Thank you much for the look inside. Thank you for the detailed explanation of the crossover. Well done video sir!

I just went to school today. Learning something new. Thank you.

although ive been into stereo since 1973 and built my own computers since 1993, Ive never look inside a speaker until your videos. your efforts are very much appreciated. 8 years ago, an undiscovered mouse, now long gone, chewed thru subwoofer wires in 1 of my 1990ish klipsch p7 floorstanders( which has a 12 inch subwoofer with a 150 sub amp built in with a 1 inch and an 8 nch). I was shocked how cheaply, bare minimum the crossover seems. I repaired the 2 wires damaged, but surprising to see the cheap crossover from 1990ish. yes, speakers have improved, $880 was 50 percent off in 1990ish, but now I understand what building a speaker to a price point with tradeoffs means. thank you so much.

Thank you so much for this outstanding video. I am very appreciative of the time you must of spent for this. This video is very helpful in helping me try to decide on a speaker choice to replace my Vandersteen 2CE which I purchased in 1992. Thanks again.

Thanks for the inside view of the Cornwall IV speaker. Great video !!!

Excellent informative video. Thank you sir.

Thanks! Very interesting. Looking forward to follow-ups.

Another great video. Thanks.

The larger mid-range horn, which makes 85% of the music, is the big news with the IV. In particular, the compound curves of the horn disperse sound waves more evenly than simple ones.

Impressed with you confidence to be tinkering with this 6000 dollar speaker set. I am contemplating buying some... very interesting your Cornwall journey.

Great video. Thanks for sharing the information. Please let us know about any upgrades you are planning to make to these wonderful speakers. The Cornwall 4’s are on my short list for near future purchase.

Iron core inductors in a speaker with that price tag? 😕 Also pressed tin bass chassis. That’s an expensive joke.

Thank you so much for doing this !

I wish every speaker review included this level of detail re. the crossover. GR Research is helping the cause.

Great info.I was thinking of upgrading the caps on my new Cornwall IVs.Not now,Thanks for your video.I may do some sound deadener after I have em for awhile like you did.

I read where Mills resistors are slightly better in sound quality than sand cast resistors, especially the MRA-5 variety. I know you'll find the right discrete analog components in the crossover redo. Nice review and thanks for sharing.

Thanks for this video. I have been working on upgrading an old Chorus crossover. So it is interesting to see how much better the Cornwall iv crossover is built compared to my Chorus II. Also, for the inductors, you should be able to get their inductance from Klipsch without having to measure them if you want to get new ones. Of course measuring them will tell you how accurate the parts are and whether they need improvements.

Brilliant review

I don't normally comment on videos because of the endless debate they sometimes cause but, this is very good and interesting. I've modified a set of Polk Audio speakers with Clarity Cap capacitors, Mox resistors and Titanium tweeters (cheap from PE). I didn't change the values of any of the components. I did a simple swap. I did however, have to put those caps and resistors on a thin sheet of wood because of their large size. I was very impressed with the sound. Sound is pretty subjective IMO but it was a little more detailed and warm to me. I particularly liked the vocals and mid range I got. The hi's were pretty sharp too. I'm thinking about doing another pair with different x-over components, ring radiator tweeters and different sound deadening material. Anyway, thanks for the video. I enjoyed it. And, did I say, I am not an engineer, sound expert fancy speaker builder or "Audiophile"? I'm just a regular guy who likes to tinker.

Shared this to the Klipsch group I'm in. Great video man. Just subbed! Also, the compartment behind the tweeter is used to absorb some of the high frequencies to prevent shrillness. I think it's a vented tweeter 😁

Fantastic explanation

Look at all those cheap Iron Core Inductors, Sand Cast Resistors and cheap capacitors. The Cabinets are Resonance magnifiers. Very cheaply made at a premium price. Thanks for the excellent video. For those that know what they are looking at, they will know how cheap these are made and built at a premium price. Thank you. I checked these out at a local A/V store and was surprised at how hollow the cabinets sounded when knocking on the cabinets

Are you familiar with the upgraded crossover that can be found online for the CW4's? What's your thoughts on the improvement of those crossovers to achieve better performance/sound from the already redesigned x'over for the cw4.

