diyJohn Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 OK, I'm new to Klipsch and will probably be asking lots more questions that may be obvious to many of you. Please bear with me. I appreciate the good help I've gotten so far. I got my 1978 Heresy's (no grills) hooked up last night and listened for a few hours. Not an optimum setup I'm sure; just an old Marantz 2220 receiver that was spare and speakers were too close together, listening to PBS classical on FM. I am happy to report that all six drivers seem to be making sound, and the overall sound was pretty good. Bass was a little shy but I expected that since the efficiency is fairly high and the box not too big. I tried them close to the wall and then out about 18" and liked them better out from the wall. Mids and highs were realistic, but the bass seemed a little maybe boomy, especially on male voice. Or maybe that was just the announcer using a tailoring network to make himself sound more manly ! This is just a first impression and may not mean a whole lot. Still it seems they are kind of low to the floor. The little built in stand, which is really short and not tilted, implies that they were meant to be floor standing, but the mid and tweeter are nowhere near ear level that I am used to with other designs. Are they really made to be used on the floor or would a good stand help? What positioning do you folks like for Heresy? What about the slight boominess I found. Is that normal? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwoods Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Hey John, the OEM risers have a tilt of 3/4" from rear to front, and I believe were originally designed by PWK as a center channel between the Klipschorn. If you're interested, the dimensions are archived somewhere's on the forum. I fashioned something similar ala DIY. I'm using Heresys as mains in a combo HT/2-channel rig, and have them up on 16", heavy metal, sand filled stands, approx. 8' apart. I supplement the LF's with a Velodyne FSR-12" sub, somewhere around 60Hz. My room is fairly large(20x30) and open to 2 others. Speakers are oriented on the L&R, of a corner placed TV, with a slight toe-in. I'm pretty sure your boominess is a placement issue, and can be resolved with experimentation. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Just tailor them to where you like them...Heresys were available without the risers, with flat risers (as you have) and the slant risers (to tilt them to ear level)...I have one set of mine without risers flat on the floor...not bad but not the best...my second set is on short speaker stands that tilt back and are about a foot off the ground...lose a little bass that way but everything else is nicer and this is in my HT setup so it has a sub to round out the lows...hope you enjoy the Heresys...great speakers and usually a great bargain as well... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 'John, I had 76 Heresys for the last almost 30 years. I found I liked them best when I placed them on 12' wooden stools I found at SAM's Club. $11 each and matched the finish perfectly. This got the horns up where they sounded more natural (near the altitude of Corns/LaScala/Belle), and got the woofer up off the floor. I also think the H's can be a little boomy if placed on the floor in most rooms I've had. Grills are around to be found - what finish is on your Heresys? Grills are Black, Cane, must be some others out there... Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 he meant 12 inches, not feet move them way from front and side walls to reduce boom and improve 3D image... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Taylor Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I put mine on there side with the tweeters towards each other on milk crates about ear level about a foot from the wall and the corners of the room, it seems to sound the best to me, I don't know why it just does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 The Heresys seem to work better with the speakers looking directly at you. They also need to be close to the floor. The angled risers sound like a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Taylor Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Now of course the speakers work best looking at you, your joking right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 ---------------- On 6/1/2005 1:14:37 AM Randy Taylor wrote: Now of course the speakers work best looking at you, your joking right! ---------------- Well.... maybe not actually looking. They might be a bit shy. Perhaps just a little peek then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diyJohn Posted June 1, 2005 Author Share Posted June 1, 2005 Thanks, folks, for all the good suggestions. To summarize, it sounds like the angled risers were made to get the horns aimed at the listener and still get the bass reinforcement from the floor, which might also cause a little boominess. Placing on short stands may get them up to ear height but might require some bass augmentation. In answer to one post, mine appear to be walnut veneer. Was there a particular color of grill meant to coordinate with that option? With regard to grills, do they generally sound better without grills? I think they look pretty good bare. The construction is such that it wouldn't be too hard to make up a grill, though. