Hello @ozzy62 , Good to see you chime in here as I recall your history with the Heritage line and several excellent discussions with you in the past!
I'm off to look at Qualio IQ per your recommendation. THANK YOU!
Speaker Suggestions for Next Move
I'm considering moving on from my Klipsch Cornwall IVs. I'm looking for suggestions on new loudspeakers in the $8-$15k range. Used is fine too.
Here's what you need to know (or what I think you should know):
- Modifications: I upgraded the crossovers and binding posts similar to the modifications made by Don Sachs (VCap ODAMs, Rike resistors, better wire/posts, and some internal damping). I have them sitting on acoustically near inert 1.5" studio subwoofer platforms. I feel I've juiced just about all I can out of them.
- Reasons for Changing. They do not sound harsh or bright. I'm not thinking of moving on because of that. I'd like to get a bit more depth to the soundstage and more finesse in the overall presentation.
- Things I Have to Keep.
- I need to have sizable scale in the presentation. I have a good group of audiophile buddies and a friend who is a dealer. I've heard so many high end offerings that don't really scale that well to me. I really like how you feel like you listened to live music or a studio--not a laboratory. Sound doesn't shoot at you with laser focus, but rather it blooms, bathes and surrounds you.
- Amp Friendly. I have found the CWIVs to be very friendly with both SS and tube topologies. Surprisingly, they can sound amazing with great quality SS. I have both types of pre/power amps to service speakers, but I'm not looking for speakers in this price range that need gobs and gobs of wattage. I'd be happy to commit more so to SS if needed, but I'd like to stay way from very difficult loads.
- Placement. I have a dedicated space and have leeway on placement. That said, I don't want to wrestle with a fickle speaker either.
Side Note/Stuff I Don't Really Want to Discuss Here. You can note this stuff all you want and chat with others about it in the thread (won't bother me at all), but I'm not going to engage on (a) Klipsch Heritage is garbage and awful sounding; Trust me though, I do see how Klipsch builds to a pricepoint and could easily better its offerings with better parts, bracing/dampening, etc.; (b) modifications are dumb, wasteful, hurt resale, etc. I could care less about any of that. I'd prefer not to modify stuff--fyi; (c) detailed discussions about amplification and sources. I have and have access to various topologies, manufacturers/brands, etc.
Room: A bit large for me, historically. 15.5' wide, 23' long, with 10' ceiling. Speakers will be placed along the short wall.
Music Format: Vinyl 50%, Digital 40%, CD 10%.
Genres: Pretty much you name it. Jazz ~30%, Rock/Pop ~30%, Blues/Folk 30%; Classical ~10%.
I'm curious to trying Fyne, Spatial Audio, Spendor (classic line in particular), Tannoy, Volti, Harbeth, PSB's flagship, Wharfedale's flagship, ATC, Vandersteen, Devore. Open to others.
Thank you in advance!
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@jbhiller Curiosity killed the cat. I know Cornwalls well and I know for a fact they are capable of much more than the usual set up. They can get very close to the state of the art with the right electronics. They can image much better and have more depth, much more depth. Instead of buying new loudspeakers I suggest you get a new preamp, a digital processing one. I have turned several sows ears into silk purses this way. On the low end is the MiniDSP SHD followed by the SHD Studio with outboard DACs. The there is the Anthem STR, the Trinnov Amethyst and finally the DEQX Pre 4 and 8. What these processors will do is remove any group delays, integrate subwoofers perfectly and most importantly will EQ the system so that the frequency response of both channels is identical given the space they are in also known as room control. After the processor does it's thing you can EQ the system to sound exactly the way you want. With the Pre 8 you can even triamp your Cornwalls. You will never look back and you will lose any interest in new speakers. The only good reason to look at other speakers is if you want to switch to a line source system like the Magnepan 3.7i and 20.7 or Sound Labs ESLs. These speakers will give you a larger life like image at the expense of maximal volumes and efficiency. The reason Cornwalls have the potential to be so good is they are very efficient and like Dipoles have very controlled dispersion which minimizes room interaction. They are not built to the same level of quality as a Magico or Wilson speaker which means there is more variability between speakers which causes issues with imaging. A digital preamp fixes this problem perfectly so that the channels are even more identical than the finest speakers. |
I'm on board with the Volti recommendations also heard the Rivals a few times and really love them. I've not heard the new Lucera which I'm sure is fantastic. I also think staying with horns is a good idea as you may miss that live quality horns give you. That said Fyne, Spendor Classic, and Devore are all fine choices I'd be hard pressed to choose between them though the Classic 100 or older versions in the 100 series are definite favorites. |
I'd stick with horns or open baffle speakers, I went from open baffle to box speakers, never could quite deal with the box speaker presentation. After that went to Klipschorns, I've modded them extensively, only bass bin remains stock. Klipsch Heritage can image and sound stage with tractrix horns, in case of three ways, tweeter on custom baffle, need at least physical time alignment and independent movement of mid driver and tweeter in case of Klipschorn.
Of speakers you mentioned I'd go with the Volti's, I'm using Volti tractrix horns on my Klipschorns. Greg's modded Klipschorn crossovers were inspiration for my crossover mods. You were onto something with your modded Cornwalls, the Volti's can take you the rest of the way. |
- 77 posts total