I have had these speakers for about 9months now. I bought them used from a Co-worker that bought them in 1988. The spent the last few years sitting in his garage, and had very few hours on them before that! I have been an owner of Klipsch KG2's since 1988, so I was familure with the Klipsch sound and was already a fan. I was looking for an upgrade and these were the big brothers of my speakers. I started out borrowing them to give them a listen but then ended up buying them from my friend after listening to many new speakers and not being as impressed.
Let me just start out by saying that I reall enjoy these speakers. I also want to say that I like the old school Klipsch designs much better than their new Mass Marketed lines. The Heresy II's are still available but on a made to order basis only. And they are ~$500 each depending on finish.
The three way design of these speakers made for an imediate improvement in the midrange over my KG2's 2-way design. Vocals are very accurate and rich, and staging was particularly impressive to me considering the horn design. I did however expect more low end from a speaker with a 12" woofer and moderate size cabinet. The bass that is there, however is effortless and quick. I know this is contridictory to what the previous review said (about quick bass response) but the last reviewer failed to mention what year his Heresy II's were manufactured. I know that they have changed the woofer that they use a few times and wonder if he has the older, slower one. So the bass it produces is very good, however it only goes down to 45Hz. So a subwoofer is in order eventually. Overall I think they are a great speaker and the price was right at $250! Oh, did mention THESE SPEAKERS CAN GO LOUD! The are amazing in output, as the fronts in my home theater system they work very well.

Andy

H/K AVR25MkII (old school DPL only)
H/K FL-8450
Dual 601 / Shure V15 Type IV (for the vinyl)
Custom true 50 Ohm interconnect
Kimber Kable 4VS
Klipsch HeresyII's LR
Klipsch KG2 C/LR/RR
Panasonic 32" SuperFlat
Sony DVP-S550D

The klipsch Heresy 2 are without question bass poor,these are speakers that are becoming popular in the professional audio community as prefered satellites and are most often accompanied 2-15 inch sub-woofer.Bi amplification and electronic cross overs are the norm.In this configuration they are exception.Bi amplication allows you to also power your satellites and sub with different types of amps,Vaccum tube amps bring out the best in horn speakers and buy cutting out the load required to push the sub-woofers, traditional lower powerd triode amps don't work hard to reproduce the mids & highs. I fill up will see more of this type of arrangement in the future in the audiophile community.

unknown

unknown

I cannot judge speakers that I have never heard nor own.I would greatly value any opinion if anyone can offer help--do you think my 80 watt adcom amp has sufficient power for these speakers--i have always wanted a pair just from the glowing reviews i've heard over the years---forget the info above that i had to put in--they are required fields okay---i need someones personal opinion from this site please--plus i do not want bass heavy speakers--i'm more interested in the mids and highs and these sound as if they are right up my alley---- twc64@home.com

Similar Products Used:

klipsch kg2

Clarity, staging, precision, cleanness of base.

Not for the bass obsessed.

Ok - so I admit it. I am a complete idiot. The last 20 years of my listening have been to systems that ranged from atrocious to simply not doing justice to the music.

I am not going to take you through the whole story - the Sony and Aiwa integrated systems are best left to the worst nightmares of you're imagination. Instead I will start with the first semi-decent system I got which was, of course, courtesy of Klipsch. This system was primarily a suround sound system using the Klipsch Quintet mated to a Yamaha 595a surround sound amplifier with the 10" Klipsch sub-woofer to provide bass.

To me the sound, at the time, was fantastic. Now, of course, with the benefit of a few years of hearing friends' systems ranging in price all the way up to $30-$40,000, I recognise that the sound was relatively accurate in the same way that a pair of walkman headphones are - the sound was very small and completely lost in my living room (20' * 16' approximately) there was a complete absence of staging and bass from a sub-woofer just aint bass for anything other than rolling thunder and sound effects.

