An icon of the Klipsch Heritage line
Few speakers carry the history that the Klipsch Cornwall IV does. Klipsch was founded in 1946 by Paul W. Klipsch, and the Heritage line, hand built in Hope, Arkansas, remains the purest expression of his design philosophy. The Cornwall name goes back decades, and the fourth generation continues the tradition of a large, floor placed enclosure that delivers full range, effortless sound from a horn loaded three way design.
What sets the Cornwall IV apart within the Heritage family is that it is a standing enclosure that does not require corner placement. It gives you a great deal of the scale and immediacy that horn loading is known for, in a cabinet you can position more freely in the room.
The technology inside
The Cornwall IV is a three way, horn loaded floorstanding loudspeaker. Its foundation is a 15 inch fiber composite cone woofer, one of the largest woofers Klipsch fits to a Heritage floorstander. Bass is reinforced through rear firing passive radiators in a bass reflex arrangement, which lets the plywood cabinet reach down to a rated 34Hz while keeping the enclosure free of a large port.
Above the woofer sit two Tractrix horns. The midrange is handled by a 1.75 inch titanium diaphragm compression driver, and the high frequencies by a 1 inch titanium diaphragm compression driver. Tractrix horn geometry is central to the Klipsch sound. It controls dispersion, reduces reflections off nearby surfaces and helps the drivers couple to the room with remarkable efficiency. The crossover hands off at 650Hz and 5200Hz, giving the large horn loaded midrange a wide, expressive band to work with.
The headline figure is sensitivity: 102 dB at 2.83V / 1m. That is extraordinarily high, and it is the reason Klipsch speakers pair so naturally with low wattage tube amplifiers as well as capable solid state. The Cornwall IV is 8 ohms compatible and its frequency response is rated 34Hz to 21kHz within plus or minus 3dB.
A speaker built to be seen
Each cabinet stands 38.5 inches tall, 25.5 inches wide and 15.5 inches deep, and weighs 100 lbs. These are real wood veneer enclosures offered in finishes including Natural, Black Ash, Walnut and Distressed Oak. They are furniture grade objects that reward careful placement and a proper stretch of listening.
Sound character and ideal use
The Cornwall IV is about scale, dynamics and ease. Because the horns and large woofer move air so efficiently, music arrives with life and immediacy at modest volume, and it never sounds strained when you turn things up. Vocals and acoustic instruments have body and presence through that big midrange horn, while the 15 inch woofer gives drums, bass and orchestral weight a grounded, room filling foundation.
This is a speaker for a medium to large room where you can let it breathe. It suits listeners who love dynamic music of any kind, from jazz and vocals to large scale rock and orchestral works, and who value the sense of a live performance filling the space in front of them. As a passive loudspeaker it needs amplification, and its very high sensitivity means you have unusually broad freedom in choosing that amplifier.
Where it sits in the Klipsch range
Within Heritage, the Cornwall IV sits above the compact standmount style Klipsch Heresy IV and the Klipsch Forte IV, offering a larger woofer and greater low frequency scale than either. Step up further and you reach the corner and fully horn loaded designs: the Klipsch La Scala AL6, the corner horn Klipschorn AK7, and the actively bi-amplified, DSP crossover Klipsch Jubilee. Each of those pursues an even more ambitious horn loaded goal with its own placement and system requirements.
If your interest leans toward a more conventional cone and dome floorstander from Klipsch, the Klipsch RF-7 III from the Reference line is worth considering. It shares the Klipsch commitment to high sensitivity and Tractrix horn tweeter loading in a different design direction. The Cornwall IV, by contrast, is fully within the hand built Heritage tradition with its large midrange horn and 15 inch woofer.
Building the system
Because the Cornwall IV is a passive speaker, you choose the electronics. Its 102 dB sensitivity is a gift here: it thrives on quality rather than sheer quantity of power. A refined integrated amplifier is often all you need.
For an all in one path, the Advance Paris MyConnect 250 combines amplification with streaming and connectivity in one chassis, while the Matrix Audio MD-1 Streaming Integrated Amplifier offers a modern streaming integrated approach. If you prefer a classic integrated amplifier feeding the horns, the Advance Paris A12 APEX Integrated Amplifier and the Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier are natural companions.
For a separates system, the TEAC UD-701N USB DAC, Network Player, Preamp and Headphone Amp makes an elegant digital front end and preamplifier, and it can drive power amplification such as the Parasound JCM250 Monoblock amplifiers for a spacious, controlled presentation. On the source side, disc listeners will enjoy the Shanling SCD3.3 SACD Player, and dedicated streaming fans can add the Matrix Audio NT-1 Reference Digital Audio Transport. The Cornwall IV's efficiency means the character of these front end choices comes through clearly, so it rewards thoughtful matching.
How it compares to other floorstanders we carry
If you are weighing the Cornwall IV against other floorstanders, the differences are really about design goal and taste. The Amphion Argon 3LX and the MoFi SourcePoint V10 Master Edition pursue their own approaches to imaging and voicing in a more compact footprint. The Spendor A7.2 and Spendor D7.2 represent a British tradition of refined, room friendly floorstanders. The Cornwall IV's distinguishing quality is its horn loaded, high sensitivity design and the sheer dynamic ease that comes with it. The right choice depends on your room, your listening tastes and the kind of amplification you want to pair.
Come and hear it
AEA is an authorized Klipsch dealer with a showroom in Timonium, Maryland. Demo units rotate and not every model is always set up, so please contact us to arrange a listen and we will do our best to have the Cornwall IV, or the right Heritage alternative, ready for you.