Jump to content

RF-7II vs Heresy III


Grizzog

Recommended Posts

So...it was bound to happen.

349ae7104052250fa05ed63e369e9a04.jpg

(Sorry for the not so great pic...I'm too lazy to get my camera gear out.)

The Heresies were brought down to the family room for a show down against the RF-7II.

Fearing that I will put a lot of you to sleep with a long description, I'll get right to the point.

The RF-7II won.

I had seen that the 7s were voiced closer to the heritage series. After going back and forth, it seems this may be true. At first, it seemed the Heresies were warmer, but it turns out the 7s just have a significant amount more detail. Having said that, I do turn the treble down -2 on the 7s. Their location and interaction with my room require this for my tastes. (Stay tuned on whether this is true with the Outlaw separates that are on their way.)

Both speakers are great, but the 7s are more modern. The sound is smoother, more open, detailed, and bigger. The Heresies do have an endearing quality though. They feel softer and are purely relaxing.

Neither speaker is going anywhere, but an A/B was required.

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have thought that the Heresy would sound fuller. Are they stock H III's out of curiosity?

Stock H III. I had thought they would be fuller as well, but it wasn't the case. Truth be told, I gave them the warmer amp in the test. What may be thought of as warmth was the cabinet "singing" along with the music - especially voices and acoustic guitar. It certainly does not sound bad, and actually adds a pleasant quality. However, the cabinet is clearly heard when switching between the two speakers.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you raise the HIII's to the height of the RF7II's to get a more accurate comparison?

Bill

Nope. Both were used as designed and delivered. No subwoofer, no mods, no changes. I didn't take deep bass response into account on the comparison since that was a given for the 7s.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Did you raise the HIII's to the height of the RF7II's to get a more accurate comparison?

Bill

Nope. Both were used as designed and delivered. No subwoofer, no mods, no changes. I didn't take deep bass response into account on the comparison since that was a given for the 7s.

 

 

Good point. :emotion-21:  I understand completely.

 

Bill

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Significant difference with the Heresys on shorter stands closer to the wall.  The Heresys on the floor were for back when.... well I'd be dating myself.

 

Moving the the Heresys to RF-7 mid/tweeter height will allow things to blend much better.  No, wouldn't keep up with the bass but not a slouch either.  Maybe even more balanced through the midbass - treble that way.

 

Remember Heresy was designed as a middle speaker when two K-horns were far apart.  That means you were quite far from the speaker so you would actually possibly be on mid/tweeter axis when you were that far back, not like 10 feet away like today's living rooms.

 

I don't know how big your room is but I would gather it wouldn't meet that criteria.

 

It would be interesting to do the comparison on a set of 12-18" heavy stands.  The two would be much closer than you think.

 

My opinion of course.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sit about 9-10 feet away. Certainly results can vary depending on seating position, speaker placement, room treatments, and other factors. In this particular test, the 7s came out on top. Real-world testing rather than ideal conditions is really what most of us have to deal with. The Heresies aren't going anywhere, they are both great.

The Heresies generally reside in my office/spare bedroom where the 7s would overwhelm the room and be a boomy mess. In this room, it turned out differently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would love to see what you thought with the Heresy III's on stands as well. Not that they would shame the 7's but just to see if they would be closer competition in your room set up. I know all of my Heresies are of the floor, I have never enjoyed a Heresy on ground level. Even with the risers directing the sound upward they have a tendency to sound better off the floor (to me at least). If you are interested in trying it, I am interested in reading about it. Thank you by the way for the cool comparo!

 

 

Tim

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had my speakers ( RF 7 II) at a friends house and they had JTR , Goldenear, JBL and some other speakers there and the RF 7 's got everyone attention as soon as the music started playing.  The RF 7 II's are a great speaker and very detailed.  I'm not surprised that they won against the HIII.  It was not a fair comparison, lol.  The H III's sound great and will continue to  have lots of fans.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Did you raise the HIII's to the height of the RF7II's to get a more accurate comparison?

Bill

Nope. Both were used as designed and delivered. No subwoofer, no mods, no changes. I didn't take deep bass response into account on the comparison since that was a given for the 7s.

You were able to block out the deep bass how?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sit about 9-10 feet away. Certainly results can vary depending on seating position, speaker placement, room treatments, and other factors. In this particular test, the 7s came out on top. Real-world testing rather than ideal conditions is really what most of us have to deal with. The Heresies aren't going anywhere, they are both great.

The Heresies generally reside in my office/spare bedroom where the 7s would overwhelm the room and be a boomy mess. In this room, it turned out differently.

Grizzog, yes, your real world testing with your positioning but the reason you are getting all the questions is that most folks know for that listening distance, Heresys would sound significantly more open on stands along with the ability for the tweeter and mid to be more time aligned when up on stands.  If you were 20 feet away it may change things and stands might not be needed.

 

Most folks would say the Heresys would be more open in that scenario though that really for many people may be TOO open, especially if you like the two way sound.

 

I'm not trying to say your conclusions are wrong or your methodology for your acceptable positions are wrong, I would come to the same conclusion you did actually.  Just as Teaman said, we'd like to hear your opinions on stands, just for grins (though you might not have any appropriate stands available).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for raising the Heresy up a bit higher.

 

I have the 7 II's and absolutely love them! I use them primarily for my home theater and I doubt I'll ever relieve them of that duty. With that being said the Heresy' had a big improvement for me when I put them on top of my component cabinet, where the top surface is about 28" off the ground. Will doing that beat the 7's? I doubt it, but it will surely make things more interesting.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a quick update on the 7s. I replaced the Anthem MRX 520 AVR that was powering them with Outlaw Audio's 975/5000 combo and there is no longer a need to turn the treble down. This combo is very smooth and completely balanced out the speaker.

As far as stands for the Heresies, I don't really have anything besides end tables that may be able to hold them. I may give it a try and see what height they end up at.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a quick update on the 7s. I replaced the Anthem MRX 520 AVR that was powering them with Outlaw Audio's 975/5000 combo and there is no longer a need to turn the treble down. This combo is very smooth and completely balanced out the speaker.

As far as stands for the Heresies, I don't really have anything besides end tables that may be able to hold them. I may give it a try and see what height they end up at.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Component matching is a big thing.  Glad that cleaned up the nasties in the treble.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I would have thought that the Heresy would sound fuller. Are they stock H III's out of curiosity?

Stock H III. I had thought they would be fuller as well, but it wasn't the case. Truth be told, I gave them the warmer amp in the test. What may be thought of as warmth was the cabinet "singing" along with the music - especially voices and acoustic guitar. It certainly does not sound bad, and actually adds a pleasant quality. However, the cabinet is clearly heard when switching between the two speakers.

 

 

You ran the speakers using different amps for your A B comparison?

 

I have my Heresy''s mounted on top of two end tables, IKEA has some for $10 each that are the right height to put the mid range horn at ear level when sitting. You will have to take them off of the slant risers or put a couple of paper backs in the rear as shims for the test, hopefully it won't make them front heavy risking tipping.

 

What song or song are you using for your AB??

 

In your photo, floor bounce and

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...