Time passed and I added a pair of Klipsch KSF 3.1 monitors for more frontal presence. Things definitely improved. I finally got close to the sound I thought I wanted by running both the 3.1's and a pair of the quintet's as front speakers. I later replaced the klipsch centre speaker that came with the quintet with a Dali from a friend (the klipsch was lost with the 3.1's - just not big enough). I was very happy.

It all started to dawn on me when a friend started to build up his system. He is a no compromise kind of guy who is a base fanatic and isnt happy unless the sound he gets out parts his hair.

His system comprised klf 30's with a modified crossover, a Sony surround sound amp, an accuphase stereo amp, thousands of dollars of cables, dedicated CD and DVD players, hand-made switches for the speakers, KLF C7 centre etc. etc.

Around $25,000 later I had the opportunity to spend a good 4 hours being bombed by his system. I was astounded.

This is not so say that I liked the sound the way he has it. I would never choose that much base in my life or my music. To me the layout of a simple rock band is indicative of the way sound should come across to the listener. Vocals and lead guitar at the front, drums and bass guitar at the back. The highs lead, the base supports. His system is almost reversed.

I am not saying he doesn't have great sound. KLF 30's have Horns afterall. There is plenty of high's - its just I had to duck the bass to truely appreciate them.

I felt the need. The need to upgrade, and the need to avoid the kind of expenditure I would normally associate with house purchases. Impass.

1 week later I am with my 2 lunatic friends. One a long time audiofile (with the Klipsch Horns to prove it) and the other the KSF 30 purchaser above. We arrive at the listening room of the local Klipsch (and various other makes) reseller. Speaker after speaker is played on their MacClaeren pre-amp / Rotel Power amp. They come and go. Base so huge my ears are ringing as we switch from one to another. Eventually the audiofile spots the Heresy's off in a corner not even connected up. He asks to listen to them. I am miles away - thoughts of Saturday night probably, not even aware of my surroundings. Speakers are being dragged across the room somewhere in the background, cables connected.

Suddenly there is music. Real music. Dvorak's New world symphony flaps its wings and the feathers caress my soul. I sat dumb-founded. I never dreamed sound like this was possible.

Perfect Balance, staging so fine I could locate every member of the orchestra. This is a tricky piece of music. The first 30 seconds are totally inaudible on my system at home unless I jack the volume right up and sit ready to reduce it fast at the alloted time that the whole orchestra explodes into the picture.

The next few days are a blur. I bought them - brought them home - connected them in place of my 3.1s and my remaining quintets - moved the 3.1's to the back as rears for the surround and the quintets to a cupboard.

The sound was bad. Real bad. My poor little Yammy was dying. It just didnt have the juice to drive the Heresy II's. I tried the lot - tweaking every last bit of the system to get something near what I had heard. Finally - with both speaker A and B connected to the Heresy's - with the imedance reduced to 4 ohms on each set - with the dynamic range reduced from max to normal - I had semi reasonable sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 and a mish-mash of sounds in stereo. It was moving the woofers - but it wasnt controlling them. The bits I could hear sounded sweet but there was so much missing. I had to do something fast.

My bank balance ruled out the Accuphase ($3,000 give or take). I needed a compromise. Back to the shop. Listened to their setup. Long discussions on the Rotel (1080) - about $1000.

Question - would the yammy be acceptable as a pre-amp? The salesman thought yes. My audio-file friend winced but agreed. I took the risk.

Last night we connected the whole thing up. I even splurged on a pair of mogami's for the vital connection from Yammy to the Rotel.

Power up. Dvorak in place. Music. Gasp. Somehow the sound blew away the system I had heard in the shop. Better, better in so many ways I could not begin to describe. Audiofile impressed and not a little surprised. Sub off. Surround off. All effects off. Pure stereo. Pure heaven.

