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Academy with Heresy or go phantom?


Pats3of4

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Im struggling with this.  Going to have 4 Heresy speaks in service soon.  I just got a great deal on an Academy.  Though Part of me would rather just use the Heresy speakers since they seem to be underutilized as mains with a center.

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I sold all of my JBL “L” series speakers and an Outlaw sub.  I purchased an Academy center, one complete pr of Heresy speaks and all the pieces to build a second set.

 

sold the 4k tv in the media room but I have a projector.  The newer Optoma 1080p with Darbee.  Have an older Denon avr-3311 receiver and an ADA amp to power everything.  Dual Dayton Ref 15” subs.

 

these klipsch are not being sold-ever.  Will redo caps and add Crites titanium diaphragm.  Maybe even woofers

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just my 2 cents but I have tried an Academy, a "popbumper'd" Academy, KLF-C7, KLF-C7 with Crites titanium tweeter modification and Heresy between my Heresy Mains and by far my Heresy (with Crites CT-125 tweeter in place of the K-77) and my Heresy Mains also have the CT-125 tweeters as well as new crossovers (well, new 10 years or so ago now) and nothing else I have tried has been better...

 

That said I did mention what I've tried...and I've also tried RB-5s and Quartets as Mains...

 

next was my KLF-C7 but honestly the difference in the KLF-C7 and the Academy was pretty close and at the time everyone wanted the world for Academys so...

 

If yours are Heresy lls you can use the titanium tweeter mod but if they are Heresy ls you won't be able to use the titanium tweeter mod...

 

Good luck with your choice...I really think you can't go wrong with any of your choices and I think you will like your Heresy home theater...

 

 

Bill

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An Academy makes a great center. But to me, it would depend on how wide the room is. If it's skinny it might be fine with what you were thinking phantom. If it's wide the center would definitely help.

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6 minutes ago, Ljk said:

Sell/ trade for another heresy. Ran an academy with chorus Il till I made a diy chorus center, mated much better all around.

True, nothing is better than an exact match. Another Heresy is not much bigger than an Academy, I was surprised at the size.

When I was looking for speakers for a HT I had plans to use Heresy's also, none came up for sale anywhere around here so over a couple of years we collected Forte ll's. I didn't even know what they were at the time, I had to hurry up and look here before telling the guy I wanted them.

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Currently I'm using an Academy as center with P17B mains. When seated exactly in the sweet spot, i would take the P17Bs easily, although there is a slight loss of center vs stereo imaging but the fidelity increase is easily worth it. When moving slightly off axis to within 20 degress off axis, I prefer the system with the Academy due to the center image precision.

 

However, i also have a chair near the edge of my room, which ends up at almost exactly 30 degrees off axis. This is the spot where the center imaging precision and center vs stereo separation factors should be greatest, but im not at all happy with the Academy's performance from this seat. Vocal clarity is significantly reduced. I think this is mostly due to  the large woofers in a horizontal MTM configuration causing lobing at this spot in the critical above 1000 hz range. Im not sure if the horns tight horizontal dispersion plays any role here, but since it's such a small horn im not sure how tight its directivity control is around the crossover into where it takes over.


Overall, if your seating stays within 20 degrees off axis, i think you will do fine with the Academy. If it goes to a wider angle, look into another option, but know that phantom center will trade the frequency response issues for imaging issues. Either way, your best bet would be to get a third Heresy as silversport and Ljk suggested--it will avoid the clarity compromises of horizontal MTMs, the imaging compromises of a phantom center, and 3 matched speakers across the front is 99% of the time the best option for sound quality.

 

Now if only i had the money to pony up for a P27C or another P17B...

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