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The R-14M is a great bargain speaker, I have a pair of their predecessors (the Synergy B-10) and they're great. That said, I'd choose the KGs over them if you can manage. I'm actually going to be having similar considerations soon (I want to get one of those new Emotiva MC-700s, so I'll have surround at last) since I have a bunch of mismatched speakers. In the interest of space savings I'll probably use the RP-280Fs as surrounds, although the KG 5.2s I have would probably be a little closer to the Heresy's timbre. I'll be stuck using one of those B-10s as a center until I find something more suitable, but it'll do.

If space is a concern, I'll put in a good word for the Heresy. I find them the most manageable to position because they belong in corners and close to walls. My listening room is small, my pair of RP-280Fs have so little breathing room that they sound like bookshelf speakers. The Heresies, especially when placed in a corner, transcend the room both sonically and spatially. The only compromise would be that you'll want a subwoofer, but I think hearing them makes any compromise seem reasonable.

My friend was given a pair of Promedia 2.1s by his uncle when we were both kids, and even for their place in the Klipsch lineup they were some of the best speakers I'd ever heard. I still think nothing sounds better for $150. You also have to like that they've been true to the Klipsch mantra of getting it right the first time, it hasn't had a serious update since 2000 because they really don't need to change anything. As much as I'd always liked them, I never got my own pair. But they're the reason I bought my first Klipsch floorstanders, and my second ones, and my subwoofer, and now my Heresies, so who knows what I'd be missing if not for those $150 computer speakers.

I used the Synergy B-10 speakers as computer speakers for a while. I believe they're the same (the R-14Ms are visually identical except the driver is copper now.) They were really great, they sat maybe a foot and a half from my head. At such close range (and using a corner desk!) they had impressive thump, they could be run wholly without a subwoofer if you don't listen to very bassy content. I can't compare to the KG 1.5s since I haven't heard them, but they're the best tiny speakers my ears have heard. They actually replaced a pair of bigger, more expensive Def. Tech StudioMonitor 350s and I found them much more dynamic and to have much more 'slam.' I got mine for $70 when everyone was liquidating the Synergy line, but I'd buy them again for $100. They're great to have around.

Thanks, everyone! I got the ring back on and it fixed everything. I'm not sure why it only needs the one (the other channel hasn't had one in the time I've had this amp,) but it works. I'd forgotten how much better it sounds than the HT power amp I'd been using!

Personally, I wouldn't buy them with damaged surrounds for that price. But based on what the others are saying, it does seem like it should be fixable. Sound-wise, I have a pair of KG 5.2s that I think are nice. They're a bit bright on some material (contrary to popular belief this isn't a symptom of all Klipsch speakers) but overall I like them. They seem to prefer bigger listening spaces, and it helps to elevate them a bit. A fair amount of directional sound comes from the 10" driver, which is likely to be well below your ears if they're right on the floor. They're definitely sensitive, I pushed them with a 3.5w tube amp once for kicks.

My first pair was the Synergy F-20s. At the time, I didn't have any nice speakers yet and they were selling on Newegg for $200 a pair. Chronologically, they should be an earlier predecessor in the same vein as the 28s. They definitely had an impressive sound, I loved the dynamics and bass output, but it was certainly uneven and some music just didn't work on them. For music, they flattered some material and made some material hard to listen to. For entertainment, which is mostly video games for me, they did a good job. When I got the RP-280F, which is like a newer RF82ii, they actually sounded a bit veiled at first because I was so used to the Synergy's brightness. After cycling through a few songs to get my head out of being used to the Synergy towers, they're definitely much smoother. They're usable for much more material. You can hear the family relation of both coming from Klipsch, but the speakers from the nicer Reference lines are basically everything you like about the Icon/Synergys with none of the things you don't like. I use a pair of Heresies now, but I haven't gotten rid of the RP-280Fs and still swap them in now and then. Definitely a good all-around speaker, and if the R-28F sounds like how my old Synergy towers sounded, it should be a worthwhile upgrade.

This reminds me of how a little while ago (I think in Grizzog's H3/RF7-II/Chrous comparison thread) I'd remarked that I thought the Heresies (mine are KP-201s) were noticeably more sensitive than my RP-280Fs. They measure to be within 1 or 2 db of each other, but every time I've switched back and forth I've found the KPs to be louder. Maybe it's the difference in frequency response; they have a much stronger midrange to my ear, which is what the ear hears most of. Interesting!

I have two Furman strips that do the job in that they take power from the wall and let my hardware have at it, but I don't believe them about power conditioning. My computer produces awful AC noise and when it didn't do the job to plug my components into the fancy six-plug one, I got one of the fancier rack mount ones and even plugged the computer into the six-plug one for an extra layer of fancy conditioned power. The Furmans may have reduced the problem a bit, but it's definitely not gone. Just this evening, I heard a vacuum downstairs through my speakers! I suppose they're better than nothing, but they don't seem to do much for sound.