Huge staging. The speakers had looked enormous when they arrived in place of the 3.1's. Suddenly it was impossible to understand how such small boxes could produce such a vast sound. As if the whole wall was a speaker. And the base, oh my god the base!! Not the black overly heavy grunts of a system designed to mimic thunder, explosions and the like but a kettle drum - more real than reality itself. A double bass, tuba's, other drums all in sonic perfection.

We ran the gammut of my selection. Classical (CD), rock (CD - Chris Rea like I never heard him before), soul (CD - you have to hear "I heard it on the grapevine" to believe it), pop (CD - Elton John's greatest hits - DDD recording like the Dvorak), Michael Jackson (DVD - the only DVD that sounded better with the sub-woofer on and in 5.1), Jazz (CD - not mine - the audiofile's), Opera (mine - Mozart's Marriage of Figaro - DVD), Tubular Bells (DVD), Shania Twain (CD), Simply Red (CD), and several others the names of which fail me right now.

Analysis:

I have no right to have this level of sound. The CD/DVD player is an old Denon 3000 model. The Yammy as a pre-amp would have Paul Klipsch rolling in his grave. The Heresy's were not supposed to have bass. The speaker cables are Monster cables - not mogami. The Heresy's are supposed to expose all the weaknesses in the system (there are so many potentially in mine). Even the Rotel is not class A. Somehow it all works together.

To be fair the audiofile tells me I am at 75% of perfection (he said 55 for my previous setup). Apparently although he refers to this is %age terms it is almost logarithmic as you move up the range - his own system is at 88%, or 92 or something - I cant remember). Anyway despite that he is calmly comparing my sound to that of the KSF 30 owner and even his own.

Lets put this in perspective. I have spent a grand total of $3,900. They have spent 8 to 10 times more. I have the sound I want. If anything I have more bass than I wanted. The big question - how?

There is one area where I am better equiped than they are. It is something that makes me the luckiest person for a 10 mile radius. My living room has almost perfect accoustics. In addition I have only one possible place for the Heresy's, on top of the side-boards. Raised that high their bass blossom's.

The windows are ideally located. The carpets absorb sound, the paintings absorb sound, the furniture absorbs sound (all wood and material), the curtains absorb, doors are out of the way - it could not have been designed better. Pure luck! The shop we bought from spent god knows how many thousands on setting up their listening room - with bizarely shaped structures on the ceiling and on the walls. I spent nothing. My accoustics are better.

Now I know that at some point I will go out and buy a proper CD player and a proper pre-amp. I should certainly replace the speaker cables, and I will in time, but right now, as I type this, I am one happy bunny!

I am not recommending the Yammy as a pre-amp, nor the denon as a CD player. I am saying, to anyone who will listen that the combination of the Heresy's and a Rotel and even rather weaker components will bring you a sound quality and strength that belies the current trend towards excessive bass. Here you get bass that will reproduce an instument. It is what it is designed for. If you want thunder and explosions you need a sub - or KLF 30's.

In conclusion - for sale - one quintet set - complete, one sub-woofer, one TV, one wife, two dogs, an SUV, a home on a Greek island, various suits of clothing.

When you have Heresey's you just dont need anything else....

Similar Products Used:

None mine but - Klipsch Horns, KLF 30s, La Scala's

Great high end and bass

none

Bought these speakers in 1984 and they still crank today even after getting smoked last christmas in a house fire.the cabinets speak for themselves.Beautifully hand crafted cherry...they real easy to clean up after the fire,and they still sounded like the day that I bought them

Similar Products Used:

cerwin vega,bose

Soundstage is by far the biggest. Has a good mix of bass, treble, and midrange. Nothing really bright like some klipsch models.

Lacks detail when compared to newer Klipsch models

I listened to these speakers at Audio Encounters here in Dublin, Ohio. I never bought them but just audtioned them.

They sound better than the original Heresys. A little more detail in the highs. These are decent speakers. However, I very much think that Klipsch RF-3's and RB-5's sound better. You can argue this by pointing out that the older Klipsch models had more expensive horns but it really doesn't matter. The newer models just have a more open sound and their horns sound better.

