Dear @dave_b : " Actually, what I’m hearing could be equated with a lack of distortion induced artifacts...""
There is no perfect speakers, all of them have trade-offs.
Horns developed low distortion levels, so you are rigth, and its immediacy of the reproduced sound could be addictive.
Its main negative trade-off is that horn speakers has is a very limited frequency response that with digital or analog media your Cornwall just can’t reproduce what is in the recording and this is a fact and does not matters if those speakers are mated with SS or tube ( worst. ) electronics.
The Cornwall frequency response ( horns. ) are +,- 4db at only 20khz.
You are a MUSIC lover and understand very well that heavy limitation along all the other issues of its woofer. What comes in the recordings has a wider usable/listenable wider frequency range, as a fact has no significant limitations. Maybe you as the other gentlemans just does not want to listen what is in the recording.
I can see in this thread several gentlemans that touted this Cronwall certainly all of them even that could thing they are MUSIC lovers in reality are not because if we attend to a Live MUSIC event we listen way over those 16khz ( the Cornwall is not flat at 20khz. ) of the IV, same at the lower range. Remember that human been " hears " not only through the ears but even all over our skin/bones/hair.
I’m not against that speaker I’m in favor of MUSIC and that speaker, no matters what, goes against MUSIC reproduction. Yes, I know that all of you like it but that is subjective and MUSIC is objective, accurated and its harmonics goes way beyond 16khz-20kz. MUSIC belongs to harmonics and instrument transients.
Dave you understand it for sure.
Acapella uses horns but for very good reasons not at frequency extremes ranges and are marvelous performers with a tag/label price of over 250K.
Today expensive Avantgarde horn speakers performs very good and the limited frequency response in the up frequency range is usable at 20khz, comes with better response that the IV obviously is way more expensive.
A true MUSIC lover in the long time can’t accept those limitations not either his ears/brain.
I was exposed several times to top horn speakers and when I did it I was " impressed " at the first 5 minutes but not after 2 hours of listen it. Yes, that’s me not any one of you.
So I know for sure that those speakers will not be your last pair !.
R.
