alkemyst Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 I was talking to Klipsch and reading here. This is my summary of that from worst to best match. Anyone care to add? Model Series Years Sens Tweeter Woofer Woofersize FQ Weight RC3 Reference 1999-2001 Sens: 97dB Tweeter: K 105 KV Woofer: K 1085 SV/6.5" Fq: 62-20K 29lbs RC3II Reference 2001-2003 Sens: 97dB Tweeter: K 105 KV Woofer: K 1085 SV/6.5" Fq: 62-20K 29lbs RC35 Reference 2003-> Sens: 98dB Tweeter: K 130 DN Woofer: K 1123 OV/6.5" Fq: 56-20K 26lbs KV4 Epic 1996-1997 Sens: 99dB Tweeter: K 64 KN Woofer: K 1035 KN/8" Fq: 65-20K 33lbs RC7 Reference 2001-> Sens: 98dB Tweeter: K 67 DV Woofer: K 1083 SB/8" Fq: 45-20K 42lb KT-LCR THX 1994-1997 Sens: 95dB Tweeter: K 90 KV Woofer: K 1006 KV/6.5" Fq: 65-20K 31lbs KLF-C7 Legend 1997-2001 Sens: 99dB Tweeter: K 90 KV Woofer: K 1062 KV/8" Fq: 75-20K 38lbs Out of the new the RC35 is $400 (about the price of the Academy originally), the RC7 is $800. I was thinking if I can't do this below $200 I may as well pay $300 for the Academy drivers/crossover, get some MDF and the misc parts and do a academy for $400. The KT series seems to be 'cheap' (almost like a KLF-C7's little brother really, they have the same tweeter) when available....the RC3 series is also similar....the epic stuff is hit or miss, alot of KV3's out there. Anyways any opinions? Å Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 While the specifications may be similar that tells you absolutely nothing about the speaker's sonic signature. If you are using Heritage or extended Heritage mains you want a center that most closely matches the sonic signature of your mains. If an Academy is what you need, then that is what you should get. Either that or get a speaker identical to your mains and use that for your center. The center is the MOST important speaker in your HT and a no compromise approach should be taken when deciding on one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alkemyst Posted August 6, 2004 Author Share Posted August 6, 2004 The problem is I have no where to put a third quartet nor the desire to spend $600-800 on an Academy, at that point I'd be better off moving the quartets to stereo only or selling them and going Legend or Reference (both I am debating). Now, I am all for sonic purity and balance, but in reality we wouldn't be in the lower Heritage lineups if that was what any of us were trying with the Classic Heritage lineup. They are great speakers, but they have limitations as well. I am looking for a good compromise and like I said if I can't do this at $200 or lower I will just build an Academy for around $400. The guys at Klipsch like the Academy but almost any I have talked to have said spending more than the old MSRP on one is sort of ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 I'm not too sure the Academy would give you that 'perfect' match. Many things can affect the sound of the center speaker, even an identical speaker. If you're talking HT, you won't necessarily need a 'perfect' match, even is that is achievable. I personally would not invest more money in a center speaker that meant that I would have so much money invested that I could buy some of the newer lines. I think many people here have no real life and get caught up in the quest for boxes rather than the enjoyment of their equipment. Having said all that, I can tell you that I recently had a few minutes to try out a KT-LCR in center position along with a pair of Chorus II's. Did not have the time to hook up another pair of LCR's for surrounds. I thought the LCR did a good job, in my limited listening, and I think it may be worth your time to try one if you can find one. While not perfect match, it was probably as good a match as what many here are using with older lines of Klipsch. The LCR's can be had for around $150. Good luck. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteLaw Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 I purchased an Academy and A-B'ed it with a KLF-C7. I ended up selling the Academy (too much money to have tied up in a small speaker). Two things I noticed in this test, first, it was hard to tell the difference in the voice or timbre of the two speakers. What I did notice, is that the Academy sounded "small" like a bookshelf speaker. You could tell that the center channel was there - and it is a small speaker. Not only did the KLF-C7 have a wider "space", during the spoken parts of a movie, it better matched my ChorusII's. I asked Klipsch of this would be possible, they said yes. You can get the KLF-C7 for about $300 on Ebay, try it, you can always sell it. The Academy's have come down, but at $500 each, too much money for too small a speaker. My two cents. ---------------- On 8/6/2004 12:07:08 PM alkemyst wrote: I was talking to Klipsch and reading here. This is my summary of that from worst to best match. Anyone care to add? Model Series Years Sens Tweeter Woofer Woofersize FQ Weight RC3 Reference 1999-2001 