I re-did my Cornwalls (1976/77) completely and simply replaced the caps with bob's kit and the gaskits with bob's. I've also installed his cast frame woofers and CT120 tweeters - I did the woofers - since mine are decorators. I highly recommend keeping the old parts and going with Bob's caps and gaskets. I cannot comment on the tweeters since it was a big upgrade putting everything back together after the veneer work. They are awesome - I'm very pleased and have no urge to go with ALKs. I just do not see the value.
Klipsch Cornwall I in search of advice
- Thread starter Will2225
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- advice needed cornwall klipsch
That's actually what I decided today. I just ordered the caps and the gaskets, it's just so much more affordable. I've heard good things about his tweeters but I think I'll wait. I also think it's just a better value going with just the recap but I am curious in the differences with the ALKs. Unfortunately it's just too expensive. The next thing I'm about to purchase is a pioneer rt 701. I've wanted a R2R for awhile and I found one serviced for a good price. Should be a fun thing to add to the collection.
Yeah - trying to do a sound comparison against original recapped networks and ALKs would be very difficult - take much too long to have any memory of the difference in sound - especially if you remove the backs and install (reposition 100lbs) - which is what I would do. I have yet to read about anyone really loving them like I have the CT120 tweeters.
Yeah that's a good point it's not really possible to A and B them practically. I'll have to read up on the ct120 tweeters more. Not crazy expensive if they make a difference but I'm honestly already very happy with the sound quality. Occasionally the bass sounds a bit boomy but that's probably do to the positioning and the limited space I have makes that difficult to fix. Who knows maybe the new caps will help. I was very pleased when I opened up one of the cabinets, everything still looked brand new.
Bugetnirvana
Well-Known Member
The Cornwall 1's used either the Type B or Type B-2 crossover. It is hard to tell but it appears that yours were upgraded to B-2's. That is good! If that is the case, if they were my Cornwalls I would do a recap and call it a day. A lot of R&D went into the B-2 crossover.
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Thanks for the advice! They are the B-2 crossovers. I decided to just recap them a couple days ago. I have the crites kit on the way, should get here soon. Right now I'm very happy with them, I might upgrade to crites tweeters one day but probably not any time soon.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
If you will look at the crossover for your particular model you will see what looks like a transformer with multiple connections. Get a schematic for your crossover and you will see the connections, Try a different one to tone down the mid driver a bit. Or you if you can find a variable 8 ohm T-pad to use as volume control will work to. T-pads keep the impedance constant, L-pads do not. You should also add the more advanced protection network for the tweeter. not shown here.
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gdmoore28
Super Member
My good friend was given a pair of Cornwall Is by a customer whose wife wanted them out of the garage. One of the tweets were blown, so I installed a new diaphragm for him and sat down for a listen. I was very impressed. I'm now a confirmed Cornwall fan.
Then, a few months ago, the same guy found a pair of heavily-abused Heresy Is for $50. Somebody had replaced the original woofers with auto subwoofers. So I installed new Eminence woofers for him (correct replacement), and now I'm a Heresy fan, too. These are currently sitting in my shop awaiting new veneer, but I used them myself for a few months and really grew to like them, warts and all. (And they DO have warts!!!)
Anyway, after delving inside these old Klipsch speakers, I've come to the conclusion that PWK was a really smart cookie. He was able to make relatively inexpensive drivers (I mean, come on - those are not world-class speakers/drivers inside) work fantastic by designing really smart crossovers. The stock crossovers in my beloved early Altec speakers look (and sound) like junk by comparison. PWK for the win in that department.
GeeDeeEmm
Then, a few months ago, the same guy found a pair of heavily-abused Heresy Is for $50. Somebody had replaced the original woofers with auto subwoofers. So I installed new Eminence woofers for him (correct replacement), and now I'm a Heresy fan, too. These are currently sitting in my shop awaiting new veneer, but I used them myself for a few months and really grew to like them, warts and all. (And they DO have warts!!!)