Into stereo since 1968, never saw the inside of a speaker. So much thanks. Bought klipsch floorstanders in 1986 after hearing my klipsch sytem built for computers. They were the best sounding audiophile grade system tied to a creative sound card. 600 watts rms, but most burnt up with garbage electronic internals. Still have klipsch floorstanders along with thiel floorstanders. Quality here seems terrible. 2 floorstanders with 2 horns. 10 inch mid, 12 bass subs built in with amplifyers cost $750 in 1986 a set, 2 floorstanders and a huge seperate center 4 way. Still going strong

Thanks for the post unfortunately Klipsch uses retail stores to sell there speakers like many audio companies if they sold direct that would really lower the price and improve engineering and up the budget for higher end components and capasitors and give the consumer a better price thanks for all the work you put in to this review have a merry Christmas and you have a new scriber

What other speakers in the 5-7k range do you recommend checking out? I am in the market for new speakers and had my eyes set on these, but after seeing the build quality, it makes me want to see what else is out there.

Wonderful! Thank you.

Thank-you! Montpellier, France

Honestly I'm surprised. I would have expected a little better for $6K a pair. The cross over components are not cheap but they are not particularly high end either. I have plenty of Klipsch speakers including the Heresey II and the new 600M and some surround speakers. I took apart the Klipsch KG 1.5's I have and updated the caps - found one of the tweeter coils rotted out. Overall good but the KG 1.5 were $800 pair new. The build quality did not blow me away by any means. So humm... value for money? Great video by the way - thanks for the insight into the cornwall IV.

Despite what some seem to think about the crossover, it is made of high quality components and the construction is very good. It will last a life time. I have Klipschorns that I bought new in 1996 for exactly $3600 - no tax or shipping from Albuquerque. I thought that was not a bad price even then. I think they sound awesome and are used daily with our home theater driven by a McIntosh 2100 and C20 preamp. Thanks for showing us inside. Someday I think I should open up mine just to make sure all the screws are still tight. Stay safe.

Would love to see the second half of this on the listening impressions and what you did to the cabinet and the crossover

Exactly what I thought.! Big woofer magnet..? The enclosure.? The crossover.? And for the price, it's a total rip off. What a shame. In this pric range, this is the worst I've seen today.!

Great video 👍

Those are $6600 the pair. We can and do expect better crossover components than sand cast resistors or iron core inductors.

@The Boston Audiophile Since you have it apart, could you tell me the measurements for the base as it's a bit thinner than actual length and width of the speaker. TIA

Nice review, these breakdowns are common in europe. Surprised for this kind of cash it's stamped steel and lack of sound damping and bracing in the cabinet. The plastic zips also snap over time. Tweeter magnet could have been bigger.

What a fantastically done video. I hope to own these speakers soon. Did you end up building new boards with your larger capacitors, etc? Would love to know also if you added dampening material and bracing for improved rigidity? Overall, the speakers seems to be worth the cost! Thanks again hope to hear back.

Great Video. I know this is a couple of years old now and not sure if this will get an answer. Did you ever publish the value of the inductors ? A complete schematic would be fantastic. Thank you

Interesting. Thank you for sharing.

So, did you find the values of the induction chokes?

How do you think Dynamat Extreme would work inside the cabinet walls to dampen them compared to Norez, and have you lined yours yet.

I think the reason sand cast resistors are considered inferior in crossovers is because they have a coiled wire inside, which can add some inductance.

I have the Cornwall III's and absolutely love the midrange on them. I would be curious how much different these sound compared to the III's. I think these are a few grand overpriced but I do have to admit the veneer work and finishing are second to none. I do realize there are better speakers for a lot cheaper price. For me these are nostalgic and American made so its a win.

That's a good point you made about the midrange horn. I bet it would sound better if you sprayed something like rhino liner on the back to deaden any resonance from the plastic horn. When you tapped on the plastic it seemed like it wouldn't take much energy to excite it to make sound. Probably bad sound compared to the mid range driver.

I wonder if a thin layer of spray foam on the horns (inside the speaker) would dampen the sound better.