I will give these speakers a 3 for value and 3 for overall rating. They are no means the best but are decent. They just don't sound as good as stuff on the market to day. They are classics but they certainly are not the Klipschorn or the La Scalas.

Captain Lionheart
http://hawkenslair.tripod.com

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch Heresy 1, RB-5's, and RF-3's.

everything when new

something when old

I experienced the same thing as John did. Bought this pair (1986 model) at a local moving sale. Worked smoothly for 2 years. Now I start to see some cracks at the edge of the woofers. sounding is not as good as it used to either. Hope they can last for a couple of months before I can find some money to buy a pair of KLF-30s.

Similar Products Used:

B&W801, DCM-TW

Precision, speed of bass, clarity, balance and tonality

Still trying to find one...

This is a follow up review to both my own posting and that of Tony. I am the owner it took 4 years to teach! Why? Simply because I did not know such sound was possible. If you were to ask me now if this system has the sound I wanted from the beginning I would have to say no. I wanted so much less from the system - what I have now is beyond my dreams.

As Tony says the system has evolved since last writing. We have added a CD player and a small fortune in cables. I should point out that I am not a man that is easily convinced of things when he does not understand the underlying logic. Cables should not, in my opinion make such a difference. For me there is no reason for it, particularly for digital cables, and yet, I am big enough to admit it when I am wrong and OMG was I wrong.

Each time we have taken my system to another level I have been stunned by the result.

The move from Klipsch KSF 3.1's to Heresy's, the addition of the Rotel 1080, the CD player, the Zimmerman optical cable and lastly the silver speaker cables have each, in their turn, taken musicality to levels this listener has never imagined.

I will not pass any comment on Tony's summary of world music. I am not qualified.

I am pleased that finally he thinks my system is listenable to (trust me it makes a huge change) and that he rates it so highly (especially in the light of the relatively small investment).

I do, however, have the temerity to continue to disagree with him on one point. That point is the CD player, and in particular, its reproduction of voice.

Tony talks of roundness where I hear flatness. (I suppose it is akin to the comparison of tubes verses transistors and therefore, in my opinion a personal preference issue for each individual's ear. Maybe mine will change with time - we will see.) For now my ear is my judge and my ear says the Marantz produces the sound I like and his CD player does not (he was kind enough to bring it round for testing).

I should probably illustrate this a bit better. I have one main CD I use to test voice. Unfortunately I do not have the details of the specific CD with me but I can tell you who it is so you can get the picture, the Carpenters.

I may not be a fan of the chocolate box love songs the Carpenters sang, nor the all American image they portrayed but I do recognise that her voice was one of the rarest and most musical of her's and our generation and therefore a pleasure to listen to.

On the Marantz, and even the Denon 3000 DVD that preceded it, there is an edge to the notes, a clarity and definition that soars and sweeps around the tympanic membrane causing a physical response (hairs on the arm type of stuff). I recline my chair and bathe in the music. On Tony's CD it is not there. Melody is overlaid where it does not belong. The voice is softened and loses its ultimate appeal, as if the chocolate has coated the music itself making it more palatable but less emotional.

It comes to this. I am in rapture when I listen on my setup and I yawn when I listen to Tony's.

We have discussed into the small hours which is closer to reality. We even performed a test with a Greek singer we had on CD. I hesitate to write her name as I cannot type Greek here and to write it in English is not easy. My best guess would be Kaiti Garbi but that may be far away from her version.

Anyway, we listened to the CD and then we went to the concert. The question at hand - which sound is closer to reality, edginess verses roundness. Unfortunately the quality of the sound in the auditorium we heard her in, in combination with the equipment she was using lent us the following conclusion. My setup is closer to reality, but reality sucks!

As for some of the other points Tony raises:

Yes the musical tower of babel I have constructed is a bad idea and yes I will seperate the components properly soon.

