Heritage advice needed

[Boomzilla]

Hello ladies & gentlemen - I'm new to the forums...

I need your sage advice, please, regarding my speaker dilemma. I have been using Heresy II speakers with a subwoofer. The sound has been fine, but there are three boxes to be dealt with - the two Heresies and the sub. I have taken the step of selling the sub, and find the Heresy's bass to be inadequate (even with a bit of judicious help from the (ahem) "tone control"). Since I'd like to have proper bass without a subwoofer, I have come up with the following options:

Option 1 - Sell the Heresy speakers on e-Bay and buy a set of Cornwalls (I don't have corners for a K-Horn). I have had Cornwalls before and find them to be acceptable so far as bass response goes. The 15" woofers, being operated as high in the sound spectrum as they are, don't have quite the midrange detail that I'd like, but this is a "low-effort, high return" solution. If I shop judiciously, I can find a set or Cornwalls in a nice veneer so that I don't have to futz about with finishing the birch plywood.

Option 2 - Cannibalize the Heresy speakers, buy or build a pair of Cornwall cabinets, and buy some "replacement Cornwall woofers" off of e-Bay or from Klipsch. Provided that I can find a nice pair of used Cornwall cabinets with damaged or missing drivers, this would be a "low cost" solution. The fly in this ointment is that my Heresy speakers are the (odd) 4-ohm model, and I'm not sure what the "replacement" 15" woofers would do with that crossover. If I have to build cabinets, this becomes a FAR less attractive option. Further, even if I go with this option, I'm still stuck with the "less than detailed" midrange from the high woofer-to-squawker crossover point. If I do have to build cabinets, I'm more prone to:

Option 3 - Sell the Heresy speakers on e-Bay and build a pair of "Corn-Scalas." To do this, I'd have to buy 15" woofers, a pair of La Scala or K-Horn crossovers, and the midrange horns with drivers (I already have a minty pair of EV T-35 tweeters sitting in the closet). Of course, if I'm going to this much trouble, I'd be more prone to put TWO 15" woofers per side into a more upright (K-horn sized) cabinet. The dual woofers per side might provide enough sensitivity to allow me the use of the midranges and tweeters from the K-horn crossover without further attenuation? I have owned La Scalas before, and like the midrange detail of the big midrange horn.

I'm sure that SOMEONE on these forums has, at one time or another, tried ALL of these options. I'd appreciate it if you'd be so kind as to share your experiences... Any other "out of the box" suggestions are also welcome. Since my experience has been exclusively with the older Klipsch products, I'm unfamiliar with the sound of the newer ones. My goals in this exercise are:

Deep bass (somewhere in the low 30's at least

High sensitivity (I'd like to run these things with low powered electronics

Minimum cost (my better half's priority)

Minimum labor (my woodworking skills are pathetic, but I can force myself if I have to)

Your thoughts? Thanks!

[Islander]

All that just to avoid having a sub? Two Heresies and a sub will take up less space in your room than a pair of Cornwalls.

Have you ever heard Forte II or Chorus speakers? They might give you the bass you want without a sub.

[Brac]

right with ya, I was gonna say you need to find a pair of Forte II's.

[peshewah]

I don't see where your located but there is a pair for sell in the "garage sell" section right now. Good luck.

[colterphoto1]

"acceptable" ? you're calling Cornwall slam 'acceptable'? Dude- CW bass ROCKS, go for that option!

[Boomzilla]

Thanks - you're right, the CWs have awesome bass. The rest of the spectrum aint too shabby either...

I've got "wanted" ads out on the local Craigslist for a pair. Once I find some, I'll post my Heresy II set here.

Thanks again - Glenn

[Daddy Dee]

Glenn,

Welcome to the forum. I'd agree that you are right on target with the CW's.

[JohnA]

I would buy/build a high end subwoofer, or even 2 and place them according to the attached paper.

Buy/borrow some gear and curve the room and system so you can properly adjust the sub(s).

Otherwise, nothing but a pair of K-horns will get to the low 30s, except maybe a pair of Chorus.

Though I hated subwoofers before these, I wouldn't be without them with my La Scalas.

Mulitiple Subs - Number and Locations.pdf

[Islander]

With the help of a single sub, my JubScalas are pretty well flat down to 25Hz, and the bass is realistic in quality, and not too weak or too strong in quantity.

Remember how most of the old Radio Shack speakers claimed 20-20KHz response? What a joke.

[garyrc]

Did you say why you don't want to use subwoofer? A common complaint is that subs tend to sound imprecise and "floppy" compared to the best Klipsch bass. I got around that (most of the time) by cutting in my Klipsch RSW-15 sub at 40 Hz with the Klipschorns running full range (Khorns properly cornered stay pretty clean & tight even below the point that they begin to attenuate seriously, which is at about 35 Hz). The 40 Hz cut-in sounds far better than 80 or higher. Sometimes, for some music, I turn the sub way down so it just provides a hint of extenson to 20 Hz, and for other music & movies I run it flat, relative to the Khorns.

You might get great results with a Cornwall and a sub of recent design ... I understand that the newer Klipsch top-of-the-line subs are "faster." Be sure to check to make sure that any candidate will match or exceed the sensitivity / efficiency of whatever front speakers you consider.