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Finding a Place to Audition Heritage Line in Houston


Mike V

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I am turning our 2nd floor "game room" into a music listening room - it is 16'x20', and my architect daughter is helping me design the room - I am looking for an old school minimalist look, maybe with some 70s flair.  The Heritage line speakers "look" perfect for the room, but f course I need to hear them.  At first, I thought the Heresy IIIs would be great, but I want to listen to them and some of the bigger ones, like the Forte III and the the Cornwall III.  

I thought living near the 4th largest city in the US, Houston, I would be able to find a Klipsch dealer with these speakers to listen to them, but I have come up empty-handed.  One store that is a Klipsch dealer near me does not want to spend all that money for floor models to listen too.  Using Google, I have come up with nothing.  Seems like every "home stereo" store is a Home Theater installer, and some promising stores are not open on weekends!   Where are the good old high end music stores I remember from the 70s though the 90s?  Can anybody here help me find a place? 

Thanks! I am attaching the measurement of my room.

PS - my daughter is consulting with audio experts in Philly - she wants to learn about this because she thinks a bunch of old guys like me (56) are going to be doing the same thing when their children leave their homes.  I think she is right.  I want to choose the speaker first - everything else will be "standard" size, but the speakers can vary a lot.  I do not want the modern "tower" speakers because they do not look 70s. :)

Music Room Layout.jpg

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39 minutes ago, Mike V said:

Seems like every "home stereo" store is a Home Theater installer, and some promising stores are not open on weekends!   Where are the good old high end music stores I remember from the 70s though the 90s?  

Welcome

 

There are very few if any "real" stereo stores anymore as far as I know. Me, I would pick either the Forte lll or Cornwall lll over the Heresy.  The new Forte lll is very good and just came out not to long ago so it may be hard to find, but they sound great, my first pic if I were you.

43 minutes ago, Mike V said:

 I do not want the modern "tower" speakers because they do not look 70s. :)

I don't blame you, I feel the same way, I just like the style and sound of the Heritage. 

 

Maby someone with the F lll will be somewhere in your area, we have the Cornwall lll but they are set up in the bedroom, not really optimal for an audition but they could be put in the living room if you're ever in this area. 60 miles north of N.O. Might have some F lll's in the future.

 

51 minutes ago, Mike V said:

PS - my daughter is consulting with audio experts in Philly

Audio experts can be good or bad, hope they help her, but you're on the right track. I hope they don't try to talk her out of Klipsch, most people here like them because they have that live music sound, not laid back and polite like many brands.

 

Old :o well ok she's right, there are a bunch of old buzzards here, 60 in a couple of weeks for me, so I can't deny that........... it is what it is

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Thanks for your responses!  I had no idea the "real stereo" stores have nearly died out.  My old "listening room" is still alive in Saginaw, MI (I lived nearby in Midland): https://www.hifishoppesaginaw.com/quality-products.  It amazes me that I cannot find a similar store in Houston!  BTW, I walked into the one store I found in Houston, the salesperson asked what I was looking for, and I said at the top i=of my listening list is Klipsch, and he replied that I could find those at Target.  So I asked what brand of speakers he had, and he replied that they only carried B&W.  So I replied with a "they certainly are the trendiest speaker of the month these days, aren't they?"  

My daughter is waiting for me to pick the speakers so she can start her design - no one is changing my mind on that.  But she wants to learn about speaker placement and his to design and arrange the room for optimum listening experiences.  We will learn together.  She is guessing that half of her potential customers will be like me and be very involved and experimental to get the right sound and will work closely with the architect, but the other half will not, so she wants to design music rooms that get the basics right, at least.  She grew up listening to my 70s music, and she asked to use my old LPs to frame and decorate her bedroom when she lived here, so I think is the right person for the job. :)

Speaking of old, I just got an SPL meter to help me balance my speakers (I do have a media room that needs a little work), and I am learning just how noisy / quiet my house is in different room, and out here on the patio.  Our backyard lines up to rail tracks, and I learned last night our noise was 73 dB when the diesels went by, and 66 dB with just the railcars rattling by.  38 dB when the train was gone (cicadas in the distance).  Also, when I use the lawn mower and edger and blower today, I will take measurements.  I need to protect my hearing now so I can enjoy my speakers 10, 20 years from now. :)

 

 

 

Edited by Mike V
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I suggest you take the day off from work and go to some of those "promising stores".

 

As an alternative, perhaps you could make a request on this forum for Texas members that might let you audition their Klipsch speakers in their homes.

 

Or, I checked craigslist.org for the Houston area and see several of the Heritage series models for sale. You could ask the sellers to audition their speakers, perhaps for some compensation. One seller of Cornwalls in the Houston area specifically asks to call if you "want to hear them".

 

I hope you'll post again once the room is complete; I'd be interested to hear what you did and whether you're satisfied with the sound.

