Reaction to GR Research’s Cornwall III Upgrades….Relax…..this isn’t a rant (almost)
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- My glowing reaction to GR Research’s Cornwall III upgrade (One Martini, a glass of Wine, and a nightcap of 14 Yr. Glenfiddich Single Malt).
Here’s Danny’s Video:
• Finally! Danny Takes O...
Not only will Danny get you to purchase his products but he will convince you to tear apart your speaker. All without you even hearing the product first, just purely based on his word. That's some next level salesmanship.
And Ron just did a rebuttal Video....LOL ! My friend went through the very thing you described and personally drove his giant double driver Tannoy's from Phoenix to North Texas and left the there for over a month. He offered to pay them extra to build and install the X-Overs but they said they were too busy and never told him in advance that what you get his is expertise and redone Xover schematics + measurements. You are personally on the hook to do the mods yourself or have a very knowledgeable friend (my friend Craig built the X-Overs and laughed when he saw how simple the X-Over was. Danny did provide very clear and concise instructions though.
His N-Extreme and Extreme Open Baffles with the H-Frame Subs do sound ridiculously good for the price. Of course those they will assemble and ship to you for and upcharge if you can't DIY....LOL !
Thanks for your support and suffering through my Videos.
And that's it !
With his superior knowledge of speaker fidelity and the tools and resources he has available to him. Plus his gift of working his magic on any speaker. Danny should be CEO of the world’s largest and most successful speaker manufacturer. But, he’s not. That speaks volumes.
All speakers are built to a price. Then Danny comes along. Takes a speaker, lines it with no res. Swaps the iron core inductors for air core inductors. Changes the electrolytic capacitors for pollycaps. Upgrades the internal wiring. Replaces the cheesy binding posts for tube connectors. Then charges a premium for his upgrade.
The manufacturer could have done that. But they didn’t. Why? Because they built the speaker to a price, aimed at a specific market.
You wouldn’t buy a car with a 2 litre engine and hydroelastic suspension then take it to a mechanic to fit a turbo charger and active suspension, would you. No, you’d buy a turbo charged, 2 litre car with active suspension.
And that’s exactly what he says I his videos. Sometimes the upgrades cost as much as the Speakers do. He does warn people.
He’s honest. There’s no arguing that.
Speaks volumes??? Completely illogical conclusion based on nothing. Danny talks over and over about mass produced speakers price point driven design decisions. Buy whatever makes you happy and respect others right to do choose a different path to happiness. Your car examples fall completely flat. Automotive modification kits and customization is an industry that dwarfs audio.
@@jfritzy4358 “Birds of a feather”!
@@howardskeivys4184 Better than being an uninformed hater just being snarky.
@@jfritzy4358 look at others reactions. Note there are opposing views. You tell me something I said which was an outright lye, or deliberately non factual. It strikes me that in life there 3 subjects that get peoples back up. Politics, religeon and hi-fi.
Enjoy the music.
Danny is very knowledgeable and do indeed make some great stuff. His problem is how ever, that he doesn't understand what sound signature is, or that people enjoy different flavors of sound. Like the Cornwalls as an example, yes they are not perfect, but they are not made to be perfect. They are made to sound exactly like big box vintage speakers sounded like. Because there's a market for it, and there's people who prefer this type of sound. I've heard some of his "upgraded" speakers, like the SVS Ultra Bookshelf side by side of the unmodified one. And I found the modified one completely ruined and sterile. But, this is the only issue I have with Danny. He just doesn't understand sound signatures.
Exactly. I’ve mentioned that before and people still just want to argue. If you don’t like Klipsch why are you buying something with sounds so unique as a Klipsch speaker?
@@philipketchum1407 Easy to sit back and make that judgement about what people should buy. Knowing Klipsch, or any brand, has a sound signature and fully understanding said sound signature are two different things. Hype about mass manufactured speaker is rampant. Klipsch is near the top of the list for having a strong following simply based on the brand. Owners send speakers to Danny because their preference has changed or they hear a problem. Danny measures, shows all the measurements before and after. Completely up to owners to decide if they want to modify.
Danny has said over, and over, and over that every speaker is designed to a price point. You can see the cheap parts in every video. You can hear the resonating enclosures. If you like how those things create a sound signature, enjoy. Danny clearly explains what he does and why. Make you own choice, there is nothing to argue about.
