Want to mod Heresy 3 - need information

[salavat]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy H3 adn I would like to do some mods out of the box:

1) Replace capacitors with Elna or Black Gate ones

2) Replace wiring to Audio Note AN-LA

I need schematics for Heresy 3, can someone to point me somewhere for this info? (or alternalively how many and which caps used in H3)

I need to know the length of all wiring per unit to be replaced.

(I do not have H3 at the moment, but want to get parts before buying H3 and do modding out of the box). I am using ROTEL RCD 990, Bullet 4 by Silver Audio, Audio Consulting wiring, Audion Silver Night pre MK 1 amp (300B SET).

Thanks a lot in advance.

[PrestonTom]

Congrats on getting the new Heresy 3s.

My friendly advice is not to touch them. It will only decrease their re-sale value and it is questionable whether those mods will make any appreciable improvement. If they were older cabinets, then by all means one should refresh the capacitors (it is cheap and simple).

Much bigger gains can be realized by careful experimentation in how and where you locate them in your listening room. Hey, that doesn't cost a nickel.

Good Luck,

-Tom

[Groomlakearea51]

I agree with preston Tom; I would not touch them for now. Maybe after the warranty expires, and the members on the forum beigin to discuss "tweaks", etc.

[salavat]

Thanks for replies. I am not that concerned about re-sale value, but does anyone have experience of changing wires?

[Daddy Dee]

salavat,

You've got a state of the art speaker in the Heresy III. Congrats. These are awesome.

My take... I don't think there is anything you can do to improve it.

[salavat]

it seems that everyone is reluctant to do apply any mods to H3:)). I still think that wires and caps are not up to the quality of the speakers. Please prove that I am wrong, that there is a decent wiring is used inside (not a cheap one).

[tigerwoodKhorns]

it seems that everyone is reluctant to do apply any mods to H3:)). I still think that wires and caps are not up to the quality of the speakers. Please prove that I am wrong, that there is a decent wiring is used inside (not a cheap one).

Whether or not to upgrade is up to you. The Heresy 3 was just upgraded by Klipsch's engineers.

For what its worth, I have opened up some very expensive speakers to do repairs (up to $20,000 speakers) and they do not use designer wire and caps. They use very thick wire, and good quality poly caps, but not the really expensive stuff. I also spoke to an engineer at the builder's company and was told that they use "plain old solder" and not silver.

[Islander]

Have you actually heard a pair of Heresy IIIs? A change is not always an improvement. Some people tried replacing the "inexpensive" woofers in La Scalas, only to find the expensive "upgrade" woofers didn't sound as good, because the speakers were engineered to sound their best with the parts they're sold with.

Addressing a perceived deficiency is one thing, but assuming different parts will make an improvement over a 3rd-generation design is just that, an assumption. Have you perceived any deficiencies in the sound of the Heresy IIIs?

[salavat]

Ok, I probably need to clarify my initial question.

This is based on the fact that most speaker companies use very basic wiring inside the cabinet. While upgrade is not that substantial in terms of the result, the subtle changes are very noticable. I have experience upgrading Zingali monitors results were very good - transparency, musicality, air, breath etc, however must say the signature of the sound changed from original one.

I am assuming the same could be done with H3, I am really amazed to find such reaction to that idea, while H2 are upgraded a lot.

DDo I miss something?

[jamesV]

Not to slam you but with the upgrade of the speaker wire has been talked about and the conclusion is, wire is wire no matter the price. But as you stated you have done this before to great results so go for it and report back to your findings.

The upgrade for the H2 is to transform it into the H3. You are comparing a speaker that was built from 1985 to 2005, H2, to the newly built H3 from 2006 - present.

James

[Coytee]

Not to slam you but with the upgrade of the speaker wire has been talked about and the conclusion is, wire is wire no matter the price. But as you stated you have done this before to great results so go for it and report back to your findings.

I agree with James.

I've got an old ugly, trashy, beat up, decrepit, ancient, rotty pair of Cornwalls just sitting around. So, I've decided to experiment a bit on them and have done things like rip out their wire for different wires, rip out their drivers in lieu of other drivers (and believe me when I tell you a 21" woofer takes some router work and even some chainsaw work to fit in...not to mention the oversized horns I stuffed in on the upper end)

I've even gone so far as take my 1/2" right angle drill with a 1 1/2" forstner bit and perforated the cabinet very thoughtfully on the front and back but...you know what... I got the most interesting gains in sound when I took the drill and put about 15 holes on each side panel (4 total) of the speakers!! Man, does that 21" woofer bark now!!!

James... don't let my above experiments worry you.... I've applied liberal doses of bond-o to the cabinets to change their shape to a more rounded appearance. Also...you'd be surprised at what a dab of bondo will do to the sound if you shove it into the mouth of the horn. I think it's possible to get a tractrix like sound out of an exponential horn!!

