2. speakers
  3. 163399-2029

Tube amp Friendly Speaker That Sounds like Klipsch Cornwall

Hi All, 

I am shopping for a tube friendly speaker after a long time with Magnepan 3.6's and then Thiel CS5i's.

I was able to spend a couple of hours with a broken-in pair of Klipsch Cornwall 4's. These were in a dedicated dealer space with corner bass traps and some treble absorption. They were driven by an all McIntosh setup (7200 Receiver and T500 CD player).

The Cornwalls were dynamic, and I loved the palpable sound of the 15 inch woofer. Loud rock in roll was great with them. However, I was less impressed at lower volume levels and finally decided they were not very detailed and a bit too much in my face, at least in that setup.

When I left that room, I wandered over to where some Magnepan 1.7i's were playing in a casually set up open space. I thought the Maggies were much more resolving than the Cornwalls and a lot more laid back.

Any suggestions on a tube friendly speaker with good sized woofers that is dynamic but with good weight and detail to the sound?

Thanks for listening,

Dsper
dsper

Showing 6 responses by ozzy62

ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
2,844 posts
 
The CW IV is very sensitive to setup and placement, very chameleon like. In my room they sound best when the axis crosses several feet behind my head. Too much or too little toe in can make them sound edgy or mediocre. But get it right and it is glorious. 

You won’t find a conventional speaker that can do what a well designed and setup horn can. Of course they aren’t for everyone, but I say take another listen and ask to reposition them if possible.

Oz
ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
2,844 posts
 
@jjss49 

I sold my spatial audio X3s, which were mighty fine speakers, for a pair of Cornwall IVs. I disagree about how revealing these speakers are. The only two areas I can think of that the X3 pull ahead of the CW are refinement and bass extension, but the Cornwall is very good here as well.

Where the CW IV shines is immediacy, midrange palpability, and involvement. This speaker is far better in those regards than the spatial. I closed the bass gap by adding two sealed 15” subs:

Many people, and not saying this is you, conflate earlier Cornwall versions with the IV. They are very different animals.

Oz

ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
2,844 posts
 
but i am quite surprised to hear you say the x series lacked resolution to your ears

I didn't say the X3 wasn't revealing, it is. What I meant was that I disagree that the CW IV is not revealing, because it is too. I think my one disappointment with the X3 might have been using a 12" driver to cover the midrange. The Cornwall just oozes tone and texture and sounds more real, whereas the Spatial sounded more refined and like hi-fi. It, of course, comes down to a matter of taste because there are tradeoffs with most speakers.

Oz


ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
2,844 posts
 
I don't have experience with the Cornwall IV but I do have some experience with horn design, and imo the midrange horn in the Cornwall IV looks like it would have less coloration than the old-style horn.  
 I have owned KG 3.5s, Cornwall IIs, Cornscalas, Forte IIIs and Klipschorns. You are correct, these are the least colored horns that I have heard.

Oz


ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
2,844 posts
 
The CW IV does have two internal braces between the motor board and the rear panel. This is what I mentioned above and it has clearly cleaned up the midbass resonance the older cornwalls were known for.

Oz


ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
2,844 posts
 
The additional bracing and horn ports of the  CW IV have erased the boxiness of Cornwalls of yore. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by poor build quality of this speaker. Sure the xover could have better quality parts, but that's all I can think of that I would change. And the sound is so good that I don't even give that much thought either.

The exterior fit and finish seems very appropriate for a 6K dollar speaker.

Oz


More to discover