I am not sure what jitter is. I do not think I would recognise it if it got up and bit me on the bottom, but if seperating the components fixes it then all well and good.

What Tony merely hints at is the staging. This is the most dramatic development since the introduction of the cables and the new CD. Placing singers in physical space and even the individual members of an orchestra requires no concious effort. Recognising that the sound eminates from 2 small boxes is more that my ears can do. Various reviews here talk about the "being there" experience and I think that this is the main feature of the Heresy's (once properly supported with the right equipment).

Neither of us have paid sufficient homage to the Rotel 1080 power amp. In terms of its contribution I would put it alongside the Heresy's and now that the cables are there, the combination provides as much sonic detail and resolution as the Human ear can detect even at the lowest volumes (another huge cabling effect).

We both agree that the Yamaha 595 is the weakest part of the system, but the mere fact that it is a part of such staggering reproduction is amazing in and of itself. Its replacement will be a most difficult task, especially as I would like to retain the ability to run surround sound for movies and the like (I own over 200 DVD's). For now it is a compromise we will live with (Tony is at my house more often than I am myself so the use of "we" is correct).

It is probably not fair to have made so many posts regarding a single system but if the internet exists to share then share we must.

In summary if you are looking for new speakers and you listen to rock, jazz, classical, pop, soul, blues, R&B, country or anything else pre 1990 then look no further, If you listen to house, disco, acid-jazz and anything else that is bass led may I suggest KLF 30's.

Oh yes, and if you are planning your budget allow at least twice the cost of the speakers for a power amp, cables and the like to get the most out of them.

Similar Products Used:

Lots experienced KLF 30's, Horns etc. - none owned

it is not cheap if you are not carefull

My name is Tony, (pronounced Toe-knee) and I am addicted to sound. I dream of notes and chords at night, I belch in C Minor, and relieve gas with doe ray me accompaniment, and, would rather buy an amplifier than fornicate for six years. I hallucinate bars of notes, and pretend they exist to a lineage of sounds. Then if lucky I will share them with a delusion of an instrument and indulge in reveries some more. I am an imperfect individual and I acknowledge my weaknesses for expensive women and even finer sound. I am a perfectionist, a fussy, too critical, scrupulous, and demanding listener. I sometimes hate myself for it, but I have to live with what I am. I will not pause for anything or anyone to get to what I want when it comes to sound. My gray matter has limits, my auditory apparatus doesn’t.

I used to write about stereos, and CD players when I was young. Then I sealed my mouth and tied my fingers together.

Today I am an official IASCA judge and arguably a pain in the ass for many.

Well, six years, and over $50.000 later, I am back again.
I was gone because I thought that writing to people who didn’t want to interpret what I wrote, gave me no point to continue.

But, I am back.

This time, for another reason.

I asked questions where answers didn’t exist, I dreamed of systems, which did not exist, and played music instruments for a notes sake, whichever note that was, a D minor or a C flat.

I am here because I have to tell you a story, a bed time story for those of you who want to dream and believe that music means something to some of us.

I am here because, I have reached a point where the system means more than the music itself and because building a system has become a goal, and not to listen to the music. I have failed and I have to find my road back to where it all began. With a pair of K-horns.

I am here because at last I have something to offer, not just to take.

I am here as a father, and not a son.

God…that sounds condescending, but this is truly how I feel.

Let us start from the beginning.

First stanza:
A note, a cell belonging to a molecular structure in a song, a theme or even a verse, is what we are all searching for. Why do so many people think so much of it? Why is music the most important word on the internet search engines? (yes it has even surpassed love making).

Can someone please help me with this question?.

Can anyone grasp the magnitude of a single note? Why do people like myself find the reason to gain subsistence in life from a note, such a simple thing, like a string from a guitar, or a beat from a drum? A sequential number 5 beat or a fingernail on a harp even!

Answer: Because we have found a superior solution to talking, thinking and feeling!

