Vandersteen 2C vs. Klipsch Cornwall

I have the regular 2C - had them for a long time; bought a pair of 2Ce Signture II and tried them but didn't like them as much as the 2C; the Sig IIs sounded kind of coarse/gruff (an overly harsh term but that's the direction of the sonic attributes I heard) compared to the 2C. So I sold them and sent my 2C pair back to Vandersteen for a complete refurb to make sure they were at tip top operating condition (even got some nice cherry caps to replace the older caps and some new grill clothes, plus maybe a replacement midrange or two; it's been awhile). The 2Cs are good and I have a pair of DQ-10s that are different but highly competitive; it's probably just another merry go round episode, but I'm hoping the Cornwalls play better in my room (up against the wall vs. the Vandy's that are in the standard Cardas positions); and the SET route seems pretty enticing. I guess what I've taken out of this is that everyone has their opinions and preferences but maybe the Cornwalls aren't completely a crazy idea and per one post here by Jaybo they could be an 11 on a cool factor scale of 10 :)

Mostly, I think the room has a huge impact on any system; I think the room might influence half of the overall result, or maybe more. So, short of designing a room, or selecting a specific room (which aren't options for me) it's largely a matter of trial and error to get some synergy between the speakers and the room. I appreciate everyone weighing in on the Cornwalls and any particular SET amp preferences - it helps with the thinking/decision process.

Viridian, I have read your posts about horns in general and Cornwalls in specific with great interest, as I own a pair myself. The one thing I would disagree with you on is your description of horns in general as "boxy." I am still puzzled by your use of this term, and I have heard others use it and have always been puzzled by it. To me, direct radiators have always sounded more "boxy," in the sense of much smaller soundstage that is shaped like the box of the speaker enclosure. Could you elaborate on what you mean by this?

The shape of the horn is in theory designed to prevent any such thing, filling the room more as well as minimizing room colorations, thus making the presentation sound more lifelike. Have you ever tried moving your Cornwalls off the wall a little? Mine are about a foot to 18" off the back wall, and I do not hear anything I would describe as "boxy." I have actually never tried them right up against the wall, as it was my understanding that this was only for the La Scalas and Klipschorns, the ones with horn-loaded woofers. Your post has made me curious, and I may experiment soon with putting my Cornwalls against the wall and see what sort of difference it makes. What you say about the derivation of the name certainly makes sense; I hadn't ever heard that before. Thanks for your very informative posts!

Learsfool, I respect that you have a different perspective. Sometimes the vocabulary is itself in doubt and it becomes hard to communicate what I am hearing.

"Have you ever tried moving your Cornwalls off the wall a little?"

A careful reading of my first post in the thread will tell you that I do not own Cornwalls, but Fortes, which are designed to be in room, as they have a passive radiator on the back. This should also answer Hi hifi's question as in my second post in the thread I mention that the Forte, Forte 2, Chorus 2 and Quartet are less sensitive than the Cornwalls and are not as amenable to the use of SE amps due to this lower sensitivity. That said I was recently playing with a 2 watt 6B4G amp, but for my large room and preferred high SPLs, I like a push-pull EL34s or sometimes even EL84s.

I listen to a friend's LaScalas with regularity, and they are much more friendly to SET amplification. The one fly in the ointment is that the higher the sensitivity, the more you will hear the steady state upstream noise in your system. Some prefer AC heaters which can be a bit noisy, as well. But we all seem to settle on the combination of noise, drive and sound quality that we can live with. Like picking a comfortable pair of shoes, this is a personal matter and those that need to call something "best", well more power to them. I'm happy to stick with "favorite".

Yes, rooms are very unpredictable, and your Cornwalls may sound better into the room, but it seems worth a try to see if using them agains the wall or in a corner actually helps. In a sense corner or wall/floor placement does actually horn load the bass radiator in these systems.

I had early 2CEs and few years later had Heresy II which I have since sold as well. Preferred the Heresy II due to better dynamics and worked better in my small (11 x 17) room, whereas the Vandys sounded too bass heavy....which overshadowed the fact that they were more accurate the rest of the range. You might also look at the Forte II.

Thanks for the response, Viridian. I will definitely try moving the Cornwalls against the wall in a few days when I get a chance for a listening session. I can't put them both in corners in my living room, unfortunately. I have a push-pull amp right now myself, but I would like to try an SET at some point. I have heard a couple with LaScala's and a Klipschorn that sounded great.