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1973 Heresy speakers.

spidey2721

spidey2721

New Member
So these Heresy speakers came up on FB marketplace. I am not crazy knowledgeable about these as I would like to be. They are although, for me, a sought after speaker.

The cabinets especially as you can see the one are a bit rough. That damaged corner worries me. Also if they were treated so roughly on the outside... makes me worry about the important parts.

I have at least fair ability in wood working, but none with veneer. I don't have experience with any work on crossovers. He claims they both work fine.

They are sequential serial numbers. The asking price is 450. He is a 2 hour drive for me. What do the great minds of AK think? Should I jump on them? Should I be patient and let these go? What's parts for these run and how available are they?

Oh and they are dated 1973

Thanks for the input.


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It's a pretty good deal, especially when you consider what a current pair costs. Though the sound is not for everyone,I love my set.
 
Knocking off a layer of laminate may not equal being "treated horribly", and horns are pretty rugged. If they sound fine I wouldn't give it another thought. I paid $250 for my Hereseys a decade ago, but I think that today $450 is reasonable or maybe even a slight bargain. Not a scroe by any means, but low end of market. Parts are plentiful, but you very likely won't need anything other than electrolytic caps, but some folks will undoubtedly tell you about Crites mods, which may be fun for you to try. I run mine stock (again, except for caps) but you may enjoy modding them. That cabinet work isn't particularly challenging. To me, the biggest bummer is that the badges are gone. Ask if he has them. He may have put them in a drawer and forgotten. If not, that's bargaining leverage.
 
spidey2721 said:
So these Heresy speakers came up on FB marketplace. I am not crazy knowledgeable about these as I would like to be. They are although, for me, a sought after speaker.

The cabinets especially as you can see the one are a bit rough. That damaged corner worries me. Also if they were treated so roughly on the outside... makes me worry about the important parts.

I have at least fair ability in wood working, but none with veneer. I don't have experience with any work on crossovers. He claims they both work fine.

They are sequential serial numbers. The asking price is 450. He is a 2 hour drive for me. What do the great minds of AK think? Should I jump on them? Should I be patient and let these go? What's parts for these run and how available are they?

Oh and they are dated 1973

Thanks for the input.


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I'd grab those quick they go for way more where I am, like a 1000$ more lol.
 
Take a paper towel tube with you and make sure all the drivers are working.

Looked at a couple pair of Klipsch and found bad tweeters. Easy fix, but not free.

FWIW I sold my Heresy pair for $350 and a guy came from Toledo to pick them up.

Those cabinets look like an easy refresh.
 
I had those for 7 year and didn’t like them. Just my opinion but the bass is not very deep and there was a spike in the mids and tweeters because they are old style exponential horns.

we were raising three daughters during that time so I didn’t have time too mess with them.
 
I’d say if you wait any longer they’ll be gone before you know it. They really do look to be in good shape. No water damage that I can tell, and the grills weren’t a cat scratching post. That small chip on the veneer is an easy fix. Fresh electrolytic caps a light sanding and some Watco danish oil and those babies will look great!
 
Those will clean up nice if you put in a bit of effort. IMO, Heresys are overpriced. I can't imagine paying more than about $400 for a pair, but they're worth what people are willing to pay. Where they really shine for me is home theater type applications. Really make the vocals understandable for us old folks. You can get OK bass if you position them well, but if you really care about bass, get a subwoofer or look elsewhere.
 
spidey2721 said:
So these Heresy speakers came up on FB marketplace. I am not crazy knowledgeable about these as I would like to be. They are although, for me, a sought after speaker.

The cabinets especially as you can see the one are a bit rough. That damaged corner worries me. Also if they were treated so roughly on the outside... makes me worry about the important parts.

I have at least fair ability in wood working, but none with veneer. I don't have experience with any work on crossovers. He claims they both work fine.

They are sequential serial numbers. The asking price is 450. He is a 2 hour drive for me. What do the great minds of AK think? Should I jump on them? Should I be patient and let these go? What's parts for these run and how available are they?

Oh and they are dated 1973

Thanks for the input.


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They look pretty great to me. That little corner is nothing.

Why not try if he takes 350 and be happy?
 
They look very similar to the condition mine are in but I'm too busy enjoying them as my office speakers to care. The damage may indicate that they were loved speakers, they were moved and used for 4+ decades, it's hard not to chip something and it's bargaining power.
 
