Heresy III + sub or Cornwall III

[garyrc]

On 10/13/2017 at 10:27 AM, John Albright said:

For most music, you don't need strong response below 41 Hz. 

 

This is true.  See the chart.

My vote goes for the Forte III.  Any of the contenders would be good, though, but the Heresy does need a sub.

[TomR]

I played with some forte III today and they didnt sound good  out away from the wall , I moved them closer to the wall and it got better but I wasnt able to get them more than 2' away from the wall. I think they would sound better about a foot away from the wall give or take a couple of inches.

[geoff.]

“Horn speakers are fast and sensitive and sound good at low volumes.”

 

Absolutely true.

 

The higher the sensitivity, the better they sound at low volumes. All things being equal.

 

I had Heresy 2s on stands - AT EAR LEVEL, the impact and detail up close was nothing short of immersive. I was using an old restored Pioneer SX2000 tube receiver (40 watts a side). With the loudness button on and the bass dialed up I could have forgone a sub for music. Acoustic suspension speakers deliver tight punchy bass that seems lower than they are spec’d for at low to moderate levels. 

 

I found the same experince with Forte 2s at slightly farther distances. I did not feel the need for a sub with these. As a matter of fact when I first hooked them up I went to turn the bass DOWN only to find it at defeat on my (modest) NAD 372 integrated amp.

 

Cornwalls sounded even better (read BIGGER) at low volume but needed to be toed in A LOT at the same distance to image as incredibly as the Heresys and Fortes. 

 

I sold the Heresy 2s shortly after I brought home the Forte 2s.

 

I sold the Forte 2s shortly after I brought home the Cornwalls.

 

“There is no replacement for displacement.” And I had JUST enough room for Cornwalls, literally inches to spare. BUT, I really missed the tractrix midrange, so “open” and unstrained. Missed the tractrix so much I modded my Cornwalls to accept the tractrix horn from the Forte 2.

 

The Forte 3 is priced right in the middle between the Heresy 3 and Cornwall 3, AND it has an “improved” tractrix squaker!

 

I don’t think placement of the Forte 3 would be a problem in the room you described, not any more so than Heresys. They are the same width and depth, but you won’t need stands for the Forte 3s.

 

In $US: Heresy 3 - $1000, Forte 3 - $1800, Cornwall 3 - $2200 (each).

 

That would leave $800 for a sub from your budget, IF you find you need one!

 

I have since picked up another pair of Forte 2s to play with, but when I sold my last pair I referred to them in the ad as “floorstanding headphones.” And the Forte 3 is vastly improved.

 

You owe it to yourself to audition a pair of the latest iteration of this audio masterpiece.

 

This is a great forum to learn and share on.

 

You CAN’T go wrong with any of your options, but hearing is believing, always. If you have a chance to hear your choices first, or the option to return your purchase, that is the way to go.

 

As a final note, your English is better than most high school graduates now. It was a pleasure to read your summary and your observations are spot on with my limited experiences so far. That is precisely how we have wound up with Klipsch in our lives.

 

 

 

[garyrc]

1 hour ago, geoff. said:

Acoustic suspension speakers deliver tight punchy bass that seems lower than they are spec’d for at low to moderate levels. 

 

Apparently, a popular mail order vendor confused the terms "acoustic suspension" with "infinite baffle."   The confusion spread across the Internet.  The term "acoustic suspension" was coined by Edgar Villchur to refer to a speaker with a very loose suspension and a very long excursion, which, in a very small airtight enclosure, allowed relatively smooth bass response down to about 35 Hz, but, IMO, sounded anything but "tight" and "punchy," but "loose" and "floppy" and "burpy," instead.  Acoustic suspension speakers, because they have a long excursion, have relatively high modulation distortion (or Doppler distortion), especially if they had to cover a wide range from the bass well into the midrange.  All acoustic suspension speakers are enclosed in infinite baffles, but not all infinite baffle speakers are acoustic suspension.  An infinite baffle is simply a totally enclosed speaker box, with no port or horn opening.  They can range from small to as big as a whole room.  Examples of infinite baffles that are not acoustic suspension are Bozak speakers, and Klipsch Heresy I, II, and III.  One reason the Heresy sounds "tight and punchy" is that the cone does not traverse a long excursion.  Edgar Villchur and Paul W. Klipsch had very nearly opposite views of what made a good loudspeaker.  Villchur believed in long excursion, and Klipsch believed in minimal excursion to minimize distortion.  Horn loaded speakers like Klipschorns and Jubilees have very low modulation distortion.

[geoff.]

Thanks for the clarification Garyrc!

 

This IS a great forum to learn and share on.

[parlophone1]

Hy there.

I was reading all the way from begining of your post and must say my situation is almost like yours. 

Lately there are more forum members from Europe, I am from Croatia.

Given our smaller rooms the Klipsch are one way of answering our demands for good sound. 

Most probably my wallet is thinner than yours, and chances to splash money for Fortes are for now nonexistent. 

However I have a nice KT 88 tubes really waiting for highly efficient speakers.

 

Waitng how it ends up for you ...

[edwinr]

I'd go with Cornwall llls over the Heresy if money wasn't an issue and like me you didn't already own a pair of Heresys.  But a a good alternative for less money is to buy a sub to match with the Heresys.  I've just purchased a UK built BK Electronics XLS200 down firing sub.  This little sub goes all the way down to 18 Hz.  I've set the crossover to 40 Hz so it starts to roll off from there to mesh nicely with my Heresy 3s.   I now have the best full range sound in my room that I have ever had (except when I had a pair of Belles).  Another option would be one of the SVS subs.  Perhaps the little SB-1000 which would offer similar output to my BK Electronics sub.  I like the idea of matching sealed subs with Heritage speakers for music.  Maybe if someone wanted a sub for a Home Theatre system,  a ported sub would be a better option.

 

I'd normally recommend a Klipsch sub, but they no longer feature a speaker level input which is what I need for my 2-channel system.