The English prose, as may be the Greek, is fine in more ways than one. But words were manufactured by man, and we as Homo Sapiens have conducted all we could to label and make new words and expressions for things which spring up from time to time. We borrow words from everyday betrayal, and say things like, the birth of a nation or the death of an idea. But we have failed dramatically. Because despite every attempt to communicate with words, we argue and make our lives least effective if not harmful. It seems the only thing that is really worldly accepted is Music, I know of no wars because of Music!. (notice the capital letter) If a politician wants to express his apprehension, he finds a reason to be distracted (God knows any political system has enough food for fungus to grow). What does a musician do? he plays the guitar under the star gazed sky, or drives his soul free from the haste and worthlessness that he feels with a bass that will rumble the neighbor. The frustrated and benevolent Italian will throw on an aria, shout and scream with it, to honour, to cry, to laugh and to suffer. The Greek will remember his past from dancing to the Syrtaki, and laugh with a belly dance, stand with a bottle in his hand and dance. An Arab will do the same with a belly dance, and although his culture will not allow a man to cry, their violins will do so in his place. The Spaniards will move their bodies to every single note they feel is real, and refuse to think of music as anything else than what it is, Gods gift to mortals! The North Americans, have such an array of feelings, that no one including themselves can like or even try to understand all of them, at least not in ones lifetime. So it is evident that their music is going to be as uncanny and unstable as they are! The Germans, oh the Germans, have more to offer than what they want us to believe. Watch out for the Germs, they will be exporting High End material before the English do! The British have no absolution at all. Their rich culture and anomalous ancestors, leaves them with everything a cult needs to extend and germinate and never seems to stop producing the finest in musicians, but not the same holds true for speakers. Saying that though, I must admit that they are my hope for the future (along with the Turkish). The Africans have their vivid drug enhancing beats to infest there imagination with religious benefits. I am sure I am forgetting many industrial countries, and not, such as Turkey and Russia, the former being highly developed but not recognized as such in the domain of music, and the latter as one of histories peerless bearers of the note. If it were not for them we would not have the Cold War, but we would also not have their intense vivacity, character and conscience.

Part II
A pair of new RF 3's, the mid size floor standing Klipsch, which I call the Volkswagen of speakers is pleasantly playing the sound track to the movie, Woman on Top, performed by Xavier Cugat and his orchestra, SK 89279 Sony Classical, titled is Brazil. It commences with a vinyl recording of a past spectacle and turns into the famous samba from where our every dream of Brazil lies deep within. The speakers are doing a horrid job of reproducing the 140 people orchestration, but I am at the show, where the dancers are mambo and samba flirts, where the swing means more than the bread they eat, and the rain they drink. Their nourishment is elsewhere. The lyrics say so.....although I don't speak a word of Brazilian.

COL 4944712, COLUMBIA, Sertab Erener, a Turkish delight, throws herself at my mercy with her vocals springing in my lap. She makes me drown into deep thoughts, and forget the music accompanying her voice. Within minutes I am submerged and their is no way out. And, despite the 'darkening and woodiness', neither unpleasant or unmusical, the overall coloration is quite low on the RF 3's. Decently loaded acoustically, with a generous enclosure volume. The driver can be played as loud as required in the lower sections, never running out of breath. I like this Volkswagen. It will please many people. But not me!.
I am a man that wants to hear the imperfection of the guitar string, the lameness of the drum to keep up, and the age of the piano strings on the Yamaha in the background. I want to know the age, the last time it was serviced and the acoustics of the room where it was recorded. I would want to hear the crackle of the paper as the soloist turns his pages, and perspires at the thought of missing a note. These are things you CAN hear if your ear is trained in human voices and psychology. It becomes a great discussion or debate topic with friends who are willing to learn. Every staccato E, at the end of the Salzburg Symphonies, number 3 S.550025 NAXOS, (Divertimenti K.136, through 138) reveal through inconsistent notes how tender the artists fingers are in the opening statements, while during the climactic finale the robust and now comfortable hands have no fear. Each note, is a thought in the artists head, it is a neural message sent through the brain to the fingers through the spinal chord, and if you are careful enough to listen. You will hear and experience the artists emotions, and not the music alone.

