Looks like crappy homebuilt - wait..... OMG!

[zunde]

Those look very nice, someone did an excellent refinish job. That said, I've never really understood the big deal about Heresys. I had a pair before and they just sounded, well, a bit "blasé" compared to other products I've owned in the Heritage lineup (Forte, Chorus, Quartet.) I loved all of those, but the Heresys seemed like they were simply meant to be secondary speakers to compliment full-range mains (which they were.) JMO

 

[zunde]

I'm truly not attempting to be cantankerous, but I have a pair of DCM CX-17 that out performed the heresy by leaps and bounds. I did not have to rebuild or modify them in any way. I do have a pair of Quartets that I could not say that about.

I agree with every word of this.

 

[Ramseybella]

It was the goodness of your heart..
I have done the same a few times, "just take them enjoy hope they work out for you"..
It is a painful walk away but good for the soul.
Now if your friend was dragging his ass twenty minutes before over something stupid and you see this guy humping them to the front check out..
Then i get pissed. My friend and i use to go thrifting and yard sailing, we are at this antique mall he's dicking with this old gumball machine wanting the key to open it up.
I'm like Dude he wants $300 what are you going to get for it $400 and then pack that thing? lets get to the Mexican Flea market stuff go's fast, twenty five minutes later he's got his key and gumball machine.
Get to the flea market not two minutes through the gate i see this Urban gaucho at this table whipping out cash surrounded by three Nikon f3 cameras with motor drives and a bunch of Nikkor glass and a couple Mamiya 654 medium formats..
I picked one up he says those are mine Bro!! OK chill, I was like looking at my friend Damn you Jim!! After he no doubt ripped this poor girl off with a baby in a stroller by her side i approached this clown and asked him you want to sell?
Clearly he knows nothing about photography but just to sell. Hey Amigo how much you want? $200.00 i say $150.00 Oh No, No, No! i walk away, Hombre $175.00? I say $165.00 Amigo, I have the cameras.. Then after i am happy cat my friend comes up, I know what he paid her for those i was watching, I say i don't want to know but you being an A hole in my book at this time are gassing up to tell me anyway... HE says $45.00 i punched him in the arm, you and you're freaking Gumball machine..
It was all she had for sale on a little table besides this old oil lamp,I would have given her $165.00 just because the situation she clearly had going on in her life. I walked back and gave her $20.00 for the lamp.
You can tell when someone is feeding you the BS and when they aren't..

Better stuff will always come down the road..

 

[Tim D]

OMG Part 2......

I had no idea what these are going for on the big auction site. Seems it is an even bigger scroe than I originally thought. Any adjustment in value for the bare plywood model? I prefer veneer, but a previous owner seems to have made the best of the bare wood.

I'll try to find time today to hook them up to my Fisher KX-100 tube amp to see if they are fully functional.

 

[Tim D]

I'm truly not attempting to be cantankerous, but I have a pair of DCM CX-17 that out performed the heresy by leaps and bounds. I did not have to rebuild or modify them in any way. I do have a pair of Quartets that I could not say that about. The are hooked to my SX - 1250 and are winners in every way. I always wanted to hear a pair of Cornwalls to see how they held up.

BTW, I believe Tim D was attempting a bit of humor to lighten our evening.

Yep KingBubba. Mostly trying to be humorous, but it seems someone didn't eat their Wheaties late last night.....

Please understand that I said "Crappy Homebuilt" - not "Homebuilt". When you have the corners butted so that the end-plys are hanging out they kinda of looked like they were built in high school woodshop. fThese are not Finish-Grade cabinetry, but they are a rare example of factory raw - non veneered cabinets. Now that I know what they are, I'm glad I looked closer......

Interesting about the CX-17's. I've had a few pair come up in the past on CL that I almost pulled the trigger on. They seem to be pretty cheap in my market. Those have coaxial drivers, right? Interesting concept that could help the imaging..... You don't see those much outside of car speakers anymore.

 

[bowtie427ss]

I'm diggin' the accuracy of the thread title.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Yep KingBubba. Mostly trying to be humorous, but it seems someone didn't eat their Wheaties late last night.....

Please understand that I said "Crappy Homebuilt" - not "Homebuilt". When you have the corners butted so that the end-plys are hanging out they kinda of looked like they were built in high school woodshop. fThese are not Finish-Grade cabinetry, but they are a rare example of factory raw - non veneered cabinets. Now that I know what they are, I'm glad I looked closer......