@@jfritzy4358 ok that’s fine. I’m not gonna argue with your points. However you missed my point. So I will have this conversation. I’ll sum up my point again at the end.
I’m a retired electronics engineer. I have been into this stereos journey from the time. I assembled my first system in the mid 70s with the typical Marantz 2252, Ohm bookshelf speakers, Thorens 160 table and a Pioneer cassette player. I currently have a room full of modern and vintage equipment. I also refurbish vintage gear as a hobby. One reason is because I prefer to have the ability to assemble countless systems that match the genre of music I want to listen to for that day or week. I listen to about everything from around the world. So I personally don’t like the route of a one size fits all approach. Most do and that’s fine. I’m also a strong believer in your money your choice. That’s all fine with me. I have owned many Klipsch speakers over the decades. From the extremely disappointing Heresy to the Kornerhorns. I still own the LaScalas and Chorus 2 because I feel they fit my needs the best from Klipsch. I even have the bedroom friendly RP-600. I currently have Maggie’s, Goldenear and many more. And sold many speakers through the years. I know all about “house sound” or Danny’s favorite “built to a price point “. Side note, everything is built to a price point. Even $250,000 speakers are built to a price point! “Sound stage”. “Speakers disappearing”. Blah blah blah.
All of these RUclips channels are just small business advertising or income driven from views and likes. Or even sometimes they are entertainers. They all have their style. And if brick and mortar stereo shops still existed in vast numbers most of these channels wouldn’t be here. You could simply go and get the truth first hand. The direct to consumer business model created these channels. You can pick up a little tidbit here and there from these guys but getting people hooked on their eco chamber is what most of this stuff is about. Danny is a small business pushing his company partially by tearing into mid level off the shelf speakers. He’s not some godsend to the community. He has an agenda just like Jay’s channel or Mikey, which is to hire them for their consulting. If you like their product then support their work just like any business. Andrew & Christy, Ron or Cheap Audio man make more of a living from their channel entertaining with a personality. They put effort into giving opinions in an entertaining style with no proof to back anything up because their models don’t need to. And then there is the measurement channels. They may help a little bit before ordering online because you can’t hear it in person. But no one listens to measurements. In my opinion those channels have the least value. All that behind said. And all the noise out of the way my point is this.
Klipsch who has been in existence since 1946 long before Danny was even born, building speakers not only to a house sound but for a specific mission. And other than some brands that are not even produced anymore like Altac Lansing, Klipsch is absolutely unique in their products. Side note, the RP and other home theater speakers are a completely different entity from the Heritage speakers.
Klipsch Heritage are not for the average enthusiast and are not “audiophile speakers”. They are their own category. A good analogy for Klipsch Heritage would be the Jeep CJ vehicles. They are built for a unique purpose. And like Jeep CJ’s the Heritage line has been pulled into the mainstream as a different type of life style. But you don’t purchase a Jeep CJ and thinking you are gonna get luxury out of it. You shouldn’t buy a Heritage Klipsch and think you will have a Wilson, Magico or an open baffle with an upgrade kit. Yes like a Jeep CJ you can mod and tweak a Heritage Klipsch. But it’s still gonna be a Klipsch. It’s dynamic, in your face, loud and gives you that live stage experience that others simply don’t do. They are not flat and shouldn’t be. I’m sorry but flat response = boring most of the time. Go to the Klipsch FB group of like 400,000 strong and read what the people said about the RP-600 upgrade that got all of this started. Most changed them back or dumped them on the market afterwards. Now if Danny and his 10 or so mods and a handful of after-market updates actually acknowledged the uniqueness of Klipsch in his episodes that would be a good and educational thing. And yes he may slip a little hint now and then but he does not emphasize it as he should. He gets sales by having this adversarial approach with the Klipsch name. And he doesn’t even put effort into explaining that there are 2 distinct Klipsch products. My point is, People like Danny don’t help the stereo community out with these episodes. if you don’t want that extreme and polarizing house sound don’t buy that speaker. Just like you shouldn’t buy a Jeep CJ as a daily driver for your family. If you have a Klipsch passed down to you or something and don’t like it, sell it and buy what you do like. But this nonsense that Danny is creating is just a business model. Don’t get me wrong I Like Danny’s channel but I see it for what it is. Just like Jay, Mikey, Ron, Erin and the rest. They are just what they are. That being said, anyone can think anything they want and spend their money anyway they want. Including paying shipping and all that cost if they want. But I can also, give my opinion from my 50 years of experience. And that’s my take on all of this. Take it or leave it
@@philipketchum1407 My experience is a remarkably similar journey to yours in years, career, and audio interest. Have built and refurbished many amps, pre-amps, tape decks, turntables and speakers. Long before discovering Danny, I started tearing down speakers, modifying, and rebuilding for myself and friends. Quality of every component matters. That is one of Danny's main messages. What Danny does is absolutely NOT nonsense.