Klipsch needs to borrow a concept from the firearms industry, The "Custom Shop". For extra cost, custom shop firearms receive extra attention resulting in smoother triggers, extra features, etc.. You could specify what kind of parts for your crossover, ask them to solder the connecting clips to the drivers (instead of push-on connectors) whatever you desire (for a price). I think the Heritage Series speakers are all hand assembled so the extra steps should be doable. BTW, you could spray some Flex Seal rubber onto your midrange driver for more dampening (if you think it would improve the sound). Good luck!

Hi! I liked your video. I have a sick Cornwall Iv with a blown tweeter. I am so glad to see that the screws are metal threaded. You wouldn’t happen to have the torque specs for the bolts , would you? Have not yet received an answer from Klipsch.

Nice video, thanks for sharing! Does it say what gauge the speaker wires are?

Good video, its surprising how cheaply these appear to be made considering the high costs of these speakers.

I have Klipsch Cornwall mk3s,driven by Plinius SA 102 pure class A solid state, or a Dared VP 845 single ended triode class A 20 watt tube integrated, I'm also currently using a Innuos Zenith mk3 server into a Lampizator SET dac, with revelation audio labs prophecy cryogenic silver Ethernet cable rj45 version 8 and wireworlds silver starlight USB cable and Transparent XL reference rca, Vpi prime Super Scout turntable in white along with a kiseki purple heart cartridge and a Herron mk2 phono with transparent reference phono cables. Is the mk 4 Cornwall a significant upgrade over the mk 3 Cornwall, and do you think a Cary CAD 300sei with 8 watts would be sufficient power. System synopsis jfyi. And thanks for your review and time.

Would love to see the upgrade. Would you design a new crossover or „just“ upgrade the parts quality? It would also be very interesting to see how you go from a given crossover to the schematic. Thats where I am stuck with my upgrade project.

Modern stamped steel with reinforcing dimples or old school cast aluminium? Which sounds better?

Speakers are awesome, very good sounding. Re crossowers, i do not think that cw4 need some upgrade at this stage, but i have done some isolation of the mid and tweeter plastic body as shown.As well as woofer frame. Also some cintiphone was put see pics.

Thank you for this. Now that you have discovered what the inside looks like, would you say that these Klipsch Cornwall IV are still a good buy or way too expensive for what you get? Thanks.

Many violin makers, looking at a Sradivari, wonder why their products, made of seemingly identical materials, could sound so weak. Well, Paul Klipsch massaged these Cornwalls, with methodology and intuition from 1959 until his 80s, as they were one of the Heritage, hand-built class that made him famous. A chef will tell you, "It's good ingredients AND how you stir the sauce." I'd guess 90% of all Klipsch Heritage products made since the late 1940s are still singing beautiful melodies, so the materials couldn't have been too shabby! In fairness, the other American-made speakers of note, Altec and JBL, were made of industrial-grade components, because these makers' customers were largely theater chains, auditoria operators, sound studios, professional musicians and the like, who expected to pay a premium and wanted 100% reliability. I admire Henry Ford for making a car the average person could afford. For the same reason, I respect Klipsch for making great sound for the broader markets' pocketbook.

Yep, those crossovers are exactly what I would expect in a factory crossover.. I notice that some of those inductors are perpendicular to each other, which was most likely not arbitrary. Also, decent metallized polyester film caps aren’t really much behind their much larger size polypropylene cousins in the same value; both of them are miles ahead of electrolytics that need to be replaced way too often and don’t perform as well either. The polyprope’s will have much larger voltage rating (ac and dc), so will naturally be larger due to charge Q equating to the multiplicative factor of the capacitance C and voltage V. Expressed alternatively, Q=C*V. As you pointed out, the voltage rating of the caps that are already in there are well overrated as compared to the manufacturer’s rating for the speakers. One last point, I have never had an issue with those resistors in terms of longevity, value or function. I have a pair of floorstanding speakers that I’ve personally upgraded the crossovers after 25 years that use those resistors, and I did not even bother changing them. They looked new, and their resistive values were dead on. Not knowing if the lead inductance for that type of resistor would make a difference in the end result for better or worse, I opted to avoid that particular modification, although my gut tells me I wouldn’t have noticed a damn bit of difference, and that any perceived difference could very well be psychological. The tweeters sounded excellent to me after the mods and still do two years later, so I am glad I didn’t bother. 👨🏻✌️

