How I Stumbled on '79 Heresys! (After So Long)

[Cornwalled]

Hello again!

Long time no see everyone!  I've been away for a while, but I always seem to find my way back here.  Today, out of nowhere, I ran into a set of 1979 Heresy Birch Raws!  Okay kids, find a comfy spot on the carpet, because it's story telling time..LOL!

 

I work for a small family run auto parts store, and as such, I deliver parts to garages.  One of our regulars is a one man affair, run by a guy probably in his 50s.  Since I've started, he's had a set of Heresys in his garage, hooked up to on old silver Pioneer receiver playing classic rock and folk from his phone.  It seemed to be going every time I came in.  Most times we would end up chewing the fat, talking about his drag strip Chevy Vega with a 450 HP 454 in it.  I'm pretty sure we could talk cars forever.

 

A few days ago I came in and noticed the Heresys had been replaced with 4 Technics speakers.  I was kinda surprised but didn't say anything at first.  However, the Heresys were still in my mind.  Today I finally spoke up.  I said "So, you're replaced your speakers, huh?"  Turns out a buddy was getting rid of them, and he liked the idea of having 4 speakers instead of 2, and wanted them to match.  He asked me if I was interested in the Heresys, and said he'd sell them to me for $150.  He warned that he thought a woofer was rubbing, so I prepared for the possibility of a replacement.

 

They were tucked far back in his second garage, so I didn't look at them at that time.  He also said if I bought them, he'd give me another set of speakers if I wanted to use them for the cabinets.  Turns out they were Genesis G1+ speakers, a two way with inverted dome tweeter and foam surround 8" woofer which had deteriorated.

 

I said I was definitely interested and arranged to come back after work.  When I arrived, he had just installed a hub/rotor assembly on his 1983 Chevy C30 Wheel Lift Wrecker.  Yeah, this guy has cool stuff!  Next to it was an 80s Ford IDI Diesel Roll back.  He took me back in his "storage area".  Inside was a beautiful 1950s Lincoln that's been inside for decades.  Gorgeous car, all covered and preserved.

 

We go past several old pieces of equipment, tools, etc to the speakers.  They're 1979 HBRs.    I pulled the grilles off and gently pressed the woofers.  One scraped a bit at first, however with a bit of careful manipulation and straightened out and seemed to move free.  Not really sure why, but I didn't complain.

 

Took them to his receiver back in the garage and hooked them up.  Played some Pink Floyd and everything sounded fine so I bought them.  Got them home and hooked them up to my living room with a Denon DP-23F Turntable with Shure M97XE --> Dynaco Pat 4 --> Parasound HCA-800 II.  I found a great use for the Genesis speakers- when you lay them over, they're great speaker stands!

 

As I type this, I'm listening to Joan Baez- DIamonds & Rust album.  Even though I'm currently enduring what might quite possibly be the worst song she's ever written (Children & All That Jazz) the speakers sound great.  3 1/2 minutes of children's names mindlessly and endlessly rambled off has never sounded better.

 

Okay, that God awful song is over so I can think again.  I've played Beach Boys, Bread, and now Joan Baez.  Other than sometimes the midrange being rather forward, they really do sound great.  Definitely very revealing.  I listened to a Klaus Wunderlich album (German pop organist who played a Wersi electronic organ) and it made me realize why Rodgers used to use LaScalas on it's smaller analog organs.  There's something about Klipsch horn speakers that brings those old transistor organ voices to life.

 

So, out of nowhere, I've suddenly been landed back into the Klipsch camp!  So far, I've owned Cornwalls, LaScalas, and now Heresys.  I'm not sure how things will play out for these ones yet.  I'm thinking of trying them out in my keyboard room where I have 5 vintage keyboards hooked up to an 80s Peavey mixer with a Yamaha PA sub.  I'm thinking that forwardness might bring my old keyboards to life too.

 

Anyway I think this is enough of me rambling.  It's dark now and my camera isn't so good at night, but I'll get pictures up tomorrow.  They're not perfect, but I think they're darn good for $150.  I'm looking forward to cleaning them up, maybe giving them a new coat of poly, and replacing a missing Klipsch logo.

 

Thanks!

Jon

[muel]

Awesome !  

Congratulations and enjoy!!

[Peter P.]

You practically stole 'em! That was your lucky day, and a great story, by the way.

[Cornwalled]

Does anyone have a Klipsch logo they'd be willing to sell?

[ishwash]

And, Lordy, Lordy, why do you not still have the LaScallas and Cornwalls? Maybe you do.

 

Back when I was even more foolish than I am now, I got a 72 black Buick Grand Sport and took it back to 1970 GSX equivalent doing all things the GS club said to do to the engine to make it a stock GSX 455, including installing a 12-bolt positrac rear end. That thing was a Vette Killer, for sure. Had a lot of fun doing that even tho I was already past 50.

 

Great story!

[Cornwalled]

Ishwash,

I don't have the Cornwalls or LaScalas anymore.  At the time, I was living in a small apartment and felt they were just too big.  The Cornwalls weren't bad, but the LaScalas were just unbearable in a small room.  I was sitting too close and they were too aggessive.

 

However, I sold the Cornwalls to my brother who uses them in his basement with the pool table, etc.  So I still get to see and hear them every so often.

 

-Jon

[ishwash]

Well, that's good. I know a feller who used to live around here who put his Khorns in his bedroom, an old guy, because he just couldn't bear to part with them. If I did that, might cause a divorce.

[Cornwalled]

Here's some pictures.  Sorry it took so long.  As you can see, they're not perfect, but they're not disasters either.  This is just a temporary setup to play with them.  Not sure where I'm going to put them yet.

[Cornwalled]

Since these were made in 1979, would they have the Alnico tweeters?  Is the crossover the Model E?  I'm not as familiar with Heresys versus the larger Heritage models.

[Cornwalled]

Just opened them up and yes, K-77 Alnico Tweeters, K-55-V Midrange and K-22-EF Woofers with Type E crossovers.

[ClaudeJ1]

On 7/21/2018 at 10:32 PM, Cornwalled said:

Anyway I think this is enough of me rambling.  It's dark now and my camera isn't so good at night, but I'll get pictures up tomorrow.  They're not perfect, but I think they're darn good for $150.  I'm looking forward to cleaning them up, maybe giving them a new coat of poly, and replacing a missing Klipsch logo.

 

Thanks!

Jon

You should turn them into Super Heresys!

[Cornwalled]

Hello Claude,

What all would that entail?

[Oicu812]

13 hours ago, Cornwalled said:

Hello Claude,

What all would that entail?

 

Here's the link to the @ClaudeJ1 Heresy --> Baby Cornwalls modification thread.  Basically, you upgrade the woofer to an Eminence Delta Pro 12A (right at $129 each, but there are other options for the woofer as well), rearrange the crossover a bit while replacing the capacitors (which you would want to do anyway), and there is an optional tweeter upgrade.

 

 

You would add a 4 1/8" port for the bass in the back panel.  Then you would do a layer of egg crate sound foam on the inside.  It's all really straightforward, and it boosts the midrange quite a bit, plus you get a lot of bonus bass out of the deal.  It's a Cornwall in a much smaller cabinet, which is a benefit for apartment dwellers or someone with a small office that wants big sound (this includes me!).  I'm using this project to also upgrade them to a 5 way binding post setup, and adding fast blow fuses.  This is a good idea here in Central Florida, where we have lightning strikes nearby almost daily, with brownouts and surges.

 

I am in the middle of doing a pair myself, taking my time and enjoying the process!