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwoods Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 ---------------- On 6/1/2005 5:35:50 AM diyJohn wrote: The construction is such that it wouldn't be too hard to make up a grill, though. John ---------------- Not if you can live up to your user name. I used a black, 1/8" PVC sheet called Sintra, and some grille material purchased from Parts Express, adhered with hot glue on the backside and some Velcro dots to hold it in place. You'll need the stinkin' badges though, $8x2 from Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diyJohn Posted June 1, 2005 Author Share Posted June 1, 2005 Don't need no steenkin' badges! Seriously, what size holes did you use in the plastic material? To match the driver sizes or larger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwoods Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Oh yeah, a *tad* larger than all driver cutouts. I duped my OEM cane ones, and could measure if you want, although I have the Heresy II('86), where the drivers are mounted from the *frontside* of the motorboard, as opposed to your original Heresy('78) which are mounted to the rear of motorboard, and if it even makes a difference(?). **in this case translates to somewheres between 1/8" & 1/4". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 ---------------- On 5/31/2005 12:30:55 PM Randy Taylor wrote: I put mine on there side with the tweeters towards each other on milk crates about ear level about a foot from the wall and the corners of the room, it seems to sound the best to me, I don't know why it just does. ---------------- There we go - a man after my own heart. I have three pair of heresy and parts from a heresy to form a modified center for the HT. Of all the Heresy placements I favor the pair I have like Randy's - the only difference is that mine are in the top ceiling corners and slightly angled down and in. I spent years finding this preferred position - it suits my ear well. A boomy Heresy must be the source - it is pretty darn hard to make this speaker boomy. My next favorite is downstairs when I use them as something akin to 'nearfield' - 6 feet apart, very slght toe in, slanted risers and directly in the middle 6 feet away. Running about 4 watts with some great recordings of jazz or blues and I have my favorite set of oversized headphones. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diyJohn Posted June 2, 2005 Author Share Posted June 2, 2005 So 4 watts is enough? I have this little amp from an old RCA console, 6BQ5 single end, that I have been wanting to try on something, but never had anything as efficient as the Heresy. It should be 3-4 watts. Can someone point me to the drawings for the angled riser? Thanks all for your comments! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 That would be a sweet little amp IMO. I've listened to Heresy's with 3.5 wpc SET amps and was pleased. There are plenty of folks, perhaps most, who would disagree. Your ears are the authority on this question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 I think that little console amp might be really great! I recently tried listening to our Heresies (purchased for rear channel surround use) with just our Moondog 2A3 monoblock amps, and I completely agree with Dee -- the result can be very satisfying. In fact, the simplicity was nice. Powerwise, I didn't have a problem at all, although some will prefer to listen at higher volume levels. A variable L-pad can be used for proper positioning of the Heresies. In fact, variable L-pads can be effectively used to cure all the ills of the world, on both a macro and microcosmic levels. For example, one can use a variable L-pads to attenuate a runny nose or to reduce itching from a pesky fire-ant sting. Some will prefer the autoformer for all those things, but I just find that...... ok, enough! Edit: John: The L-pad for Heresy adjustment is sort of an attempt at humor -- poking fun at myself, since every time driver adjustment comes up I pipe in with the L-pad panacea. On Heresy placement: I have mine on 15 stands which works well for our use. I also listened to them on the stock risers, in a smaller room, which worked well too. As a matter of fact, the first time I ever heard Klipsch Heritage was a pair of Heresies on risers in the early 80s. I never forgot how they sounded then, but couldn't afford that sound at the time. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diyJohn Posted June 2, 2005 Author Share Posted June 2, 2005 I've pulled the RCA RS-193A off the shelf and will be putting it on the variac as soon as I can find my solid state 5Y3 replacement. Looks like I will have to do some work to adapt the non-standard input plugs, but this should not be a problem. Thanks for the encouragement. I'll let you know how it sounds! Erik, the risers mentioned in the last post, are those angled or flat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 John: Are you referring to my 15" stands or the stock risers? The Klipsch risers for the Heresy angles them up toward the listener. I just prefer having speakers up off the floor, although there is the possibility you might get some bass reinforcement with them closer down. Erik BTW: I've got a drawer full of 5Y3s -- want one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 ---------------- On 6/2/2005 6:07:34 AM diyJohn wrote: So 4 watts is enough? I have this little amp from an old RCA console, 6BQ5 single end, that I have been wanting to try on something, but never had anything as efficient as the Heresy. It should be 3-4 watts. John ---------------- 3 - 5 Watts is not quite the best for all around use of a Heresy. I have a very quiet lower level environment (probably around 50 - 60db type quiet) and I get settled in and get carried away by the clarity and detail that seems to come through so nicely at the lower wattage. It is definitely not loud, but very much loud enough for my purpose. When I want volume downstairs I go with my homebrew big JBLs (but they are fast becoming my primaries). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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