Cornwall iv

Really, the CW4’s are great with many amps, and types of amps.  I’ve even had good luck with a Fosi V3 recently.  Quite good, in fact.

Hilde45,

I really can’t say anything about the power amps. When I demoed the Cornwall IV it was using a MAC7200 oddly the same setup at two different shops. I don’t remember what the forte was using as I was really shopping the Cornwall/La Scala.

when I demoed the La Scala (current model) I heard it on the MAC7200 and MC275 in the same room as the Cornwall IV. The tube sound was very noticeable in back to back A/B but the MC275 is a pretty high power tube amp with way more than enough power, which still had good dynamics. I stay away from tubes because I hate buying them and worrying about their life, I like the sound though.

it was just demos, so only a few hours, longterm users can give you more insight for sure. I did listen to the systems a number of times as it is my local shop I normally buy from. We moved the Cornwalls all around the room, close to the wall, well into the room, in the corners, etc, I like the typical audiophile isosceles triangle setup the best, toed towards the shoulders. 

@jasonbourne71 

Cornwalls of yesterday are not Cornwalls of today. Vastly different. And I've owned both.

@james633 Thanks. It doesn't seem complimentary of a speaker that one would have to use especially low power amps (SS or tube) to make it sound refined. I was just wondering.

To be fair the OP is looking at used Cornwalls IV which is what $4k ish?  In that price range I would personally buy the Cornwall and be happy. I think it is far less of a risk than Tekton which would be much harder to resell. My general thought is that used Cornwalls are a cheap way to get big speaker dynamics without spending big speaker money. 
 

say the other side of the coin, something like the Revel 228be (used pairs for $5500-$6500 right now). I have owned this speaker and it is super refined, commit no sin type of refinement. Without subs they are pretty light in their bass tuning and are a touch boring (great with subs) but “perfect” sounding. Oddly I sold my 228be to someone local that owned a pair of Tektons (pendragon I think) and after a few weeks he more or less said the Revel eclipsed the Tekton in every way including bass impact and detail. I think he was a bit taken back with how good the Revel really was. Having it in your home is a lot different then a demo. 
 

I bring up the 228be because I owned them while shopping for horn speakers. I think living with a very refined speaker makes warts of other systems stick out pretty quickly. my local shop also has the Revel line (328be, Salon) and Klispch line (Cornwall, La Scala) on the floor for easy comparisons. 

So it just comes down to what you value most. With money you can have it all but most of us need to chose our priorities. I think the Cornwall is an ok compromise if you put dynamics at the top in that $5000 price range.