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Cornwall IV – new amp vs crossover upgrade

I recently bought Cornwall IVs and basically I´m very happy with them – they just sound very pleasant. And I haven´t even upgraded to another amp yet which seems to be the next logical step. When I was in the store I tested them with a class AB and a hybrid amp and I could already tell that the hybrid made them sing. Currently I´m using an old, small Rotel amp and they do sound great with it but I know there´s plenty of room for improvement.

Having read a few things here and there, I´m wondering which has the bigger impact: a new amp or a new set of crossovers. Sure, it´s all individual but with people raving about non-Klipsch-crossovers and other improvement (for example damping the horns as suggested by the Boston Audiophile), I´m not exactly sure what should be next. Would a nice tube amp make a crossover upgrade unneccessary? It´s hard to tell from what I´ve read.

As much as I like them, I feel right now they are lacking a bit of overall warmth. On the other hand the highs are a bit too pronounced and detailed for me which led me to turn down the highs on the amp a bit. There are some recordings that just match the current setup and listening to them puts a big smile on my face. And I just feel that this can be extended to more albums.

Thanks in advance for help and suggestions!

chmaiwald
audition__audio
1,494 posts
 

Well if you want the best amp for horns but one that doesnt editorialize an OTL would be high on my list. 

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,514 posts
 

...but my Rogue Sphinx might be as good as it gets for your system.

I quoted myself but I just wanted to add that on first glance you might think the Rogue is too cheap to match with the Cornwalls but it’s almost a perfect match, tube front end that you can tube roll to knock down the harshness plus 100wpc of class D to get things rocking and get control of that big woofer.

mofojo
2,300 posts
 

Crossovers are part of the design. You will change the voicing. Maybe better.. maybe not. Seems risky. 

chmaiwald OP
79 posts
 

I have concerns about fiddling with the hardware. That´s also why I asked about people´s opinions here.

What I take from the answers so far is that amp choice comes first. That seems to have the most significant impact in shaping the sound. Once I´m happy with an amp-speaker-combination and still find the speakers lacking, I may give modding a try.

Thanks for the suggestions which amp to try / which one is best. I heard about the Enleum 23R and find the concept striking. It just may be too analytical for my taste (on top of being just a bit too far out of even my inofficial price range) (but ask me about that again after I decide on something). I don´t have tons of hifi experience and was happy for a long time with my Audio Physic Yara II speakers, but the Cornwalls have shown me how much more music can breathe played on the right gear. I heard new things, which is amazing. And I´m sure pushing the lower frequencies a bit (or whatever the magic tubes can do is called) will make them even better to my ears.

smatsui
167 posts
 

The Enleum 23R is the opposite of analytical, think rich organic sound.  It performs on a higher level than the tube amps that I tried on the CW IVs.  I use the 23R as a power amp with my Van Alstine FET Valve CF vacuum tube preamp.   I also use a REL S5 subwoofer that blends perfectly with the CWs.  Two of the most difficult instruments to reproduce, piano and the human voice are sublime in my setup. 

I recommend that what ever amp that you buy, you either trial it first in your own system or buy it from a dealer that will allow you to return it.   All the amps that I tried sounded quite different from each other.  The amp that I thought would be my favorite match with the CWIV, the McIntosh MC275 VI (I used to own the V5 of this amp), was probably my least favorite.  The Rogue Stereo 100 was to forward and aggressive sounding even with my vacuum tube preamp.  The BoyuuRange A50 mkIII was soft and too laid back.  The Van Alstine 600R hybrid amp (NOS Mullard 4024 input tubes and MOSFET output) was excellent and only topped by the 23R.

 

 

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