This is Heresy!

[Inspiribomb]

Greetings everyone, seems like it has been forever since I last posted here. Since selling my house, relocating across the country, and moving into an apartment, my philosophy on tunes, or rather what produces them, has somewhat changed.

Currently running NHT M6 speakers off a Wyred4Sound Mint (Class D mini integrated), coupled with a pair of NHT W1 subwoofers. The sound leaves nothing to be desired, but I am thinking about simplifying and going with something more efficient. The NHT's spec at 86 db/watt/m2, and will suck up everything the little W4S can dish out. I have been thinking about moving from these to a pair of Klipsch Heresy II or III coupled with a small powered subwoofer.

The advantages I see are 1) increased efficiency, and 2) fewer boxes (7 vs. 3). Having happily coexisted with Klipsch in the past (RF-7, RB-75, KSB3.1), I believe that I would enjoy them, but must confess I have never heard the Heritage lineup. I expect the sound to be completely different from the NHT's that I have grown accustomed to.

To me, this is all just stuff, and stuff can be replaced. If I don't care for the change, I can always try something else. I have gone through many phases and a lot of gear in my audio journey, and am long past the point of chasing the ultimate sound. These days most of my listening is in my office on a little Bose SoundLink Mini radio!

With all this said, I am wondering what thoughts/comments you may have. Which version - IV, III, or II? Is there some other high efficiency speaker(s) I should be considering? Thank you in advance for your time

 

[BilboBaggins]

I think you are moving in the right direction with the heresy’s. I think you need to choose your subwoofer carefully. But a lot depends on your ears. Personally, I have never been satisfied with subs and music. That is why I like large speakers.

You are probably just dipping your toes in the water with the heresy’s. Why not find a good deal on some other Klipsch with good and efficient bass?

 

[Grenadeslio]

I would suggest twin Dayton Audio Sub 1200's from Parts Express as stands. Connected in stereo they will raise the Heresys to the right height and preserve the Klipsch house sound only BIGGER with 25hz capability.

 

[damacman]

Why not some Fortes?

 

[Tom Brennan]

Some years ago when Horn God Bruce Edgar asked a Klipsch engineer why they didn't mate the Heresy with a sub the engineer said that was what the Cornwall was for.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Greetings everyone, seems like it has been forever since I last posted here. Since selling my house, relocating across the country, and moving into an apartment, my philosophy on tunes, or rather what produces them, has somewhat changed.

Currently running NHT M6 speakers off a Wyred4Sound Mint (Class D mini integrated), coupled with a pair of NHT W1 subwoofers. The sound leaves nothing to be desired, but I am thinking about simplifying and going with something more efficient. The NHT's spec at 86 db/watt/m2, and will suck up everything the little W4S can dish out. I have been thinking about moving from these to a pair of Klipsch Heresy II or III coupled with a small powered subwoofer.

The advantages I see are 1) increased efficiency, and 2) fewer boxes (7 vs. 3). Having happily coexisted with Klipsch in the past (RF-7, RB-75, KSB3.1), I believe that I would enjoy them, but must confess I have never heard the Heritage lineup. I expect the sound to be completely different from the NHT's that I have grown accustomed to.

To me, this is all just stuff, and stuff can be replaced. If I don't care for the change, I can always try something else. I have gone through many phases and a lot of gear in my audio journey, and am long past the point of chasing the ultimate sound. These days most of my listening is in my office on a little Bose SoundLink Mini radio!

With all this said, I am wondering what thoughts/comments you may have. Which version - IV, III, or II? Is there some other high efficiency speaker(s) I should be considering? Thank you in advance for your time

You could purchase a pair of series 1 for about $400, see if you like them, I'm betting you will. If you don't, move them along, you'll have no problem getting your money back.

I currently have one pair, had two, purchased both for $400 a pair. Five yrs later I was going in a different direction with the living rm system and sold one pair for $400. Essentially renting them cost free for 5yrs, I like that.