A bit disappointed to hear about the CIII! I've heard before that it doesn't stack up to the older ones as well, I'd always imagined it'd sound like a Heresy with more bass.

Klipsch does impressively well when it comes to managing bass and mids from one driver. Even on the Synergy F-20, it took a lot of pushing on bassy music before the bass would noticeably take anything out of the mids. When I still had the RP-280Fs set up (KG 5.2 in their place right now) I never noticed the mids taking a hit due to their bass response. I used to use a tiny pair of Synergy B-10s for my computer; I'd push electronic music to huge levels without much consideration only to be a bit spooked when I saw how much those tiny drivers were moving. They never blew, though! One question I do have is related to the Heresy actually. All my other speakers have big huge rubber surrounds and can clearly take a lot, but since the Heresy's drivers are made to be low-excursion, how much is too much?

I'd definitely recommend using a power amp and preamp instead of a receiver. In my (relatively limited) experience, any kind of receiver is just going to be a weaker sound than even a middle-ground power amp. That said, I listen with a pair of Heresy 2s (technically KP-201s, but same idea) and the bass output is very 'polite.' The Heresy is a speaker that you will laud for its refined sound and incredible midrange. Anything is listenable on it, it's always musical, and you would have a hard time finding the limits of its dynamics. If I understand correctly, the 12" driver is made to supplement the midrange, not fill in the bass, and it has an intentional low-excursion design in order to facilitate using less movement to create the desired frequencies. True to form, it's very low distortion, but at the expense of bass. I use mine with a Klipsch Sub-12, which is a bottom-rung Klipsch 12", but it fills in the bass very well. There's not as much low-end punch as when I use the same setup with my RP-280Fs or KG 5.2s, which both make good bass on their own, but for most material I get more out of the better midrange and treble than I do from more bass. (Sometimes I switch to the other speakers for video games) Without a sub, they're very bass-shy to my ear. I wouldn't run them without a sub, but I also wouldn't run a sound system without them.

One thing I've learned through my Klipsch escapades is that the speakers will let you know if they don't like something in the signal path. I have a lot of personal bias against receivers as well after I'd used a garbage Yamaha for my first pair of Klipsch. And they were only from the inferior Synergy line! I've never heard the RF-82II, but I know they're much better than my old F-20s were. It could be the receiver or the signal path you have with the TV and the Xbox, I wouldn't expect the TV to have the best circuitry for carrying high quality sound. The good news is that you already have some good speakers, so hang onto those and wait for a good deal on some electronics. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from my old Synergy towers when I went from the miserable Yamaha receiver to an Adcom amp and preamp that I'd bought second-hand. If you'd like an easy single-purchase fix, look for a NAD integrated at a decent price. A lot of them are relatively lower wattage, which means you won't get massive bass, but it'll be enough to expose the difference of good electronics. I haven't heard one myself, but I've considered buying them in the past since they're so well-reputed.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! I haven't heard the RF7s myself, but between my three different pairs right now (RP-280F, KP-201 and KG 5.2), I know my ear likes Klipsch's three-way designs the most.

They're not very far in the realm of pro speakers, but I use a pair of KP-201s daily and they're my favorite speakers. They're more or less a pair of Heresy 2s with a clipping protection circuit. I think I heard somewhere that they have slightly bigger cabinets, but I don't have any other Heresies to compare. Since they were made for church installations, a lot of them have oak cabinets, so in good shape they look like any pair of handsome domesticated speakers. You will want to use them with the grilles off, though. I don't know if the pro speakers have thicker meshes or if they're all like that, but on my pair the grilles definitely ate most of the treble, and they sound pretty bad with them on.

An EQ would do it, as would a different preamp. The Adcom GTP-500 I use has defeatable tone controls as well as a contour/loudness button. Personally, I'd be more likely to use a preamp with tone controls than a separate EQ unit. In my mind (and hopefully someone can tell me if I'm wrong,) a well-designed preamp will have more neutral sounding tone controls than a graphic EQ, which might degrade the sound noticeably depending on the one you find. Patching in the tone control on my preamp is supposed to defeat the direct-coupling that is one of its main features, but the difference in sound is so minute that it could actually be placebo. It does reduce ground loop noise, which is an unexpected but welcome feature!

