Looking for my Final Pair!!

Dear @dave_b  : "  it would only be the room or amplification and source!   "

Mainly the source and room. The whole recording proccess is critical followed by the source medium: digital or analog.

Room/speaker must be mated and if not then colorations/distortions will be mainly what we will be listening at.

I let amplification at last due that are only two main characteristics that needs to be well mated with the speakers: impedance curve and sensitivity of the speakers and that's all.

The function of any amplifier is to let pass the MUSIC signal with out added " anomalies " to the MUSIC signal and with out lost of any part of that MUSIC signal.
If the amp changes those then those " anamalies " only says the quality level of that amplifier: as more color the worst the amp is.
Electronics must be accurated not analytical but working and measuring with accuracy.

From those point of view SS are the electronics that meets those targets. Again I'm not talking of what we like but what is rigth or wrong.

Btw, @audiopacer:

"""   I have my suspicions even he doesn't know what he's saying """

It's easy to make critics with out explain the foundations of those critics.

Please tell me why I do not know what I'm saying and remember that we are talking of home reproduction MUSIC recordings and not Live MUSIC that however must be our reference.

R.

@dave_b,
I concur with your assessment of the Cornwall IV's. I will add they have better dynamic contrast then the B&W, also less money. And the lack of distortion is the reason why I prefer horns for sound reproduction in my home for over forty years. Match the speaker and amp and you should be golden...Happy listening! Mike btw, It was a horn that brought down the walls of Jericho. lol :-)

I had JBL 4429’s which gave me a taste of horn magic, but the Cornwall’s are in another league completely!

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.

So I know for sure that those speakers will not be your last pair !.

How presumptuous.........