Jump to content

Heresy II + Classé CAP-80 not bad, not bad at all...


Lasz

Recommended Posts

I've been active on this forum for a little while now, but I realised I've never really properly introduced myself yet.

 

So let me herby try to make up for that: My name's Laszlo and I'm from the Netherlands. Unfortunately not a country where Klipsch speakers are as abundant as say, in the US. The prices I see second hand Klipsch Heritage speakers go for in the US as compared to in the Netherlands, makes me cry a little inside, actually. $250,- for a set of as-new cherry Hersy 2s? Man, I was lucky to find a set of H2s on a Dutch second-hand site a few weeks ago, because they don't pop up that often. Paid € 575,- for them, but I'm happy to have them. I really wanted ones with a nice wood veneer finish, but these were black ones (hey, beggars can't be choosers.) Maybe one day I'll sand them down to reveal the wood veneer beneath, as I suspect there is, under the black paint.

 

Funny, I've had B&W speakers for many years, cdm7nt and cdm9nt consecutively. Played them with a Classé CAP-80 integrated and it sounded pretty smooth, but to me the music never really "came alive," so to speak. Later tried a Krell KAV-300i integrated with the cdm9nt and despite that amp having more punch and power, I still kinda missed a kind of "liveliness" to the sound. A friend of mine had a pair of Yamaha NS-144 speakers and although not as advanced as my B&W speakers at the time, they always seemed to sound WAY more dynamic than my set, especially with rock music. So I went on a search for a good "rock" speaker and after a google search I came across a review of the Heresy 3 that made me very interested about this speaker. I really became curious as to what all the hype was about. Realizing I couldn't afford a new set of H3s I went on the lookout for a set of H2s.

 

I still had my Classé CAP-80 laying around and this seemed to be a good combo with the H2s. It never had the power to bring my B&Ws to life as I wanted, but combined with the H2s, it's a whole different story! Where say, a snare drum on the Classé/B&W combo always seemed to sound a little "limp-wristed" (pardon the expression), you can now practically feel the impact of the "smack." Think "PANG!" instead of "puh.." The music comes "alive" instead of just being "played back." While not as advanced or refined as the B&Ws and having substantially less bass (the only thing I'm really missing in the B&Ws absence) I feel like I've finally gained something that's sorely been missed in my musical enjoyment for a long time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome! I also have a pair of black HII speakers, a gift from my older son. I think they are very balanced tonally, with plenty of bass, but proper placement will help. I've been tempted to strip mine also, and veneering them or giving them a stain/refinish. But, the smaller black cabinets disappear quite well.

 

Bruce

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, JMON said:

Welcome to the forum!  I prefer tubes but for solid-state, Classé is one of my favorites.

 

The Heresy does not go very low but you can improve the bass by putting them in corners (closer to the floor/ceiling will improve the bass the most).

I've become very interested in tubes!! I'm only worried they won't have the bass control/slam as my Classé has with the Heresies, which I really like...

 

I initially had them on the floor, angled up, but I didn't like it. Something about music coming from the corner of the floor just seemed unnatural to me. I now have them 30cm from the floor, slightly angled up, much better. They do seem to be very room dependant, though. My living room has a sort of inverted "L-shape" and the speaker facing the "foot" of the L seems to produce more bass than the other one. I already swapped the speakers to check if they were at fault, but the result was the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome and congrats on the new set up! A guy once told me the "holy grail" of SS amplifiers was the Classe' fifteen. He had the 300? at the time and I thought it sounded very nice.

 

I'm on the fence with tubes personally. I've had a half dozen or so tubed amplifiers / integrateds and really enjoyed them. Have also had a few different Tube Pre's and really liked those as well. I think quality equipment sounds good regardless of whether its tubed or not but I can certainly see why people like / prefer tubes in certain situations. Of course if I had a pair of the big boys, Klipschorn or La Scala my view might more slanted towards tubes but who knows for sure.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, JMON said:

 I remember the reviews stating it had an overall sound similar to solid-state.

 

From what I've read and understand once you get up into the really high dollar tube amps / solid state amps they sound pretty much the same. I'm sure there's plenty who will disagree with that but whatever. I know Bob Carver's little VTA-20 tube amp sounded very similar to his Lightstar amplifier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't heard every solid-state amp, but the last one I had in my main system was a Jeff Rowland -- they are pretty expensive and have long been considered among the very best solid-state amps you can get.  The next amp I acquired was the VT-50, my first tube amp.  As soon as I turned it on I knew instantly the Rowland was getting sold, and the amp hadn't even warmed up yet.  I have since sold that amp but have never had another solid-state amp for my main system.  I do still have a Nakamichi STASIS amp (Nelson Pass design) to compare and whenever I try it out it is instantly obvious that something is missing with it.  Granted, the Nak isn't at the same level a the Rowland, but it is no slouch.  The quality that tube amps have over solid-state is that they are more musical which I eventually came to realize is the most important quality of a music system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your experience.

 

I can confirm the prices here in Europe, it is a far cry of prices in the USA.

 

As for placement of speakers, I have similar situation with Infinity Qb which are comparable dimension-wise to Heresies. Infinities were actualy sold with their own 30 cm high stands. The placement with regard to bass is also similar. Place them arround 60cm from the walls (more or less), lift them 30cm from the ground and if no other obstacles between you and the speakersthey sholud sound fairly good.

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...