These now define the word Frankenspeaker!!

[]

[Daddy Dee]

Coytee,

You are the (mod) Man!

[Islander]

salavat, you can see that modding speakers is very popular on this forum, but almost everyone who inquires about mods is given the same advice: listen first to what you have.

Klipsch speakers don't always respond to modifications the way other speakers do. More expensive parts sometimes degrade the performance. Listening to your speakers before considering any mods is not a waste of time. Spend a month or two getting used to the sound of your new Heresy IIIs, then consider making changes if you feel the need.

If you don't know what you have, how can you know if you've improved it?

[jamesV]

I agree with James.

I've got an old ugly, trashy, beat up, decrepit, ancient, rotty pair of Cornwalls just sitting around. So, I've decided to experiment a bit on them and have done things like rip out their wire for different wires, rip out their drivers in lieu of other drivers (and believe me when I tell you a 21" woofer takes some router work and even some chainsaw work to fit in...not to mention the oversized horns I stuffed in on the upper end)

I've even gone so far as take my 1/2" right angle drill with a 1 1/2" forstner bit and perforated the cabinet very thoughtfully on the front and back but...you know what... I got the most interesting gains in sound when I took the drill and put about 15 holes on each side panel (4 total) of the speakers!! Man, does that 21" woofer bark now!!!

James... don't let my above experiments worry you.... I've applied liberal doses of bond-o to the cabinets to change their shape to a more rounded appearance. Also...you'd be surprised at what a dab of bondo will do to the sound if you shove it into the mouth of the horn. I think it's possible to get a tractrix like sound out of an exponential horn!!

These now define the word Frankenspeaker!!

Wow, all that work done and you don't want anything for it, thanks man. [Y] People on here really take care of each other. [H] All that is fine and good but it BETTER be the new color that we talked about or I am really going to be pissed off.... [8o|]

James

[colterphoto1]

geesh, mods 'out of the box'? WHY?

The H III come stock with braided wires made from the finest dew-picked yak hair from the Himalayas.

jk, but any modifications will void your 5-year Klipsch warranty.

The current Heresy has crossover components and internal wiring that is much more audiophile-friendly than previous versions. Those who have purchased the HII upgrade kit can attest to this. Heck, I might even post a photo of it just for fun, would that help you?

Since it's a current production model, I'm not at liberty to disclose the network schematic.

[Coytee]

People on here really take care of each other

Who luvs ya baby....[H]

[salavat]

Hmm... Interesting discussion...I am now biased whether I really should go ahead with that.

Again, please correct me if I am wrong, but I think there are general things which can improve the performance. I think those would be to changed tubes in amp (an personally I always liked the result of changing to better NOS tubes) and I am assuming the same with wires.

I could be missing something but even the most expensive speakers in nowdays come with basic wires (cost cutting?). Essentially, the mod would place more transparent (though expensive) and clear wire. What I am hearing sounds like it would change the sound signature of the speaker. Again, I thought it subtle but noticable change.

For the fairness only, but nobody who changed wiring has not spoken yet.

PS. Please post photo. Thanks

[Daddy Dee]

For the fairness only, but nobody who changed wiring has not spoken yet.

I think you are breaking new ground here. I don't think I've heard of anyone modding an HIII.

[LarryC]

Like others, I say just leave it as is and listen to it for a while. Quite a while, in fact. Different wire and different internal components will cause speakers to sound different, but NOT necessarily better.

Moreover, you haven't taken into account that new speakers start sounding much better as they "break in" and log some hours of playing time. While 40-50 hrs. is a decent minimum, I wouldn't make any changes until you have played them for at least 100 hrs., and preferably more. If you start changing wire and caps right off the bat, you'll have NO idea how they would have sounded fully broken in with no changes, and you'll have NO idea about whether you've made any long-run improvement at all. It will be a confusing situation.

Klipsch spends time "voicing" new models to get the sound they want. That voicing includes the sonic characteristics of the wire and xover components they use, so I'd sure let those out to play before trying to mess with them.

Frankly, I think you'll be chasing your tail, in the name of a belief that "better" wire and caps will inevitably make it sound better. I've rewired my K-horns with silver wire because I believe silver is ever so slightly more transparent. However, silver probably reduces bass fullness, and I would never recommend it to someone who hasn't done their own comparisons and listening. YMMV!!

[colterphoto1]

Beranek's Law

It has been remarked that if one selects his own components, builds

his own enclosure, and is convinced he has made a wise choice of

design, then his own loudspeaker sounds better to him than does anyone

else's loudspeaker. In this case, the frequency response of the

loudspeaker seems to play only a minor part in forming a person's

opinion.

L.L. Beranek, Acoustics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1954), p.208.