Heresy

[occam]

I am looking at buying a pair of Heresy speakers to mate with my NAD 7240 PE. I listen chiefly to orhestral and some vocal. I like to hear the instruments and the vocals. What type of performance can I expect from the Heresies? Do Heresies like a lot of power input?

[kev313]

Depends what you mean by "a lot". In this place that phrase goes anywhere from 3.5 to 50 watts with a whole lot of argument in between. Some of the other boys will chime in with some technical explanations, but if you mean more than 50 or so watts, I would say No.

[WMcD]

I think you'll like them very much. These are the smallest of the Heritage series and are very impressive.

The question about power is a bit off subject. They don't need much power compaired to other small speakers to achieve impressive output.

They are horn loaded in the mid and tweeter. So you will find that most instruments are very well articulated and clean.

There is an issue about bass. The Cornwall is the bigger brother in the line and the bass is very much improved. You will probably fall in love with the Heresy and then trade up to CWs, or the K-Horn.

The good news is that all the Heritage hold their value. So any investment is a good one.

Gil

[crazytubepower]

They are week in bass, but the is made up in the clearness and articulation of the sound coming out of the speakers, even distortion will sound beautiful on these puppies! Lol Jk

[occam]

What models make up the Heritage line? Are the La Scala's the top for Klipsch? My stereo is rated at 40 watts, by I seldom turn it up high.

[Malcolm]

Any of the Heritage lie would make a nice match for your system. They are relatively efficient. If you run more than about 20 amps into them for any length of time and can stay in the same room for them you have serious hearing damage already or a very big room.

Heresys are the smallest of the Heritage line. They are 3 dB down by about 65 Hz. To cover the full range of orchestral music, you need something that goes goes at least another octave or so lower. They should do just fine for most musical listening. But they really need a good sub.

[Guest Anonymous]

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On 8/6/2005 9:29:45 PM Malcolm wrote:

.............................. They should do just fine for most musical listening. But they really need a good sub.

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I second that.

[crazytubepower]

Klipschorn is the top of the line

[heresy2guy]

I've used an NAD integrated amp with the Power Envelope feature with my Heresy IIs (I've also used a Proton D940 Receiver with Dynamic Power On Demand, a virtual clone of the NAD with Power Envelope units). They both 40 wpc and had 6dBs of dynamic headroom and mated well with the Heresys.

I listen to a lot of classical music and I run my KG4s alongside my Heresy IIs in order to get the really low bass (KG4s go to 38hz - Heresy IIs go to 63hz I think). There's a HUGE difference in bass output between the two. The Heresy IIs can't touch the KG4s for bass but on the flip side of the coin, the KG4s can't even remotely touch the midrange of the Heresy II (thanks to the Heresy's midrange horn).

Heresys sound great but really need a sub in order to balance out their mids and highs.

If you have the space and the money, I'd recommend that you simply by a used pair of Cornwalls, or Fortes, or even KLF20s or KLF30s. With those speakers you'll get awesome mids and highs thanks to their horns AND you'll get excellent bass (dipping in the 30-something HZ range) as well. This will save you the hassel of buying Heresys and then buying a sub and then trying to accurately match them up, etc...

Furthermore, subs can sometimes sound "boomy," which may be good for DVD soundtracks (explosions, jet engines, machine gun fire, etc...) but isn't good, in my opinion, for music.

Then again, you can also opt for used Khorns or La Scalas but now you're talking about $2000 plus for Khorns and about $1000 or so for La Scalas. The Khorns will drop to 35hz but require corner placement for that. The La Scalas can be positioned practically anywhere but generally call it quits around 45hz to 53hz. What you will get with the Khorns and La Scalas though (which you can't get with the Cornwalls, Fortes, or KLF series) is 104dBs of sensitivity and that HUGE, gigantic, beautiful midrange horn. That massive midrange horn and high sensitivity will enable you to hear things in your music you've never heard before. It's a truly amazing experience. People always seem to remember the first time they've heard a pair of Khorns or La Scalas (when mated with the right equipment, and, in the case of the Khorns - properly positioned snugly into the corners).

So, in short, if you're on a budget, try a pair of Fortes ($450-$500). If you can go higher and bigger, try Cornwalls or KLF20s or KLF30s ($750-$900). If you can go a bit further, and will give up some bass for absolutely amazing midrange and clarity, try La Scalas ($1000-$1300). If you have the dough and the room, and simply want the best with no audible compromises (meaning you can go from deep down low all the way to crystal clear highs), try a pair of Khorns ($2000 and up depending on year and condition).

Hope this helps.

-H2G

[occam]

What are the differences between the Heresy and the Heresy II? Are the Fortes and Cornwalls much heavier than the Heresies? Shipping can be prohibitively expensive. Your are right about subwoofers--all boom. At least the ones I have tested.

[edwinr]

The Heresys and NAD products seem to match very well. I don't find my Heresys lacking in bass at all. They have good impact and articulation. What they do lack, is a little extension. If you place the Heresys on the angled risers, you will find an improvement in overall bass balance.

