jelliott100

I'm using an RC-3 with my heresy's and while the match is obviously not perfect, I find it perfectly acceptable and don't notice the tonal difference accept on things pan slowly across the front soundstage. Noone has ever been watching a movie at my house and said... "hey man...that center channel doesn't sound the same as the mains..what's up with that?". ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525 This message has been edited by jelliott100 on 02-20-2002 at 09:00 PM

Welcome to the club, Ben. Glad you could make it!! ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

BenG Forgive me if I missed something but the last post I saw about how you have your Heresy's setup mentioned that you had them pointing straight ahead. I notice a tremendous loss of detail with my Heresy's in this configuration. If you haven't yet done so, I highly recommend that you try toe-ing them in so that that are pointing directly at your listening position. I would start there and then experiment with varying amounts of toe-in to see what you like the best. Also, I found that elevating them off the floor resulted in additional levels of detail in the music. As has been mentioned before, placement is critical with these speakers and my experience has been such. The difference in sound between, on the floor pointing straight ahead and, on the stands pointing right at me, is significant(amazing actually). Don't underestimate the importance of proper setup with these speakers. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

I guess I'll chime in with my recommendation for an all heresy setup. I had a pair of 10 or 12 year old HII's that I bought new and after auditioning various alternatives, I decided that another pair was the way to go for the surrounds. I'm currently using an RC-3 for the center, due to space considerations and while, the match is not perfect, it's not just completely awful. Upgrading to the HII's to the rear made a humongous difference in how much I enjoy my system. For a sub I'm using an SVS 20-39cs and it's a fantastic match for movies and for music. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

I'll second the recommendation on the SVS unit. I'm using a 20-39cs with my HII's and could not be happier. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

I'm using an SVSubwoofers 20-39cs with my HII's. Sound is amazing. "Seamless" comes to mind. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

I'm with ya, Ross. Politeness and manners are rare qualities these days. It seems that not only are we not teaching folks to be nice, but that it's appropriate to be obnoxious if you feel like it. I think it goes beyond the "impersonal" nature of this medium. It's deeper than that. A thoughtful person will measure their response no matter how they are communicating with someone. It simply appears that fewer folks are bothering themselves with the "unpleasantness" of being a decent human being these days. My personal opinion about the Klipsch boards as of late is that, with the popularity of Klipsch's promedia line, there are a great deal of folks roaming around, here, who have little to no interest in our hobby. I have a feeling that many of these gentle people purchased the promedia's because a game magazine somewhere said that, with them, one feels as though rockets are being launched into one's *** when playing such-and-such video game. I've been on the Quake 3 servers....not a nice place. Similar conversations to which you're referring are frequent. I may be off base, I don't know. I certainly intend no offense to promedia owners. I wouldn't mind having a set myself to tell the truth. I do think, however, that having a product in the lower price strata is going to attract a multitude of folks to the BB, many of whom will share neither our interests in Klipsch as a serious speaker company nor our attitudes about the proper way to behave towards each other. It's simply a question of numbers. Please, stick it out, Ross. I've been loitering around in here for nearly a year and have a mental list of members who's posts I read without fail. A core group of "always useful or interesting" folks who are the reason I keep coming back. You're part of that list and I would hate to miss out on your insights and comments. That goes for the rest of you "old timers" too. There are a lot of lurkers out here who appreciate what you have to offer. Please don't give up! ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525 This message has been edited by jelliott100 on 10-04-2001 at 09:40 PM

I think Tom Vodhanel of SVSubwoofers has been looking for a pair of these. You might be able to work out a deal on a Mighty CS-Ultra or something. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

I'm using an RC-3 center with my Heresy II's. It's not a perfect match but it's pretty good. Only when a sound pans slowly across the front soundstage can I hear the difference. If I had the space I would have gone with a KLF-C7 but, alas, the monster will not fit. For surrounds, I picked up a 2nd pair of HII's off of ebay for ~$500. But having heard the RC-3, I think a pair of RS-3's would do fine with a pair of Heresy's RC-7/RS-7 might be even better but at a higher price. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

The sacrifices we make for our friends. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

Kevin, It's certainly possible that the volume levels at which I listen (sometimes)are high enough to strain the amp in the Denon. I definitely turn it up loud on occassion but I've never considered it to be overly so. I'm not entirely sure I would recognize the sound of the amps clipping if I heard it. I'm not certain if the improvement I hear with the new amp is due to it's higher output or if it's simply due to the fact that the Acurus is a higher quality piece than the denon's internal amp(s). Most likely it's a combination of both. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