Sens: 97dB Tweeter: K 105 KV Woofer: K 1085 SV/6.5" Fq: 62-20K 29lbs RC3II Reference 2001-2003 Sens: 97dB Tweeter: K 105 KV Woofer: K 1085 SV/6.5" Fq: 62-20K 29lbs RC35 Reference 2003-> Sens: 98dB Tweeter: K 130 DN Woofer: K 1123 OV/6.5" Fq: 56-20K 26lbs KV4 Epic 1996-1997 Sens: 99dB Tweeter: K 64 KN Woofer: K 1035 KN/8" Fq: 65-20K 33lbs RC7 Reference 2001-> Sens: 98dB Tweeter: K 67 DV Woofer: K 1083 SB/8" Fq: 45-20K 42lb KT-LCR THX 1994-1997 Sens: 95dB Tweeter: K 90 KV Woofer: K 1006 KV/6.5" Fq: 65-20K 31lbs KLF-C7 Legend 1997-2001 Sens: 99dB Tweeter: K 90 KV Woofer: K 1062 KV/8" Fq: 75-20K 38lbs Out of the new the RC35 is $400 (about the price of the Academy originally), the RC7 is $800. I was thinking if I can't do this below $200 I may as well pay $300 for the Academy drivers/crossover, get some MDF and the misc parts and do a academy for $400. The KT series seems to be 'cheap' (almost like a KLF-C7's little brother really, they have the same tweeter) when available....the RC3 series is also similar....the epic stuff is hit or miss, alot of KV3's out there. Anyways any opinions? Å ---------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alkemyst Posted August 9, 2004 Author Share Posted August 9, 2004 ---------------- On 8/9/2004 11:52:46 AM PeteLaw wrote: I purchased an Academy and A-B'ed it with a KLF-C7. I ended up selling the Academy (too much money to have tied up in a small speaker). Two things I noticed in this test, first, it was hard to tell the difference in the voice or timbre of the two speakers. What I did notice, is that the Academy sounded "small" like a bookshelf speaker. You could tell that the center channel was there - and it is a small speaker. Not only did the KLF-C7 have a wider "space", during the spoken parts of a movie, it better matched my ChorusII's. I asked Klipsch of this would be possible, they said yes. You can get the KLF-C7 for about $300 on Ebay, try it, you can always sell it. The Academy's have come down, but at $500 each, too much money for too small a speaker. My two cents. The difference in length is about 4" max...the C7 gives up about 1" in height or depth...they are about the same speaker really....the C7 is alot more efficient though, 3db is doubling your effective amplifier power. I don't think academy's have come down at all really. The latest I have seen sell at the $500 marks are definitely not showroom condition. ---------------- On 8/6/2004 12:07:08 PM alkemyst wrote: I was talking to Klipsch and reading here. This is my summary of that from worst to best match. Anyone care to add? Model Series Years Sens Tweeter Woofer Woofersize FQ Weight RC3 Reference 1999-2001 Sens: 97dB Tweeter: K 105 KV Woofer: K 1085 SV/6.5" Fq: 62-20K 29lbs RC3II Reference 2001-2003 Sens: 97dB Tweeter: K 105 KV Woofer: K 1085 SV/6.5" Fq: 62-20K 29lbs RC35 Reference 2003-> Sens: 98dB Tweeter: K 130 DN Woofer: K 1123 OV/6.5" Fq: 56-20K 26lbs KV4 Epic 1996-1997 Sens: 99dB Tweeter: K 64 KN Woofer: K 1035 KN/8" Fq: 65-20K 33lbs RC7 Reference 2001-> Sens: 98dB Tweeter: K 67 DV Woofer: K 1083 SB/8" Fq: 45-20K 42lb KT-LCR THX 1994-1997 Sens: 95dB Tweeter: K 90 KV Woofer: K 1006 KV/6.5" Fq: 65-20K 31lbs KLF-C7 Legend 1997-2001 Sens: 99dB Tweeter: K 90 KV Woofer: K 1062 KV/8" Fq: 75-20K 38lbs Out of the new the RC35 is $400 (about the price of the Academy originally), the RC7 is $800. I was thinking if I can't do this below $200 I may as well pay $300 for the Academy drivers/crossover, get some MDF and the misc parts and do a academy for $400. The KT series seems to be 'cheap' (almost like a KLF-C7's little brother really, they have the same tweeter) when available....the RC3 series is also similar....the epic stuff is hit or miss, alot of KV3's out there. Anyways any opinions? Å ---------------- ---------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Note the difference in the horn of the Academy and the KLF-C7 (dispersion). Also, compare tweeter specs in the C-7 and the KT-LCR (same). Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason77095 Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Is a single Heresy worth considering as an alternative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Jason - It depends on what main speakers you have...you want to match them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason77095 Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Chorus II mains. Looking for a Quartet (black), to use as center. Rears must fit on a shelf and be either sealed or front ported enclosures. Heresy's are the largest I can possibly use. Also considering KG 1s or newer reference bookshelf speakers. Still looking for alternatives/ideas. Got any? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Don't use Reference for your rears. I don't like to mix Heritage and Reference. If you can fit Heresys, I would use them. Your plan to use a Quartet will sound much better between your Chorus2's than an Academy. JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason77095 Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Thanks for advice... increases my confidence in this approach. I notice in your profile that you are also using Heresy for side and rear... "driven by MC2105's". What is an MC2105? