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Heresy IV in the house!


SteveAudioFan

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So I have a set of Walnut Heresy IV here and have been listening to them non stop. I used to own the III and also had the Cornwall III here for a while. I reviewed both of the "III's" last year. While I have the new Cornwall IV coming first week of March for review, I can already say that these Heresy IV's are astonishing. Yes they are ported, yes they are slightly taller and narrower but WOW they are so much more detailed, they image like crazy and they are extremely transparent. Compared to my Dynaudio Special 40's, the Heresy IV's offer a much larger sound, are equal on imaging and have a more detailed treble (but in a good way, the S40 is a tad soft in comparison). I am shocked by these IV's actually as they are, for me, a huge improvement on the III's. No longer a sealed design, the bass presence is bigger but never ever bloated, loose or flabby. It's just as tight as sealed and I can not even tell they have a port. Two feet from the back wall, about 1 1/2 ft from the sides and 8 ft from the listening spot in my 12X13 room the sound is heavenly. Low volume or high, they never lose composure. As for the price increase to $3k per pair, these are beating my Special 40's and those are $3k without stands. If I did not know anything about the Heresy IV I would assume they were $5k after listening to them. With that said, they are now absolutely perfect in my room. No sub needed whatsoever and the vocals/mids are mind blowing good. I now hear texture in voices and artists seem larger than before, and more into the room. These do the 3D thing, soundstage thing and sound to me like a superb audiophile speaker that can rock, boogie and seduce with some warm jazz late at night. Quite different from the III as with these, the transparency is so great I can see through the music rather than having it thrown at me. I am shocked, surprised yet 100% happy with the way Klipsch went about changing up this design and with the Heresy IV. I will have a long form review and video here soon and also one on the Cornwall IV's. To those wondering about these being ported now..do not! They are amazing and that extra but of bass truly makes these shine, as does the tweeter and new mid horn. So lifelike...human...tangible. Loved the III's but adore these even more. Have to be heard to be believed. Now, I am using them with some nice gear. A Vinnie Rossi L2iSE integrated w/L2 Dac, Zen Mini MKIII, Swisscables Diamond for speaker cables. USB is an Audioquest Diamond. 

image1.jpeg

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I'll second that.  Mine took about 4 hours of blues rock and 4 hours of dub step at full bass boost to loosen up.  Now, they are a delight!  I'm listening to "Unforgettable, ... With Love" and the double bass and kick drum are exquisite, something  my old Heresy Is didn't do.  Trumpet with mute brings a smile, in the room with me. 

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12 hours ago, SteveAudioFan said:

So I have a set of Walnut Heresy IV here and have been listening to them non stop. I used to own the III and also had the Cornwall III here for a while. I reviewed both of the "III's" last year. While I have the new Cornwall IV coming first week of March for review, I can already say that these Heresy IV's are astonishing. Yes they are ported, yes they are slightly taller and narrower but WOW they are so much more detailed, they image like crazy and they are extremely transparent. Compared to my Dynaudio Special 40's, the Heresy IV's offer a much larger sound, are equal on imaging and have a more detailed treble (but in a good way, the S40 is a tad soft in comparison). I am shocked by these IV's actually as they are, for me, a huge improvement on the III's. No longer a sealed design, the bass presence is bigger but never ever bloated, loose or flabby. It's just as tight as sealed and I can not even tell they have a port. Two feet from the back wall, about 1 1/2 ft from the sides and 8 ft from the listening spot in my 12X13 room the sound is heavenly. Low volume or high, they never lose composure. As for the price increase to $3k per pair, these are beating my Special 40's and those are $3k without stands. If I did not know anything about the Heresy IV I would assume they were $5k after listening to them. With that said, they are now absolutely perfect in my room. No sub needed whatsoever and the vocals/mids are mind blowing good. I now hear texture in voices and artists seem larger than before, and more into the room. These do the 3D thing, soundstage thing and sound to me like a superb audiophile speaker that can rock, boogie and seduce with some warm jazz late at night. Quite different from the III as with these, the transparency is so great I can see through the music rather than having it thrown at me. I am shocked, surprised yet 100% happy with the way Klipsch went about changing up this design and with the Heresy IV. I will have a long form review and video here soon and also one on the Cornwall IV's. To those wondering about these being ported now..do not! They are amazing and that extra but of bass truly makes these shine, as does the tweeter and new mid horn. So lifelike...human...tangible. Loved the III's but adore these even more. Have to be heard to be believed. Now, I am using them with some nice gear. A Vinnie Rossi L2iSE integrated w/L2 Dac, Zen Mini MKIII, Swisscables Diamond for speaker cables. USB is an Audioquest Diamond. 

image1.jpeg

Very very nice. Sounds like you have the best of both worlds.  Tube front end and SS back end to keep the bass nice and tight.   Glad to hear that the midrange is much improved.  Sounds like when you get your Cornwalls, with the larger horn mated to the same driver, if the crossover has been tweaked to the level of the Heresy, you will be in heaven.

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6 hours ago, JohnA said:

I'll second that.  Mine took about 4 hours of blues rock and 4 hours of dub step at full bass boost to loosen up.  Now, they are a delight!  I'm listening to "Unforgettable, ... With Love" and the double bass and kick drum are exquisite, something  my old Heresy Is didn't do.  Trumpet with mute brings a smile, in the room with me. 

John, when can I come hear these?😁

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Thanks all. They are surpassing my expectations and are for me, well worth the cost. Also, I saw someone mention fancy USB cables. I have seen some at $2k and of course we can buy one for $10 on Amazon that will work great. But when you get into equipment that can be ultra revealing you can easily hear differences in cables, wether it is speaker, analog IC's or yes even digital. I have several USB cables here and all sound different. Will the more expensive sound better? No, not always. I do not think chasing USB Cales are worth it as the differences can be small or non existent for most. As for the Heresy IV's, ahh they are so so so good. Love them. 

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39 minutes ago, SteveAudioFan said:

But when you get into equipment that can be ultra revealing you can easily hear differences in cables, wether it is speaker, analog IC's or yes even digital.

 

That's when you know you've gone beyond the point where you can offer a reasonable explanation for what you've done with your time and money when you meet your maker!

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2 hours ago, SteveAudioFan said:

Thanks all. ........... I have several USB cables here and all sound different. Will the more expensive sound better? No, not always. I do not think chasing USB Cales are worth it as the differences can be small or non existent for most. ............ 

 

If you hear differences in the digital domain, you've got really bad cables or issues in the electronics.  Either you have △V over 200 mV or you don't. 

 

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On 2/15/2020 at 11:30 AM, wuzzzer said:

Wait, there's fancy USB cables now?

Unbelievable. 

I said the same thing, but then I witnessed a demo of the same song playing with a typical Staples USB cable and some expensive audioquest USB cables. The audioquest rep explained some technical stuff that I don't remember, but I will say that you could definitely hear an improvement, not sure if it's worth the price tag.

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Excellent review and presentation all around Steve 👍🙂

 

Wait still you here the Cornwall IV .... I believe you will be shocked at how much they have been improved and refined versus earlier generations as I was when Roy demonstrated the difference in his Chief Bonehead Class.

 

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miketn

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