I wrote the following in response to a private email on this posting. Just in case anyone is interested. Thanks to all for the continuing responses on this topic. ---------------------------- I've done a few different things since I posted about my staging concerns. First, I did exactly what you described in attacking the early reflections in the room. My wife thought I was crazy having her slide a mirror along the wall but, at this point, she knows I'm weird. We temporarily hung some carpet on the side walls at the appropriate location. The improvement was subtle but noticable. The rooms seems more intimate somehow when listening to music. Soundstaging improved but not drastically. Loud passages still became pretty muddied up. Next I built a pair of 8 inch speaker stands (MDF and cinderblock construction) and sat the Heresy's on them. Soundstaging was improved yet again, but still quite subtle. Bass response was affected, but with the Sub, that was not really a problem. Things did sound cleaner and more refined, but still, during louder, complex passages.....yuck. The most recent addition and the one that has had the most profound effect on the sound has been the inclusion of an Acurus 100x3 to power the front three speakers. The improvement here was not subtle in the least. Everything is more detailed, more refined and just flat out cleaner sounding. Even my wife noticed the difference within about 10 seconds of listening. Most satisfying, however, has been the improvement to the quailty of the sound during the louder, more complex parts of music that I have been so troubled with. Detail and clarity is much, much better, individual instruments are more easily discernable and the music simply sounds less strained and more...well....musical. This has been a revelation and considering what I paid for the amp, quite a bargain! I've thought about doing the speaker cables but I'm using the higher end Monster wire now and I've promised myself (not to mention my wife) that I'd take a 6 month hiatus from stereo purchases. At the very least, that should give me time to get very acquainted with how things sound before I begin adding things again. I know there's room for further improvement but things sound quite good to my ears at the moment. My only remaining complaint is a lack of depth in the soundstage. I get very good localization across but it still seems almost flat as far as the depth goes. In any case, it certainly is fun tinkering around with it and I frequently experience moments of sheer joy listening to my cd's, which is what it's all about, I suppose. Thanks again for the note and advice! ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

Well, After getting the cold shoulder from the local dealers in terms of in-home auditions I decided I would poke around online and see what was available (and returnable). After considering a couple of different amps (odessey and monarch) I went a little out of my mind and bid on an Acurus 100x3 on ebay. Lo and behold I won with what I thought was a low-ball bid. It arrived today and I hooked up the L and R mains with some cheapo monster cable I had lying around while I wait for my BetterCables to arrive. First impression is very favorable. Instantly noticed more detail and better definition. A few weeks ago I posted about how my soundstage seemed to collapse into a messy heap when loud passages played. This has been greatly improved with the addition of the Acurus amp. I can still hear individual instruments very clearly even when things get loud and complex. Terrific! As far as the sound itself. I think one of the proverbial "veils" has been lifted. Vocals sound more "there" in the room with me. Piano sounds much more real. All in all, I'm very satisfied with this purchase. I have not tried any home theater listening as of yet. Once my new cables arrive I'll hook everything up and re-calibrate. Can't wait to hear it! Thanks to all for the advice in this matter. I'm sure I'll be looking to upgrade again in the near future but, for now I'm quite happy. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 Acurus 100x3 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525 This message has been edited by jelliott100 on 07-18-2001 at 08:22 PM

I was wondering if we had any Dallas Area Khorn owners that would be interested in giving a demo? I've never heard them and would be really interested in hearing, for myself, what the fuss is about. It's not as though one can walk into a audio store these days and audition a pair, unfortunately. I think my Heresy's sound great and all, but I'd be willing to buy lunch for a chance to hear some real Horns. Anybody? ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