Today, I am here to tell you not about my system, but of a recently indigenous setup which took only a month to make and four years to teach the owner of the system what music is. I forgive him though as I hear the music pour into my hypothalamus and into my sensation center of my little brain.

The System:
A Yamaha 595, DTS, 5.1 Digital, used as a pre-amplifier, a Rotel 1080, as its partner, a Marantz CD6000 to play the disks. Synergistic wires to connect the speakers, a Zimmerman Optical for the CD and Mogami microphone 75 Ohm interconnects to link the rest of the system. Total cost $3.500.

Oh and I forgot to mention the speakers, forgive me. Klipsch Heresy II's.
As all Klipsch speakers, the first few days reminds you of a bowel blowing up, and exotic sounds reaching your exit. But after the wires were in, the CD player was settled, the Amp was set on its knees and it was time to listen.

Currently, I am designing my own speaker, and if I sound a bit snobbish at times, please allow my ego to feather past as the bowel movement mentioned earlier does. Why do I mention this? Simply to tell you that I am sick of paying thousands and thousands of $$$$ for speakers which in reality could cost very very little. The Heresy, with its very low price tag, if I had to label it, is a bargain indeed. The Rotel 1080 as well, and as for the Marantz, well we will talk about that later.

I had promised myself that I would write up the system when the wires were placed, and when we did just a night ago, I was a happy puppy. Not because the sum of the sound leaned towards greater naturalness than the RF 3's I am currently listening to, but because the pace of the woofer and its expressive detail proves to me once again that Paul Klipsch knew what he was doing over 50 years ago, more so than we will ever know. A mild 50 Hz plateau was evident while the upper mid and treble were uniform. Harshness from the Marantz was settled like a wild horse being run in, and the sound level distortion from the pre amp, was substantially lighter than you would expect from such a bad piece of PCM reproduction unit. Grain and tizz have no poignancy here, and unless present with both eyes open, you could imagine a ribbon in the upper range and electrostatic resemblance in the mids. The treble is distinguished by an absence of acidity, sibilance, shriek, hardness or excessive wiring. The gold dust placed upon your scala tympani (ear drums) and the respect that this speaker has for your ears, if anything, demands some attention in the least. Culture redefined, with staging beyond its size and color where the blind can even see!.

The Past:
Preceding CD players and a bad amp only a few weeks ago, created a speaker, tonally bright, and unrefined at the top end, more emphasis than needed on the leading edge of notes, making for greater resolution but becoming oppressive during longer listening. Sounding livelier at high volume levels, and losing its magic down low was predominately a problem with lower quality wires and CD player. A speaker is as good as its weakest point, and in this system, the weakest point is by far the pre amp, which does its job satisfactorily but when it gets to the Hi End range, cannot keep the tone control and voice at the levels appropriate for an unforced reproduction. I honestly believe that these speakers have an insane drive to push you to the limit by invariably shaping it better and better. This is both good and bad, since all you need to do is buy a Heritage speaker and then spend the rest of your life trying to find its partners in amplification and CD. Then you have to find a house which will suite them, and maybe a new wife. I myself bought over 6 amps, and tested over 40 in the 4 year hunt to find the power amplifier which suites my urges for the K-horn.

Playing The Wall, was as firm as it was puissant. Mother, brought tears to my girlfriend who had not heard the CD in years and brought memories to her mind, she mentioned that it never sounded this way when she was a teenager!

Continuing the tests, some piano and guitar chords must be mentioned.
In Dire Straits 836419-2 Vertigo, Money for Nothing, title 9, Private Investigation comes along more than what you would expect most speakers almost 4 times the price. The major/minor chord shifts with the classical guitar swifts the listener into believing this is a pliant song, when it physical existence it bites at every chance it can get. The song is made for the zero resistance from the horn tweeter and mid range, and compliments all Heritage series in general. But it is candidly a ravishing emotion to perceive it on the Heresy II combination as described.

