Anyone here ever build a pair of Cornscalas?

I've got a chance to pick up a pair of boxes to build a set of these fairly cheap. Anyone around here ever built a pair, or owned a pair?
The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
Thorens TD320
Modified Carver C-1
Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects

Comments

  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • aprazer402
    aprazer402 Posts: 3,076
    No I haven't. Interesting though. This may be helpful.
    https://critesspeakers.com/cornscala.html
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,874
    Having "done" Heritage Klipsch for a decade -- I don't do Heritage Klipsch anymore.

    There's way better fish out there in the sea for my ears, at any rate.
  • SIHAB
    SIHAB Posts: 4,470
    Free Doc advice! Is this a party? :*
    Speakers: Polk Lsim, ATC SCM19 v2, NHT SuperzeroSpeaker Cables: DH Labs, Transparent, Wireworld, Canare, Monster: Beer budget, Bose ears
  • xschop
    xschop Posts: 4,598
    His advice was in layman's terms....run.
    Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,874
    Well, I don't doubt that the Cornscala improves over the stock Klipsch hardware -- which was fun but (too) aggressive, relative to my tastes.
  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    I have owned a few different pair of Klipsch. Forte, chorus, heresy, a few different kg models, and I never really like any of them. but a couple weeks ago I spent a few days listening to a pair of cornwall's and really, really liked them. It was while searching for a pair of them that I came across a pair of Bob Crites cornscala cabinets at a fairly good price.
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    It's funny that you mention altc lansing. One of the guys I met at this year's Carver Fest has a pair, I'm not sure the model, but when he and I were discussing these cornscala, he told me that he thought the corn walls were very similar in sound to his altec
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,874
    edited September 2018
    I owned a pair of Cornwalls (1974 vintage) for a decade. They went straight to the basement when I acquired a pair of "A" series (16 ohm) Valencias. The Valencias have one big deficit compared to the Cornwalls -- the former cannot hold a candle to the latter in terms of deep bass. But, everything else the Valencias did was so much better, to my ears, than the Cornies that there wasn't even contest (again, for me).

    There's a harshness in the upper midrange of the Cornies that rendered them too fatiguing for me on most recordings. The bass was pretty good, though.

    I don't miss them at all.

    Note the mods and upgrades that folks do to the Heritage Klipsches. When they're finished, there is often literally nothing left of the originals but the boxes (and the boxes are often damped, braced, or even ported differently than they were when they left Hope, AK). There's a reason.

    A Cornie (in the basement)

    43rxmfpncxj2.png

    A Valencia

    baq8w7m8z56x.png

    I ultimately moved on to big boy Altecs.

    Free tip -- if the OP's never heard a pair of Altec Santiagos -- seek 'em out and give 'em a listen. The Altec fanboys disdain them because they use a sealed box alignment with a woofer that makes them a few dB less sensitive than "real" Altecs... but, unlike the real Altecs (i.e., the Valencia) it does generate some pretty worthwhile bass. The price of a pair of Santiagos should be considerably more palatable than a pair of "A" morph Valencias B)


  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,874
    Yep2 wrote: »
    Marks playing "hard to get" .
    Mention "Altec Lansing" & he opens up "Lilly"! :p
    Prolly give you his SS# if you ask after that.

    Yeah, sad but true -- sort of like Hobbes the tiger :|

    l2um8ie82eav.png
    (the very first Calvin and Hobbes cartoon)
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,874
    Yep2 wrote: »
    differently than they were when they left Hope, AK)


    OH SNAAAAPPPP!

    Mr Hardy "AK" is Alaska!

    "AR" is Arkansas....
    Hey, everyone has a bad day!

    Just ribbing you! :p
    derp. prolly too late to fix it.
    I wasn't thinkin', just typin'.
    that's never happened before!

    :p


    so -- here's what a Santiago looks like.

    9855835604_6fc3d689eb_b.jpgsantiago by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

    ;)


  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    I think I've seen a pair of those before. But my knowledge of Altec Lansing is very limited, so I never paid much attention
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,874
    trav0810 wrote: »
    I think I've seen a pair of those before. But my knowledge of Altec Lansing is very limited, so I never paid much attention

    Things get interesting, if a little expensive, real fast when one moves past Klipsch and his Alaskan ;) products.

    Personal faves -- Gary Kaufman's A5s with 1505 horns loaded with 288s on top. Kinda loudspeakers I'd sell a kidney for.

    r4qdxu4lsni8.jpg


  • kharp1
    kharp1 Posts: 3,453
    I would refer the OP to the Klipsch forum as there is a boat load of great info there on all things Klipsch, including this particular build. I've owned Heritage in the past and still have a pair of Epic. Crites makes nice upgrades, but, Greg Roberts of Volti takes it to the next level. Most people that visited his room this year at Lone Star cam attest to the impressive qualities his horns produce.

    After hearing the Volti I've set my sights a pair of the Vittora.