Hi, all! Today I've run into a problem with my GFA-535. When I went to switch back to it from a different amp, I noticed an unusual buzz start to come from my subwoofer when I turned it on. Not wanting to risk my Heresies in case something was wrong (glad it has speaker selectors!), I plugged one of my B-10s into the left channel on the other set of outputs. Once patched in, it revealed a loud, nasty static buzz (I also tested the other channel.) It only does it when it has something connected to either input. It could be a bare wire and it happens. I connected my iPhone as a source when trying to single out the amp from the preamp and it still did this, without seeming to react to the signal from the phone. It also seems to certainly cause feedback back through the inputs, as my subwoofer only buzzed when the amp and preamp were connected. Now, a few things that happened recently. First, one of the metal rings surrounding the right channel RCA plug had come out when unplugging it recently, leaving just bare plastic. I always assumed these were cosmetic, since the other one was never there (I received the amp that way) and it was never a problem. I also I believe I plugged the pre back in with the preamp still on (and the amp off). How could I go about diagnosing this, and does it seem like something I could fix myself? I like the 535, and while it would be fun to shop for a new amp, I wouldn't be happy to trash this one. Thanks!

Nice! I think you'll be happy with them, they're definitely my favorite speakers all around. If I could only keep one pair, they'd be the one. One thing to note, too. Listen to them with grilles on and grilles off. I don't know how thick the mesh is on new pairs, but on my old school pro Heresys the material is thick (presumably for enhanced protection) and eats some of the treble, particularly at low volume. Enjoy, and let us know how you like them!

The Heresies are a slippery slope from the RP-280F. I used the RP-280Fs as my main listening speakers and they sounded excellent until I got my Heresies. I A/B'd them for a while, but now the Reference Premieres have been moved out of my rig for kind of a while. The timbre is quite different; the Heresy has more recessed treble. If you A/B'd white noise, you'd hear very different tone on the H than the RP. However, I find the Heresy incredibly musical, and I find that even my 1989 pair (technically KP-201s, built for professional installations) have a final peak of dynamics that the Reference Premieres don't. They have a very rich sound, some music that I thought was unlistenable prior (any original Led Zeppelin recording) sounds fantastic through them. I attribute this to the three-way design, I find that having a dedicated mid horn makes a huge difference. The RPs are better for some video games; the treble extension makes ambient location sound (wind, waterfalls, etc) in The Legend of Zelda sound much better, for example. But the Heresy's huge dynamism flatters action games like Splatoon, where punchy sound effects seem totally un-constrained by the speaker. While the first thing I noticed when I switched to the Heresy was the rolled off treble (the RP-280Fs have more 'air'), the first thing I noticed when I switched back was the RP-280F's thin midrange. You'll also notice that the Heresy is very light on bass, I'll say that a subwoofer is essential. They make a difference in sound that is unimaginable until you've heard a pair, and they flatter an incredible amount of source material. But! To answer your question directly, I don't think they'll be a very natural match in a system with the RP speakers. The RPs have air, the Heresys have richness. You won't regret getting them, but they will be noticeably different if you put them with the Reference Premieres.

It's amazing what people will let go of, let alone in the garbage! My best find was when I mentioned offhandedly to a client that I think Klipsch makes great home speakers. When he said he had an old, unused pair I told him they'd probably be worth a buck, but since he was moving, it was easier to just give them to me. No complaints!

Huh, curious! Mine may need more breaking in, the person who gave them to me said they'd never been used or even hooked up. The horn just sounds more 'hot' to me than the 10" driver does. Perhaps they like even more power to even out, I should try them with my 125w HT amp. Klappco, it looks good there! It's surprisingly capable for sure.

I may take you up on that at some point, Jim! It would be nice to hear how other tube amps sound, I've only heard my one APPJ so far. I play with my KG 5.2s a lot, but I do find it tough to get satisfying sound out of them. Do you find the 4.2s bright?

They say the one with 6AD10 tubes is supposed to be an updated version of the ones with three tubes, but I can't say what's actually been done differently. Either way, I'm enjoying it the more I listen to it. It seems like a tube watt is worth more than a solid state watt, I still haven't had to be much more conservative with levels than with my Adcom amp, and I had Exo on pretty loud last night.

You never know what will turn up on Craigslist, I'd keep searching for Klipsch things to fix either pair. You might find a secondary pair of Heresies or Synergy speakers that have good woofers and something else wrong. Search often, too. I found the listing for my KP-201s when it was three hours old, and if I'd missed it by an hour they'd be someone else's! You'll really love them once they're repaired, they're the best speakers I've heard and I'll never get rid of them. I've recently introduced them to a 3.5w tube amp and I was using it last night to listen to Exo at near-theatric levels, and they were very clean about it.

I used to use a pair of very tiny Synergy B10s at desktop range for computer speakers, centered around a monitor that was in a corner, with the rear-firing ports fairly close to the walls. Don't expect subwoofer bass, but there were times when I went to turn my subwoofer off for comparison to find out that it was already off. The amount of thump they could manage in a small setup was surprising, and the R-15M is a slightly larger version of the same speaker. I also agree with the folks who suggest the Reference Premiere, as they'll have an overall much smoother sound.