Interesting about the CX-17's. I've had a few pair come up in the past on CL that I almost pulled the trigger on. They seem to be pretty cheap in my market. Those have coaxial drivers, right? Interesting concept that could help the imaging..... You don't see those much outside of car speakers anymore.

Ya, the cx-17's sell for what they're worth around here, about $70/pair, that's about what they sound like too, I wouldn't waste my time unless you can't afford better.

I always find it funny when people negatively compare the Heresy to speakers in the same line using the same drivers, the main difference being cabinet size. They were voiced to better articulate the human voice as a center channel for the K-horn, and why they have such an outstanding midrange. Just add a couple of subs and dig deeper than any of the heritage line will go. The midrange magic will still be intact, they just sound BIGGER.

As for the unfinished plywood value, sure the finished go for a bit more, but the prices you see on eBay reflect the value of what you have. Keep in mind these have been in production essentially unchanged for 60 yrs and sell for $2000/pair now so you definitely scored.

 

[Grenadeslio]

I won't, but it's not likely. I don't check CL, don't pay ebay prices. I buy at a thrift if I find something good (rare these days) and I never see Heresies at a thrift. People keep them.

Just that once. And he saw them first. I'll just enjoy the KG1s...

That's too bad, I think the Heresy would make your toes tap. Keep in mind, if you did plunk down some hard earned money on a used pair you could always flip them for a profit if need be. With 60 yrs under their belt I think the market will still be there when and if (that's a BIG if) you ever decided to let them go.

 

[Porkloin]

I saw a pair of Heresies side by side on the floor of thrift about 10 years ago. Like new. Lovely blond oak veneers. Price: $30 the pair. A friend was with me and helped carry them to the check out. I bought them. I was excited!

A young guy came running up, he was holding a turntable and looked panicked. "Oh my god did you BUY them?" He started talking. He said saw them and put them next to each other on the floor and went off to grab the turntable. He was going to buy it all. He was only gone 30 seconds. That's when I saw them and bought them. He kept talking — his wife was a singer and it was their first anniversary and he'd found the perfect gifts for her. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face!

I wanted those speakers and they were mine. Paid for. But he kept talking. He was a really nice guy, obviously telling the truth, passionate and heartfelt. I explained the rules to him — if you walk away from something, it's not yours, you have no claim on them — I was right but I was arguing a technicality. On and on he went, how much he adored his wife, what a great singer she is, how they were struggling artists and couldn't afford any speakers, and then God dropped these great speakers in his lap! On their anniversary no less!

Finally I couldn't listen any more. "Give me 30 bucks," I said, not very nicely. My friend punched me, "Are you crazy?! You're letting him have them?! You already paid! They're YOURS!" I took the money and left, I didn't want to hear the young guy's Thank Yous. All the way to the car, three blocks away, my friend berated me. I tried to shut him up — "I have great speakers already. I didn't need them. He did." "But what if he was lying?" my friend retorted. "He wasn't lying," I said. "But — "

I turned to him. "Just shut up! Not another word about those speakers! Ever!" I got in my car and slammed the door hard.

To this day I do not think about those Heresies. Unfortunately OP's story forced me to remember. I really really really wanted them.

I can't believe that letting go of a pair of thrift store Heresies was that difficult of a task. Good God, if I had the slightest inkling that the guy was telling the truth, I'd have happily given them to him and helped him load them into his car. The gift of giving alone would be far more valuable than some mediocre horn speakers.

 

[Opus]

I am without Heresies. The Pope must love me.

I do have Klipsch KG1. A bookshelf 2-way. They give "that 'they are here' presentation. It sounds like they're right here in the room with us" as you put it so well.

Like your Emits, my KEF Ref 101s give the other kind of realism. Right now I'm loving the Klipsch version of realism. They give up nothing to KEF in accuracy; lose on finesse and transparency (but KEF is almost Quad-like in that sense, so not a fair comparison); KG1 is better for dynamics and slam; the soundstage isn't quite as deep as KEF, yet with two subs adding a full octave of deeper bass to both of them, KEF still sounds like a small speaker, while KG1 is like a HUGE floorstander.

But there's almost nothing on the web about them, just one subjective review, with a bit of info. Even the Klipsch site virtually ignores them.

