Peter P.

The Heritage sound can be attributed to a 3-way speaker with horn loaded mid-range and tweeter. The horn not only spells "efficiency", it voices differently than a cone or dome driver. So the closest you're going to get is any Klipsch floorstander as although they are all 2-way designs, they use a horn loaded tweeter. I do agree with Racer X-If you want the Heritage sound but presumably can't afford them, go the used route. I did and I'm completely satisfied. Or is there another reason you're looking outside the Heritage family?

Go with the lead shot. There's not much interior volume in those tubes. Looks like mitered corners so you can safely assume the entire interior volume is accessible, at least in the base. I envision drilling holes into the back side of the base AFTER you find plugs of the appropriate size. Use a funnel to drop the shot in.

If your stands are assembled rather than welded, sand will likely leak out of the junctions. FYI. I had assembled stands for small monitors (6.5" woofers) I filled with lead shot. I made the mistake of filling them completely. They must have weighed 90lbs. each and were a pain to move around. I suggest starting with perhaps 10 or 20 lbs. per stand. The good thing is, low center of gravity will make them very stable.

THAT was funny!

I believe that's Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli to you, sir! And it's Marianne Vos THIS year! Vive Le Tour!

Of course! There is only ONE Le Tour, and she is finished! Now it's time to watch Le Tour de France Femmes!

Your budget isn't going to get you Heritage Series speakers, new. You almost certainly can get Heresies used at that price range, and most likely Forte's. If you already have a subwoofer, get Heresies. Most people on this forum will agree with me when I say Heresies are much better paired with a subwoofer. Of course, don't be scared away from trying them; you can always add a sub later. That's the budget entry. Next would be Forte's, which wouldn't need a sub for music and you'll all out crap your pants when you hear them! You'd be very lucky to find a pair of used Cornwalls in your price range. If you went with any of the new Klipsch speakers, obviously get the floorstanders. The only real difference between them is efficiency and low end extension, but they all play under 40Hz so that should please virtually any music lover. I would choose my floorstander based on how much they would aesthetically fit the room. For instance, in my room one speaker would have to be positioned in front of a window. Since I don't want to block my window glass, I would pick a speaker under 39" tall and for me that would be the 5000 Series. P.S. I fully agree with MeloManiac's advice above! Report back and tell us what you got, and how they sound!

First, what is Thakns?!

You're French; you should be paying attention to Le Tour, not thinking about amps! 😀 Like Bubo said; anything will work; there's no need to dive into the weeds regarding which amp to pair them to. I too, use Yamaha amps because they are relatively inexpensive for the power and features they provide. You can probably pick up an used integrated amp of any brand on craigslist or facebook marketplace as well. I'm currently using a 60 watt/channel amp and it's plenty for my Heresies.

That was an interesting read and a great explanation, simplified for the masses. Thanks for posting it.

I'm not "up" on the car audio world but I do know they sell subwoofer-specific amps (sometimes called mono-amps) which are designed to handle the low impedance of some drivers, as well as the low impedance of parallel subwoofer drivers. You might be able to find a used amp on craigslist, etal. Also, since the plate amp will need a DC power source, I suggest an Astron power supply. We use them a lot at work. You don't need variable output, or meters, so just get a basic box with enough current output to match your amp, and don't forget to put a fuse in-line with the power supply output to protect the amp.

Spiked feet.

I've had both the kg 4.2 and the Heresy. I agree; the Heresy is a great speaker but it needs a subwoofer. The kg 4.2, while much less expensive, plays lower and sounds damn good. It does have a slightly different voicing because of 2-way vs. 3-way configuration but not enough disparage it. In fact, when I was first immersed in Klipsch speakers, I had the Heresies and bought the kg4.2s intending to keep only one pair. So I posted both on craigslist and vowed to keep the pair that didn't sell first. I was left with the Heresies and eventually bought a subwoofer to "fill them out". I honestly would prefer the kg4.2s because I view the addition of a subwoofer to my Heresies as increased complexity what with wiring and power etc., and I like simplicity. I paid $350/pr for my kg4.2s in December 2017.

