Cornwall II questions

[macaltec]

Picked up a set of Cornwall II's yesterday. Cabinets are rough, missing an entire grill, dented in dust caps but all the drivers test good. Haven't listened to them yet. No tags on the back so I have no serial numbers to determine age. Can an approximate age be determined from the markings on the drivers? Also curious to me is:
The tweeters (K-79M) measure 8 ohms
The midrange (K-57K) measures 11 ohms and
The woofer (K-34E) measures 4 ohms
Is that correct or do I have a mismatched set of drivers here? Someone was obviously into them as many of the screws were missing or mismatched.

Snapped the pics quickly before work, they are a bit blurry.

 

[RT Fan]

I am sure one of the more informed members will drop by & help with your question. In the meantime some Cornwalls had their serial numbers pressed into the top portion of the back of the speaker. Worth checking. There is extensive info regarding your Cornwalls on the Klipsch forum, including the years in which certain parts were used together. Good luck and enjoy the speakers.

 

[macaltec]

Thanks. I am aware of the serialization you mentioned. That was done on the Cornwall I's. Been to the Klipsch forum, lots of crickets there as well. Its almost like everyone is at work during the day.......
At this point I am curious as the why the difference in ohm values? Efficiency matching maybe?

 

[macaltec]

Looks like the date codes on the drivers confirm these were made in 1987.

 

[macaltec]

NICE!!! A hot iron, damp rag, some wood filler and a sander - some choice colored stain - and some bees wax and you'll be absolutely golden.... Thumbs up!!

I started down that road yesterday when I got them home. I have had much success in the past with the iron and damp rag. Some of the scratched in these are well beyond that. My plan off attack here is to start with a natural stain and see if I can tolerate the scratches, if not I will move to a darker stain and if that doesn't suit me I will use an ebony stain. Gotta get some wood filler but not sure what to get. I had thought I would collect some sawdust from sanding, add some glue and try that for a filler. Any suggestions here are very welcome.

 

[macaltec]

Forgot to mention they came with a free "not working" Toshiba SA-735 receiver. I hooked it up on my bench and it turns out that it just has dirty controls. Now, back to the Cornwalls. Not sure where I am going to use them.

 

[moray james]

with a little TLC those Cornwall ll could easily become your number one speakers. The drivers all sound normal it's just what they are you have a really nice set of speakers. Lots you can do with them if you like. Fresh ti tweeter diaphragms is a very good start as would be fresh caps. Personally I would install a set of ti mid diaphragms if you plan to stay three way. You might consider turning yours into two ways. Lots of ways and things to do to make them sound even better. These deserve a top quality sounding amp and source they will reward you for a lifetime.

 

[macaltec]

Thanks moray. I knew you would stop by eventually. At the very least they will get fresh caps. As money allows I will likely add the Ti tweeters. Plenty of options stacked up around here to power them with not sure any of it qualifies as "top quality" though. Do you think I would hear a distinct difference between these and my Cornwall I's?

 

[macaltec]

Got cabs done. Had to go dark to hide the scratches. Im not thrilled about how they turned out. I see a re-veneer in the future. Scrounged up all new hardware at work. Got em put back together and running on my SX 939. Dust caps came out but not as good as I had hoped. Probably see if I can find some replacements. Gotta source some material for the grill and may be make some logos up. They sound great for not having been re-capped yet. No complaints in that department. Gonna order new caps soon.

 

[macaltec]

I noticed, while working on these, that there was no evidence of any insulation in the cabinets. Did the IIs not have any or is it missing??

 

[macaltec]

Crickets chirping.........

 

[macaltec]

As long as I am talking with myself here.....Just ordered new caps and diaphragms from Bob.

 

[avguytx]

The 1978 models I have (for the moment) just have some basic material on the walls inside but not back wall. Do yours not have anything in them at all? They don't use Polyfil or anything like that.

 

[Hajidub]

Macaltec those cabs look fantastic. Everything you do from here will be an upgrade. Measure those speakers from the speaker outputs and they should measure 8 ohms (instead of individually). For the love of Christ hook them up and listen. Man I hope you scroed!!!! Screw the dustcovers, use a pin or freshstart vacuum.

 

[macaltec]

Macaltec those cabs look fantastic. Everything you do from here will be an upgrade. Measure those speakers from the speaker outputs and they should measure 8 ohms (instead of individually). For the love of Christ hook them up and listen. Man I hope you scroed!!!! Screw the dustcovers, use a pin or freshstart vacuum.

Oh, I have been listening to them. Having them has prompted me to finish another entire room in the upstairs of my house. I have been trying them with several different amp, receivers. Started with a re-capped Pioneer SX 939 then a Sansui 7070 and have settled with my H/K Citation 19 and Carver preamp until I can get my Fisher X100 refurbed. I am not new to the sound as I have a set of Cornwall I's already. So far I am more than pleased with them in my new room. Can't wait to get my parts from Crites. Still curious about the insulation issue. Also curious if they would benefit from adding risers to the cabinet??? I will get a pic up in a minute.

 

[macaltec]

Here they are on their initial test. I have a small area rug down now that helps with reflections. Still have some more sheetrock to put up so nothing is finalized yet.

 

[moray james]

lift them up so that the centre of the mid horn is at your seated ear level which on average is anywhere between 36 - 40 inched up off the floor depending upon your height and your seating. This will result in the most realistic stage and image. Remember what PWK said "we live in the midrange" and he was 100% correct about that.

 

[macaltec]

Got the new caps and diaphragms in. The word articulate comes to mind as does imaging. Going to try some stands next free evening I get.

 

[macaltec]

I believe the bass has gotten much better. Caps breaking in????????

 

[macaltec]

Still enjoying. No stands yet. Work on the room has stopped. I do have a nice Fisher KX90 powering them now.