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Which Klipsch for Small Room?


Dsrtjeeper

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Hello. I'm a newbie to high efficiency speakers and I'm looking for speakers that will work nicely in a 12'x10' room. The room is drywall construction with wall to wall carpet/pad over concrete slab. I'm use to having speakers pulled way out into the room per the Cardas method to achieve excellent soundstaging and balance. I like the performers to be standing infront of the band and hearing all the nuances of the recording. Hearing a vocalist breathe or a chair squeak makes me feel as if I'm right there. My main concern is the large woofers on the Fortes, Cornwalls and Heresys. I even found some KG4.5's locally.

I have a natural bass emphasis in my small room that allows only speakers with the tightest of bass to sound balanced. Smaller drivers have always worked well. I have never heard a Klipsch speaker, but I hear many stories of strident highs and honky mids. This would drive me nuts after listening to speakers like Maggies or Ohms. I listen to jazz, classic rock, blues and acoustic pieces. I like my music fast, transient and involving if not just plain musical. There's nothing like being drawn into a recording.

I'm using the Shanling MC-30 unit with 3-4 watts of power per channel single ended.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Eric

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There is nothing wrong with a large woofer and it will give you better control of the air in the room at low frequencies when compared to a small long throw woofer. If you are concerned about too much bass in you room why not try a Heresy lll as that will give you good bass extension (on par with good small two way speakers) and higher efficiency for your small amp. You did not give any additional information as to if you prefered a two way Vs a three way but having most of the music reproduced by a single mid horn has a lot of advantages. Horns are much more direction than small direct radiators which means you will have much less room interaction with your music. Heresy lll's can be purchased for about $1600.00 new less used. Hope this is of assistance. Best regards Moray James.

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I agree with Moray on the Heresy III recommendation. I recently purchased a pair of them and love them myself. I actually have 3 of them, one used as a center channel in my HT setup. I have similar taste in music as you, and I really like the way they make my favorite music sound...[Y]

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I think a two way design may be better just for the fact that I'd have less crossover components to zap the power out of my small amp.

Welcome to The Forum!

That being said; I disagree.

Remember that Klipsch speakers are extremely efficient.

H IIIs are 96db I believe.....

I can approach ear bleeding levels with an Onkyo 100W X 7 receiver. (Realistically 30-40 Watts)

Many run Klipsch with tubes and swear by it.

This is your Integrated amp?

http://www.audio-ideas.com/reviews/systems/shanling-mc-30.html

I have heard of those using K Horns with low output tubes (5-10 WPC).

If you are unsure; Call 1-800-Klipsch and speak with a representative. They will help you; with no BS.

As mentioned; the benefits of 3 way is a dedicated mid; and really crisp smooth highs.

Have you considered used?

Goto your local Craigslist and do a search in electronics for "Klipsch".

You might be surprised.

The beauty is; if you get a really good deal; and you decide to sell them; you lose little to no money......

Good Luck!

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I agree with Moray on the Heresy III recommendation. I recently purchased a pair of them and love them myself. I actually have 3 of them, one used as a center channel in my HT setup. I have similar taste in music as you, and I really like the way they make my favorite music sound...Yes

Thanks and I will look into the Heresys. I see you're from Corning. I toured the glass plant there back in the 70's as a child. I'm from Upstate originally.

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Yes; that is my amp system. I've read so much about people running higher powered SS amps here to really get control of the bass. This concerned me that I may have bloated bass in my small room. I did find several Klipsch models locally from the Heritage line. My assumption is that the older Klipsch's were better???

Thanks!

I think a two way design may be better just for the fact that I'd have less crossover components to zap the power out of my small amp.

Welcome to The Forum!

That being said; I disagree.

Remember that Klipsch speakers are extremely efficient.

H IIIs are 96db I believe.....

I can approach ear bleeding levels with an Onkyo 100W X 7 receiver. (Realistically 30-40 Watts)

Many run Klipsch with tubes and swear by it.

