Heresy I and II: what are the differences?

[Islander]

I'm thinking of buying one or two pairs of Heresies to use as surround speakers with my La Scalas. Heresy IIIs are beyond my budget, so I'm looking into Heresy IIs. According to the product page, they were first built in 1985. However, I was at a shop today that has a pair of Heresy IIs in storage (so I didn't see them) that are "probably from the 70s". The same dealer thought my 1974 La Scalas were from the 60s when he sold them to me, so he's not trying to be tricky, he just doesn't know everything.

Anyway, how would I tell the difference between original Heresies and model IIs? The Klipsch discontinued products page has no info on the original model, just on the II.

[BEC]

Backs are removable from the Heresy 1s and the drivers are mounted from the back of the motorboard.  On the Heresy 2s, the backs are not removable and drivers are mounted from the front of the motorboard.

Crossovers are on the back of the input terminal cup on the Heresy 2s but are on a separate block of wood mounted to the inside of the cabinet on the Heresy 1s.

Drivers are also different between the two, however, there was sort of a mixture of the Heresy II parts used in some late model Heresy 1s.

Bob Crites

[Islander]

Thanks for the info, Bob. As well as hardware and cabinet construction, are there significant performance differences between the two? In other words, is the earlier model nearly as good, or better to avoid? Is it safe to assume that a pair of Is and a pair of IIs would sound fine in the same system? Just trying to cover all the bases so I know what to look for and what to stay away from.

[BEC]

Well, sound of these comes down to personal opinion.  I prefer the Heresy 1 to the Heresy 2.  I am sure you can find others who would prefer the Heresy 2.  

The cabinet of the Heresy 1 will be plywood and Heresy 2 will be MDF.  I am sure it cost Klipsch a lot more to build the Heresy 1 than it cost them to build the Heresy 2.  Drivers in the Heresy 1 were much more expensive than those in the Heresy 2.  

Bob Crites

[Daddy Dee]

Islander,

I agree with Bob in thinking the diff between Heresy and Heresy II sound is about a toss up. To my ears, the sound is pretty close. The Heresy II might be a couple of db more robust in bass with the K24 woofer. To match LaScalas, I would recommend the Heresy. Heresy still retained the K77 and K55 drivers which are the same drivers in LaScala. That would be an exact timber match.

[Islander]

That's exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks, guys!

[LoudnClear]

hey mang,

the heresy page is available with a little trick

go to the heresy-ii page, then delete the -ii in the path and press enter, you will arrive at the secret heresy page.

http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/heresy.aspx

[Islander]

Cool! Thanks, L & C. Interesting how the weight changed, from 55 lbs for the H1 to 37 lbs for the H2, to 44 lbs for the H3. The H1 cabinet was made from either plywood or "veneered lumbercore". Sounds like an early name for MDF.

[Marvel]

veneered lumbercore is different than mdf.

I have HIIs, and personally find them a bit smoother than the originals. The mid driver is much heavier on the original, being the same as what was in the LS, Corn and Khorn. My son has Heresies, and he likes them better than my HIIs. He still thinks the HIIs are great, but it is his preference. We both need to refresh our crossovers.

Bruce

[djk]

The H2 is heavier than the H1, the 55lbs is ship weight, not net.

Lumbercore is solid poplar stock glued up from narrow boards with the grain rings alternately up and down so the sheet will not warp. It is then cross-banded at a right angle with a thin layer, and then the veneer faces go on at a right angle to that.

MDF is manufactured from pressure cooked wood chips which are broken down into fibers, then combined with resin and pressed into a panel. It is very dense, solid and heavy ; twice as heavy as lumber core.