Following your own path based on personal preference is fine. However, you seem to have a personal issue with Danny operating a legal business the way he pleases. Owners send him speakers. Danny initially evaluated submitted speakers free gratis and offered suggestions to the owners. The occasional video was made briefly discussing results. That free service grew quickly into something more time consuming than imagined. Happy customers spread the word. As any good businessman, Danny identified an opportunity. You do not have to partake. Criticizing the motives of others with curiosity and interest in possible improvements is not a positive for the audio community. Saying Danny does not help the stereo community comes across as a bit arrogant an bitter. Have to question how many of Danny's videos you have actually watched. He has shared a large amount of information, learned over years, that most people would keep to themselves.
Well said.
Another fun video. Honesty is always the best way. Remember what the Buddha said: "There is no path to happiness, happiness is the path. Thanks my friend.
Thank you Ed ! Love the quote. Excellent review of Leo DAC/Streamer Digital Preamp BTW. Watched it this morning.
I achieved Nirvana years ago when a sidewalk hot dog vendor made me one with everything.
I think Dannys comments are about a matter of degree. You might get image but not as much as with a different speaker with a narrower baffle
The midrange horn in the Cornwall III is really small, which usually indicates a need for a high crossover frequency. When Danny lowers that frequency then there is an increased chance that midrange distortion goes up substantially. He didn't provide measurements in THD+N or IMD, so we don't know if his changes induce more distortion.
Interesting that you are already happy with imaging of the CW speakers when they're right against the wall. My own horn speakers (Joseph Crower 1815) improve considerably in imaging when I pull them into the room.
On the Cornwall IV's, the midrange horn is enlarged and they added those "Mumps" radiuses curves to control directivity an not give that "Horn" sound.
My cornwall IV's are in storage... moved into a condo *looks to the right* can't wait to unbox them again....
I feel your pain. In Canada, I had my own A/V room in the Basement that my Wife & I built.
Years later, we moved two a two bedroom apartment in Scottsdale, AZ and now our home in Phoenix.
Imagine running 5 Bose 901’s in an Apartment ! We had good neighbors. Very rarely would I get. Knock on the door 😂.
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972 Hah lucky! We currently just watch movies with apple airpods... We miss movies sooooo much... Moving into an apt must have HURT.
Great video, who better to tell the story of your speakers than you the owner of said speaker! You are correct about RUclipsrs needing to "stay in their lane". Just because they review gear for views does not make them an expert! Even Danny himself will tell you how many reviewers don't do their listening in a acoustically treated room, then tell viewers they didn't like something about said speaker, but it is their own crappy room they are hearing, they simply have not taken enough necessary steps before hand to "get it right" for the viewers. Too many of them stand on their soap box and preach about things they know little about, not knowing that many of their viewers have allot of experience and education in fields of relevance!
Joey with that Onkyo I'm pretty sure basically you have active crossovers with bi-amp /tri-amp which are superior to his crossovers .(RCA/XLR output)
In one room I run a Flagship Yamaha that Bi-Amps and allows left & right Subwoofer outs.
Danny's thing is direct listening my method is more like Alan Blumlien the person that invented Stereo in 1929 I aim my speakers to produce a stereo image like a rear projector.
That was his original theory of operation.
Remember he invented it while watching a movie and wanted the front projection to match the rear sound.( Rake & Toe Baby!!!)
I know of the great English Engineer Alan Blumlein. The inventor of Stereo and of course the Blumlein mic technique of crossing two mic over each other.
I won’t use ANY room correction since I’ve treated my room as best as I can on a budget. Plus I listen to pure DSD and I refuse to convert DSD to PCM via Roon or anything else.
I do agree with you that while I’ve heard Danny’s N Xtreme open baffle with dual stack h frame subs over at Ron’s house a few years ago which are incredible but require LOTS of room to breathe.
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972Room Correction is not always required but in one of my experimental systems it does crosstalk cancellation and active room correction... That's the only way to fix listening with speakers pointed @ U the 200 microsecond missing ear to ear when cancelled gives music a true 3d lifelike Soundstage.
