Peter P.

As an alternative, car panel removal tools can slip in and free the stuck seals. They're plastic so relatively safe for the wood. I'd suggest prying in the direction of the grain to minimize the possibility of damage. I use these in my job and they are effective. I purchased a cheap set from Harbor Freight.

You're right; it's technically not a subwoofer. But it DOES extend the low end of any speaker which doesn't play below 50Hz which includes most bookshelf speakers AND even larger speakers like Klipsch Heresies. I have a kg sw and I approve of this message!

What will you replace them with?

It's on eBay right now. Alas, it's local pickup only.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you weren't experiencing a problem; if you didn't test the capacitors with an ESR meter or test for an out of range capacitance value I see no reason to replace them. I'm with Bacek on this.

You can find the tweeters on eBay right now. I'm certain they come up for sale often. As to the L-pad controller; it is just a volume control. It would be connected to the crossover output to the tweeter. But that would require you to drill a hole in the cabinet for the L-pad to have wiring access, and to mount the L-pad, which would probably be mounted on the rear of the cabinet. I'm not sure why you would want to adjust the tweeter level. If it's to protect the tweeter from future failure, I'd suggest fusing the tweeter output from the crossover instead. You'd be better off using an equalizer to adjust the tweeter level. Simpler and just as effective.

Whatever you do, show us Before and After photos!

While I can't offer advice about the finish, I can say I did experience something similar with the used Heresy IIs I purchased as I discovered them separating at the corners. I do not believe the cabinets are held together solely with glue or I'd be surprised if they were. I used finishing nails into pre-drilled holes to repair the cabinets. I countersunk the heads and filled the recess with a color matched MinwaxBlend-fil Pencil. The repair is virtually invisible.

I should have clarified-my interest is in how LOW the Heresy plays and not the level, if that makes sense. The Heresy has NO PROBLEM with bass level! I like to call it "grunt" or "muscle". It's clean, and it's strong. It's pretty easy to design a bookshelf sized speaker to reach 50Hz and many are offered for sale. You would expect a speaker of the Heresy's size and woofer size to play LOWER, yet the specs and the comments and reviews of many others say otherwise. While true just looking at the numbers, it's clear to me music at many if not most genres doesn't go below 50Hz, and the Heresies DO acquit themselves of that 50Hz shortcoming once the volume comes up to maybe 70-80dB. Interestingly enough, both my Yamaha amp and my Yamaha receiver do have the variable loudness control you mention. I can't really say it brings up the below 50Hz bass; it more sounds like it reduces the midrange instead. As a result of this thread I'm playing with it again, just for kicks.

I bought my Heresy IIs and initially came to realize, much like has been mentioned here and certainly by looking at the specs, that the Heresy just doesn't play low enough. I mean, most bookshelf speakers reach 50Hz so why can't my little beasts play deeper?! So I bought a subwwoofer and it clearly delivers that last, hidden octave. But then came my realization: I just don't play them loud enough. Once I reach the 70dB level, they clearly shine but most of the time I'm running them at background levels. While the floor/wall border reinforces the bass, it doesn't make them play lower. Recently, I shut off my subwoofer and despite having the Heresies connected to an 80Hz, 12dB/octave high pass passive crossover, they tickled the floor joists and sounded great playing jazz, live Grateful Dead (and I HATE The Dead!), folk, and rock. Yeah, if you want to run your home theater through ANY system you need a sub. Same goes if you want to play rap/techno at car stereo jammin' levels, but otherwise I've decided the Heresy is a fine speaker even by itself. I can only imagine the new, ported, Heresy IV is even better.

Check your speaker wire connections. Make sure the wires aren't kinked or cut somewhere along their length. Does the problem happen with ALL sources? If just a particular source, it could be your patch cord for that resource, CD/tape/tuner/turntable, is bad. I did have a similar problem that turned out to be my INPUT selector switch. Operating the switch throughout its range would clean the contacts and restore operation.

Because it's alchemy. But your girlfriend assisting in the A/B testing-that's priceless.

People don't listen to their amplifier/receiver. They listen to THE MUSIC. I think all this A-B-D Class amplification is more for marketing, to differentiate one brand from another. Write the ad copy just right and you'll suck people in! I'll reiterate; get the amp/receiver with the features you want or need. In your situation you can buy a basic unit and connect the speakers to Channel A and the subwoofer to Channel B and you're done-don't worry about the speaker management features available in home theater receivers. Move up a step and you CAN steer the lows to the subwoofer and the highs to the Klipsch speakers, sparing them from signals that might blow a woofer when low frequencies are played at loud volume (ask me how I know!). 8" woofers are where you just start to reach below 50Hz; you'll get decent bass but once you add a subwoofer you'll never go back! I just now looked at the SF craigslist and see Denon home theater and Yamaha stereo receivers for sale within your $100 budget. Get one.

Get or make some of the angled risers if you can. Those will at least point the drivers toward your seated position. You could always stick a book or two under the front of the speaker to see if it makes a difference for you. Elevating the entire speaker on a stand will reduce the bass but some people prefer that result. Too bad it's hard for our European Klipsch fans to find Heritage speakers. You're one of the lucky ones!

