heresy2guy

I happen to think that JDM56 hit the nail on the head with his response; I agree with him 100%. IMHO, all that "leave the knobs flat" rhetoric is such BS. I honestly think people have been brainwashed into believing that nonsense; that they've chosen to buy into the "myth." I've never had one (not one single person) ever think that any of my systems sounded "best" when set to "flat." Then again, I don't think any of them ever referred to themselves as "audiophiles" (they were just "regular" people - lol) so maybe they simply weren't aware of the myth (or dare I say Commandment) and simply relied on what their ears told them instead. Just my two cents. -H2G

"If you liked the Heresy's wait until you hear the mighty Cornwall." - Piranha _______________________ Hmmmm....don't know about this one. He's already heard the Mighty Khorn and didn't sound overly impressed. What makes you think he'll be awed by the Cornwall? Oh, because he liked the Heresy... A Heresy over a La Scala or Khorn though?? That's a first for me. Maybe he was just put off by the asking prices of those speakers, hence him liking the cheaper Heresy, i.e. best bang for the buck. -H2G

They've roughly doubled in selling price over the past 2 years...guess word got out about how good they are. Still, for 100 bucks or less, they're still an awesome deal for the sound you get. -H2G

Good for you Rick! Glad to see that he wasn't a slicked-back salesman and you managed to still get them below market value. Whereabouts in the north shore are they? I live in San Diego but grew up in the north east and used to vacation up in Rockport and Gloucester. Although not exactly in the north shore, I've still got family members currently living in Beverly, MA and also in Southboro, MA - right down the road from St. Mark's in fact. -H2G

The guy's reply was almost *verbatim* from that I got some years ago from somebody in an upscale Connecticut town offering a pristine Volvo Turbo wagon for sale for only $1500 in the local paper. The car had a NADA value of roughly $6000 but this guy was selling it for only $1500 or best offer. Turns out the car got so many "offers" that he wound up selling it for ABOVE the NADA suggested price (for the record, the car was really nice and I placed my bid at 6k but still lost). In my opinion, it's a wonderful marketing ploy and although the owner of the Cornwalls might not be doing it intentionally, I nevertheless wouldn't bet the ranch on it. I think he's a smart, savvy seller who knows how to play ball. Just my two cents. -H2G

I got my KG4s from craigslist too ($200, mint condition, original owner). Also got my 4 La Scalas from craigslist ($1200, excellent condition, AL3 networks). IMHO, craigslist is the way to go. -H2G

Wow...awesome price. A better deal then even the $1200 I paid a few months back for 4 mint AL3 La Scalas. Hope you get it Zapper! -H2G

Nuthin' wrong with an RF-7 - I'd seriously consider buying one - *if* it had a horn-loaded midrange, that is. Then again, people would say it was just a rebadged KLF30. Well...nuthin' wrong with a KLF-30...except for the few whose cabinets came unglued, that is - lol. Seriously though, I'd certainly welcome a new RF series of three-way design with open arms because I just can't get myself to go for a speaker whose midrange is produced by a cone - even a "pretty" copper colored cone. It just doesn't sound right to me. It just doesn't sound like...well, like a Klipsch speaker. It sounds like a hybrid Klipsch, at best, instead. As usual, this is all highly subjective and I'm simply stating my preferred cup of tea. Some guys really dig the two-way sound and that's okay by me. I just hope Klipsch doesn't abandon their history of making speakers whose midrange and highs are produced by horns. As it stands right now, the Heritage series is the only line retaining that format and we all know how few of those they sell each year. I don't want to ruffle any feathers with my next opinion, but I don't think an improved Heritage model will cause Heritage sales to take off. Why? Because it's almost impossible to find a dealer that's got them on display so the general public knows practically nothing about them to begin with. All they know is what they see, which is basically the Reference, Synergy, and multimedia models. In my opinion, those models and their successors are the real future for Klipsch. I just hope that their successors drop the two-way designation, or, if not, at least have a single horn capable of producing both the midrange and the highs while letting the cones simply reproduce the low frequencies. Another hurdle for the Heritage series is it's basic cabinet design - they're simply too big and boxy for most peoples' tastes today. Tall and slim has been "in" for quite some time; boxy, refrigerator-sized speakers have been "out" for, what...about 18 years now? Maybe they'll make a comeback. Who knows? I wouldn't say it's 100% out of the picture. After all, Brady Bunch bell-bottoms and that scruffy, in-need-of-a-shower look came back and came back BIG. Guess I'll have to wait until September to find out what Klipsch has in store for us. Or...I can simply walk in to a few dealers and query the salesmen. Yeah, save your jokes. But I'll betcha I'll eventually get some of the same info those who attended the pilgrimage got. If I find anything out, I'll post it here. If not, there's always September. -H2G

