Ray_pierrewit Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 My first experience with Klipsch heritage loudspeakers was sometime last year when I bought a pair of mid 70s Lascalas on a whim. My girlfriend's reaction when she saw those beasts in our 1100 sq foot condo's living room was priceless ("The only thing missing are some topless dancers on those fugly things!!!"). After some intense negotiating we reached a compromise which allowed me to keep them. We've since moved to the country and the Lascalas have a sort of dedicated basement listening area. I puchased a pair of Heresy IIs for the living room of our new house and since I've no longer much time for critical listening it took a while to "voice the room", so to speak. The living room is 10' w, 8' h, 15' l (there is no wall behind the listening seat, it opens up to the rest of the main floor, imagine an L shape). The floor is hardwood and the room is untreated save the area rug in front of the speakers, some wall deco and a book shelf. They are driven by an 8W EL84 integrated tube amp (Glow Amp One), my source, for the time being, is my DVD player (not the best, I know, but I'll eventually hook up my main sources: heavily modified Lenco 75 turntable with Gram Amp 2 phono and Playstation 1 CD player, yes I am a poor, frugal audiophile!), all wires are cheapish generic stuff. I started with the Heresys placed about 6' tweeter to tweeter and around 2' from the wall behind them, slightly toed in. I haven't got risers and they are on three brass cones each, the two in front being slightly higher than the back one. I found this setup to be most uninteresting. It clearly lacked warmth, it was shrill, muddy and fatiguing... pretty much exactly the opposite of what I expected from heritage speakers. I expected them to be lean, not... bad. I eventually got sick of that sound and played around with their placement. What I've got now is light years ahead of what I had been subjected to before. It still needs tweaking but that can wait. They are now aprox. 7' tweeter to tweeter, 6.5" from the back wall (11" from the side of the cabinet to the side wall) and slightly toed in (I sit around 8' away). With this setup I've rediscovered what I like about the Klipsch sound... very dynamic, nice timbre/tone and great impact. The bass has impoved about ten fold but probably at the cost of better imaging/seperation (I can live with that). So I'd love to hear from other Heresy owners, people who actually still own and listen to them. How are they setup? With or without risers (advantages to the risers)? What is driving them? With or without an additional subwoofer? Modified or not (Crites tweeters, new caps, whatever)? Are you satisfied with the Heresys or are you constantly looking for a cheap pair of Cornwalls or others? I'm really curious to hear from you Heresy people! Thanks, dna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I have H3s so yours may be a little different from mine. Your setup and gear sound about right to me. I would consider getting some risers but the difference is not a giant change but a reasonable improvement so it's worth a try. I'd also think about getting a good sub. I use a little Velodyne 8 inch SPL and it blends in nicely with the Heresys. The sub fills in the very bottom and that's important for me. Try a sub before you make any other changes, if you cross the sub over a little on the high side it will warm up the sound (maybe too much) so you need to get the sub blended before any other tuning. Thanx, Russ P.S. I have no desire to switch to another speaker, the Heresys are big enough already (for my little room). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 So I'd love to hear from other Heresy owners, people who actually still own and listen to them. How are they setup? With or without risers (advantages to the risers)? The risers are slanted to direct the sound upward. Since Heresys are somewhat short their sound isn't directed toward your ears as much as if the front of them is tilted upward. If you have something that's 2-3" tall you can stick under the front of each speaker you can see if you like how they sound that way. Heresy risers show up on eBay every once in a while and if you post a 'wanted to buy' ad in the Garage Sale section of the forum you might find a fellow forum member who has a pair they'll sell you. P.S. Glad to hear that you were able to keep your LaScalas and that you still have them! I've owned lots of audio gear through the years from people whose wives were more than happy for me to take their items off their hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean5340 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 ("The only thing missing are some topless dancers on those fugly things!!!"). I might have to get some of those. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenderbender Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Just for giggles....try sticking them in the corners......I have three sets of heresy's and my "spare" is up on top of my Khorns, toed in at 45 and they sound remarkable.... Big open L shaped livingroom/diningroom combo..... I temporarily put another set in the corners (on the floor) of my den with the same effect....but the seating in that room won't allow for it permanently. GLA51 suggested this to me and I was surprised....I guess it's very room /amp/source dependent though.....just keep trying, even unorthodox set ups....you'll strike the right combo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Pair of risers just posted on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/KLIPSCH-HERESY-BASES-H-BR-FRB-PAIR-VERY-NICE_W0QQitemZ320397676398QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSpeakers_Subwoofers?hash=item4a99308f6e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A10|66%3A2|39%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted July 12, 2009 Moderators Share Posted July 12, 2009 ("The only thing missing are some topless dancers on those fugly things!!!"). I might have to get some of those. Never noticed the fugly things ![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_pierrewit Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 I tried placing them in the corners as suggested by someone here. I gave it a good listen but found that something was missing. The imaging was definately better with more air, the center image