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I would take four La Scala's over a pair of FIII's any day of the week.  Splits are even better since you can tweak the top sections as shown above.  Just add a fifth and a couple of very capable subs and you will have one hell of a home theater.  I run a 9.2 all Heritage system and can easily best the local theaters for detail and clarity and volume if I chose to.

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9 minutes ago, Frzninvt said:

I would take four La Scala's over a pair of FIII's any day of the week.  Splits are even better since you can tweak the top sections as shown above.  Just add a fifth and a couple of very capable subs and you will have one hell of a home theater.  I run a 9.2 all Heritage system and can easily best the local theaters for detail and clarity and volume if I chose to.

Of course i get that, but space is limited(i have the back LSi connected perfectly snug in a closet though haha) + new crossovers for both pairs starts to get costly, then add to that a single LS for center with all the same parts for perfect timbre match. I guess at minimum, i could just get 3 new networks for LCR and then have the back surround LS as stock. 

In all honesty, other than space limitations, i kind of want to just settle in with a new speaker and not have to drive myself crazy with ideas of modifications/upgrades.  The itch is a disease!

Conversation with myself every day:

Crites A? A/4500 + CT120 tweeters?  AA? AL-3?  AlK universal?  DeanG? :unsure2:
Don't worry about that yet! Find a single La Scala center first! :emotion-14:
But the AL xover sucks and everyone says so! :unsure2:
Fastrac La Scala mid? A-55G driver? Change the K-77 for Alks eliptrac hf?  Change all  K-43's to Crites?  :unsure2:
Upgrade 1 pair and then do the next pair much later? All at once? :unsure2:
Nah! Go 2 way! :emotion-14:
I do want to stick with Klipsch made, but dude, you don't have enough space for the k402 Jubescala, just forget about it! :unsure:
DO IT! :emotion-14:
What about the K510?  It would fit perfectly into the HF section of the LSi split! :emotion-14:
Yes....yes it would..."the little horn that could":ohmy:
Those mumps are beautiful.:blush2:
Wait...but i don't know anything about EQ'ing and i can't afford to go active xover on top of it...so forget it!:mad:
Sell the Chorus II to help with funds!:emotion-14:
NO! NEVER! Could i? Should i?  My precioussssss..:wacko2:
Just do the K402 for your L/R and the K510 for the center and leave the surrounds as stock!:emotion-14:
Just do it you fat hobbit!:emotion-14:

I feel like Gollum and i'm going mad.   I would love to just sit down with some Forte III's using my Chorus II as surrounds and just obsess over finding a suitable center for the FIII and call it for the next 5+ years and just enjoy the music and movies without just starring at my speakers and wondering what upgrade or modification to do next. 

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On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 6:25 PM, Mike V said:

I am turning our 2nd floor "game room" into a music listening room - it is 16'x20', and my architect daughter is helping me design the room - I am looking for an old school minimalist look, maybe with some 70s flair.  The Heritage line speakers "look" perfect for the room, but f course I need to hear them.  At first, I thought the Heresy IIIs would be great, but I want to listen to them and some of the bigger ones, like the Forte III and the the Cornwall III.  

I thought living near the 4th largest city in the US, Houston, I would be able to find a Klipsch dealer with these speakers to listen to them, but I have come up empty-handed.  One store that is a Klipsch dealer near me does not want to spend all that money for floor models to listen too.  Using Google, I have come up with nothing.  Seems like every "home stereo" store is a Home Theater installer, and some promising stores are not open on weekends!   Where are the good old high end music stores I remember from the 70s though the 90s?  Can anybody here help me find a place? 

Thanks! I am attaching the measurement of my room.

PS - my daughter is consulting with audio experts in Philly - she wants to learn about this because she thinks a bunch of old guys like me (56) are going to be doing the same thing when their children leave their homes.  I think she is right.  I want to choose the speaker first - everything else will be "standard" size, but the speakers can vary a lot.  I do not want the modern "tower" speakers because they do not look 70s. :)

Music Room Layout.jpg

Go buy these right now. In your area as well I think. Price is very right and with the tubes in the background, the owner probably took care of them.

 

 

 

https://houston.craigslist.org/ele/d/klipsch-cornwall-ii/6304345890.html

 

More value in your area.

 

https://houston.craigslist.org/ele/d/klipsch-la-scala-loudspeakers/6304327059.html

 

 

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35 minutes ago, Max2 said:

 

Go buy these right now. In your area as well I think. Price is very right and with the tubes in the background, the owner probably took care of them.

 

 

 

https://houston.craigslist.org/ele/d/klipsch-cornwall-ii/6304345890.html

 

More value in your area.

 

https://houston.craigslist.org/ele/d/klipsch-la-scala-loudspeakers/6304327059.html

 

 

Looks like the same seller. Great prices!  

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Doesn't matter which models you buy you will love them. After I read the Bell Labs article testing the K-horns and Cornwall in the 1960's I just put my order in and sent the money. If Bell Labs says they are good you can take that to the bank.

JJK

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