Heritage Envy

So, like I said, the wide part of the wedge starts at the rear and protrudes forward.

OK, so take a trip down memory lane with me back to the summer of 1995 -- my first Klipsch Heritage experience (yes, I am not yet advanced in age). There I sat in Coytees old apartment in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />East Tennessee staring down a walls worth of equipment, the foundation of which being these gigantic wooden boxes with a wedge shape protruding from the rear of each. Just a year earlier, I remember Coytee talking about driving over to Nashville for some work-related purpose. It just so happened that during the same trip, Pink Floyds Division Bell tour was making a stop at Vanderbilt Stadium (wink wink, nod nod). Upon his return, he spoke of the spectacle and the sheer amazement of seeing Floyd during this appearance, one that, unbeknownst to me, would also provide my first Klipsch listening experience, but I digress.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> So do you like your music loud?, I recall him asking me. Sure, why not. (how loud could it really be I thought to myself). Up to that moment, I had never heard of nor listened to any music on Klipsch speakers. My experience in hi-fi was limited to a system my brother-in-law had back in the early 80s on which he would blare the Alan Parsons Projects I Robot through his Infinity speakers as I recall. Coytee had just taken delivery of the live version of the tour he had seen just a year earlier, Pulse, and was eager to make a convert out of this young whippersnapper. Imagine my shock and surprise when I heard the mighty La Scalas for the first time, pounding my chest deliberatively with the powerful sounds of Floyd. I didnt know it took so little time for bleeding in the inner ear to occur, but at that moment, I knew that Coytee and Klipsch meant business. So from that point, an innocent fascination with Klipsch began for me. Years went by and I always enjoyed the infrequent occasions that allowed me to visit Coytees place and listen to some good music (and yes, even back then Marion would roll her eyes as Coytee would sing the praises of good music and good speakers). During this period, I, too, entered the world hi-fi and purchased my first system. An Onkyo receiver with cd player powering, gulp, Brand-X Acousticrap 5s. I know, I know, youre wincing in pain right now, but remember that I was a young lad who didnt know his backside from a hole in the ground. I had seen and heard at Coytees what I should have considered buying, but being in school and working part-time just didnt cut the financial mustard for me. Fast forward several years to 2006, the year that Coytee and others would become some of the first owners of Jubilees (from what I understood at the time, PWKs would-be flagship product). As Ive had a standing invitation to come to the farm in Greenback for many years (earned by unloading several Home Depot trucks that ferried the materials to build the house Coytee currently occupies, but thats another story), I managed to make it up there last fall to audition the new Jubs. I took along just a couple of my favorites that happened to by in the car at the time (Alison Krauss and Rush as I recall). There I sat again, staring down the throats of these new behemoths. The horns on these things reminded me of the sort that we here in East Tennessee see from time to time high atop a mast, standing at the ready to alert the masses of a meltdowns at one of our local nuclear power plants. Now imagine being about 10 feet from two of these things pointing right at your ears. I wanted first to listen to the angelic voice of Alison Krauss. With remarkable clarity and chill bump producing melodies, I listened quietly with my eyes closed taking in what seemed to be a live performance only a feet away. That afternoon, I was able to sample many artists, including Rush (my all-time favorite), the Eagles, the Stones, some Clapton, and yes, some Pink Floyd among others. Its hard to describe the sound of these speakers. Ive read many posts on the forum from people far more qualified than I to make any profound statements about them. However, I can relate that these evoke emotion, the kind that reminds you of a favorite time in life or the kind that produces goose bumps. I dont own any Klipsch Heritage products at the moment, but I hope to some day. Until then, Ill live vicariously through Coytee and others on the forum. There's no doubt that the Jubilees are amazing . . .but theyre no Jewel Cubes! []