"If it wasn't for HDBRbuilder, I would not have three Harman Kardons..." - arkandbark Same here. I've always given Andy credit for pointing me in the right direction with those receivers. I guess he's still alive since he just added the above post, which is a good thing - LOL. I've often wondered (on this board too) how he was doing; guess he's doing okay. -H2G

"THe beauty of these receivers is their amazing sound at low volume levels although they have enough punch for most 2ch listening." - Colterphoto1 I agree with Michael 100% here. With my La Scalas, 1 continuous watt equates to roughly 104db at 1 meter. Even when you factor in musical peaks with that one watt, I doubt the receiver will eclipse 5 watts when producing them. The point is that it's the first watt or so that's so important with heritage products and it's here where those old X30 HK units shine. To me, it doesn't really matter what particular model number you may buy since all produce clean first watts. My logic today would be to go for the 930. That way (for example), I could run 10 continuous watts into my La Scalas for approximately 114db at 1 meter with a "reserve" of another 35 watts or so for the peaks, or transients. Running the 930 at 10 steady watts while allowing it to go to 45 for the peaks would mean you'd be working with about 6 to 7 db of dynamic headroom, which is plenty. -H2G

You bring up an excellent point Paul. When HK measured their THD on their old, 70s, X30 units, they provided a figure that was indicative of the highest THD from 250 MILLAwatts up to full-rated power and from 20hz to 20khz. Although they didn't specifically say what the THD was at 1 watt, the given range was ample enough to let you know that the power down low (as low as 250 millawatts) was no higher then the THD figure quoted. This, to me, was a nice gesture when you consider many makers of SS equipment quoted (and still do) THD figures at full-rated output, and at a single frequency (usually 1khz). SS equipment seems to have gotten a bad reputation due to its inability at levels of 1 watt or less to deliver the THD that's posted by their makers at full-rated power and at 1khz. And when you consider that most heritage speakers are often run at 1 continuous watt or less (not including transients, or peaks obviously) it's no longer a head-scratcher to me why most SS amps don't sound as "clean"-at "normal" listening levels-as a lot of tube amps do. -H2G

"Heresy II has different squaker driver and tweeter, and so, sounds a bit different. Not a whole lot different, but enough to notice the difference if you put both types in the same system." - Malcolm. ________________________ I agree with Malcolm 100%; this has been my experience too. In short, the Heresy II sounds, to me, a bit more "refined" while the Heresy sounds "coarser" or "edgier." The Heresy sounds more like vintage Heritage while the Heresy II sounds more like, well, "newer" heritage, i.e. Cornwall II. In my opinion, both the Heresy II and the Cornwall II sound "smoother" then their predecessors. The change in midrange drivers (from 2" to 1.5") and tweeters probably account for a lot of this. Like Malcolm said, if you A/B the original against the II version on the same amp you will hear a difference; I did. On another note, it's interesting to note how both the Heresy II and Cornwall II manage to climb higher then their predecessors (20khz compared to 17khz) while at the same time sounding smoother. Still, when all is said and done, I tend to take a shine to the original Heresy and Cornwall over their "II model" counterparts. Personal taste, in audio, is basically everything - and it sure does vary. -H2G

You might just be able to replace the diaphram on the tweeter. You can call Klipsch and ask them for a price. There might be a person or two on the board here (bob crites comes to mind) that might be able to sell you replacement diaphrams too and walk you through the installation, which by all the accounts i've read thus far, isn't too hard.

