whiteknee Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 I have a pair of Belles that I bought in 1984 that I want to put into a 5.1 HT system for the first time. I recently purchased a pair of Heresy II's on eBay for use as the rear channel. I need a compatible center and a sub. I don't want another Heritage for the center. I've seen KLF-C7's for sale in eBay. The RC-7 was also recommended. What do you guys think? As far as a sub, I really didn't want to spend $2K but the forum seems to be pointing to Velodyne, SVS or Accoustic Visions (Denali?). Your help is needed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 If you won't go with a heresy center and can't find an academy (which is your best match but hard to find), either of the 2 you are looking at will work ok but won't be a great match. You'll notice a difference in timbre though. Some don't mind, others do. I could have lived with an rc3 in my setup which I originally had but the academy is much, much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbajner Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I use a KLF-C7 with my Forte II's yes, it does not match exactly but it is a powerfull center, not a wimp. I positioned my center on a home made stand right in front of my RPTV. it sounds great. Had it on top but the speaker is heavy and sound not what I expected. I tried one of my Heresy's that I use for direct rear speakers for a center. It did not work since its not magnetically shielded and had to place it to far from the RPTV to not cause problems and I would not ever place it on top. the sound did match closer to the Forte II's but still not exactly. to get that exact match, the LCR speakers must be the same. this is the big dilemma when the mains are big floor standing speakers no matter what brand and even more so for Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiteknee Posted October 6, 2003 Author Share Posted October 6, 2003 Thanks for the input. I was not familiar with the Academy - sounds like I need to keep my eyes peeled on eBay for the rare chance that one appears. You're right about the challenges of keeping the RCL the same. No way would I even have room for another Belle in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 the academy is great, but a bit small for your belles, i know this is tough, but look for a single belle, ot lascalla, or cornwall, with a belle you would have to set the levels up very high for the academy to keep up, and the rc 7 is great but voice does not match, i had this for a while with my cornwalls and traded up to the lascalla, it makes a huge difference to timbre match, plus the heritage just does have more of everything, the presence is differerent, more realistic, and for a center this is very important Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiteknee Posted October 7, 2003 Author Share Posted October 7, 2003 Appreciate the input - thanks! But size matters - and I don't have the room for another Belle, Lascala or Cornwall in the middle; what about a pair of Heresys on a beefier amp? I'm currently running the Belles and Heresys on separate Bryston 50 wpc amps - could bump the center up to 100 wpc and run a new (used) set of Heresys. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 That would be better to my ears than an Acadamy, however you will have to off load center bass to a good subwoofer with the Heresy. There is also a different crossover point for the Sqwuaker so a bit of the mids will sound different (not to mention the horn size difference). With all the nuances, it is still an excellent alternative. Depending on your ear - I find that timbre matching the mids and highs to provide the most seamless sound - you could go DIY using a matched Belle Tweet and Mid horn supplemented by one or two different woofers that match the T/S of the Belle woof and use the same Belle crossover parameters. Complicated to some degree, but allows you to build a box to fit and get the seamless soundstage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 I think it is the mid-range horn for the center channel that matters the most. Ideally, it should be as big as possible and match the main loudspeakers. Most of the cabinet of a big ole horn is used for the recreation of the bass. As Tom Brennans site or posts show, the mid-range horn does NOT have to be surrounded by a big ole cabinet to sound great. I would try to locate mid-range horn used in the Belles, even if you do NOT use the rest of the loudspeaker cabinet. As for subs, if you study the frequency response of your big ole horns and any intended sub, you will find that only a few very deep or powerful subwoofers, such as the tall SVS tubes, will match the frequency response of big ole horns, IF you want flat and accurate frequency response. If all you want is more punch for movies, then any powerful sub with prodigious output in the 40Hz area will do great. According to the excellent Brain Weatherhead article, Subwoofers Under the Christmas Tree, (December, 2001) the Klipsch KSW is the most economical value in his sample, while the RSW is the only sub to have high output in both the 100Hz upper bass and the 30Hz deep bass regions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiteknee Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 This is really funny to re-read. I have just returned to the Klipsch forum after 18 years and don't remember reaching out to the forum like this. Thank you! After 15+ years running 5.1 I'm back to 2.1. The 5.1 solution I ended up with was the Belles in front on a Bryston 4B, Heresy I's in back on a Bryston 2B and Heresy IIs in the center on a Bryston 2B with an SVS PB12 Ultra2 sub. My main source initially was a Sony NS999ES SACD-DVD and later with an Oppo 203 SACD-DVD. This was an awesome setup !! The Brystons have been sold and I'm current running the Belles on either a Cary CAD300SEI integrated or PrimaLuna Dialogue/First Watt SIT3 combo. Still use the SVS and Oppo. Mac C33 replaces the PL when I want a change. Cannot get enough of the Archie Shepp Quartet - True Ballads. Just sublime! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 Who say you can't go back. Welcome back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 welcome back , hope you'll stick around longer this time --- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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