[heresy2guy]

The main differences between the Heresy and Heresy II are that they have different drivers and the horns were changed from metal to plastic. The midrange compression driver also shrunk from a 2" throat to a 1.5" throat. According to the Klipsch specs, the Heresy II is 1 dB more sensitive and goes a bit higher (20khz compared to 17khz) BUT, at the same time, also loses some bass dropping off at 63hz compared to the 50hz listed for the original Heresy. Then again, I seem to recall an old spec sheet or two that listed the original Heresy frequence response to be +/- 5 dBs compared to the specs listed for the Heresy II at +/- 3 dBs. The main thing, to my ears, is that the Heresy II sounds a bit more, well, I guess you could say "refined," or subdued in comparison to the Heresy. The Heresy's midrange seems a bit more "forward" then that of the Heresy II. This was my personal impression when I A/B'ed them together on my old Proton D940. The Cornwall is substantially bigger then the Heresy - it literally dwarfs it, both physically and sonically. The Cornwall literally SOUNDS bigger then the Heresy or Heresy II. It seems to project a much larger wave of sound into the room and the bass response drops down to 38hz. The thing that helped make the Cornwall famous is it's bass response. This excellent bass response is what aids the Cornwall in sounding very "balanced" because it can effectively produce deep bass (but not "boomy" subwoofer bass mind you), great mids, and great highs. In short, it delivers the all of the goods and leaves no audible "hole" in it's presentation. Speakers like the Heresy, on the other hand, seem a bit unbalanced because they give poor bass response (relatively speaking here) compared to their strong midrange and strong highs. It's been argued as well that the La Scala is somewhat unbalanced too because it's bass repsonse drops to only 45 or 53hz and although fast and tight (as horn loaded bass tends to be), it's bass seems somewhat "weak" when compared to the mids that eminate from it's monstrous midrange squawker. The Khorn has the same gigantic midrange squawker and the same tweeter as the La Scala, but because the basshorn is folded thrice (instead of twice, as on the La Scala), the Khorn can drop down all the way to 35hz when properly placed AND sealed into the corners of your room. The Khorn truly does it all and sounds larger then life...much larger then the Cornwall, or any other Klipsch home speaker for that matter, with the La Scala coming in a close second. The two-way Klipsch speakers (KG series, RF series, etc...) have many fans and, as far as two-way designs go, sound excellent. But to me, the fact that they utilize their cone woofers to produce the all-important midrange is what effectively kills them. They have excellent lows and excellent highs (some have said the highs are too sharp) but in my opinion, they have a subdued or laid-back midrange. Again, in my opinion, this creates an unbalanced sound wherein you get strong, pronounced lows and highs but subdued, laid-back mids, so you're faced with an audible "hole" again. But some people like it that way. To them it fits the bill and they're really happy with what they hear. More power to them I say, after all, music is a very subjective issue hence you should buy what sounds best to YOUR ears and not be "sold" into buying something OTHER people think sounds best to them. In my case, part of the "magic" of Klipsch has always been their horns. The horns (particularly the midrange) just make the music seem so effortless, so dynamic, so, so...LIVE and RIGHT-THERE in the room with you. I simply haven't heard the same type of results from a conventional driver (i.e. cone), which is why I favor the three-way Klipsch models. Let's say for instance...with all things being equal...if you were to make two sets of speakers and horn-load the midrange in one while simply relying on a cone for the other, you WILL hear an immediate and extremely detectable difference. The only question that really matters to potential buyers in the end is, which one will his own individual ears prefer?

[WMcD]

There is a bit of a pecking order to the Heritage.

K-Horn: The biggest and original, three way horn loaded, must go in a corner. You hear these the first time and the world of audio changes. There is good reason it has been in production for almsst 60 years.

LaScala: Three way horn loaded, smaller, less bass but very clean, economical. It was never made with hardwood finish. Looks that only an engineer can love (I do), sounds great but it is the little brother to the K-Horn in bass.

Belle: A very pretty LS at high cost. Perhaps the best looking speaker ever made.

Cornwall: Horn in mid and treble, ported 15 inch bass (not horn loade bass). Very good bass which goes as low as K-Horn. Named because it can go in a corner or at a wall (like anything else). The Belgian Audio Society has a review which just gushes praise, for good reason.

Heresy: A departure from the teaching of the K-Horn at the time, hence the name. 12 inch driver in a sealed box. Horn mid and treble. By Klipsch standards, this is a midget. The II has slightly different components.

- - -

I am a bit of a fan of what I call Neo-Heritage. I believe PWK had a hand in these.

Chorus. Ported bass, somewhat a replacement for the CW. Biggest of the bunch. Exponential mid and tweeter.

Chorus II. About the same but passive bass radiator and trnctrix midrange. I love the tractrix.

Forte. Midsize of the bunch and historically the first of the line. Psssive bass radiator. It got a very good review when first out. A Heresy II with real bass. A floor stander, which the Heresy is not quite.

Forte II. In my view (as a proud owner) close to voodoo. Bigger woofer, bigger passive, same size box. Tractrix midrange which is excellent. If a friend asked what to buy, short of K-Horns or CW, this is IT.

Quartet. There was no I or II. It is a Forte II in a smaller box. I have these too. It doesn't go as low as the Forte's but is darn good. Smaller box.

Gil

[colterphoto1]

Nicely summarized Gil, not a thing to add.

I'm a Cornwall Fan, Big Box = Big Bass! Love that Slam.

Michael

[occam]

What is a Heresy HWO and a HBR? How can I tell a Heresy from a Heresy II in an online sale?

[scriven]

HWO - Heresy Walnut Oiled

HBR - Heresy Birch Raw (no finish)

They switched to Heresy II in '85.

[scriven]

These are HBR Heresys. Note: The back is removable, you can see the screws on the back of the cabinet. The drivers are mounted on the inside of the motor board. From the front you can see the thickness of the motor board where the drivers are mounted.

These are HWO Heresy IIs. With the redesign of the II the drivers are mounted from the front and you can see the speaker flange but no motor board edge. The back does not come off on the II; therefore, no screws in the back of the cabinet.

Edit: Also notice, the birch raw versions had butt-jointed cabinets. The finished wood cabinets are mitered.

[occam]

Whem my stereo is rated at 40 watts does that mean with the volume turned on high?

[scriven]

You're welcome.

[occam]

Thaanks for the help.