On Alan it wasn't just microphones he also had speakers designs with subwoofers in his archives from the 1930s.
I'll say this America was so steeped in Mono there is some catching up to do in Stereo and it ain't Atmos.
My research shows those British didn't let everything cross the pond for Stereo and Americans took their best guess.
Your dogs are sweet.
Thanks man ! When I’m desperate for views, I add them in the Videos 😅.
Appreciate your support !
Would You send in Youre bose 901s for modifications ?
😂. I know you’re joking (that’s a good one). I use miniDSP with my Series 1 & Series 2 901’s. Much quieter than the original EQ boxes (which I also modify the crap out of).
Cheers,
Joe
Oddly enough, I just spoke to Danny himself when I ordered an upgrade kit for my Maggie’s. I agree with 99% of what he says and the other one percent. I’m simply not the good enough listener to get his point.
I thought you would be linking to Danny's Cornwell III upgrade video, which I have seen, but you link to some other video where he talks about manufacturers sending him equipment to evaluate and possibly recommend.
I just clicked the link and it sends me to the CWIII Video of Danny's.
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972 That's quite weird because this is what is visible to me in your description box and it takes me to this video: • Calling ALL HiFi Manufacturers! GR-Re... Perhaps you should check what it shows you when you're signed out of your channel.
@@fredbloggs6080 Here's the link again Fred...me know if this works for you and I'll change it in the comments.
ruclips.net/video/XKZh_CeNRlk/видео.htmlsi=ufw7ugkwWrTtV4rZ
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972 Yes that link works. It's funny how the link "wires" seem to be crossed and for you in the current description link.
I want to ask you a question. I got a pair of Cornwall IV almost a month ago, and sometimes they sound great and sometimes they're a bit harsh or don't reproduce the softness or fullness of some female vocals that they should, although they are excellent for Sinatra from his Where Are You album (CD) from the late 1950s. What components do you use to upgrade your Cornwall IV, I mean can you use the GR research kit across the board because it says it's only for the Cornwall III, and who could I take them to--or preferably have them come to me--to have that done, as I don't have the equipment or experience to do it myself. I'm looking into bi-wiring, if that will help which, of course, I could do myself. I'm also looking at the Volti Rival which is more than double the price but by all accounts uses better components and sounds very good. Do you have an experience with that? I still have a month or so to return these, although that is an undertaking in itself.
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972 By the way, I just read an FAQ on the Vandersteen website about bi-wiring and by bi-amping. They found when they bi-amped the speakers sounded better, they sent out to isolate what caused the improvement, running a lot of A/B experiments. They found it wasn't the separate amplifiers, or increased power, it was using two separate sets of wires for the woofer and the midrange/tweeter, and the effect could be achieved from one amp. They talked about the crossovers etc. but I'm thinking the crossover is built-in Cornwall basically act like what they engineered. By separating the wires it eliminates the interference and overpowering of the treble signal by the low frequencies signal which happens when they are together in one wire.
CW4’s stage and image well if you set them up properly.🐄💨💩
Yeah that whole "Wall of Sound" comment made no sense.
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972 I have to agree with you on that one if the horns are set up correctly, you will have sound staging and depth, but maybe not as good as some of the non-horn speakers, but it will still be there in spades.
Are those 901's you got in the background there?
Bi/Tri amping is the way to go no matter what the speaker is were talkin. The number of Klipsch models Danny has corrected now is what baffles me. WTF is going on over there @ Klipsch? They have the necessary test gear there im sure of it, what is with designing products with such blatant deficiencies? Why insist on producing speakers that lack a flat response? Why bottom shelf x-over components inside their top shelf models!?!? What gives?
Yep. They will ALWAYS be my favourite Speakers of ALL TIME ! Warts and all. They ain't perfect but damn, they sound great when setup correctly. I run tow stacked pairs of Sealed Box 901's. No foam rot issues. The ones on the top are from 1968. The rescue/resto modded the cabinets. and replaced the grill material. The bottom ones are Series 2 and not sown is a 901 Continental
I used a balanced miniDSP to EQ them with proper +18db > boosts above 10k and below 100Hz as per the Bose curve.
For what Klipsch charges in the Heritage Series is a lot of money new. But then they do have to pay all the great people that work in their factory. I'm a big proponent of "Buy American" when it comes to Audio. I ain't no Turmper (go Kamela !) but I'm not a fan of all the Chi-Fi crap that's out there. There is good Chi-Fi but those products are U.S. designed and manufactured in Asia.
