..

i'd choose'm .. over Cornie's []

[colterphoto1]

me = 14x14 home office with forte II's in corners toed in perfectly towards desk.

CW's just would not fit for me. But overall I love them both.

Gil nailed it.

M

[kelly001]

I expect you will do a little experimentation regarding placement, and find some arrangement very pleasing.

Well that's part of the problem, there is very little wiggle room as to where I can place the speakers in the room. On top of being a small room, all corners are obstructed, there's a window on two of the walls, 2 closet doors and 2 two doorways. So my options are quite limited with such a big footprint speaker. I listened to some Heresy III speakers (on a different set up) and I didn't find them as warm, lively and fun as the Cornwalls. I think part of it had to do with the difference in tube amps used in both cases. But yeah, the Cornies did rock pretty seriously...

[WMcD]

I'm not really a a player in the amp controversy.

I do doubt that what you heard has anything to do with amplifiers.

The CW has about an extra octave of bass over (under?) the Heresy. The curves tell the story. As the automotive guys say, "There is no replacement, for displacement."

Owners of speakers with small bass units (that is relative - small for what freqs?) are most likely to have to tweek placement to optimize room modes. I'd say that the CWs are more likely to perform better than many others in sub-optimal situations. You might Google around for Wendy (Walter) Carlos's set up of CWs. They are flown from the ceiling. This is not optimal for bass. Yet Carlos, who can probably afford anything, finds it preferable.

The other issue is the mid and the tweeter. Until you get to up to the Belle, LS, and K-Horn, the mids and tweeters in the Heritage series are not very different. (Well someone will gripe on this. I'm generalizing a bit.) One exception is the tractrix mid in the Quartet, FII, and Chorus II. I'm a very big fan of that. So were Klipsch engineers. Here a taller mouth allows for good directional control in the vertical and keeping sound off the ceiling and floor.

The point is, though, that if you go for a smaller speaker because the room is said to be too small, or there is not wiggle room, you're still getting the same mid and tweeter. This is somewhat counter intuitive but true. Buying a smaller speaker in the Heritage series does not alter mid and tweeter issues very much.

I'll labor that point. PWK said that a Heresy was 2/3 of a K-Horn. A bit of an overstatement. His main point was that his small speakers had similar mid and tweeter horn loading; thus have similar merits.

I'll run the argument backwards. If you look at any quality speaker box from manufacturers, generally, the mid and tweeters are similar in big ones and small. Therefore, smaller speakers can't "sing" better in the mid and tweeter freqs. This is because they use the same hardware . . . if they are using high quality hardware.

In my view, the only remaining issues are: 1) Elevation of the mid and tweeter at ear level (very good in the tall CW). Again, you may be forced to put a small speaker on risers to get this.

And 2) toe in. This is to say whether your set up needs or allows the horn speaker front to face you. This is a subject of experimentation and personal experience and the room. I would not say your lack of wiggle room (aiming) will lead to bad results. Some people report good results being a bit off axis. I suspect some of this is not aiming the horns toward the listener quite so much as aiming them away from walls. But, dang, you seem to not have walls close by.

As you might infer, I believe the CWs would be an excellent investment. (As we say, I have no affiliation with the seller, smile.) Forte II's might be better because of the tractrix. But you can't go wrong either way.

Gil

[Klipschfoot]

Corns in that room size will give a wall of sound, that's about all. Studio jazz at low volumes may sound good and intimate, but only at low volumes. But then, GaryMD has Khorns in a room about that size. So who am I to throw judge? I know that Corns in my room of about 15x15 were just overpowering and imaged zilch. I like imaging and staging, so I stuck with my studio monitors (different brand) for the time being. But, if I had a pair at a good bargain, I'd go for it and maybe use them as stands for some studio monitors, as long as you lay the Corns on the long side. []

[HarryO]

Cornwalls in that size room will be great. Placement isn't a huge issue and their efficiency gives them versatility. I'm running a modded homebrew CW in a room a bit smaller and the performance is absolutely top notch. I want for nothing as far as my speakers go. Even the K-600 mid horn will be perfect for a small room. Footprint may be the only issue. They are a large speaker and take up lots of room. It's the reason I built mine in the form of a chorus. I needed the space but loved the sound of my CW's in the smaller room.

I say go for the Cornwalls. You won't be sorry.

Harry

[boom3]

I have 4 Cornwall IIs in a 16 x 25 x12 (vaulted ceiling) room. I would rather have more space, rather than less for Corns or speakers of similar size. BUT-Don't pass them up now, because your housing situation may change and you may get a better room down the road.

Don't worry about corners too much. When I got my front Corns, they went tight into the corners. After a few weeks I pulled them about 18 inches out from the corners and toed them about 30 degrees, not the 45 of corner placement. This resulted in a more natural, less boomy bass, and better image. Remember that Cornwall is a combination of "Corner" and Wall", since Klipsch recognized that not everyone would have good corners.

[kelly001]

Thanks everyone. Very helpful. The seller has offered to let me try them in my room so I guess what is there to lose... (besides my wife)