What is the scoop on Heresy?

[rplace]

Who has the lowdown on Heresys? I figure since they have been around so long they must all be good. But like so many things I am betting there are some really killer years that the true people in the know search out. You know, like a 1967 427 Corvette a true classic. Obviously some of this is subjective I am sure there are those who like the original Heresys over the H IIs or some other incarnation. I did love the look of those older ones that recently sold on ebay with the original old style boxes and vintage logo on the grill.

I remember hearing a pair in a frat house in the mid 80s that must have been 10 years old chronologically and about 50 in abuse yearsbut they sounded incredible.

After seeing the posts yesterday with Heresy hanging down from the ceiling and killer all Heritage HT with Heresys on the rear and side I am rethinking my desire for Chorus, Forte II, Chorus up front and Forte IIs in the rear. Why are Heresys so darn plentiful on ebay? Is it because they are a great speaker with a relatively decent size so everybody buys them. If that is true then why do so many get resold. Anybody have Forte IIs in the front with Heresy center and rear and care to comment on that? What about Heresys for sides in a 7.1 setup. How about 7 Hs with a sub?

So what is the deal are the newer ones goodbut not as good? Are there any that should be avoided at all costs? Of course I understand that ultimately all that matters is if you, the listener like them or not. Just trying to get some insight on the line as a whole.

[hwatkins]

The variations on the Heresy over the years has done little to change the overall sound of this great little speaker. The Heresy has looked the same and sounded pretty darn similar for 40+ years. I have both the one's refered to as Heresy I (there is no such beast, but since there is a Heresy II you need to be able to call the originals something) and the early years Heresy II. There were changes over the years - the late sixties to about 84 are the Heresy I's most folks relate to - Alnico drivers and a pretty stable Xover (type E seems to be the most commonly liked here). As the Heresy II grew up we see different magnets and drivers, but a real concern to mainly tweak - not redefine - the sound.

Original specs on the Heresy were a bit misleading - I think they said the LF went down to 40hz. While it does do that the SPL is pretty darn low. The newer specs of 55hz seem like a more realistic F3 number that applies to the older speakers as well as the new.

I have yet to hear a speaker the size of the Heresy handle the mids and highs in as pleasing a way to my ear as the heresy. They are pretty darn efficient,dynamic and clean. In a nearfield environment they are a really nice 2 channel - the LF is Ok when you are near them without putting tons of volume out. Most folks will tell you to add a sub (I did) - and they are right. A good sub can make these little speakers become one of your favorite and best investments.

My HT has 4 heresy (front and side), a modified heresy center, Infinity rears (I know - but not much goes there but mono) and SVS 20-39pci. I love the way it serves as an HT and music room. The size of the Heresy give you so many placement variations that you can make most small rooms sound really nice.

You can sneak a look at my set up here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~hwatkins/id63.htm

[rplace]

Hey, thanks for the infojust the sort of thing I was looking for. I am intrigued by the posts I see about creating your own centers, or any speaker for that matter. I have never taken apart a speaker, but am pretty handy, how tough is it? Got any good starter information for somebody wanting to tackle this sort of project?

On the surface it looks like you just construct a box to fit your needs and cut the right holes for the various drivers, then stuff the factory parts back in your custom box. I am sure there is a lot more to it. Surely there must be some acoustics and physics involved. I think I would like to eventually get some sort of center placement both above and below my 92 inch screen. Does that in turn mean two speakers or do people typically separate out the highs/mids/lows and effectively end up with one speaker spread over a large area? I am probably not explaining this right, but my limited knowledge tells me that if the center signal is one channel there are issues with two speakers if run in either parallel or series. Obviously someone has cracked this nutdo tell how.

Thanks, Rich

[Colin]

nice room,like the ceiling mount = slick

at an average of less than $500 on ebay recently, Heresys are a bargin in Klipsch sound!

[hwatkins]

Rplace - leaving for the weekend - the answer to your questions require some thought and length - could you PM me a reminder to respond when I get back.

Speaker building runs from fairly easy to darn difficult - sound is affected by box size, shape and Xover of multi ways. Fun and not quite as daunting as it can appear.

[JohnA]

*IF* there is an optimum Heresy, it would be the late 980 through 1982 models (SN code U, W, X) with the solder terminal K-55-V and K-77-M. Those will have smoother response than the others and might be smoother than the Heresy II.