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason77095 Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 One added question... I'm still having difficulty verifying minimum power requirements for the Heresy. There is a current auction on ebay that claims the Heresy has a 20 watt minimum power requirement. Any idea if this is accurate? Seems kind of high given the Klipsch reputation for efficiency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 ---------------- On 10/17/2004 9:50:18 AM jason77095 wrote: What is an MC2105? ---------------- McIntosh 2105 amp. It is a sterio 105 WPC amp. That is a VERY clean underated 105 WPC. Probably more like 130 - 140 WPC. I have never heard my MC amps clip. For a Heritage HT. 100WPC is a good number. I have checked my amps, and I hit 30-50 watt peaks in loud scenes. Generally is is coasting under 2 watts. JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alkemyst Posted October 17, 2004 Author Share Posted October 17, 2004 20W is a decent amount of power...however, Klipsch is banking on the consumer thinking their 100WPC amp is really making that across 5, 6, 7 channels at the $200 purchase price they paid. realistically if you can feed the speaker 20W RMS you'd be in heaven probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason77095 Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 My amplifier main channels put out 100 watts/channel (80 watts, minimum RMS). It supplies 30 watts (15+15) to the center and 15 watts/channel to the rears. (This is a Sony GX59ES receiver... that I really don't want to replace while I'm acquiring the speakers... the $$s don't grow on trees!) I'm planning to run Chorus IIs on the main channels (80/100 watts each), a single Quartet on the center (30 watts) and a pair of Heresys in the rear (15 watts each). I expect to adjust the center and rear channels to balance levels and I'll be surprised if the primary gain ever gets much over 50%. Bottom line... I'd like to be sure 15 watts/channel should be sufficient to drive a pair of Heresy's on the rear channels, before I start bidding or negotiating on a pair. If this works OK for a 5.1 HT setup, then I can shop carefully for a 2 channel tube amp/pre-amp later. The Newbie handle is appropriate for me... so I'm trying to get advice before I jump into any thing that may not work out. Thanks for the info provided so far... any other insights are also appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alkemyst Posted October 17, 2004 Author Share Posted October 17, 2004 I would dial in your speakers at this point...the reciever is going to be you weakest link. Then dial in a replacement later on....your system will not sound like junk prior to it...just a little under powered (unless you listen at high volume levels).... you can pick up great receivers under $500 lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason77095 Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 As of this evening, that's what I'm doing... have a line on a pair of Quartets... if I close this, I'll probably sell one of them. Heresy's look like they get listed on e-bay pretty regular. Plan to post a WTB request on the forum and see what turns up. I don't want to get ahead of myself but, figure I need to do some reading/research on receivers. Wondering if any thing might be better than satisfactory for both CD/SACD listening and DVD/HT viewing? I notice a number of forum members with Heritage speakers seem to use both a HT receiver and a 2 channel tube amp... it's not hard to guess why but it would sure be useful to hear the difference myself. E-bay seems to have driven most brick and mortar stores out of the used audio equipment business. Houston is a pretty big city but it's hard to find a place I can audition this kind of stuff. Someone's been buying vintage equipment through the newspaper classifieds and tells me he plans to open a used audio shop in the next month or so. Guess I'll have to spend a little $$ with him to see if he can stay in business! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 Jason - I agree with the comments that you should go for the speakers that fit your needs, and boost the electronics when you can. Short of going with something in the Quartet/Forte/Chorus family, you won't find more efficient rear speakers at that price point than Heresy's. It sounds like your receiver is a Dolby Pro Logic (the "old" Dolby, if you will). That format only made spare use of the rear channels, hence the low power output to rear channels by DP receivers. I don't think you'll be missing much, even if 15 wpc doesn't really bring Heresy's to life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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