Klipsch Cornwall IV

+1 @raindog69 

The new heritage series need make no apologies, they are that good. Low powered tubes make them shine. But I am gobsmacked by how good the high powered Allnic amp I just bought makes them sing. Holy cow I wasn't expecting the CW IV to sound like this with an amp upgrade, but there it is.

Oz

Thats just the thing about the new Heritage, they love good electronics.  They reward you with better sound when you make the right choice in amplification.    I was a with a non audio enthusiast and stopped by a Klipch dealer to pick up an accessory during work.   We ended up listening to the Cornwall with the little Luxman 10 watt EL84 integrated amp.  That combo sounded scary lifelike , he was blown away .  He had never heard anything quite like that in a home listening environment 

Let's just say if the reviewers had heard the speakers with far better crossover parts in them they would have been blown away.  The speaker with far better crossover parts, damped horns and woofer frame, proper isolation from the floor... it is not even close.  The stock speaker has wonderful dynamics and the reviewers loved them.  That said, most reviewers noted that it was the dynamics and tone that they loved and they put up with the sort of B+ grade for imaging and separation of elements in the sound stage.   The modded speaker does everything it originally did, but the sound stage and imaging are vastly improved as well as the blackness of the background and separation of elements in the mix.  It becomes very good at all the hifi stuff, and retains all of the things that it did well, but it does them better.   There is just no contest.  

For me, mid horn design and construction material extremely critical, Tractrix design and wood construction. Exponential metal or plastic horns cannot provide natural dispersion or timbre. Tweeter and mid drivers need to be in proper physical alignment for speaker time alignment, improves mid and high frequency balance .I have both mid and tweeter horns on separate baffles for optimum toe in or out, major improvement for sound staging, imaging. Improved crossover parts also improve timbre, sound stage and imaging.

Stock Klipsch Heritage greatest inherent quality is incredible micro dynamic expression, sense of live performers in room intoxicating. Resolution and transparency wonderful as well.

I understand some of my mods would not be easily applicable to a consumer market loudspeaker. Still, I'd like to see a Heritage state of art model; an ultimate expression of the basic design. As Don stated above, a speaker that does all the things stock Heritage does, only does it better. There really is no contest, modded Heritage is my final loudspeaker. I don't say this lightly, have never called any piece of audio equipment my end game, this is the single exception in over twenty five years as audiophile.
I'm not saying stock Klipsch Heritage is not a fine speaker, I understand the enthusiasm.  Matched with sympathetic partnering equipment, inherent limitations can be minimized. I use mine with 845 SET, 300B monoblock SET and EL34 push pull, all wonderful, I'd next like to try 2A3. I'll also reiterate I've not heard latest Heritage, I'd hope they've improved since earlier models.

@donsachs Have you ever thought of YouTubing your Cornwall upgrade process? I'd love to see the step-by-step action from removing the back through putting it back on after all the mods.