Anyway, after delving inside these old Klipsch speakers, I've come to the conclusion that PWK was a really smart cookie. He was able to make relatively inexpensive drivers (I mean, come on - those are not world-class speakers/drivers inside) work fantastic by designing really smart crossovers. The stock crossovers in my beloved early Altec speakers look (and sound) like junk by comparison. PWK for the win in that department.
GeeDeeEmm
To be honest that sounds a little bit above my level of comprehension and I'm very happy with how they sound. I recapped them not long ago and I also added the crites tweeters. The crites tweeters are definitely cleaner and reach a little further in the high end. It's almost too clean though. I think I just need more time to adjust. Rather off topic but I finally bought some new gaskets for the woofers on my other set of speakers, the JBL l112s and God I wish I had done this ages ago. I bought them without gaskets, and it was such a mistake that I didn't immediately rectify that. I don't know if I would have bought the Cornwalls if I had known how these JBLs were suppose to sound. They're both excellent but the Cornwalls are huge! Haha.
Coytee
Super Member
Regarding some of the comments about ALK crossovers... I can't speak for all of them, but I own some of his ES (Extreme Slope) versions in my LaScalas and had another pair in my (now sold) Khorns.
What I found with the ES crossovers is they required a bit more distance for the sound to gel into "one voice" compared to the more shallow crossovers. I think because it better isolates the drivers, it takes this time (therefore distance) to blend.
When I was with a crowd at the Klipsch factory in Hope, we did some side by side comparisons (highly unscientific, just Mr. Delgado helping to illustrate some differences for a bunch of dummies)
Anyway, after learning there what I learned, I DO feel that if I walked into a room....had a blindfold put on and you played two different speakers, one with a normal crossover, other with an extreme slope crossover, that I could pick them out every time.... like better than 95%
Though it's not a night & day difference, it crystalized to me what some people might say when they say "it was like a veil was lifted from the sound" because that's the only way I can think to also describe the difference.
(edited to correct, if you sit FURTHER AWAY)......or crank them hard, a steeper slope might be for you. If you listen more nearfield and at more moderate levels, then a simpler crossover might be for you.
What I found with the ES crossovers is they required a bit more distance for the sound to gel into "one voice" compared to the more shallow crossovers. I think because it better isolates the drivers, it takes this time (therefore distance) to blend.
When I was with a crowd at the Klipsch factory in Hope, we did some side by side comparisons (highly unscientific, just Mr. Delgado helping to illustrate some differences for a bunch of dummies)
Anyway, after learning there what I learned, I DO feel that if I walked into a room....had a blindfold put on and you played two different speakers, one with a normal crossover, other with an extreme slope crossover, that I could pick them out every time.... like better than 95%
Though it's not a night & day difference, it crystalized to me what some people might say when they say "it was like a veil was lifted from the sound" because that's the only way I can think to also describe the difference.
(edited to correct, if you sit FURTHER AWAY)......or crank them hard, a steeper slope might be for you. If you listen more nearfield and at more moderate levels, then a simpler crossover might be for you.
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markd51
Nyuk Nyuk
Very nice! Do you also have the Front Grills?
My one friend has owned Cornwall 1's since new. I've heard them a number of times over the years. They can surely rock the room, even large with a lot of sound without a lot of wattage.
Still, and like any speakers, the better they are "fed", the better the sound.
Betting these speakers would really sound sweet with something like a Mac 275, BAT, or a small 100W Class A Amp like Pass, etc.
My one friend has owned Cornwall 1's since new. I've heard them a number of times over the years. They can surely rock the room, even large with a lot of sound without a lot of wattage.
Still, and like any speakers, the better they are "fed", the better the sound.
Betting these speakers would really sound sweet with something like a Mac 275, BAT, or a small 100W Class A Amp like Pass, etc.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
I use steeper crossover rates with my bi-amped speakers to extend the reach of the midrange into the upper bass regions normally produced by the woofers. It also allows the woofers to be more linear. Clears up some of the warm fuzzies in other words. Changing from 400 as first order network to a second order 250 hz makes quite a difference. And protects the mids better below 125 hz. My speakers don't use horns so the difference between the mid horn sound and the woofer sound of A Cornwall on my speakers is not so radically different as on a Cornwall. .