Great video. I'm considering the Cornwall IV or the Forte IV now. Would be very interested to see the "after" of your network change to the Klipsch Cornwall IV networks. I was thinking along the same lines when you were showing the inside of the speaker, had you taken the fill material out, or if they didn't have it to begin with, I wondered if a few sheets of nores would help the speaker out. Thanks again.

It's good to see that no electrolytic capacitors are used in the crossover. Thanks for sharing...

Just wondering, did you ever upgrade the crossover? How did it turn out?

Thank you for the detailed video. What values are the inductors? What did you replace them with? I’m assuming you dumped the iron core for air core. Did you create a schematic?

Using cheaper parts on a speaker of this price is not acceptable. At least on the midrange circuit there should be top-quality parts.

Thank you so much for your complete review of the cornwall IV speakers. I have been very intersted in hearing them but more imprtantly looking at the guts. What are your thoughts of the IV's compared to the Altec Lansing Valencia 846B speakers?

I have cheaper, scriller but ok klipsch RP5 floorstanders (with 1inch, 8inch, and 12 woofer 150w sub amp inside) $800 in1990ish and thiel cs2.3 from 1990. (1,3,8 inch) With you knowledge, why did you choose cornwalls rather than a diy speaker like the open baffle x-optica kit $2400 per pair from danny at gr research.? kit includes the wood, pre cut. 2nd question, my friend in arizona has a pair of forte3 she bought new in 2018, says its too big for their room, want $2200 , including shipping, to send from az to me in NJ. Seeing crossover in the klipsch rp5 looks like a $10 item so Im dubios. my room is 13 by 18. the gr research kits crossovers look much heftier although I do like the quick response of klipsch. pleas offer your viewpoint on a kit or the $2200 forte 3

Perhaps try some NoRez from GR-acoustics?

Did you ever determine the values of all the inductors?

The reviewers all really liked the sound of these. This video shows that with ordinary materials, you can get great sound. I agree that the price is way too high however.

Klipsch has definitely stepped up their game in the crossover components. I’m one of those that tries to improve everything I own but after rebuilding dozens of Klipsch heritage speakers and crossovers I highly doubt you will see much if any audible improvement in replacing any components in this crossover. The sandcast resistors seem to be on the woofer circuit thus changing to a Mils or even replacing the capacitors with Sonicaps would make any audible improvement even to us ultra critical ears. Can’t believe I said all this. I’m sure one day I will rebuild this one with the top tier parts and see but likely be a waste of money.

How good are the crossover in your opinon ..Why? would you consider ordering better capacitors an or heavyer I.C conductors from Danny Richie of G.R. research in colorado ?

Needs more foam in the box in my opinion especially on the back wall of the enclosure. I put foam in all my speakers and it has always helped.

I think it would be interesting to engineer potentiometers for each of the crossover points, so one could vary the turnover frequencies to suit individual tastes. But I guess that would put the mid and tweeter drivers at peril of being over-driven.

my 1970's B-I-C Venturi Formula 4 speakers have the same Texas instrument Capacitors then these. i just bought some Dayton Audio Capacitors to refresh my crossovers but only because they are over 40 years old and the tweeters are not making any sound.

This is cool. Surpassing to see the woofer weigh so little especially for a 15” driver. Very surprised. I saw somebody said something about gr research. Are you going to get one of his kits to change the crossover?

