Primaluna Evo 400 w Heresy IV and KLF 20

[Mirko]

Sort of a newbie post here but thought I’d share my experience with my new subject audio gear.  A little back ground: I’ve grown up with Klipsch my whole life starting with the Original Heresys as a kid growing up in a house with music on all the time.  And those speakers remained in our family into my adulthood.  I remember how great those speakers sounded.  Good no matter what you threw at them.  Rock, Jazz, blues everything, and they were always linked to a Pioneer SX 1050.  

 

I grew up, got a decent job adulting and once afforded, I was able to find audio bliss in the Klipsch KLF 20s paired with a vintage receiver (pioneer SX 1280).  I remember just how amazing that sounded.  Boy could that system play detailed at high volumes.  Probably still hands down the best sounding mids I’ve ever encountered.  Fast forward years later.  I Got married, moved into a tiny tiny house.  And sadly, ended up (begrudgingly) selling my stereo system to get something smaller that would fit in the space.  Then, it was a pioneer AVR with B&W CM8 speakers.  Those speakers I loved, and thought just how amazing they were for the size.  Actually it was mind blowing how good those speakers performed and were closest thing that reminded me of my Klipsch KLF 20s,  which produced the sweet buttery mids.

Forward 10 years later and I ended up divorced.  Back in my mind I always wanted that “sound” that I first fell in love with.  So now that I had my own place, a bigger space, I Sold my old audio gear and went and purchased a Pair of Heresy IVs And a Primaluna Evolution 400.  All I can say is WOW!   Lockdown has been way easier to handle with this new situation I was in for sure.  A friend of mine has the old Heresy IIs and I was able to try and compare the sound of them hooked up to the Primaluna and I will say this: The Heresy IV is a COMPLETELY different speaker than the Heresy II.  In fact they sound so incredibly different that I know for sure I wouldn’t be happy with a H2 and Primaluna pairing.  The H4s however, provide a big beefy detailed and robust sound from top to bottom that is very Easy to listen to and wasn’t ever fatiguing as the HII.  For that reason the H4s are an amazing speaker and kudos to the Klipsch designers for knocking it out of the park.  So good in the low end that I actually got rid of my subwoofer too.  I had no need for it.  I thought just how very happy with the sound I have achieved with this system and think it is as good if not better than my original setup. After spending 2-3 months with the H4s I think they are worth every penny. 
 

Then, I saw an ad on Craigslist for a pair of KLF 20s For CHEAP.  “Ok” I thought, “do need them?”  Probably not.  “Would it be good to see them again?”  “Hell yess!” I thought. And bought them from the kind gentlemen.  Ok, a bit of an impulse buy but hey, no wife now so....  I got back and hooked them up.  And again, another worldly experience.  Hearing these speakers again brought me back, and these  speakers in 2 channel are just amazing!! they sound incredible!  That Low end I remembered!  That subterranean and tight bottom end with that clear Open detailed mid and top end.  That towering soundstage. Bliss.  But here’s the amazing thing. After comparing these two speakers I have even MORE appreciation for the H4s.  Because It’s simply amazing how close the much smaller H4s are in sound and what they produce.  Some might say that they would expect the comparison to be like Apple and oranges,  but It is more like Navel Orange vs Cara Cara Oranges.  Both are excellent.  I will say that there is more of an open spaciousness and clarity in detail the KLF 20s provide.  Vocals and mids are completely utterly untethered and  Smooth.  Suffice to say; I think I’m keeping both sets of speakers. 

[Buddy Shagmore]

Very cool setup man! It's nice to have what you want. I see you play guitar too. Listen or make...it's all good! Congrats! 

[MechEngVic]

I'd say that's a resounding endorsement for the quality of a speaker many times older than the latest Klipsch offerings. I love the KLF series! I owned and sold Chorus II's and thought nothing would come close, but having bought and modified a set of KLF-10's, I'd say now that the only thing the Chorus does noticeably better is loudness. No doubt that amp does its share.

[Mirko]

1 hour ago, MechEngVic said:

I'd say that's a resounding endorsement for the quality of a speaker many times older than the latest Klipsch offerings. I love the KLF series! I owned and sold Chorus II's and thought nothing would come close, but having bought and modified a set of KLF-10's, I'd say now that the only thing the Chorus does noticeably better is loudness. No doubt that amp does its share.

Makes one wonder why Klipsch didn’t make a heritage versions of the KLF and chorus series.  Probably a cost decision. 
 

The Chorus IIs are an insane speaker and I’ve never had a listen but I’ve been very intrigued.  That’s the one with a rear firing 15 inch woofer right?  Before I got my new IVs I was responding to an ad to get a pair of Chorus IIs sold overseas (sold in PX To our service men and women).  As I was driving to pick them up the guy told me “never mind, been playing music all morning and afternoon and can’t let them go, they sound too good.”  Haha . I totally understood. Thankfully I was out on a job site nearby and didn’t even waste gas For that.  

[MechEngVic]

I always thought I would eventually hunt down another pair of Chorus II's, but I've grown to like the tall, thin, smaller footprint of dual woofer KLF's. Plus, even though many of us horn enthusiasts want them to produce as much of the lower frequencies as possible, I'm finding that a good pair of dual woofer speakers can do a real good job well into the 1200-2500Hz range.