JoeCool

My HT set-up Fronts (La Scala), Center (Heresy II) and surrounds (RS-3) - all 3 have different sensitivity ratings (104 db, 97 db and 95 db respectively). Question : does it make sense to adjust the lower sensitivity to "equate" to that of the highest in the AV Pre-Amp? i.e., taking 104db as the reference, should I raise the sound level of the Heresy by 7db and of the RS-3 by 9db prior to setting delays or not?

I recently got a pair of La Scalas for fronts and a heresy II for center. I had the La Scalas toed in initially - over the weekend, I experimented with straightening them and they actually sound a bit better (for HT at least). What gives? Conventional wisdom (to me) suggested toe in - I am a bit surprised at the results. The room is much more filled with sound. I suspect with the Heresy in the center, a lot of dialogue and other sound is coming straight at me anyway. Would be interested in finding out others' experiences with placement in HT environment.

I am using RS-3s for surrounds on my HT (Fronts are La Scalas ans Center is Heresy II). A bit of a compromise, yes - but I find it works quite well for me. Timbre matching is important but the speakers, because of their hybrid dipolar design, work well because they sort of diffuse the rear channels over a larger area (to recreate the theatrical array of speakers effect). In time, I would like to replace them with Heresys, but I would also like multiple Heresys in the rear and sides to retain the speaker array effect. For this reason, I find the RS-3 an acceptable compromise.

I have had a Denon 3803 running my HT for some time now - however, for the Front Left and Right Speakers (La Scalas), I use a Linn MK85. Works like a charm - the La Scalas come alive, virtually. The two other discernable benefits are : 1) The Denon has plenty of power for the center and rears and 2) when I use the HT for stereo music listening, it works quite well (since the Denon is acting only as a pre-amp).

Don't ever do it!!! (you may want to see my latest post on "oh La Scala...") I tried (albeit with RC-3s) - wasn't life threatening, but with a Heresy in the center now - nirvana. This has to be the closest to how God intended sound to be reproduced.

Finally managed to get my hands on a pretty decent Heresy II for center duties. Life's pretty tough out here (in Pakistan) as it is - and this was no easy affair. Actually went to the dealer (who had a used 6/7 year old pair) and convinced him to locate another customer who would (SHOULD) like this for a center! after weeks, it actually happened! Paid the equivalent of about US$300 for the speaker (it's in excellent condition). The real stuff? I have to say that despite decades of familiarity with Klipsch (from uncles, elder brothers...), this is one brand that continues to surprise me. While the RC-3 "was not unpleasant" (to quote another reviewer on this forum, since it's a great speaker in and of itself, my bigger problem was not quite timber matching - the La Scalas were simply overpowering the center. They were all over the place, quite literally. The Heresys simply calmed them down! Trouble is, now I know that the surrounds have to be replaced as well. One of those damned things I guess, but the real piece is this - while the difference may be well be marginal to some ears, it's just not right to try and equate it to dollars and cents. The word "priceless" is perhaps the most relevant here. It's much like poetry - a couplet means so much...you can write books about it, but what it has the potential to convey can only be captured in itself. Bottomline - Heritage rules. And how.

I would second that view on the sub - Klipsch subs are not all that great, there are much better subs out there in similar price ranges.

They are actually '94. Finish is black - not my favourite, but OK since they are in my Home Theatre, where we watch in the dark anyway, due to the front projector. I have a Denon 3803 AV Amp, but have a LINN LK85 Power Amp running the fronts (the La Scalas). So far...nirvana!

Klipsch is like an old habit....doesn't really go away. I used to own a pair of Heresy's and loved them incredibly. Two years ago, changed houses and the room was just inadequate to give me the pinpoint sweet spot I had grown to love...traded them in..bought a pair of Paradigm Studio 100, Brystoms amps and rediscovered love... Still kept the Reference (RF-3, RC-3, RS-3) Home theatre set up and was quite happy with it...until I came across this '97 pair of La Scalas a couple of days ago...Good as new, honest..at the equivalent of USD 1,400 I thought they were a steal, given their almost new condition (they had been in storage for the past 3 years!). Just couldn't pass it up. Any doubts at the somewhat impulse purchase vanished into thin air as soon as they started pouring these incredible sounds...The RF-3s went into my storage! the corners of my home theater were thus occupied with these big monsters... No SPL meter or AVIA disk can achieve what my ear can....pure pleasure. I will soon be looking for a heritage speaker for the center, but for the moment, the RC-3 will have to do...