I'm a n00b to "hi fi" ...I'm more of a producer, bedroom dj vinyl collector and synth/keyboard player and been using studio monitors for decades... but also use my studio monitors for listening to my nice records (jazz, rare soul groove and disco, reggae, brazil, african, psych rock, house, etc.). I use HS8... happy and content with them. But, considering Cornwall or Forte + a cheapy (but good) Leak ss or Willsenton tube amp. How do my current HS8 compare to a Cornwall or Forte? In terms of sound presence or overall sound quality... you can state anything (including points I can't think of atm) - size & quality of sound, build quality/reliability, dispersion, freq range and bass, etc., etc. I'm sure my HS8 would be super clear, crisp, flat and neutral vs. a colorful old Cornwall/Forte + tube amp (or even ss amp)... just wondering if it would be a considerable upgrade and/or change for the better overall... or, just keep the HS8, as they're probably good enough. Space = half of a 2-car garage (with cars usually inside [less air volume] and flanked w/ shelves & storage boxes/junk/tools for diffusion).... sufficient acoustic panels (3 ceiling clouds, 3 corner/bass traps and front/side walls.

Overall not too bad of quality. I think that your efforts to improve the sound of these while noble will likely be inaudible as I think any distortions or resonances are already so far down below the music level that they are inaudible. A suggestion, just do the mods to one speaker at a time then set them side by side to remove any influence of the room and position from making an influence. Then use a mono signal to both speakers and level match the channels closely with pink or white noise. Then listen for differences in sound as you go between the left and right channels with different music and different playback levels. That’s the best way to determine if there is any differences as our acoustic memories are very short on the order of less than a second. Most interested in the results.

I appreciate the video. This is the reason I collect vintage speakers. These speakers components are very cheaply made, Stamp thin steel basket? amongst other things. how can Klipsch justify 3000-6000 for the pair? Imagine the components you can obtain for that amount of money.

I thought the crossover board was not removable?

Did the bass improve with air core inductors? When you left off you noted the better midrange and treble made the bass stand out in a bad way.

If would like to listen to a speaker that has a really stiff cabinet I would suggest checking out Magico. I think that Goodwin's is a dealer in the Mass area. The A1 which is their entry speaker is really impressive. Also maybe look at replacing parts in the crossover with parts from mundorf. Replace the sand cast resistors and the iron core inductors with air core or foil inductors.

I think you should just put them back together and enjoy them. If you found a 10 year old or more old pair, got them at a good price and did the upgrades your are thinking about that might be more worth your while? I have been down this rabbit hole a few times.

I’m not surprised that they don’t use super high end parts. Klipsch is not going for the typical hifi sound with these speakers. More expensive parts doesn’t allways mean better sound. What is more important is using good quality parts that will last a long time.

Great Video - I have the same speakers and they can be a bit shouty with some material and wondered about the crossover replacement but can get a schematic...could you draw something out and include thoughts for upgrades? I am in the UK and maybe HumbeHomemadeHifi in Holland and make me a new xo...Miflex KPCU-01 caps seem to have good reviews and wont break the bank

The number crunchers have done Klipsch in.

