John in MA Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 All right, new guy here. Go easy on me. I've been into audio equipment for a long time, but budget limitations never allowed me to get decent speakers. Well, the local dump (we have a "still good" shed) provided a pair of Heresys and a pair of KG4s this past year. Yes, that's right, freeeeeee. I missed the Teledyne-Olsons, but that's another story. First, I'm curious about which ones you folks would recommend. I don't have the room figured out yet and I have some kind of temporary hearing problem, so I can't make the determination by ear alone right now. Factors are: 1. Smallish room, don't have it sorted out but it'll never be a dead space. 2. Powered by solid state (not really high power--I'm selling my Marantz 2600, way too big) equipment--mostly midrange '70s-'90s amps. 3. Music includes lots of classic rock and blues, with some classical. 4. Sourced either from CD or vinyl. Speakers will be up against a wall (don't know how the passives in the KG4 would like that) no farther than 4" from the rear. So whatcha think? Right now I'm using a pair of Technics SB-2650 (12" woofer 3-way reflex boxes, kinda cheap) that don't sound very good. Loud, but not good. Maybe good for kids into party music. Second, the Heresys are unfinished birch ply. They're looking on the ragged side. I don't have a big problem with the way they are, but would I burn for eternity if I finished them? Also, the grills have white traces of dead mold. Is there a safe way to clean these? Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 John, Welcome to the forum. You are going to love the Heresy's. Finish 'em anyway you like. If the plywood is in decent enough shape, they look very good just natural. I recently finished a project of sanding down (gently, be careful, the veneer is REALLY REALLY thin.) and finishing with Tung Oil. It just brings out the grain nicely. Black is always an option if the cabs are too rough. On the grills. I don't know about what would get mold off satisfactorily, but if you have to ditch the fabric and recover them there are places the OEM fabric is available, too. Some of those could be found by searching the forum. Seems like JoAnn Fabrics is among them. There are also some nice amp options that don't cost alot. Start with what you've got and see how you like the sound. If you like it, then it's already good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I believe if those Heresies are really an unfinished Birch ply, there won't be any veneer. Right? They should be able to take a good sanding as long as you don't get carried away, and go into the substrate. The Forte IIs will have better bass, but might boom on you so close to a wall -- you will just have to try it and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 No, John, you will not burn in Hell for finishing the Heresies. The raw birch models were built for the owner to finish. They DO have a veneer, of birch. You can fill the bad spots with putty and even stain them, but it will require a dark stain, or paint. Heresies look great in black. Birch always needs a liberal coating (or 2) of conditioner to prevent splotchy staining. The Heresies will not sound good with cheap SS, but can sound quite fine with good SS gear. There is no such thing as a speaker that is good for one type of music and not another. Heresies should be on the floor to have adequate bass, but are still a touch bright and cannot really get below 60 Hz. If you add a good, inexpensive sub, like the Klipsch RW-12 ($600 or less), you will have a KILLER 2-channel system with low distortion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I think ill fly out to this guys dump twice a week, people have no respect, for much anymore. Who would toss out Klipsch? Regards Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 ---------------- On 4/18/2004 11:07:55 PM John in MA wrote: I missed the Teledyne-Olsons, but that's another story. ---------------- Did Mary Kate and Ashley get married? I missed that, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgb Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I'll go against the crowd and endorse the KG4s, especially with the music you listen too. I had KG4s for over a decade and loved them. I upgraded to Fortes, mainly cause I'm a bass freak, and Forte's have outstanding bass. Anyhow, I auditioned KG4s and Heresy's at the same time and place, and much preferred the KG4s. The Heresey does have a stonger midrange (vocals particularly) as it's a 3 way speaker, but the KG4s have really nice, tight bass and have a much more "live" music IMO. Terrific rock and roll speaker. If you were more into vocal music or less bass intensive music, the Heresy would probably be the better choice. Of course, this is just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 It is also a good opinion DITTO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 ---------------- On 4/19/2004 12:49:38 PM fini wrote: Did Mary Kate and Ashley get married? I missed that, too! ---------------- And i thought that was against the law?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klipschaholik Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Ditto on the welcome. I'm fairly new here as well and these folks are great help when it comes to the Klipsch line. I refinished some HBR heresy's recently and posted some pics. If you do a "heresy veneer" search you'll find some ideas on how to go about the project. Take some before and after pics and post them up here if you decide to take on the project. Believe me its not that difficult and you'll be glad you did. gk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in MA Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 Thanks for all the input. The equipment I'd be using isn't high-end, but it's of reasonable quality for the age. Once the Marantz 2600 is out of the way, it would be something along the lines of a 2248B or a 2245. Maybe a '90s Sony AV receiver if I arrange it differently. I used to have a Scott 299A but sold it a couple years ago. Sniff. My brief listening, in a bad room for speaker testing, sounded like the Heresys' bass (which is very important to me) wasn't as tight but managed more kick. What's the ideal placement for the KG4s due to the radiator? I also noticed the Heresys seemed to reproduce accoustic guitar more realisticly. Is there any stereotypical situation that these two speakers would react differently to? I'm haven't been a Klipsch guy in the past, so I'm not up on the details. How's support and reliability with these models? Both are in good condition for the most part. One of the KG4's radiator's surround has a small tear in it. You folks would go nuts at this place. I've gotten these speakers, the Technics, some old Avids, and some Ohms there. Also three smaller Marantz receivers, newer Sony and NAD and Denon CD changers, Nakamichi tape decks (although my RX-202 came from a yard sale for $11), Kenwood and Yamaha amps, AR BX and Connoisuer BD101 (w/Formula 4 tone arm) turntables, etc. Just this past Saturday I got a mint Thorens TD-280 (my new main table) and a high-end Pioneer TX-9500-II tuner. Oh yeah, I also got a complete, total Bang & Olufsen Beosound 5000 system, although each component has minor damage from being tossed into the scrap metal bin. Can't afford a $600 remote control so I'll be selling that lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Welcome to the forum John. Don't be afraid to refinish those Heresys. I just recently veneered mine and do not feel guilty at all! Where in Mass. are you? Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdc Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I'll buy whichever one you don't choose for $50. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgb Posted April 20, 2004 Share Posted April 20, 2004 The KG4s do sound better away from the wall. Mine were about 3' out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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