Curious_George

If you want to see marketing from the 60's, watch Mad Men on Netflix...

I'll take mine "slow & syrupy" (Last sentence at the end of the Preface). http://glowinthedarkaudio.com/decware-zen-se84ufo.html

I have been censored and some posts were outright deleted, but I understand why. I didn't follow the rules. It is that simple. Sure, interpretation plays a part, but in the end, if the moderators deem it unacceptable, it is. I own and operate a campground, and quite frankly I am fairly strict with our campground policies, if you don't observe them, you get one warning, after that you are out. Sure, I have received negative Google reviews, but that just gives me the chance to tell the other side of the story. There are way more positive reviews than negative reviews and if people think they are going to try and change the way I run my business by Google reviews, I'd just assume close the doors and I would.

I know this is an older thread, but info posted in various places (in threads here and on the Internet) about the Heresy HIP are not consistent. Not that you would expect opinions to be consistent, but a lot of the info is confusing. The HIP does have low bass output. Following are my opinions and observations from having Heresy 1's (1979, listened to these for many years before the mod, then modded into Claude's Super Heresy) and Heresy HIP's (1980); - The HIP's in their OE configuration do have low bass output, however, it is overshadowed by the midarange and tweeter output levels being much higher. - The HIP can be "turned into" a Super Heresy by simply lowering the midrange & tweeter levels to suite your taste. From the factory (at least on my HIP's) the tweeter is run wide open (tap 5, 0dB) and the midrange is on tap 4, -3dB. If efficiency is not your primary consideration, then you can sacrifice some of the midrange output and reduce it down -6dB or even -9dB. Don't forget to change the 8uF cap going to the T2A as you change taps for the midrange. Below is a cheater guide for the cap: Tap 4 - 8uF Tap3 - 4uF Tap 2 - 2uF Tap 1 is not considered because the midrange output would be too low. - Stuffing the enclosure. Turning the HIP into the Super Heresy is finalized by adding your favorite stuffing material in the Heresy enclosure. I would suggest reading through Claude's Super Heresy build thread to get all the details. - In conclusion, the end result is a great home HiFi speaker that is easy to listen to on its own.

I think the premise of the original question is an issue. The question implies that Klipsch NEEDS help. I didn't know it was so common to think that Elon Musk has the Midas Touch. He is a smart business man. No argument there, but no Midas. I think Klipsch is doing great under the Voxx umbrella. I'm sure Klipsch would like more autonomy, but hey, you have to keep the investors happy.

Let me rephrase that... I would sell my LaScala's with the K-400 horn before I sell my Heresy 1's. The Heresy's do sound wonderful for what they are and the Heresy HIP converted to "HiFi" is icing on the cake.

Just because you have a near unlimited source of money does not mean you can buy an existing company and make it better. This has been proven in all product areas. Maybe Elon needs to buy more Fish...

I have effectively turned my Heresy HIP's into Claude's Super Heresy. All the driver appear to be in good shape. Date codes indicate a 1980 build. I know some will say the phenolic diaphragms of the tweeter and midrange probably need to be replaced, but they sound fine to me. I have not done any REW measurements yet, but will soon. I stuffed each enclosure and cut the midrange to -6dB on the T2A. I left the tweeter wide open. After a short listening session. I deemed them to sound great. Impedance measurements confirm the HIP port tuning is exactly the same as the Super Heresy mod. If it has been so easy to modify an HIP into a nice listenable speaker, why does it get no respect as a HiFi speaker? From things I have read on this forum (which I always take lightly), the HIP is like a dawg with Leprosy.

Celestion TF1225. I used this woofer and it is great in this mod too. Specs are spot on for the mod.

I've never seen a K-42 in the flesh... it is impressive! Reminds me of some car audio woofers from the days of yore.

I have procured three (3) 1980 Heresy HIP's. Visually the drivers I see are k42, K55M & K77M. The previous owner said although they look rough, they work fine. The exterior is a bit rough to say the least, and I have not decided how I will refinish the exterior. One HIP will be a center channel for the basement home theater and the other two I am unsure about... use for rear home theater use or stand alone pair with sub for music. I ran an impedance curve on one of the HIP's and it is very similar to a Heresy 1 that has had the Super Heresy mod. This tells me the low end should be OK, but I want to revise the HIE crossovers to the ALK "universal" type. I prefer the universal to the Type A, AA, E and E2. I'll take some pictures soon and upload them. HIP Heresy 1 with port mod

In this case, quality pounces quantity, if you have high efficiency speakers.

I may have a few USA NOS 12AX7’s if you are interested. I’ll check my inventory.

Exactly. Not!

That’s pretty fast!

You can't take them with you. Years ago when I made my 211 SE amp (1999) I found 6 GE NOS 211 tubes for a really good price (2003), so I bought them. For years I did not use them because of what they are / were. One day, I started using them and they seemed to be no better than the Chinese 211 tubes I had been using. In fact, all 4 seemed to have issues over a short time, so I stopped using them. I have current meters on the front face of the 211 amps and the GE 211's would give me varying current levels at random intervals. Put the Sino tubes back in, no problem. I've been using the same Chinese tubes for many years with no issues. I can't say how many hours are on the tubes, but they are consistent and have not had issues like the GE NOS 211's. So the moral of the story is, until you try 'em, you don't know what you have!

Transformers are like negative feedback… misunderstood most of the time. A good transformer has limitations just like any other electronic component and if used within it’s limitations, they work and sound great. Negative feedback is great too, but it has to be used wisely, kind of like common sense, which is severely lacking in today’s society.

Absorbent material is used to address two areas; standing waves and to increase box volume. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiabatic_process The increase in box size is plain ole physics, in this case, the laws of thermodynamics. Here is an interesting discussion on the subject:

Now here is some real magic. https://sophiaelectric.com/products/pages-tube-preamp-magik-box This is the epitome of audiophile hyperbole.

If you are new to tubes, don’t get caught up in the high price of some tubes. I would not pay more than $250 for a pair of 2A3’s and $400 for a pair of 300B’s. It may be a challenge with recent tube price rises.

2A3 or 300B? If you can find them and the price is not inflated, Sovtek 2A3 are great. 300B, Electro-Harmonix or Gold Lion tubes are great. There are many others of course, but dollar to value those will give you the best value/performance.

I agree about the NOS rectifiers, but the pricing is outrageous sometimes. I patiently peruse eBay until my price range pops up and I buy. One that seems to be inflated is the 5AR4. All the others I can usually find what I am willing to pay.

I've used JJ tubes and they seem as good as the Sovtek's. I only had an issue with a 5AR4, but that seems to be one of their duds. The 5751 is very nice if you're looking for a quiet tube with less gain than a 12AX7.