Does anyone have more info on them?

About a year ago I went to Goodwill. Walking around I saw what I thought was a pair of Subwoofers. Walked around to the front and see Klipsch Badges. Klipsch KG1. Price tag was $3.99 for both speakers. Got a cart to put them in. The cashier was surprised and knew of Klipsch. She was just shaking her head saying the people here just have no idea! She rang them up and said that will be $7.98. Told her the tag says $3.99 for both. She lost her mind after that. Brought them home and was very surprised with what I was hearing. Used to have Heresies and prefer the KG1, seems everything blends so well together. Keepers for sure.

Opus

 

[bimasta]

I can't believe that letting go of a pair of thrift store Heresies was that difficult of a task.

I embellished the difficulty a bit. It wasn't that hard. The story of that thrift shop encounter was a moral tale. My skeptical friend represented one moral voice, not "wrong" but very stern. The young newlwed was another voice, arguing a moral claim he couldn't support, and certainly couldn't enforce, but was clearly valid. I cast myself as man in the middle, suddenly forced to be a moral arbiter. Life puts us in such situations. Some can be crucially important, requiring the wisdom of Solomon — or as trivial as who gets the "mediocre horn speakers". Norman Mailer said "Everything in life has a moral handle."

I only posted the story because it was very on-topic — finding Heresys in a thrift shop at a giveaway price — but it had an added moral dimension. "Doing the right thing" isn't always easy. Knowing what the right thing IS can be hard to discern, and then doing it when your personal desire pulls you in another direction also makes it difficult.

Forgive me, Porkloin, for dramatizing it a bit. I was trying to make a point. And I'm very glad you're the virtuous man you describe who knows the right thing and does it with nary a doubt, the world needs more men like you.

 

[bimasta]

Klipsch KG1. Brought them home and was very surprised with what I was hearing. Used to have Heresies and prefer the KG1, seems everything blends so well together. Keepers for sure.

Another KG1 fan. We seem to be rare, Opus. I was so surprised and delighted when I first heard them I wrote a review, I was going to start new thread about them. Maybe I should, this thread is about Heresys and the KG1 will just get lost...

Adding the stereo subs had dramatic effect. There's a string quartet where the Viola passes a descending melody to the Cello, and it descends even lower, to stygian depths. A great musical moment, and the transition from KG1s to subs was so seamless they sounded like a single instrument. Magic.

 

[Tom Brennan]

Back when the Klipsch company still had a guiding direction Bruce Edgar asked Jim Hunter why they didn’t make a sub for the Heresy. Hunter replied that was why they made the Cornwall.

 

[MannyE]

What does homebuilt have to do with junk?

Are you saying that if it is homebuilt then it must be junk?

Please clarify...

Well, yes. I think that's pretty much what he is saying and pretty much what most people think BECAUSE...... most of the homebuilt stuff I have come across is utter junk. Some homebuilt stuff is amazing. Like 1% maybe.

For every one of these you might get lucky enough to find:

you have to go through 100 of these:

 

[Porkloin]

I embellished the difficulty a bit. It wasn't that hard. The story of that thrift shop encounter was a moral tale. My skeptical friend represented one moral voice, not "wrong" but very stern. The young newlwed was another voice, arguing a moral claim he couldn't support, and certainly couldn't enforce, but was clearly valid. I cast myself as man in the middle, suddenly forced to be a moral arbiter. Life puts us in such situations. Some can be crucially important, requiring the wisdom of Solomon — or as trivial as who gets the "mediocre horn speakers". Norman Mailer said "Everything in life has a moral handle."

I only posted the story because it was very on-topic — finding Heresys in a thrift shop at a giveaway price — but it had an added moral dimension. "Doing the right thing" isn't always easy. Knowing what the right thing IS can be hard to discern, and then doing it when your personal desire pulls you in another direction also makes it difficult.

Forgive me, Porkloin, for dramatizing it a bit. I was trying to make a point. And I'm very glad you're the virtuous man you describe who knows the right thing and does it with nary a doubt, the world needs more men like you.

Don't get me wrong.
I left out the part how I'd make the kid show me naked pictures of his wife before closing the trunk on the Heresies.

 

[bimasta]

Back when the Klipsch company still had a guiding direction Bruce Edgar asked Jim Hunter why they didn’t make a sub for the Heresy. Hunter replied that was why they made the Cornwall.

