Klipsch Cornwall I's vs JBL L150A
Still waiting on my woofers...
In the interim, I picked up a set of BEAT Klipsch Cornwall I's. Way back before I bought my L150A's it was down to a pair of these or the JBL's. The Corns sold so that made the choice easy back then but now... Let me just say that these things F'n rock. None of that B.S. woofer voice coil rub like I experienced with my 150A's at ANY level. I forget who it was that posted you shouldn't be rockin' old dogs like that Marantz 510M or the JBL 150A's like I was which is why I needed a recone. Yeah, tell that to Paul Klipsch! ;) These things are just so efficient and the Marantz jams 'em with ease.
Listening critically though, the JBL L150A's edge out the Cornies. The midrange has more sparkle, the treble is more detailed and precise. Bass goes lower and is more life like & tighter. More life-like than the Cornwalls. I do have a subwoofer, a M&K MX350THX or something like that. I left it unhooked for testing, it's still unhooked, don't really need it.. Anyway, we partied pretty good with those Cornwalls Saturday night after I got them hooked up. Listened to the ole crowd pleasers, Eagles, Steely Dan, Cake, Cars, War and of course, MC Hammer to test out woofer excursion. We listened to much more than that but once we set the alarm off from the volume we realized our drinks needed a refill and toned it down. I also realized that the Cornwalls didn't fatigue my ears much at all. I wasn't sure of what to expect with horns but I was pleasantly surprised. Had I started with just these, I'd probably still have my old Marantz 4300. I opened them up to have a gander at their build quality. Not much in the way of sound deadener but I do like how their crossover network is arranged and the the wire they used is nice and thick gauge unlike the L150A's with all their hot glue snot and skinny 14 or 16 gauge wire.. However, I do like that JBL developed their own drivers, it's clear Eminence made the K33E's for Klipsch and they aren't as stout in appearance when contrasted against the 128H's in the L150A's. Makes me wonder about the origins of the K77 squawker and K55V mid horn..
Bottom line is, if you can score a set of Cornwalls for cheap, you won't be disappointed. But the L150A is a superior speaker to my ears. Listening to the Cornwalls made me miss my L150A's though, almost shed a tear for 'em. If they had feelings, I'm sure they're looking at those Cornwalls as "the other woman." And just like Ray Parker Jr. said, "Life was fine until she blew my mind.."