Yes I have the front grills too, overall the speakers are really mint. I really love the dynamic sound. I'm powering them with a Marantz 2270 and sometimes my Fisher 500c, I kind of swap back and forth between the two. Always up for suggestions on better or different amplification.
That's very interesting. I generally do listen at more of a moderate volume level so I think I'll stick to the stock b2 crossovers for now. I did just recap them too. I definitely might try ALKs one day if I have a bit of extra cash for their budget model. I'm still not a hundred percent sure if I love the crites tweeters. I think I just need time to adjust to them.
wyceeric
Listener sponsored, volunteer powered radio.
Hey Will2225, I'm curious about the mouth of the mid horn in your Cornwalls. Mine are late run series I, as in right before the switch to series II and have a different one from what yours look like. Yours appears to be taller and less wide, mine are less tall and wider, maybe 2 1/2" x 12" (tweeter and mid are the same as my series I Heresy). Could be camera angle/perspective, but they really do look like a different shape. Anyone else care to chime in as well?
Internal wiring looks different too. Mine is clad in white. Also, I know an EE (who designs circuit boards for a living and has built his own components from scratch) who is a fellow audio nerd, and he has a pair of ALK universal/basic crossovers in his K-horns and absolutely loves them. He understands the math and the design, whereas I just have to go on sound. They do sound pretty damned good.
Thanks in advance
Internal wiring looks different too. Mine is clad in white. Also, I know an EE (who designs circuit boards for a living and has built his own components from scratch) who is a fellow audio nerd, and he has a pair of ALK universal/basic crossovers in his K-horns and absolutely loves them. He understands the math and the design, whereas I just have to go on sound. They do sound pretty damned good.
Thanks in advance
markd51
Nyuk Nyuk
Although I never owned a Marantz 2270, probably the most iconic and most popular receiver of the lot, I have owned a total of 9 Marantz Receivers. Some were two 2330B, 4400 quad, 2265, 2238B, and the top one I liked best with not only looks, but sonics as well, was a Euro Black Face 2285B. Should've never sold that last one, it was mint, and I had the matching mint 5025 Black Face Cassette Deck (Both those units are pictured over at the vintage Marantz site)
Marantz Receivers always seemed a bit "warmish" to me in their presentation, lacking some detail, and often, like with the two 2330B units seemed the more I fiddled with the Tone Controls, the worse the sound became.
My buddy paired his Cornwalls often with simply a re-capped Sansui Seven Receiver that he's owned all these years bought new back in the 70's, and it sounded surprisingly good.
One thing for sure with the Cornwalls, one doesn't need a McIntosh MC-452 Amp or such monsters to power them, and although one can hook up anything they choose, I think an Amp with 125wpc max is fine for them.
So many killer combinations out there that aren't too expensive.
I always personally liked McIntosh Pre-Amps, in that they afforded good tone controls, and often many had a loudness compensation dial as well. Purists might frown upon them but when set to flat, the tone controls are out of the circuitry and have no influence. How many have to "roll" Pre-Amps like dice to find the one that personally suits their needs. Without going crazy with EQ's, and other such devices, the Tone Controls usually are able to fine tune the sonics favorably for personal tastes, and different rooms-speakers.
Good amplification and pre-amplification though is never a waste of money IMO. The better the quality insures a front end in front of the speakers that's up to the task to handle many other speakers down the road.
Kodaline
Super Member
I have a pair of Cornwall IIIs I bought new and a refurbished Marantz 2385. Too Much Power. But, it sounds awesome. My room has a cloth couch, a leather recliner, and everything else is wood, brick, drywall, and glass. The speakers sit some 10 feet apart, angled in at about 20 degrees. I listened to a pair of 'Horns in a showroom with a lot of carpet. The Cornwalls have direction, everywhere sounds good, but one place sounds the best. The 'Horns filled the room to the point that you could not tell where the sound was coming from. I'm happy with mine, especially that I got them at the end of the run, before the price on the Cornwall IVs tripled the price on the IIIs.