I would replace the Klipsch OEM woofer with another of the one you purchased, then they would match both acoustically and aesthetically. That should satisfy you until perhaps you find another Klipsch OEM woofer on U.S. eBay where you might have greater luck finding one. Rather than re-veneer the motorboard I would put small black screws in the visible holes left by the oversized woofer. Or, since it sounds like you have some woodworking talent, why not cut trim rings out of veneer to cover the holes and fabricate another one for the all-OEM speaker? Or, here's a company that sells trim rings in all sizes. Buy the size you need and a few extra to practice on before you in install them around the woofers.

I'm not a believer in certain amps pair with certain speakers. Buy the amp that has the features you need at a price you can afford. In your case, find something that has a subwoofer output to easily connect to your subwoofer, assuming it has an LFE RCA input. If the subwoofer only has speaker inputs/outputs, don't even worry about it as you can connect the subwoofer to the receiver/amp's Channel 2/B outputs. The good thing about this is you can turn off the subwoofer should you want. You might want to consider an A/V receiver even though you may not have a TV, because pretty much all of them have subwoofer/speaker management capabilities, and on the used market you can usually get them for cheap as people upgrade. Ideally you'd be able to make adjustments to send only the low frequencies to the subwoofer and send the high frequencies to the Klipsch speakers, simply to prevent overdriving the speakers, especially if you play loud. You'll want one you can adjust through front panel controls unless you temporarily connect it to a TV or computer monitor to make adjustments.

Agreed. You'll miss the low end if you go the Heresy route and will wind up accompanying it with a subwoofer. Yes; if that's acceptable to you then get the Heresies. Otherwise, another vote for Quartets, or go for Fortes. I don't think Choruses will play lower than your kg4s.

Yes; Amazon is a big contributor but I feel it's also the consumer's fault. First thing they look at is the price, and Amazon obliges by squeezing suppliers or selling cheap copies. It's truly a race to the bottom and the main reason I won't buy from Amazon.

I say "no". There are too many factors regarding the room that affect the sound. Apparently the OP prefers the midrange and tweeter to be off-axis to their listening position. And it sounds like they have hardwood floors. Aiming the speakers toward the floor would produce different reflections. Pointing the top hat upward, providing the same off-axis sound, might work but would look weird. Carpeting the room might change the sound to your satisfaction, but I'd recommend experimenting with space rugs first. Of course that may not be an option for them aesthetically. You could elevate the entire Klipschorn to result in the same off-axis seating angle as standing on the stairs but again, that would be an eyesore to some.

How about testing or troubleshooting before crying "replace the capacitors!"? I'd compare the DC resistance between the drivers of both speakers (since the OP describes the sound as "flat". I'd also run inter-station FM noise through the speakers and compare the voltage output between each speaker. With a screen name like Shredder... I'll hazard a wild guess and say the OP perhaps blew a tweeter while headbanging.

Either speaker would thrive on cheap SS amplifiers. Low wattage amps won't get anywhere near clipping before your neighbors complain!

I think this is the best solution. The Cornwalls would be too physically large if spaced against the 13ft. wall. In this case get the Heresy's as they'll play plenty loud if necessary, and you can add a subwoofer later to fill in any deficiencies. If you are going to place the speakers against the 20ft. wall, get the Cornwalls. You won't be disappointed.

Well, if you already have the subwoofer and you're satisfied with its level in your room, then I'd say any of the Klipsch home theater packages, minus the subwoofer, should be sufficient. The main speakers are going to cross over to your SVS plenty high enough to take off any low frequency burden the main speakers might bear. And the Klipsch system should be able to play loud enough for good dialog throughout the room.

I don't think the speaker complement is too important, but the size(s) of the subwoofers would be as they must fill your large room volume with explosions, etc. I would buy the largest subwoofer you can afford and allocate the remaining money for the home theater speakers. Your budget will rule everything. Another option is to buy a system you can afford, making sure the system is easily capable of expanding from one subwoofer to two. Some subs offer an output to daisy-chain to a second subwoofer, for instance. Other systems' electronics might offer 2 subwoofer outputs. Buy the system with one subwoofer now, and later when the pocketbook refills you add the second subwoofer if you're dissatisfied with one. Personally, I think any of the Klipsch systems will fill your home theater with satisfying movie sound; it's the subwoofer output and low extension that you will need to focus on. For instance, a small 8" or 10" subwoofer might work for a bedroom or den home theater but not a room as large as yours. And honestly; while it's cool to have a full complement of 5 or 7 speakers, it might be prudent from a financial, sound, and room limitation standpoint to start with a 3.1 system, avoiding the surround speakers for now and upgrading later if you choose. Some of the "faux" surround settings are convincing enough and leave you without the room clutter of the extra wiring and effects speakers. Note that Klipsch often runs specials on their web site, and many occur right around the holidays. But some times you can't wait!

Heck with the drivers; I'd change the insulation. That stuff looks nasty!