I own L100's and love them. They replaced a pair of Cornscalas which for my listening area were just too damn big. Can't really say anything about the Cornwall IV or the JBL 4349 but I have owned Heresy II before and the L100's hammer out Classic Rock, Blues and Metal beautifully. |
Well, for low volume listening I think you can't get much better than the Cornwall. It sounds full and rich at low volumes. The Cornwall sounds really great with low powered tube amps but your current amp will also work fine as well. |
Thanks for all the input so far!
I do understand that the Cornwall IVs are more critical when it comes to amplifier matching, given that my current amps are a Mark Levinson 432 and a “spare” Bryson 4B-SST, my setup is likely a much better fit for the JBLs. It does however seem that there are good amps suitable for Cornwall IVs that are relatively inexpensive. The question is though if a Mark Levinson amp, albeit seriously overpowered for high efficiency speakers, is a poor match with Cornwall IVs?
Cornwall IV seems like a good match for me, the fact that there’s not a lot of really deep bass is no concern, it might even make it easier to integrate the speakers in my room. On the other hand, what I enjoyed about L100 classic was the physical impact they had, not sure if the Cornwall IVs will give that (although L100 classic don’t have deep bass either). I’m not really looking for a forgiving speaker, too many forgiving speakers are just plain dull even with the best material. On the other hand, there are revealing speakers that sound really good with a few recordings in a certain genre. It seems though that Cornwall IVs manage the balance nicely judging from your input above.
As there’s no way I can demo Cornwall IVs at the moment I’ve come to the conclusion that I will accept the offer to try the 4349 in my home, if I like them, they stay. If I don’t like them (maybe too much mid bass or whatever), based on reviews and valuable input above, I feel confident enough to buy Cornwall IVs unheard. In this case I can start with the Mark Levinson amp and upgrade later. |
I always thought that the JBL 100 was great for rock but not so great for classical, the reverse of what you write. As for the Cornwalls, according to the reviews I've read and heard, in addition to the views of audio sales people I spoke with, they are less than ideal for classical, better suited for rock and le jazz. |
I owned the cornscala C version a few years ago. While it is a good speaker, it came with it's own set of problems. First, the crites xovers had to go and were replaced by an ALK version with adjustable taps for the mids. I also wrapped the midrange horn with dynamat. Even after all this the undoing of this speaker for me was the cabinet resonance in the mid bass. Not terrible, but undeniable in some material.
The bottom line is that although much more expensive, the CW IV is the better speaker. |
Check out Bob Crites’s “cornscala” speaker (now known simply as Crites speaker). Like the cornwalls they are a 3 way horn loaded speaker. I own a pair and imho are just fantastic. I run them with a vta st-120, and at 60w per channel they’ll blow you out of the room, very efficient. Only cons I can come up with is they don’t come with attractive veneers. Huge soundstage and very dynamic. |
I've not heard the JBL's but they certainly look great!
I own the Cornwall IV's and I'm very happy with them. They are a little light below 50Hz but they are oh, so clean and dynamic! I listen to a wide range of music, too: rock, country, jazz, classical, chill and more. I have never felt horns were the best thing for large-scale classical music, but they really are the cat's meow for pretty much everything else, IMHO.
As for the "revealing" thing...Cornwalls have exceptional clarity, but I would not say they are ruthlessly revealing or that they are particularly forgiving, either. Bad recordings will sound like bad recordings. Great recordings will sound like great ones. They do have a degree of warmth that I think sometimes helps the medicine go down.
|
|
Whichever one you listen to make sure you warm up and play for at least three hours to determine the sound a lot of high or higher efficiency systems take time to warm up to sound their best do not make quick judgements and buy the one you like but the cornwall will be very amplifier dependent.
|
I'm not sure I'd call them forgiving, but they don't shine a light on poor recordings. I can listen to most anything on them.
@mijostyn, are you talking about earlier Cornwalls or the latest?
Oz
|
can't talk about the whole line but I read a review on the L100s cabinet construction was not great |
The Cornwall is such an excellent speaker at what it does. For a rocker on a budget it is first class. You do not have to worry about your amp, just about anything will drive the Cornwalls to crazy levels. Down the line if you cross to subwoofers between 80 and 100 Hz you will really be cooking. I have never listened to the JBLs so I can't comment.
As far as forgiving goes I'm not sure I can give you a meaningful answer. Horns are very detailed if you feed them trash like a bad pressing played with a less than stellar cartridge you are not going to like the sound. If it is just a poor recording then you will be fine. The Cornwalls will not mask anything. It is important that your program sources are up to the job but that is true of any fine loudspeaker. |
@ozzy62 What’s your take on the Cornwall, do you feel they are forgiving of less than stellar recordings? Tone recently published a review where they claim the Cornwall is slightly forgiving, if that’s true I’m definitely going for it. |
I have owned the CW IV for about six months now and I'm extremely happy with it. It takes a bit of work to get the placement right, but when you do, you will be rewarded. Great tone and texture and dynamics are just what you expect from horns.
Oz
|
@8044drussellI It does have controls for both treble and midrange. Lowering the treble makes it more listenable but also makes it dull. I don’t think it’s the level of the treble that’s the problem, it’s the quality. Spoke to the salesman about it and he agreed, he did not like the midrange or the treble. But as he said, people buying them were quite happy. It depends on what you are are looking for, what music you listen to and how sensitive you are.
|
Doesn't the L100 have a tweeter control? I ask because I am interested in comparing them to my modified Heresy II's. |