A lot of people miss the Palladium Speakers which were bringing Klipsch design into the 21st Century. They also used good quality Crossover components from what I've seen online.
Palladium should be brought into the fold. Strange that it was killed many years ago and emphasis placed on all the Heritage products.
Ive had his speaker upgrade. They are no upgrade, at all.
Thanks for the well thought out response
@@davestevens4193 all you needed to know, really.
Which Speakers did you upgrade ? Just curious.
Danny Richie trashes just about everything, that's how he sells his kits. I have some old cornwalls and upgraded the tweeters and caps with crites, no norez, no braces, no tube connectors, and they sound amazing!
Crites is awesome ! I did some email exchanges with Michael Crites. He basically told me to get the Mundorf Gold/Silver/Oil Capacitors (don’t change any values) for the Tweeter HPF and use Aluminum in Oil for everything else. Inductors he said I could stick with factory ones but I’ve always been a big fan of copper foil inductors for 30 years now (my 1st DIY back in ‘94 had Solo foil Inductors). So I went with Mundorf copper foil Inductors EVERYWHERE !
Sounds fantastic !
In other words, you modified them and now they sound better. Isn’t that what Dan does?
Hey Joey, what's the problem with Dany's TS amps review? you don't like those amps?
They only sounded good with the Galion speakers that Thomas lent me.
ruclips.net/video/ob5BV5EMLpo/видео.htmlsi=CuSJmX4MCtQutd1m
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972 aah ok, got it, thanks Joey!
He sells the soundstage and imaging a lot. Speakers with minimal surface diffractions, good phase alignment, good radiation pattern will give you this. Most notably, content should have the stage. Sorry to say this but he's preying on gullible minds for a while. I think that he knows and he doesn't mind because it will keep him in the bizz.
Setup is everything!! Except for a hand full of speakers like Larsen and Polk SDAs 2nd Gen I get a full Soundstage 15 feet apart and Imaging so tight you can cut it with a knife!! my other systems definitely need the speakers aimed and the right distance from the back wall.
I still don't understand how a "Tube Connector" is better than a standard binding post. Also his "shielded Speaker Cable". I don't understand how it can change the sound. PVC jacketed wire is used EVERYWHERE ! Hi End, Mid End, Low End HiFi. Sounds fine to me.
Different dielectric, different caracteristics , different sound, but thats for that last 1-3% improvement....
@@joeygsaudiochannel3972 There are folks with claimed knowledge of physics or engineering that like to shout "snake oil" about many things they really do not understand. Many assume that every audio business is staffed by engineers that know what they are doing. Partially true. Unfortunately, bean counters limit the engineers in most situations. The bean counters determine what is good enough to ensure a profit. Been there, fought the battle, have the T-shirt. If left unsupervised most engineers will tweak forever searching for perfection.
If every link in the chain is just good enough, that assures companies make a profit and most consumers are happy. Those looking for more turn to areas of small improvement that in total add up to significant improvement. Connectors, insulation, wire quality, component quality, power quality, shielding, grounding and many more small improvements of each add up. Unfortunately there are questionable claims that tarnish the industry. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Was it a Cornwall III? The headline just said "Cornwall."
yes cornwall 3
Can you whisper any lower
I tend to be a bit nore relaxed when I do my nightime Videos. The Booze helps 🤣🥃
His dogs were sleeping, be nice!
@@charlessailer4580 😆
Danny completely changes crossover networks yet never measures below 200hz.
The heart and sole of any speaker is its bass response. Yet Danny never goes there. He’s a snake oil salesman and people fall for it.
A truly ignorant comment. You need to gate the response in a living space to get good measurements. Below around 200 Hz, the standing waves in the room can be +-20dB! That is why all the decent measurement systems offer this gating function. So, to measure bass response, you trust your ears (I trust Dannys!), test outdoors on a day without wind, or rent into an anechoic chamber. Anyone that has spent time developing speakers also knows what air core inductors and reducing cabinet resonance does - even without listening to it. I see no snake oil, rather just an opportunity for the owners if they decide that it is worth it. That is very personal and certainly not a reason to insult someone. Don't think that it is worth it? Don't buy it. Don't like someones voice, don't listen to it. But to listen there and bitch here? Very, very cheap shot!