was especially focused and stable. I think the overall tone was a little off and it didn't help the bass out as much as I hoped. I'm now very close to where they started though I backed them closer to the wall (around 4" slightly toed-in) and a little closer together. I turned the lights out and listened to Wilco's A Ghost is Born. I know it's getting there when I get so into the music that I almost fall asleep while listening (no, not out of boredom)... it's almost as if it's hard to open my eyes but I'm totally conscious, aware of the music. Just the music. You guys must know that feeling, no? I've long considered adding a little sub as most here have suggested. I'm looking at a few right now, maybe someone's got an opinion on one of them: HSU STF-1 - http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html - seems like a great bargain and appropriately sized for my room. Glow Audio Sub One - http://www.glow-audio.com/subone.html - nice looking, good price, good 6moons review, would look nice with the amp Monitor Audio r360 - http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/radius-hd/r360-hd/your-speaker - mostly because I found one used, not too expensive, local Any thoughts? I've read recently that it is highly suggested to use two subs (Jim Smith's Get Better Sound) rather than one... I know that this system is mostly for background music and the occasional special nightime sessions so I'm not looking to build the highest possible fidelity. I'm just wondering if anyone here uses two subs for music and what, if any, advantages you may have noticed. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I also have a HSU sub on my other system. It's a great product. Go for the STF-2, it's only 50 bucks more. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 My HIIs are doing bedroom duty, up on small tables so they are the correct height while sitting in bed reading or whatever. Powered by an HK430, I really feel NO lack of bass. But then again, I like my LaScalas, too. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_pierrewit Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 I'm bumping this thread I started earlier this summer because of new possibilities that have presented themselves. To make a long story shorter, I've got a pair of early HIIs driven by a nice little EL84 tube amp. As much as I enjoy and listen to this setup, I can't help but wonder (miss?) what musical information I'm missing, notably in the lower few octaves. I've considered buying a small, "musical" sub to help fill in the bass... my research has come up with a few options. I'm currently leaning toward a HSU model (STF-2). Now something new has come up. I found a pair of beautiful Fortes for sale locally for the price of a subwoofer, plus no shipping and all that stuff. I could sell my HIIs (or even keep them for a future setup) and have a pair of speakers that dig considerably lower. What I'm thinking is that with a pair of speakers that naturally play much deeper it'll be easier to set them up than finding the optimal place for a sub, then readjusting the speakers and so on... plus I've read that it's highly recommended to have two rather than one sub (Jim Smith's "Get better sound"). I've never heard the Fortes but have faith that they have much in common with the Heritage Klipsch products (my other speakers are Lascalas, which I love). The question I'm hoping you Klipschophiles will help me with is: Can the Fortes be as satisfying as HIIs with a sub? dna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 For 2 channel listening I'd probably go with the Fortes. If your working towards a HT setup later, I'd be temped to go HII and a sub. I use my HIIs in the bedroom in corners and have been real happy with them. I have also used a sub with that setup and that works fine too. I don't think you can really go wrong so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Compromise and opt for go-go dancers in cages suspended from the ceiling. Live the dream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_pierrewit Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 This system will never be used for HT. I might watch movies with them but I never intend to have earth shaking explosions or 5.1 surround. Stricly 2 channel (or 2.1 should I buy the sub). dna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_pierrewit Posted September 20, 2009 Author Share Posted September 20, 2009 Here's a quick update for anyone who may be interested. I sold the Heresy IIs in order to buy a nice, near mint pair of walnut Forté Is. I hooked them up a few nights ago and I realised instantaneously what I had been missing before. They have lots in common with the Heresy and I have yet to fiddle around with the setup to make it optimum but I can already state that I have found the speakers I've been wanting for so long. They have so much authority and slam yet somehow manage to be subtle and restrained when needed. It's been very pleasing thusfar! Oh yeah, I wanted to ask about the passive radiators. They are in great shape, but I was wondering should they every be damage has anyone found a solution to replace them? Do they show up from time to time on this or other sites? dna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 Nice decision on the Fortes! I bet the walnut is beautiful. I'm not sure if Klipsch still has the passive radiators in stock but you can always give them a call. I've seen them on eBay now and again. Its been recommended to put a mesh screen like this http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-374 to prevent anything from damaging the woofer. Michael Colter (colterphoto) on here has a post somewhere that shows how to install them. This post has the instructions to install the grill: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/100278/1075961.aspx#1075961 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Passives show up rarely. Generally, unless a cat or pet rat gets behind them for claw and teeth practice, or a small child with a "pokey stick" wants to see what happens when they stick 'em (or push in the dust cap cones...), they should be ok for as long as you have the Forte's. Small gouges, tears, etc can be repairedusing "rolling paper" or rice paper and a small dab of contact cement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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