This is your Integrated amp?

http://www.audio-ideas.com/reviews/systems/shanling-mc-30.html

I have heard of those using K Horns with low output tubes (5-10 WPC).

If you are unsure; Call 1-800-Klipsch and speak with a representative. They will help you; with no BS.

As mentioned; the benefits of 3 way is a dedicated mid; and really crisp smooth highs.

Have you considered used?

Goto your local Craigslist and do a search in electronics for "Klipsch".

You might be surprised.

The beauty is; if you get a really good deal; and you decide to sell them; you lose little to no money......

Good Luck!

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I agree with Moray on the Heresy III recommendation. I recently purchased a pair of them and love them myself. I actually have 3 of them, one used as a center channel in my HT setup. I have similar taste in music as you, and I really like the way they make my favorite music sound...Yes

Thanks and I will look into the Heresys. I see you're from Corning. I toured the glass plant there back in the 70's as a child. I'm from Upstate originally.

I think you will be pleased with the Heresys. I practically stole my HIII's for what I paid for them. Where in upstate NY are you from?

Edit: I forgot to mention that I do run a sub (HSU VTF2-MK3) with mine. I also removed the slant riser bases and purchased some 16" stands to place them on. It made the midbass much cleaner, and improved the mids, highs and imaging a great deal.[Y]

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The efficiency is such that your concern is not a worry. Bass control is more a factor of the amp used. I have a 2A3 ASL Tulip which has stunning depth and bass weight with excellent control. More power gets you more level. A three way insures coherency across the band which you wont get as well with a two way. With a two way the crossover has to be smack dab in the middle of your midrange right where your ear is mosst sensitive to it. Three way is the better compromise in my opinion. Below are the spec for a Heresy lll. You can play louder than you will probably wan to with 3-4 watts. If you don't like the sound don't look at the speaker.

Specifications


FREQUENCY RESPONSE 58Hz-20kHz(+-)3dB
POWER HANDLING 100 w max continuous (400 w peak)
SENSITIVITY 99dB @ 1watt/1meter
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 8 ohms
CROSSOVER FREQUENCY HF: 5000Hz
LF: 850Hz
MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT 116dB SPL
TWEETER K-107-TI 1" (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver
HIGH FREQUENCY HORN Tractrix Horn
MIDRANGE K-53-TI 1.75" (4.45 cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver
MID FREQUENCY HORN Exponential Horn
WOOFER K-28-E 12" (30.48cm) Fiber-composite cone
ENCLOSURE MATERIAL MDF
ENCLOSURE TYPE Sealed
DIMENSIONS 23.81" H (60.48 cm) x 15.5" W (39.37 cm) x 13.25" D (33.66 cm)
WEIGHT 44 lbs unboxed
FINISHES Walnut Lacquer, Cherry Lacquer, Black Lacquer
BUILT FROM 2006
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Remember that Klipsch speakers are extremely efficient.

H IIIs are 96db I believe.....


Heresy IIs are rated 97dB, while Heresy IIIs are rated at 99dB sensitivity. H-2s sound very good, H-3s sound even better.

As for placement, most Klipsch speakers sound their best when located in a corner, or at least near a wall. This is a good thing, since they take up less space in the room that way.

Other speakers may be designed to be placed well out into the room, but Klipsch speakers are not. After some experimenting, I found that my La Scalas/JubScalas sound best toed in directly toward the listening position, with the corner nearest to the wall only 5" from it.

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I did a quick search and this is the first writeup I came across.

http://www.avguide.com/review/klipsch-heresy-iii-loudspeakers-hifi-plus-71

They just happened to use my amp with the Heresylll. I have two concerns related to this article.

The bass only extends down to 58hz and the mention of horns not blending unless you sit 4meters or so away from them. My speakers are on the 10' wall and the most I could sit from the speakers would be maybe 10'.

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I found 2 pairs of Cornwalls locally. One set is $600.00 and the other ask to make an offer. They seem to get better press than the Heresy's. The first thing that scared me about Heresylll's is the titanium tweeter. I have not heard but a handful of metal tweeters that I could live with.

