Danartdis Posted September 28, 2001 Share Posted September 28, 2001 Ok any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I have Heresys that were a graduation gift in 1981. I love them and now I am building a HT system around them. I wish I came to this BB before starting. Anyway, I have a KSW 12 on the way and KSSC 1 center on the way as well. First of all, is that center a big mistake? Secondly, are SS-1's a mistake for surrounds? I am following a couple of pairs of Heresys on ebay for possible surrounds but I am a little concerned about their size in the back/middle of the room. If people here tell me I am nuts for even considering the SS-1's then I will probably be patient for the right pair of used Heresys on ebay. Maybe I will even resell the center and upgrade that as well. Any comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 28, 2001 Share Posted September 28, 2001 Welcome to the world of Heresy HT! If I were you, I wouldn't worry about my choices. Enjoy what you have. If it sounds right to you, then you are set. If not, plan on upgrading. Just about all of us have. And remember, you won't be out all that much. There is a good resale market for Klipsch speakers on eBay if you need to unload any of what you have now. IMHO, the best Heresy based HT system is five identical or nearly identical Heresys (same model tweeter and squawker in all) with horn and crossover tweaks, and a good subwoofer. Hey, that's what I have! The biggest potential problem with what you have chosen is that the KSSC1 and SS1 are not timbre matched to the Heritage line. The center channel is the biggest issue. You'll probably hear a noticeable difference as sounds pan from side to side. Rears are less important, but you will probably hear a difference there too. My guess is the center channel is probably what you will want to upgrade first. In a smallish room, you may find that a phantom center channel where the center channel is simulated by the receiver using the left and right front speakers actually sounds better than your KSCC1. I started out with a mismatched center when I started in HT. It was the first thing I upgraded. Best center channel is a matched Heresy. Other choices with reasonably good timbre match are Academy, KV-4 and KLF-C7, in that order. KLF-C7 is probably the easiest to find. The others show up on eBay from time to time. A single Heresy of the correct vintage may be difficult to find. You might have to buy a pair to get the one you need. You can always sell the extra one. The rears aren't that big a deal with Dolby Prologic material, like OTA TV programs. Dolby Prologic is not full range, and its mono. I used non-Klipsch rears when I only had Prologic and though they sounded acceptable. But the rears are more important with Dolby Digital or DTS. The sound is full range, and discrete. Even the difference in timbre between early Heresys with the K55V squawker and the last of the model run with the K53K squawker was noticeable to me. I actually had to replace a pair of Heresys to get the sound right. So, the rears were my second and third speaker upgrades. Subwoofer choice is very personal. KSW-12 may be just the ticket for you. Only your ears and time will tell. Any decent subwoofer will give you a needed extra octave or so of bass. Frnakly, even a cheap dual voice coil passive subwoofer can yield a noticeable improvement over the Heresy's bass. That's what I started with. My fourth, and last, speaker upgrade was to replace it with a powered subwoofer. It is the one speaker in my system, and many Klipsch systems, that is still not Klipsch. And it may wind up so in your system. Klipsch really hasn't been a leader in subwoofers. Its not the the KSWs are bad. But better products have been available elsewhere for less money. And Klipsch screwed up their first venture into high end subwoofers so bad that they had to pull the line off the market. Hopefully the new Reference series subwoofers will be an improvement. But they aren't cheap. So, if you are starting on the journey I think you are, enjoy! It should be a pleasant one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danartdis Posted September 29, 2001 Author Share Posted September 29, 2001 Thanks Malcolm, I guess I will start searching in earnest for the Heresys and see what the center sounds like. Again thanks for the input. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.