The CD player not far behind (in the weakest point in the system) and the incessant almost vigilant negligence of my amigo to place all the electrical components on top of one another. The same units being plugged into the corresponding wall circuit!. You see 6 or 7 units all placed upon a sub woofer which is dazzling it is still not part of a Star Trek series (warped) and crushed between a Television and an African matron made of invigorating stone and stories of which no one will ever understand. I must admit the object is sweet, but it jitters!

Getting back to the logistics, albeit, the horn tweeter works seamlessly to deliver transients with speed and agility, not to tinny and not heavy on the salt.

The speakers are made for Big Boss Band, where a strife to separate the instruments seems simple and refined, where other speakers fail. Alas they are also made for rockers who do not want the boom of the Volkswagen, and for jazz players who want to hear others play music, their way! Those of you who demand the very slightest coloration and the most neutral sound could well chastise the Heresy's driver, but the mild coloration’s are easy to accept, since almost all music is consonant with the notes produced especially in the music mentioned above. After all, Black is Beautiful! not to say that the loud speakers are heavy in any way, but simply that, if you want a better setup, be prepared to pay over $6000 for the same sound, or worst!.

I would grade the Klipsch Heresy's at 2 out of 5. With the endowment to go to 4/5 if properly setup with wires (Silver for speakers, High quality optical for the CD player, and Professional interconnects to take it up to 3, the pre-amp and amplifier take it to 4/5. If you spend 6 times the amount of money for the CD player and amplifier you would reach the 5/5 level, but since no one here is willing to do this jump, it is purely theoretical.

I would like to mention that 5/5 is bequeathed by systems which have taken men normally over 10 years to build, and they have consummated in making the best viable setups with the best imaginable speakers. Cost's of very fast and eye catching outlandish sports car tariffs in other words have to be traded in to buy such systems. Some men decide on creating a stereo sound, others, create life. To those men I bow and discover from. I unreservedly tape every utterance they say and try to suffer where they come from, never discordant, only observant to their point of outlook for what it is. Priceless!

During a recent trip to my Audiophile friends in Turkey, I was taken to rank 8 systems which make up for more than 8% of the GNP of the country, and was astounded that only one assemblage, was truly unprecedented and worthy of 5/5. But that is another article which might come to light if the replies to this article support a discussion.

To conclude, the Heresy is a sure bet for those of you who want to hear real music, without hearing big bass and bang. It’s depth is subtle and yet strong, its driver is set to give you immeasurable moments of pleasure. But, don’t be fooled. These speakers need to be driven like any Heritage speaker, with a good amplifier, and a decent CD player, high quality wires and even better CD’s. I wish I could talk to Paul about these speakers and wonder what went on his mind when he finally found out that these speakers were being sold for over 50 years. I could just imagine him sit with his pipe in hand, look over at his two wrist watches and say, “huh, and they will play another 100”

By Tony Pothitos

Similar Products Used:

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Solid Construction, Efficiency, Detailed Sound

May need a stand and/or subwoofer to complement

This is a matched pair of Walnut Oiled from 1986 which I purchased from the second owner, a young college man who had tired of hauling them around. Needless to say, I assume they have had quite a workout in 15 years, but once I had them set up, were similar to my Forte's in presentation, but with less bass. Some folks may not appreciate the "in-your-face" horn sound until they get used to it, but correct setup with good room acoustics will do wonders.

This set is a Signature Edition as identifed by the larger Klipsch metal emblem on the lower right front corner (differences of which I am unaware). Unfortunately, the original cane grills have been spray-painted black.

I currently use the Heresy II's as part of my portable system but will eventually use these as surrounds in a future home
theatre.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch Forte II