A center channel level should be adjustable by your HT equipment so it can level match your main speakers. I know of NO center channel speaker with the efficiency level of a La Scala or Belle so you either buy a complete, matched A/V speaker system or do the best you can with the center channel you select through output level setting. As for bass; as has already been said, center channel is for dialog. If bass were a real issue with center channel speakers, you'd see them with larger woofers.

Don't knock the Reference Series center channel until you've tried it. Buy one on the used market i.e., eBay, craigslist, or Facebook marketplace. If it doesn't work out you can always resell it. My local craigslist has an RC-3 and an RC-42 II each for $100. Not bad.

Apply the finish during the coolest part of the day, probably just before sunrise. But i agree with LTusler above.

Even Klipsch doesn't make a center channel speaker that's designed to match the Heresy; their center channel speakers are matched to their respective product lines. The suggestion to source an third Heresy is an excellent idea, although many people don't have the physical space to place it and in my eyes it appears most center channel speakers are designed to be visually unobtrusive as they sit directly under the TV. And the irony is, the center channel is used mostly for dialog so you would think an ideal center channel speaker for a Heresy setup would be composed of just a Heresy midrange driver in a cabinet, and that wouldn't take up much space at all. Let us know what you choose to do and how it works out for you.

I guess the proper question to ask is, are your Heresies birch PLYWOOD ro birch VENEER? I don't know that answer but I'm sure another forum member will supply the answer. The difference between the two can be found HERE. As far as finish goes, I recommend a stain because a paint will leave brush marks and not display the grain well. I suggest Watco Danish Oil in Ebony. I suppose you could spray paint them, but nothing enhances wood grain like a stain! Regarding the input terminals: I don't know.

Honestly, if you're going to be bringing them outside for use, with that moving around I wouldn't buy a subwoofer meant for inside use. I think you'll beat up the finish. I would seriously consider have car sub boxes built or purchase stock boxes, and mounting plate amps to them. Those auto sub boxes have that cheaper felt carpet cover and I don't think you'll mind the scrapes and scratches as much.

There are two rules in life. Rule #1: NEVER piss the wifey off. Rule #2: Before you even TRY to piss off the wifey, refer back to Rule #1. Get the speakers that fit your room's physical liimitations. You can always add a subwoofer which fits in a discreet location, to make up for any deficiencies in a bookshelf speaker. Is there a big difference between 5.25", 6", and 8" woofers? Not really. They play A BIT lower, but not dramatically. Shoot; some even play lower than older versions of the Klipsch Heresy! A small 12" subwoofer, like my SVSound SB-1000 will easily fit under an end table or tucked in a corner next to the couch, and makes up for the small woofers in bookshelf speakers. Or, if you need really small and can afford it, try the SVS micro-subwoofer.

You don't need the crossover to test your woofer. Connect the speaker leads directly to the woofer. It will be fed a full-range signal but that's not going to blow your woofer. You'll better hear the sound if you reinstall the woofer in the cabinet.

Check the used market such as eBay and craigslist. You might be able to "buy up", or get your listed speakers at a lower price.

You can either wait until a pair of woofers comes up for sale on eBay (and they do), or buy the midwest speaker replacements. I say buy the replacements and get yourself back on the road. At the worst you can still watch eBay until the OEM woofers appear but at least you'll be up and running in the meantime.

Absolutely. In fact, in my opinion, the room's acoustics are more important than speaker choice. Room dimensions, reflection, diffraction, slap echo, and whatever else I forgot; they all make for crappy sounding rooms no matter how much you spend on your speakers. Rooms with predominantly hard surfaces are the worst.

The R-12SW has a "brushed polymer veneer" finish. I think a veneer would be more durable than a vinyl wrap. I can't believe the veneer accounts for the 2 lb. difference in weight between the two models.