Just having some fun Tom

Personally speaking, when I do tend to have trouble sleeping, it's generally related to excess mental activity (i.e. worrying, anxiety) about something that isn't going too well in my life. Thankfully, this doesn't happen all that often, but when it does, it's a real pain for sure. It's an odd feeling to be stretched out on your bed, physically tired, but with your brain a dynamo of thought and activity. When the issue or problem is finally resolved, everything goes back to normal. What would really suck would be if you I had that type of anxiety all the time over practically everything, which, thankfully, I don't. -H2G

Trey Cannon: "This is why you should always buy a SS amp with a "power factor" of 5. if you need "100 watts" to the speaker get a 500 watt amp....Its all about HEAD ROOM! I suggest 10 db of it for most systems, home or Pro." _______________________________ I agree with Trey on the issue of high dynamic headroom. NAD & Proton had amps that generated 6 to 7dB of dynamic headroom back in the mid to late 80s. I've owned a Proton receiver and an NAD integrated amp and they both sounded very good on my Heresy IIs in my opinion. I wonder why NAD & Proton were the only people (to my knowledge) to offer such high dynamic headroom designs? Why did they abandon that market place and why hasn't anybody else jumped in to fill their shoes? I think having 6 to 7 dB of dynamic headroom sure beats the hell out of the lousey 1 to 2.5 dB you generally find out there. -H2G

I agree with PSG & TOFU. In my experience, the La Scalas really come into their own when the volume increases, but at lower levels, I think they sound a bit unbalanced. You can argue that they sound unbalanced at higher levels too, in comparison to a Khorn or Cornwall, but the mid-bass they deliver really comes alive at higher volumes and helps balance out the mids and highs. At lower, background listening levels however, I personally like a speaker then goes deeper. In fact, at dinner-music levels, my Heresy II / KG4 combination sounds much more pleasing to both my wife and me. BUT (and this is a big but here), when you need volume, the La Scalas rise to the occasion and then step all over the Heresy II / KG4 combo with their effortless dynamics and total clarity. So, in sum, it is my opinion based on my own experience and musical taste that La Scalas need some volume to sound their best and really come into their own.

The foam seems to follow the contour of the woofer frame in my Heresy II hence my use of the term "molded." The foam appears to be "molded" in the same shape. If you want to decree that it's not "molded" but is instead a "U" shaped piece of foam that's thrown in there then it's fine by me. Whatever floats your boat, man. -H2G

I have the foam molded around the woofer in my Heresy IIs as well. It must be a standard item directly from the factory during production. I too was a little surprised when I saw it. -H2G

"Musically involving?" Define that phrase. Uppity, elitist audio-writers use that term quite often but I've yet to hear any of them actually define what it means. Maybe it's just me, what with being a knuckle-dragging, klipsch-listening caveman and all - LOL. Seriously though, although I'm a big heritage fan, I actually like the RF7s when comparing them to non-heritage speakers in the same price range. But to each his own - good luck on your future purchases!

- "A fully horn loaded loudspeaker is going to excel in dynamics and a "there-it-is" kind of definition that cone speakers (in general) lack. I've yet to hear a cone speaker previde the sense of "realism" that quality horn rigs are able to present." My thoughts exactly. The biggest impact, as far as i'm concerned, is the horn-loaded midrange. That, to me, is what really gives you the LIVE-IN-THE-ROOM sound that I've yet to hear duplicated by a cone. On the flip side, in comparison to the La Scalas, the 7s will dig down so low you'd swear you had a hole all the way through to China. -H2G

If they're local and going for $175 then it sounds like a good deal as long as all the drivers work and the rubber surrounds are okay and aren't cracked or split. Pushed-in dust caps won't affect the sound, but they do look ugly and would lead me to believe the speakers have had a rough life. If that's the case, then it would have an affect on their value (bad for seller, good for you). If working correctly, they'll provide you with plenty of low bass and lots of crips highs. The midrange suits some people fine, although it really doesn't cut it for me but that's a subjective issue - I'm a big fan of the horn-loaded midrange found on other models. Given your circumstances and assuming all the drivers are okay, I'd certainly recommend the purchase.

