John Potis

Hi maxg, Sorry about the coffee. You're right. Years ago I was looking at a supercharged Ford Thuderbird (OK, it was many years ago) and the sales guy kept telling me it was turbocharged-- didn't know the difference. Seems car dealers have a similar problem. Only difference is that people NEED a car and will buy them somewhere. The same can't be said about speaker buyers and a potential audiophile lost is one, quite possibly, never regained. I've noticed the popularity of the Juicy Music products, which is pretty cool. I would imagine that I've got what it takes to do right by a pair of La Scala IIs, though. I've got an Art Audio 845 SET producing 16 watts (the Carissa), I've got a pair of Canary CA 330s-- 300B push-pull amps producing 26 watts, I've got a Musical Fidelity A5 integrated and a pair of Bel Canto e.One Reference 1000 monos for those days when I need to rid the house of unwanted vermin (aka inlaws). I've got on loan a pair of Opera's Cyber 211 amps that I'm betting will be unbelievable with them. Though one never really knows. Best, JP

Hi Loud, You're a lot like me when it comes to subwoofers. Once you own a good one (or two) it makes buying speakers and placing them in the room much easier. The 'limited' bass of the La Scala IIs may work for me. Sometimes there's just no predicting how a speaker will perform in the bass within a given room. Take the deep bass out of the speaker and it takes the worries out of the purchase. And then you can dial it in any way you like it. My dealer friend told me once that very often it was the case that his favorite speakers in the house were the hardest to sell. He listed some very good speakers that they just couldn't sell. Often retail is a business just like any other and you have to stock what is hot on the market no matter what's pulling on your own heartstrings. I won't say what line it is, but this dealer carries a line that they personally think used to be a joke (they seem to have gotten better, though I haven't heard them) but they got rave reviews and people would come in pre-sold on them. It was either give them what they want or watch them go elsewhere. I've got stacks of hifi magazines going back 20+ years and I don't have a single review of a Heritage product. Kinda sad! There is Sam Tellig's review in Stereophile but the Stereophile website doesn't have any of Sam's writing on it so only Stereophile magazine subscribers will know about it unless they trip upon it while visiting the Klipsch site, which is the opposite of the way it should be. It's supposed to be the reviews sending people to the manufacturer's site, not the other way around! Yet another reason I'd love to review a pair. Best, JP

"The Heritage really does have some good mid-range, but I've heard complaints that it can be "in your face". I guess that is why many folks like to use lower-power tube amplifications. Me, being a heavy metal type of guy, I do like it hard and loud! (Probably why I am jonesing for a pair of Cornwall III's now! " In your face can be exciting as long as the speaker's not too bright and edgy. Some speakers invite you in for a closer listen, some speakers prefer to take the fun right to you. Which you like depends on the room and your personal tastes. Or even your mood! I'm a speaker guy, I love all flavors. Where personal preference is concerned, I find that I'm very tolerant of what a speaker doesn't do in favor of what it does. It's all about compromise. And I don't believe that there's some absolute sound. Everybody has different baselines for comparison and thusly we all have different criteria as to what sounds real. As a reviewer, I believe that all you have to do is describe what a product does well and be fair about what it doesn't and it'll find its own audience. As for my personal tastes? Depends on my mood. Right now I really want something that'll fit in my own living room and reach out to me. I want something immediate, direct and dynamic. You know that question people ask... when you walk by a room in which live music is being played...how do you know it's live music? I think the number one clue is dynamics. I've been to all kinds of venues and they all sound vastly different. The one thing all live music has in common is dynamics, be they on the micro or the macro level. JP

"I would prefer to sit with my legs dangling over the lip of the orchestra pit. LOL!! I recently got to hear the RL Acoustique Lamhorns and to some extent this is what I heard. It really reached into the room and energized it. It was a very exciting presentation. After that I started wondering about the Klipsch horns. I'd love to find something that I could use in my living room that would do that. Thanks for your input. JP

>>>>>Also to add, out of curiosity, which dealer in the D.C. area that you went to? Was it that Sound Images place in Falls Church? I was at the Meyer Emco in Bethesda, Steven. I called several dealers that were listed as having Heritage speakers but this was the only one I found. I started by calling another store but was told that only the Bethesda store had any at all. JP

Thanks for the info, Steven. Can you tell me how the RF series differs sound wise from the heritage series? JP

Holy crap! Evel Knievel just called! He wants permission to jump your speakers! Personally, I don't think he can do it! I hope you've normally got them in at least two different rooms! Tell me what you're doing with them all! JP

Thanks again! Actually, I was checking out the Pilgrimage section a few nights ago and it did indeed look like a blast. I've been doing lot of poking around looking for whatever info I could find. Considering how long Klipsch has been around, I was fairly surprised how little info I could find. I also noticed that the only Klipsch speakers I see for sale are both old and pretty beaten up. That says a lot. Thanks for the kind words on the piece. I would imagine that it rang true with a great many people. Too many people. Frankly, I'm surprised that it got around as quickly as it did. Best, JP

Hi gaspr, thanks for writing me and for the invitation. Hello all. It's nice to be here. I have some good news! I heard from the Klipsch press guy, Keith Claytor. He says he's been out of town and we'll try and talk when he's back on Monday. I know from experience that you don't count your review samples before you've got them unboxed, but I'm extremely excited. I can't wait to hear them. After hearing the speakers demoed with a huge solid-state amplifier, I'm curious as to what you all are using with yours? I'm also curious as to the vintages in use. At what they do, I don't see Klipsch as having too much competition these days so I would imagine that there's some real loyalty to the brand and some longevity to ownership. Hmmm. Neat forum. Where's the spell check and the "send" button! Best to all, JP