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Is your room already treated or do you plan to budget for that as well?

Seems to me a crummy speaker might sound better in a good room than a great speaker might sound in a sucky room.

Sometimes I wonder if this is where the Klipsch rap of honky comes from?

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Is your room already treated or do you plan to budget for that as well?

Seems to me a crummy speaker might sound better in a good room than a great speaker might sound in a sucky room.

Sometimes I wonder if this is where the Klipsch rap of honky comes from?

My room is treated with Room Tunes and various Echo Tune products. The room is treated carefully though as such a small room can become over-damped easily. I like a livelier sound.

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The Klipsch titanium diaphragms are exceptional from what I have been told by others including a buddy who's opinion I trust. I have just bought some for myself. Being very efficient Klipsch will show up electronic distortion lower efficiency speakers will not. The main reason small speakers are often placed well int the room on stands is to minimize wall bounce with directional speakers (horns) you don't have that problem and the speakers can be placed near to the front wall of the room where it will enjoy bass reinforcement.Small two way speakers are not going to get you any lower in response and if you want deep bass or want to play movies you would have at least one sub either way. If you want to place the Heresy up on a stand and into the room you can adjust the mid and hi horns down in level so they will sound balanced. The speaker controls horn level with an auto transformer which has multiple taps so you can adjust to set the balance. Heresy are designed and come with small risers and the speaker sits on the floor near a wall or corner, this augments bass and so the horns are adjusted to balance for this. If you have them on a stand into the room they will naturally sound bright so make the adjustment necessary and all will be well. I think that your concerns would be best dealt with if you were to find a Heresy owner who would let you have a listen. There is a reason this design has lasted on the market since 1958. They work. Klipsch has slowly made them better and the Mklll is probably the best yet. Best regards Moray James.

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Before you invest in a pair of Heresys, see if you can locate a pair of RF-15s. Although they are discontinued, some new ones are still around and are far less costly than a new pair of H3s. The RF-15s are very well suited for use in a room of that size (look at my system profile to see how I'm using them), and provide a very easy load for a low power tube amp. You do need to be careful not to excite too much low frequency energy in a room of that size as it can definitely cause smeared imaging, among other things.

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The Klipsch titanium diaphragms are exceptional from what I have been told by others including a buddy who's opinion I trust. I have just bought some for myself. Being very efficient Klipsch will show up electronic distortion lower efficiency speakers will not. The main reason small speakers are often placed well int the room on stands is to minimize wall bounce with directional speakers (horns) you don't have that problem and the speakers can be placed near to the front wall of the room where it will enjoy bass reinforcement.Small two way speakers are not going to get you any lower in response and if you want deep bass or want to play movies you would have at least one sub either way. If you want to place the Heresy up on a stand and into the room you can adjust the mid and hi horns down in level so they will sound balanced. The speaker controls horn level with an auto transformer which has multiple taps so you can adjust to set the balance. Heresy are designed and come with small risers and the speaker sits on the floor near a wall or corner, this augments bass and so the horns are adjusted to balance for this. If you have them on a stand into the room they will naturally sound bright so make the adjustment necessary and all will be well. I think that your concerns would be best dealt with if you were to find a Heresy owner who would let you have a listen. There is a reason this design has lasted on the market since 1958. They work. Klipsch has slowly made them better and the Mklll is probably the best yet. Best regards Moray James.

When I spoke of two ways I was referring to floor standers. I have never liked bookshelf speakers. I have attained very good bass with such speakers as the JM Labs Daline 3.1. This speaker has a very small footprint but would go down to 35hz with ease. Wish I still had them. :( Klipsch has definately peaked my interest though and I'd like to give them a listen. Noone has really adressed my concern over sitting so close to the speakers even if they are 1' away from the front wall. The review I listed above mentioned a need to sit about 4meters from horns for the sound to blend correctly from the multiple drivers???

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