My dad was always big into audio when I was growing up. Nothing really high end, mind you, strictly mid-fi but as a result, there was always extra gear laying around. He never had any Klipsch in the house but I can remember him speaking fondly of K-horns on many occasions. Alas, poor dad, with 3 kids and a stay-at-home wife, the horns were just not in his future. He settled for a pair of Pioneer hpm-100's, which were pretty nice since they were built before the fall and subsequent rebirth of Pioneer as a serious audio manufacturer. Anyway, when I moved out of the house, dad let me take whatever extra stuff he had lying around to put together a system. I didn't have anything fancy but it was adequate, and free. A year or so later, he called me one day and told me that a place called Home Entertainment was clearing out their inventory of Heresy II's and that he thought we should go over and take a listen. I'd never heard horn speakers of any kind and at the time, I was in a fluster over Bose 901's, thinking they were the ultimate in home audio bliss(but I'd never heard those either...marketing genius). Lo' and behold we walk into the store and there are a pair of 901's sitting on the floor. Needless to say, I totally forget about the Heresy's and start making a fool out of myself fawning all over the 901's. While this is going on, my dad has quietly told the saleman that we were interested in the Heresy's since, with the discounted price, they were in my price range. The salesman, indicated that there were none on the floor and that he would have to pull some out of the boxes so we could hear them. He also, off-handedly said something to me along the lines of "Ya like those 901's, huh?". "Of course!" I gushed, "these are what I would REALLY like to have!". What he said next still sticks in my mind as something notable. "Well, they're a trade in, and I could put you in in those 901's for about the same price as what the Heresy's are selling for, but, if you're serious about good sound, let me unbox a pair of Heresy's and you listen to them, you may not want what you think you want, after that." Frankly, he could have sold me the 901's right there with no further hassle. Instead he vanishes into the back for 10 minutes and then comes out with a pair of HII's, still packed in their boxes. He spends another 20-30 minutes unpacking them, getting them hooked up and properly positioned, plunks me down into the sweet spot and runs 3 or four CD's through them. After he finished I looked over at the 901's and quietly asked "do those sound ANYTHING like these?". "Not even close" he said through a wry little smile. Needless to say, I walked out with a pair of Heresy's and never regretted it. And at a bargain price of $679.00. Heck I just paid $600 for a used pair off of ebay (surround speakers)a few weeks ago. That was 1991 and the salesmans name was Mike Lang. I don't know if he was a true Klipsch guy or just wanted to move the Heresy's out of the storeroom but either way I'm better off. I didn't hear a pair of 901's until quite a few years later and while they didn't sound as awful as some would lead you to believe, I'm sure glad Mike was in the store that day and that I ended up with my Heresy's. My brother has my dad's old pioneer speakers, now. They're going on 25 years old now, I think. Still sound good. Dad has a pair of KG5.5's and a ksw-15. Nice combo, I must say. He never did get his K-horns. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

Makes perfect sense. Quality watts over sheer quantity. But how do I determine how many "Quality" watts I need. Is there some way I can determine how much power I'm using at a given volume level? For movies, I'm generally at -5db from reference and with music usually at -10 to -15 on the receivers display. I have no idea how to correlate this to power usage, though. I suppose I just need to plug some different things in and see how it sounds. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

As of late, I've been mulling over my next upgrade. Invariably, one falls into the "more is better" mentality and, as such, I'm considering the addition of the ever popular "wattage" to my system. My current system consists of a Denon 2801 (90wx5) with Heresy II's. At the moment, I've been thinking about the possibility of integrating a pair (or 3) of monoblock amps (Marantz ma700, possibly) to the front soundstage and letting the denon devote itself to the surrounds. My question revolves around adding more power to high efficiency speakers. I can certainly see how adding amps to a pair of 86db speakers would yield a great benefit, but, would one expect the same level of improvement with high efficiency units? At reference levels, is 200watts of power going to increase clarity/imaging/whatever significantly over 90 watts? I'm not trying to get louder. What I have is sufficiently so. I'm just looking to improve the quality of sound at the same levels that I'm listening to, now. Is there a point where adding more power no longer buys you anything with a high efficiency design, like Klipsch? ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

Unfortunately, I'll be working this weekend. Maybe some other time though. I've never been to the Plano store and would like to check it out. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

DwK, In another thread, you mentioned that you listened to the Velodynes at "Hillcrest". Would that be Hillcrest HiFi in Dallas? ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

The sad thing is, those 35 bidders are most assuredly pining for the Bose system with that "weird" center channel that they've never heard, of thrown in. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy II Main/Surround RC-3 SVS 20-39cs Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525 This message has been edited by jelliott100 on 07-01-2001 at 08:26 AM

Leather, reclining loveseat to replace full size sofa that takes up too much floor space. Note that this is being done to free up some room for a pair of Heresy's bought as surrounds since I don't want to mount them from the ceiling. Next.....Either a Zen Triode tube amp or a Bottlehead foreplay and a pair of Paramour monoblocks and that new sony SACD changer. Or maybe.....jeez someone help me...I have a sickness. You know, I started this whole thing as strictly a home theater but somewhere along the way, I decided that I needed to pursue 2-channel audio bliss. I'm perfectly happy with the HT as it is now, but this 2-channel thing.....where does it end? ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy II Main/Surround RC-3 SVS 20-39cs Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525

