Vandersteen 2C vs. Klipsch Cornwall

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!

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.

I agree with Viridian, EL84 amplifiers can be amazing and very magical.

I own a Manley Stingray which is an amazing amplifier. I also own a vintage Sherwood S-5000 which uses a variant of an EL84. The Sherwood sounds so good it makes you wonder where audio has gone in the last 40 years.