Klipsch Cornwall IV

" If you are looking for the true klipsch sound you have to buy one made prior to 1981 otherwise you are buying an asian drivered klipsch not an american drivered klipsch and there is a major difference. "
  Well well well, an authoritative source for components I see. Last time I checked the Eminence woofers used in the CW4 were made in Kentucky. The Celestion tweets driver in England. Don't know about the mid driver.
  Yes the cheaper lines are Chi-com but not the heritage or pro lines.

" All Klipsch Heritage speakers are designed in the USA  by Roy Delgado and manufactured in Hope AR. "
  Having been in the factory and Roy's sound lab in person a year ago October I can verify your comment.

last time i got to listen to them [cornwalls] was in 1980, i remember their sound to be bombastic, the bass shook my innards on the bass drums, not so much on the organ pedals. contrasting them was an early large mirage tower [forgot the model] which in comparison was a breath of musical fresh air, they just sounded "right" to me whereas the cornwalls sounded loud and visceral. i really would love to be able to audition a modern pair of IVs. i know the composer wendy carlos liked 'em, used 4 of 'em in her studio. 

I have owned a pair since August of last year. I am alternately thrilled and disappointed. They sound great with great recordings and lame with lame recordings. I guess that’s the sign of a revealing loudspeaker. Whether that is a good thing or not will depend on your recordings and system. My system is all class AB solid-state, fed primarily by CD and streaming. And since a lot of my music is pop, I sometimes hear more than I really need to. Ymmv

@jdmccall56 I would suggest two things.

Placement. I'm sure you already know this, but attention to detail here will reap huge benefits. I've found that not listening on axis but having the speakers firing well behind the listening position gives the most natural presentation with a huge soundstage. On axis and bad recordings get even worse.

Tubes. I know a lot of people listen to horns with SS amps, but I am a firm believer in the match of a good tube amp and a good horn speaker. I am able to enjoy 95% of all my music with the CW IV and a lot of these are not what I'd call stellar recordings. Pop music is, how shall I say it? It's Pop music, that's about as generous as I can be.

Oz