I have both speakers, in addition to 2 pairs of la scalas. I'm running them off an HK430. Here's my take: The KG4s have excellent bass with excellent highs. The highs are "sharper" then the Heresy II highs. This makes the Heresy II highs seems more laid-back. There's no real midrange to speak of (when compared to Heresy II). The Heresy II has excellent midrange and good highs, but no real bass to speak of (when compared to KG4). When I play either speakers alone, the music feels like it as an audible "hole" in it. With the KG4, the hole is in the midrange. With the Heresy II, the hole is in the bass. With respect to my personal tastes in sound reproduction, I favor the Heresy midrange with KG4 bass and KG4 highs. My solution was to run both of them together, at the same time. The music now sounds all-of-a-piece with great lows, mids, and highs. You really need to run both of them off the same amp in an a/b comparison to fully appreciate what I'm saying here. In short, the Heresy II makes the music seem like it's actually in the room. It sounds more "live," more "there." It sounds more realistic then the KG4s, which sound, to me, more "closed-in," "less real," and more like a speaker rather then a live performance. The KG4s sound more synthetic while the Heresy IIs sound more live. The midrange horn on the Heresy II (or lack of one on the KG4) is what's responsible for this in my opinion. On the same token, the Heresy II sounds "light" because of the lack of bass while the KG4s sound "full" but odd because they have really low bass and sharp highs but have a muted midrange that makes the voices sound like they're buried in the speaker cabinet just trying to get out. The thing about the two speakers is this: You can "fix" the sound of the Heresy IIs by adding a sub. You cannot "fix" the sound of the KG4 because in order to do that, you'd need to by midrange compression drivers and build new networks, effectively creating a new speaker. My own personal "fix" is to simply run both of them at the same time. Now I get the best of both worlds. I can't overstate the impact a compression driven horn midrange has on the music to me. It really "opens" the sound up and makes it seem LIVE. I've yet to listen to a two-way speaker whose midrange is produced by a cone do the same thing. The newer Klipsch two-ways suffer from, in my opinion here, the same thing the KG4 suffers from - excellent highs and excellent bass but with a laid-back, muted midrange. It reminds me of those old EQs in which people would arrange the sliders so that they created a "V" shaped pattern, with the midrange being at the bottom of the "V." I guess it's a matter of taste. Perhaps some people like a muted midrange with agressive highs and lows. I don't. That's my main gripe about two-ways where the mids are produced by cones. In my opinion, no cone can make the critical midrange come alive and disperse it into the room to create that LIVE, RIGHT-THERE sound that a horn can. That's why, if I was in your shoes and had to choose one speaker, my vote would be for the Heresy II over the KG4. Even with weak bass, the music sounds LIVE as opposed to the KG4 which makes it sound like it's simply coming from the speaker cabinet. It's a night and day difference. Furthermore, you can always "fix" the Heresy II with a sub while you cannot do the same for the KG4. Then again, if you can get get used Heresy IIs for around $400 and used KG4s for $200, and run them together, then you wouldn't have an issue. But at that price level, you can always simply buy a pair of Fortes, which would do the trick better then a Heresy II/KG4 or Heresy II/cheap sub $600 combination. And if you're at $600, you can always spend another $200-$250 or so and move up to the Cornwalls, which will definitely step on the Fortes in terms of BIG, LOUD, LIVE sound. That's the problem with audio. You keep moving up the ladder. Probably easier to just buy a pair of Khorns, La Scalas, or Cornwalls right from the start, if you can afford it, and forget about leap-frogging up the product line. -H2G

I've got AL-3 networks in my two pairs of La Scalas. Although I've never heard an ALK equipped La Scala, I must say that I've got no real complaints about my AL-3s. And people who hear them are always, always blown away. As am I, quite frankly - lol. -H2G

I too have noticed a huuuuge difference in sound down through the years...you've gotta toe those babies in!