A bookshelf against a floor-standing. They are built for different places in a room, so start with where these have to go rather than which looks better on paper.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (35Hz vs 34Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | B | Klipsch Cornwall IV is more sensitive (102dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Size | depends | Spendor Classic 2/3 is easier to place; Klipsch Cornwall IV is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Type | depends | A Passive Bookshelf against a Passive Floor-standing - a different job rather than a better one. |
| Expandability | B | Klipsch Cornwall IV: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Spendor Classic 2/3 is cheaper - $6,499 against $7,300, about 11% less. |
A Spendor Classic 2/3 B Klipsch Cornwall IV
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Klipsch Cornwall IV measures better, Spendor Classic 2/3 costs about about 12% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. In a large or open-plan room, Klipsch Cornwall IV has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Spendor Classic 2/3 is the easier speaker to get right. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Klipsch Cornwall IV is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.