The Heresy has a reputation for lack of bass, this is somewhat false. It has awesome tight bass, and with room reinforcement when properly set up digs fairly deep. They need to be on the floor, and against the front wall, I find it also helps to spike the bottom. This also has the added benefit of protecting the bottom of the speaker from being scratched.



My other set were paired with twin Dayton Audio Sub 1200's from Parts Express utilized as stands. This allowed pulling them out away from the wall, toed in, and lifted for better imaging without suffering bass loss.

 

[GordonW]

Some years ago when Horn God Bruce Edgar asked a Klipsch engineer why they didn't mate the Heresy with a sub the engineer said that was what the Cornwall was for.

That is, indeed, a very Paul Klipsch answer to that question. He must have trained that engineer well.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[quiet]

I think the Cornwall is the Klipsch box speaker to get and the price difference over the Heresy is more than justified

 

[Tom Brennan]

I've no knowledge of newer Heritage type Klipsch speakers (other than their excellent bluetooth speaker I just bought) but regarding older ones I think the Cornwall, with it's deeper bass and robust tone, is significantly superior to the Heresy, a speaker I think rather brash and obnoxious.

My opinion is somewhat informed, I owned LaScalas, Cornwalls and Heresys before going full hog with Altec and JBL which I think are superior to older Klipsch.

And as long as the OP has asked, I advise him to consider other high efficiency, high output speakers such as various Altecs--890C Bolero in a smaller speaker and Valencias, 19s or other versions of Altec 12" or 15" woofer-horn treble hybrids. (The Altec model 414 12" woofer makes the most sublime midrange.) Or speakers using the Altec 604 or 605 Duplex drivers. I traded my Cornwalls for 605s. I consider the Altec Model 19 one of the finest turnkey speakers ever made but they are large and getting more expensive.

I'd also consider some JBL and Tannoy speakers--I think some of the more recent Tannoy coaxial speakers (Dual Concentric is the marketing term for their coaxials) are bargains as used models and have first rate sound. It seems the Tannoy freaks generally focus on older models and neglect some excellent newer ones.

 

[macyjrm]

To the OP (who now lives in an apartment) I agree you have a good idea. I don’t currently own Heresy speakers but I recently repaired a pair for a friend. They don’t take up much room, sound really good to my ears, and a small sub to augment the bottom works well. Just dial in that sub to the degree you like and begin to enjoy the music. As stated above, the Dayton Audio subs from Parts Express are affordable and readily available. I have had one for about a decade now and I’m still pleased with it.

 

[Grenadeslio]

To the OP (who now lives in an apartment) I agree you have a good idea. I don’t currently own Heresy speakers but I recently repaired a pair for a friend. They don’t take up much room, sound really good to my ears, and a small sub to augment the bottom works well. Just dial in that sub to the degree you like and begin to enjoy the music. As stated above, the Dayton Audio subs from Parts Express are affordable and readily available. I have had one for about a decade now and I’m still pleased with it.

And as he's now an apartment dweller it's nice the Heresy is very dynamic even at low volume levels.

 

[wmgwizard]

You may find the combination of Class D amplification and horns to be a little harsh/bright.....YMMV

 

[Inspiribomb]

You may find the combination of Class D amplification and horns to be a little harsh/bright.....YMMV

This is a good point. I have been using the Wyred4Sound amps in some form for a while now, and previously had their 250 watt Mamps (mini amps) running RF-7's and RB-75's and was pleased with the sound. That should bode well for this experiment, but time will tell...

 

[Nat]

I have a pair of Heresys which I almost hadn't listened to because I had a pair years ago and thought they were bright and lacked bass. When I thought about selling them, I dug them out and fired them up with a pair of subwoofers I had in the system. I was quite surprised by how big, detailed, and balanced they sounded - I tend to like the British sound, but these Heresys sounded surprisingly like what I hope for.