Cornwall 1 and Type B or B-2 crossover?
- Thread starter lissenup
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I have 1974 verticals with the Crites B-2 crossovers. I think the B-2 is generally considered an improvement over the type B. I will say the biggest improvement I’ve made is replacing the original Alnico k-77 tweeters with a pair of K-77-Ms. The Ms are a little louder giving the overall sound more balance. I was not real happy with the speakers and was considering their quick return to the storage unit. Now they may remain forever.
BTW they are powered by a Harman Kardon A-500.
BTW they are powered by a Harman Kardon A-500.
lissenup
Super Member
Thanks. I went ahead and installed a set of recapped Klipsch B-2 crossovers. Both wife and I noticed the improvement.
I just ordered a pair of Type B's for my '77's. I like the sound as is with my stock crossovers, and I'm not an enthusiast of cap changing, but decided to give them a whirl. I've heard B2's in a friends CW1's, and wasn't crazy about the sound, and after discussing it with a few friends/Klipsch enthusiasts I decided for me the best move was to stick with the original B's. What many find as an improvement tends to be different from the sound I prefer. To each their own.
Got my Crites Type B's today(great service as usual from Michael Crites), and they sound fantastic. The positive change from the old crossovers is exactly what I was hoping for, and unfortunately not what I got when I got Type A crossovers for my '77 La Scala's. Those had Sonicaps, the B's have Dayton's. I lost a lot of the warmth and punch that I so enjoy from my La Scala's with the new crossovers, and after giving them time for whatever break in they, and my ears, might've needed I swapped back to the originals and the sound that I enjoy was back. But with the Type B's, the Cornwall's are retaining their big sound with lots of punch, yet there is a clarity on the top end that was missing to some degree with the old crossovers. Also, separation has improved. These changes are not subtle, and for me represent improvements.
While I was in each speaker I also tightened up the screws on each woofer(almost all of them were loose) and the couple of screws that were a little loose on the other drivers.
FWIW.
While I was in each speaker I also tightened up the screws on each woofer(almost all of them were loose) and the couple of screws that were a little loose on the other drivers.
FWIW.
JSherry58
New Member
Hello all. I have recently gotten back into vintage audio an I'm fairly new to the community. I purchased some Cornwall 1's yesterday and set them up last night... they sound remarkable!. I have a few questions regarding the speakers. First, the serial numbers have completely faded and I can't even get a glimps of any of what used to be there, so trying to determine the yr of manufacture. Second, the cane grills do not come off, there is a a 1/4" piece of quarter-round holding them on (see pic below). Not sure if that is 'normal', or if these were the 'naked' Designer Series ones that someone put a grill on? Third, I'm using an AR-XL tuntable with a Marntz 2245 now. I have a 2325 (got it free from someone selling me some KG4s, but that's another story) being reworked. Is the 45 watts sufficient, or would the 125 Watts from the 2325 be even better? I'm going to sell one of the two and the KG4s.
On the serials: Look at the top center edge on the rear of the speaker, there should be a primitive serial number stamped into the wood. Those ARE decorators, circa 1976, to which I have a set that has a very artful border done in somewhat similar fashion to yours, except mine allow the custom grills to come off. Those grills are at an upholsterer now to be "re-hung" with new cloth.....
The 45 watts are enough, they don't need much to get them going, especially from those early/old units where the "watts" just seem to have a little more "oomph". But if you have both amps on hand, hook 'em both up for a week or two each and let your ears decide.
The 45 watts are enough, they don't need much to get them going, especially from those early/old units where the "watts" just seem to have a little more "oomph". But if you have both amps on hand, hook 'em both up for a week or two each and let your ears decide.
JSherry58
New Member
Thanks Nectar. Do you happen to have a picture of yours? Mine are pretty bad looking, not sure what I want to do with them to better their look. I thought that if solid birch, I could sand them very lightly, just to remove the orangish surface coating, if that looks good, maybe a light oil over the bare wood, just not sure. I may veneer them with walnut, I've done a little of that too. For now I'm going to leave the sound alone for a while, they sound amazing as they are.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
I guess it all depends on your tastes and the condition of your ears. The B crossover introduced a 6 db peak around 6.3 khz with the T-35 EV tweeter Klipsch was using at the time. The B2 got rid of the peak but the new tweeter with the ceramic magnets and the later with the more advanced diaphragm material were not to my liking either. Thats why the series II never sold well for us. I will say I preferred the old model 1 with the 6 db and 12 db crossover slopes. But they could not handle power very well. The best Cornwall I have heard is the new Model IV. First using a MA 252, then a couple of months later with a C-2700 and a Pair of MC 1.25 k putting out 1 watt peaks. It pays to be using amps with 124 db signal to noise with Klipsch Heritage speakers. Wasn't Paul to have said all the world needs is a great 10 watt amp. I say maybe 40 for Cornwalls.
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This has been my experience with the Sonicaps also. The last crossover I recapped with Sonicaps was sterile sounding and along with the ridiculous price increases determined that I would never be using them again. Dayton 1% and the Audyn red label caps are what I use now and they sound good to me and the people I rebuild crossovers for.