I listened to the Velo's before purchasing a sub from SV. The Velodynes definitely rock hard but to my ears, the SV beats them handily and costs half as much. Of course, look at the size of the SV compared to an HGS-10. If you need the small size, there are very few things on the market that can run with those Velo's. ------------------ --Elliott--

I'm using an RC-3 with my Heresy II's and most of the time it sounds really good. The only instances where I really notice the timbre difference is when dialog is panned across the front soundstage. For example, in X-men towards the end of the scene in the senate where senater kelly is talking. During his speech, the sounds pans from the LF to the Center and back to the left front. It is painfully obvious how different the RC-3 is from the Heresy II. The Heresy sounds crisper/cleaner. Most of the time, however, I couldn't tell the difference if I tried and even when I can, it really doesn't bother me too much. I recently picked up another pair of Heresy's (temporary insanity) for the surrounds and while it is pretty nice having an exact timbre match back there, I'm not too thrilled with the size of the speakers. I'm considering selling them and replacing them with RS-3's and maybe even putting some RF-3's up front. I could then move my beloved Heresy's off into a different room for a 2-channel system. I think BobG recommended a KLF-C7 as a good match. I just didn't have the space for a center channel speaker of that size in my setup so I made a compromise. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the RC-3 and if I hadn't gone crazy and bought this second pair of Heresy's, I'd be hanging a pair of RS-3's on the wall and not regretting it. ------------------ --Elliott--

Well, here goes. This has been bouncing around in the back of my mind for a while now and I thought I would solicit opinions. My current setup consists of Heresy II mains and an RC-3, with some old RS Minimus 11's for surrounds. I had a total meltdown one night a few weeks ago and purchased another pair of Heresy II's (ebay) to replace the radio shack rears. Now that I've had this second pair of Heresy's in the house for a while, I beginning to realize that integrating them into my room is going to be a tremondous hassle. I'm either going to have to mount them to ceiling and thus figure out some way to get wires up there, or, buy new (smaller) furniture so that there will be room to mount them on stands, on the floor. Both of these options are really un-desirable to me. There are two plans floating around in my head. One, sell the second pair of HII's and buy a pair of RS-3's and just keep my Main's. Second, I could sell all four Heresy's and pick up both RS-3's and RF-3's so that I would have a matched system. RS-3's would be so easy for me to mount with no extra shelf building or ceiling hanging and the wires are already in place to the current surrounds. Plus, the RF-3 being so much thinner than the Heresy would allow me much greater placement latitude in my smallish (11 ft wide) room. The other thing lurking in my evil (according to my wife) mind is selling one pair of Heresy's, using that money and my tax refund to buy RF-3's and RS-3's, keeping my original pair of Heresy's and building a 2 channel only, all tube setup in another room. Don't tell my wife. If she knew that was even IN my mind....it wouldn't be pretty. I guess I'm just kinda thinking out loud here but I'd be interested to hear any opinions anyone might have. I've auditioned the RF's and I like the way they sound for HT but I haven't really listened to them analytically for music/2-channel. ------------------ --Elliott-- This message has been edited by jelliott100 on 06-21-2001 at 11:21 AM

Well, while we're talking Klipsch and Fathers Day. My dad finally moved into the 21st century and picked up a DVD player so I went over to help him hook it up to his system. As it turned out, we ended up spending the entire afternoon cleaning and fiddling around with his setup. He has a pair of KG5.5's and a KSW-300 but no surround sound yet. My nephew had taken to tossing cherios into the port on the sub so I took that apart and fished out about 50 cherio's, a wiffle ball and and spill proof cup lid (with integrated straw!). We also played around with speaker positions and got the sub better integrated into his system. When we were finished we just sat and listened for over an hour. This was one of the best day's I've spent with my dad in years and I think he had as much fun as I did. He's a big Klipsch fan (so I know where I got that) but doesn't really keep close tabs on the latest developments so I had fun bringing him up to speed on the latest happenings in Klipschland. In a time where my father and I seem to have less and less to talk about, it was great to spend an afternoon doing something together that we both really enjoyed. ------------------ --Elliott--