Great video, very insightful, however for this kind of money, that woofer should've been a cast frame aluminum basket instead... it should also have under spider venting for better cooling under around the spider and the out side of the voice coil "which is hopefully copper. as well as a better vented pole piece to cool the inside of the voice coil former "which i hope is aluminum at least" the top part of the former near the dust cap and even slightly below it beneath the windings of the voice coil, perhaps near the tripple joint should have little air holes in it for even more extended cooling capacity, around the under side of the cone where the dust cap is covering it, you see these types of things in higher powerd subwoofers or higher power capacity woofers, all of these things would increase cooling capacity and also reduce power compression making the woofers more responsive, there should also be a copper shortning ring around the lip of the pole piece and the other part of the voice coil gap in the magent around the out side parameter of the magnetic gap to reduce parasitic inductance to only further increase responsiveness, perhaps they have that at the very least, but you would need to completely disassemble the woofer to see this, they should've also stuck with the old school square alnico magnets and just charged them higher with a far higher voltage and current for a better a bl product to keep with the original design and further increase efficiency and cone control, the horns are by inlarge 5 to 8 db more efficient then the woofers are, if not that, they should've went all out for neodymium magnets, a neo magnet that is equal in size to what is there sure would increase the cost, but the increase in motor force would be simply off the charts, but i bet the efficiency would be that much greater, going back to the woofers frame, i think the originals frame was also a stamped steel design much like this current gen, but a cast design as i first said is just overall better and more solid, less resonant characteristics as well.... still a nice speaker over all, the woofers are ok, but not in a 5000+ dollar set of speakers ok... there are a few other things I'd want to point out, but these are still something I'd buy being a horn guy anyway, as really lets be honet, thats what you buy these babies for, their beautiful horns, even dispite its slight short comings overall, from what im seeing, everything else is designed fairly well, especially the cabnet. If i could find these babies cabinets with the woofers either missing, or blown out, I'd certainly be putting better drivers inside as well as a higher wattage set of inductors for the woofers as I'd be pushing more then 100 watts and if not that, id get rid of the crossovers entirely and then cross everything over electrically before the drivers which would just make them sound far better then any passive crossover using perhaps a dbx 3 way active crossover and a few decent power amps, such as 2 bryston 3b cubed amplifiers one for the woofers, a 2b for the midranges and a lp2 for the tweeters, still im sure they sound wonderful either way. Id also find the continuous power rating of both the mid drivers and the tweeter drivers and put properly selected self resetting poly switches on them to pretect them from to much current, perhaps even a current limiting lightbulb as well, as both of them protect things differently, the lightbulb is a gradual compression type deal as the poly switch is an immediant type of thing. Get them in decent enough quality, you wont damage the quality of the signal at all. Partsexpress has top quality speaker protection devices. Getting rid of the crossovers and going down the electrically crossed over rout will not only increase sound quality but also reduce power losses and increase efficiency not having to drive other passive components and also reduce distortion Those bryston amplifiers have a 0.005 percent thd rating at rated power, those dbx crossovers are failrly similar as well and don't cost all that much. As i said, wonderful video, it was very enjoyable to see inside. You earned a sub from me indeed!

The tweeter foam is to absorbs the sound from the back of the horn. Because the back soundwaves can hit the tweeter and cause issues. KEF has a new meta that absorbs the sound 99.9% for the LS50 Meta. A++ sound quality

The crossover look like they were builded by Eminence !

It is interesting to see that many people think $6000 for a pair of speakers with what looks to be about $100 or $200 of cheaply made components, a good deal. To me this is worth about $500 not $6K.

I have had really good luck with Danny Ritchie’s NoRez inside the cabinets . Almost like doubling the thickness of cabinets which I have done as well.

Very interested in your future mods. If you make two sets of crossovers it will lower your cost....... I would love to try them. ;)

You should never have opened them. Knowing that the woofer baskets are stamped steel degrades the sound quality significantly from what it was before you knew that. You'll now have to undergo hypnosis to forget, so that the sound quality can be restored to new. ;->

You are mentioned in Joey G's audio channel.

I heard these and I think there is a lot of room for improvement you can get. Have you thought about sending it to GR research? He can measure one you send in and build you a new cross over kit and give you some dampening material too.

Also I have not noticed much if any difference changing inductors on low frequencies. Very much so on the mid /highs

I would have liked to see more bracing and a cast woofer basket (like JBL L100 uses), rather than stamped. I think resonance has ALWAYS been a problem with the entire Klipsch heritage line from day one up to today.

The whole screw issue is massively important. I don’t want to take my Forte 1’s apart because I’m petrified of it.

G&R would recommend air core inductors and better capacitors; perhaps more anti-resonant liners inside. You didn’t mention the tractrix geometry of the horns that prevents internal reflections of the sound before emerging from the horns (makes them sound less like horns).

Not knocking your sp9 but get yourself s ls16 or ls15 personally I had all these up to a ls26,the sp9 is so entry level,try it especially with that amp and speaker combo

Why the cabinet seems like low quality handmade?

for a very expensive speaker they could at least use a cast frame driver and some premium caps on the xover

Think I would definitely loose the sandcast resistors for some Earsey. And re cap with Sonicaps all of same values of course. The purist will say “Klipsch wanted that way” but we know they had to hit a price point . People don’t get that and are becoming more and more aware of what high quality crossovers can do. (First thing I do with all my Heritage collection). Never fails to improve every sonic aspect of them. Thanks for great video

It should be noted that all the inductor are orthogonal to one-another, thereby minimizing magnetic coupling between them.