I like these 'inside stories'. Got any more, Tom?

Here's a tip I got from Bruce Edgar — he was using a 6.5" driver in his later designs. Made by Pioneer. I bought two for the GNP Valkyries I used at the time. The improvement was dramatic — the midrange, where voicess live, was more expansive, more epressive, more human. And they were cheap, only $40 new. I don't remember if that was for the pair, or only one, but still cheap given the quality. Huge magnets, very stiff paper cones, possibly a composite-paper cone.

Sadly I threw out the boxes; they no doubt had a simple model number, easier to find. But on the magnets it says C16LU20 - 51F and below that DT -D019N19.

If you need a midrange (and Bruce used them full-range) consider these Pioneers. It was only about 15 years ago, they may still be available.

 

[bimasta]

Don't get me wrong.
I left out the part how I'd make the kid show me naked pictures of his wife before closing the trunk on the Heresies.

Glad you clarifed that, Porkloin. It was the perfect way to handle the situation — and I didn't even think of it. What's wrong with me?

 

[Justgotohm]

I saw a pair of Heresies side by side on the floor of thrift about 10 years ago. Like new. Lovely blond oak veneers. Price: $30 the pair. A friend was with me and helped carry them to the check out. I bought them. I was excited!

A young guy came running up, he was holding a turntable and looked panicked. "Oh my god did you BUY them?" He started talking. He said saw them and put them next to each other on the floor and went off to grab the turntable. He was going to buy it all. He was only gone 30 seconds. That's when I saw them and bought them. He kept talking — his wife was a singer and it was their first anniversary and he'd found the perfect gifts for her. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face!

I wanted those speakers and they were mine. Paid for. But he kept talking. He was a really nice guy, obviously telling the truth, passionate and heartfelt. I explained the rules to him — if you walk away from something, it's not yours, you have no claim on them — I was right but I was arguing a technicality. On and on he went, how much he adored his wife, what a great singer she is, how they were struggling artists and couldn't afford any speakers, and then God dropped these great speakers in his lap! On their anniversary no less!

Finally I couldn't listen any more. "Give me 30 bucks," I said, not very nicely. My friend punched me, "Are you crazy?! You're letting him have them?! You already paid! They're YOURS!" I took the money and left, I didn't want to hear the young guy's Thank Yous. All the way to the car, three blocks away, my friend berated me. I tried to shut him up — "I have great speakers already. I didn't need them. He did." "But what if he was lying?" my friend retorted. "He wasn't lying," I said. "But — "

I turned to him. "Just shut up! Not another word about those speakers! Ever!" I got in my car and slammed the door hard.

To this day I do not think about those Heresies. Unfortunately OP's story forced me to remember. I really really really wanted them.

The very second the guy mentioned (God must have wanted me to have them or whatever) they would have been going home with me. My argument would be, God must have wanted ME to have them, you walked away friend. There are 7+ Billion souls on the planet, a huge number are staving, have terminal illnesses, killing each other over who's God is better, etc,etc. So out of all of this the particular God your loyal to decided to give you speakers? Not health, empathy toward fellow man, the strength to help and make a difference in society, but speakers? Nope, would have gone home with me cause God wanted it that way. No different than a televangelist saying God wants them to have a private jet. Take note when I see speakers I want in a Thrift store I immediately pick up one of them to check out or leave at the counter to fetch the other.

I recently picked up a set of 73 Heresy's with the Type C crossovers and 16ohm woofer. I placed them 6inches off the rear wall and about 18inches off each side wall not toed in. My space has a vaulted ceiling wood tongue and groove walls, ceiling, wood floor. I had them running off a Pilot 240 EL84 based integrated, they sounded fantastic with the right amount of low end running the tone controls flat. I was suprised at the low end they produced in this particular set up. These where plenty punchy and accurate. I've had other set before used more center in the room running off low powered SS gear and did not have the same effect.

 

[superdog]

Heresys were my first set of good speakers.Found at a thrift for $24.99 in 2004.I no longer have them but I enjoyed them.

 

[zunde]

I can't believe that letting go of a pair of thrift store Heresies was that difficult of a task. Good God, if I had the slightest inkling that the guy was telling the truth, I'd have happily given them to him and helped him load them into his car. The gift of giving alone would be far more valuable than some mediocre horn speakers.

THIS. OMG THIS. Mediocre is right.