The old Heresies are worth a LOT less than the newer ones, so that may be where the wide range of values is coming from. I sold a similar set for like $500 a few years back.
 
Years ago, I bought a pair of Heresy II signature edition locally with one corner damaged. They had similar finish like yours. I use wood putty to repair the corner and refinished with mahogany color. They paired well with my Class A tube mono blocks. I added a Velondyne 12" subwoofer. They have stayed with my main system ever since. I like the setup and found tube amps go well with Heresy.
 
000 steelwool and Howards Restore-a-finish and they'll look brand new. Best to a use the 000 as an applicator. Point out the drive time and the condition of the grill cloth, he might have sympathy and lower the price a bit.
 
Hajidub said:
000 steelwool and Howards Restore-a-finish and they'll look brand new. Best to a use the 000 as an applicator. Point out the drive time and the condition of the grill cloth, he might have sympathy and lower the price a bit.
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I did a pair of advents in similar condition and a big water ring on the top like these have and it did a nice job. Not perfect, but very nice.

Advent A-25.jpg
 
Hit the water rings with a treatment of Barkeepers Friend before you oil the cabinets. Also, wood putty is fine for a small inconspicuous corner like that but I keep a piece of Walnut veneer that I stripped off some destroyed rat shack speakers to patch spots like that.
 
Ok so update...

Didn't buy the original speakers of the thread. But... did find a pair of Heresy twos that were closer, better condition and cheaper. Got them for $465. They have cat scratches on the corners of one as pictured, a nicked corner and a drink ring. But over all very nice. The important parts seem great. Very happy so far. Have them setup kinda temporary at the moment. Hopefully this weekend can dive more into them. May start a thread about restoration if I can this weekend. These are the pics from the ad. My photos are too large.


So TLDR... Score!

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spidey2721 said:
Ok so update...

Didn't buy the original speakers of the thread. But... did find a pair of Heresy twos that were closer, better condition and cheaper. Got them for $465. They have cat scratches on the corners of one as pictured, a nicked corner and a drink ring. But over all very nice. The important parts seem great. Very happy so far. Have them setup kinda temporary at the moment. Hopefully this weekend can dive more into them. May start a thread about restoration if I can this weekend. These are the pics from the ad. My photos are too large.


So TLDR... Score!

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Congratulations :)
You got a good Deal there.
 
spidey2721 said:
Ok so update...

Didn't buy the original speakers of the thread. But... did find a pair of Heresy twos that were closer, better condition and cheaper. Got them for $465. They have cat scratches on the corners of one as pictured, a nicked corner and a drink ring. But over all very nice. The important parts seem great. Very happy so far. Have them setup kinda temporary at the moment. Hopefully this weekend can dive more into them. May start a thread about restoration if I can this weekend. These are the pics from the ad. My photos are too large.


So TLDR... Score!

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Do you like the sound? I love mine but they are very polarizing speakers.

Barkeepers friend for the rings. Steam for the gouges. Sandpaper followed by steel wool and Danish Oil to freshen them up. DON'T let someone talk you into using Howards Restore a Finish on those. They appear to be oiled. That stuff is fine for quick fixes to a lacquer finish (I've used it myself more than once so I'm not a hater) but will only gum up an oiled one.

They don't appear to be exactly the same woofer, but perhaps they came out as supplies were changing. It may not be a big deal. I would be most curious to see if the mids and tweeters match. I'd pull the woofers and get model numbers for both and stick my camera through the hole to snap pics of the horn drivers.
 
markshan said:
Do you like the sound? I love mine but they are very polarizing speakers.

Barkeepers friend for the rings. Steam for the gouges. Sandpaper followed by steel wool and Danish Oil to freshen them up. DON'T let someone talk you into using Howards Restore a Finish on those. They appear to be oiled. That stuff is fine for quick fixes to a lacquer finish (I've used it myself more than once so I'm not a hater) but will only gum up an oiled one.

They don't appear to be exactly the same woofer, but perhaps they came out as supplies were changing. It may not be a big deal. I would be most curious to see if the mids and tweeters match. I'd pull the woofers and get model numbers for both and stick my camera through the hole to snap pics of the horn drivers.
Click to expand...



Yea I will do some digging this weekend. Thanks for any info on these. Where would be the best spot for a follow-up thread?
 
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