Maxg, Thanks - I've already got an old Mirage subwoofer (180 watts, 12 inch, front firing) that I am currently using. It's nice enough for movies, but not quite there for this setup. I have ordered the Rel Strata III (without even listening to it!), principally based on the reviews here and elsewhere. I'm hoping to have it within the nest feww weeks. It's costing me approx.USD1,100..so that's not too bad.

boa12 I now have a 7.1 configuration: Mains : RF-3 Center : RC-3 Side Surrounds - RS-3 Rear Surrounds - RS-3 All driven by a Denon 3802, except the mains, which are driven by an old NAD power amp from the Denon's pre-outs (this is a great idea if you want your HT system to deliver acceptable two channel audio as well). I normally listen to audio in another room (on Heresy II, Carver (Tube) pre-amp + NAD (solid state)Power amp and a Marantz 67mkII CD player). I find this in a totally different class for audio, but the flexibility of the HT system to deliver good two channel audio, I think, is best acheived by simply sticking a power amp to drive the 2 mains and is desirable. As for the size of the room, I had read more than one posts from Horned where he contends that using WDST speakers for rear surrounds works best in relatively smaller rooms and not in larger rooms - I don't quite know if that's true, but happy to take his word for it since my room is relatively small and the setup works just fine for me. That may or may not be the reason - I'm simply following my Dad's advice from many moons ago and letting my ears do the decision making!

boa12, I now have a 7.1 configuration: Mains : RF-3 Center: RC-3 Side Surrounds : RS-3 Rear Surrounds : RS-3 Everything driven by a Denon 3802, except the 2 mains which are driven by a NAD power amp, using Denon's pre-outs (great idea for setting up your system to deliver two channel audio as well).

By the way - the JBL HLS-610 is an incredible pair of speakers. I used to have them and I think they are simply brilliant. The JBL team must have had an inspirational moment when they designed them!

kenratboy Text - Don't mind you asking at all (not sure how Karachi ranks on the exotic list though!). Audio scene out here isn't really all that hot, however, you can get pretty much anything you want if you're prepared to pay a slight premium and wait a couple of weeks (length of time directly related to size/weight of what you want). There are a couple of authorised dealers here (Klipsch, Rotel, Mark Levinson etc.), but typically, they will stock little and ask you to place orders. There is a very interesting second hand market and mostly only the adventuresome will venture out there but you could come by some amazing bargains. Cheers.

Finally managed to change the electronics. The Heresys are now being driven by a Carver C-19 (Tube Hybrid) pre-amp and NAD 2100 power amp. Changed the CD player to a Marantz CD67mkII. Amazing what the CD player and the pre-amp have done to the setup.

I have recently added two back surrounds to my HT (cmrising RF-3 fronts, RC-3 Center and RS-3 side surrounds). After much experimenting and reading this thread in particular, I'm afraid my ears gave the thumbs up to a pair of RS-3 for rear surround. While I accept (and respect) what Horned is saying, to me, the RS-3 simply sounded like it should - and I went with it, with the knowledge that later formats (such as the THX one) may well prompt me to buy a pair (or more?) to replace these. But I also recognise that that is at least some distance in the future - for the moment, this is what works for me. One thing Horned keeps saying may well have been the reason for my preference - a relatively smaller room. Be that as it may, I'm more than happy with what I have. I like the diffused sound and also get a bit of directionality because of the design (i.e. the midrange where the null should have been on a dipolar).

Finally got my (original) Heresy II stands. I think the effect was brilliant - I thought the speakers would become brighter with the the horn more precisely directed at ear levels, but that didn't happen to any significant level. Love these speakers!

mOOn, Until you get that spl meter, try this: 1) Check the sensitivity of each speaker (the center and/or rear will likely be slightly different from the fronts) and adjust the sound level to account for that difference. 2) Next, use the diagram attached (I downloaded this from the Dolby site) and after measuring exact distances between speakers, adjust the levels according to the grid. This should give a reasonable adjustment. However, you will certainly need the spl meter to get it perfectly right, because that will work on the basis of sound emanating from the speakers, i.e. will take everything (cable length, quality, room accoustics etc.) into account.

Thanks guys, I am running them on a Denon Integrated amp (65w x2) and my CD Player is a Harmon Kardon HDCD. I eventually plan to add a sub and progressively move on to tubes. I say progressively because I have no experience of them and have only heard good things about them and if there is one thing I have learnt about audio equipment, it is patience as well as enjoying the journey. As far as a sub is concerned, I feel I may need one, but not before at least a month of listneing to the speakers "neat" - one for the break-in and two I want to see if I find the sound pleasing enough after a month. I can sense that while the sub will fill voids, it will also add coloration, but I may be wrong. By the way - my exact feelings as far as the mids and highs are concerned. Other speakers covered more of the spectrum, especially bass, but the Heresy's mids and highs were simply incomparable and in fact good enough for me to compromise on the low ends of other brands.

I have ordered the stands - but in these parts, they will take a while delievring. You could try the stop gap arrangement I have done meanwhile, it works better than just on the floor - buy two pairs of really big pencil erasers (mine are 1 inch high) and place them under the speakers about 3 to 4 inches from the front. This achieves a similar effect by having the horns pointing upwards and does the job - at least until the stands arrive.

I've had the Klipsch Reference RF-3 and the the RC-3 (paired with AR towers at the rear) for my HT setup for more than a year and have been extremely pleased with it. I had been looking for a stereo audio setup for the study for a while and finally settled for a pair of Heresy II and bought the yesterday. I was a bit hesitant because of their small size and a somehwat boxy sound at the store...but nevertheless decided I wanted these over Paradigm Monitors. Boy, did I make the right decision! Played them for 6/7 hours out of the box and just didn't want to shut them down until 2 AM! I am absolutely stunned. What an incredible pair of speakers. The RF-3 is a great speaker and I love it, but it's quite obvious that the Heresy is in a different class.