My Heresy IV Review

[Peter P.]

I was recently sent for 2 week's training in a large, metropolitan area. Figuring my weekends would be free, I thought it would be an opportunity to seek out a Klipsch dealer and check out the new Heresy IV, and hopefully a LaScala, which I'd never heard.

 

Fortunately, there WAS a stereo shop about 5 miles from the hotel, and being an exercise junky as well, I walked the 5 miles to the shop on a Saturday, not even sure they carried either speaker.

 

I lucked out, and they did have the Heresy IV, but not the LaScala ☹️.

 

I own a pair of Heresy II's, which is my point of reference.

 

The shop had a tablet device through which I could access virtually ANY music imaginable, in hi-res files.

 

I listened for an hour.

 

The verdict: The listening room affects the sound so much, that making accurate comparisons is virtually impossible.

 

The listening room was unlike my living room; it had a carpeted, concrete floor, and chest-high carpeting along the wall behind the speakers. There were bass traps in the corners, and many sound diffusers and absorbers throughout the room. Both the wall behind the Heresy's and the opposite wall had numerous pairs of speakers, creating uneven surfaces to further scatter reflections. Never mind the dimensions- the Heresy's were  placed about 2' away from the long wall of a roughly rectangular room, while mine are within a foot of the narrow wall.

 

The result: There wasn't much in the bass department and the midrange wasn't as strong as my older version. But I couldn't knock the speakers as I felt all the differences were due to the environment vs. the speaker.

 

When I was done with the Heresy's, I asked if I could listen to a pair of Klipschorns, which I hadn't heard in 35 years. I remember that first listen; NOBODY forgets their first exposure to Klipschorns. The Klipchorns were in another room which was somewhat similarly treated. I felt the same; the room was affecting the speakers and I didn't get the goosebumps like I did those 3 decades ago. I listened for an hour and while it was fun, it didn't impress me.

 

I didn't feel the rooms were treated incorrectly, just that combined with the speakers, I didn't hear what I was familiar with (the Heresy's) or what I was expecting (the Klipschorns).

[OO1]

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