Excellent detail. Very high efficiency (easily keeps up with the big boys) and you gotta love that horn sound.

Somewhat lacking in bass, but then again, that's what subwoofers are for.

These are excellant speakers. I purchased these to be used as center channels (front and rear) to match with the mighty Klipschorn mains and the Cornwalls I use as surrounds. These little things have the efficiency to keep up with the 104db/watt K-horns and the 101db/watt Cornwalls which is (in my opinion) very impressive for a speaker of this size. I feel I should clear something up though. The reviewer who compares these speakers to bull horns and PA systems must realize that they don't use precision horn lenses and high quality compression drivers. Those can be bought for well under $50 but a replacement midrange horn with driver costs over $150. Once again, I cannot tell you how great these sound. Go find your nearest Klipsch dealer and give them an audition. You'll be glad you did.

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Bo$e, Infinity, Paradigm, and other Klipsch models

Presence, unlimited volume, ease to power

little shy of base, sometimes mid-range to snarly

This speaker has been the blank,of alot of years.lots of fun, loud, snarly, sometimes too accurate,a whole lotta fun to tweek!

Similar Products Used:

JBL 2600/3100, Vandys, numerous DQ's, PBS, Legacy, Maggie's, many more.

I did not have any place to put my Laserjet printer, and the Heresy was taking up space anyway, so I put the Laserjet on the Heresy - problem solved!

Horns, this thing has horn speakers. Bull horn, fog horn, pa system horns, car horn, train horns, horns attached to air raid sirens, horns were used to knock down thwe Walls of Jericho...

This is a horn speaker! Actually it has 2 horns - 1 for treble and 1 for midrange. Have you ever heard a horn speaker such a as a bull horn or the guy talking on the public address speaker on MASH or the sound coming from the horn of a phonograph? Yes, these things have enormous prescence and are a very forward speaker, but their brilliant sound will become unbearable. Bottom line is that horns are good for sound reinforcement but not for accurate reproduction. One of my speakers was defective (and so were a lot of things sold by Majestic, who is not in business anymore) and the Klipsch "Authorised Service Centre" who "fixed" it actually scratched the bottom on their nice metallic work bench. Anyway, the speaker that was "fixed" broke again and then the Klipsch "Authorised Service Centre" basically told me that they would not "fix" it anymore because they had already "fixed" it. Boooooo for Klipsch.

Similar Products Used:

thankfully none

Sensitivity,sound and cabintry.

none

I bought these speakers new in 1983 after having owned a pair of Bose 901s and a pair of Quad ESL 63s. The Quads were great with Jazz and orchestra but didnt really rock...the Bose...well, the less said the better (they had almost no dynamic range and would wear out their welcome in no time flat...very tough to take after 20 minutes or so). The heresys are so smooth, I know that they are colored and not very accurate but with their presence, musicality and sensitivity they are TRULY LEGENDARY. These are an awesome speaker...they can make almost any system sound great. They are, without a doubt some of the finest speakers in the history of high fidelity. No, they dont go deep, the mids are colored and the highs are not as clean as some speakers but just listen. They are magical.

Similar Products Used:

Quads,Bose 901,Maggies

built like a tank...can play very loud with no distortion...

very low deep bass is hard to get out of these guys but I found that by stacking two on top of each other it brings out the missing bass...go figure....at low volume I have a hard time dialing in a good sound...they need a kick to get them going...tweeter can be harsh at times with solid state amps and digital input...I really think these speakers sound the best with tube equipment

I was first introduced to Klipsch speakers at a party when I heard and saw a pair of Cornwalls cranking out pure clean rock...I was amazed....looked for a pair but had to settle on two pairs of Heresys. I've owned these speakers for years and after many different arrangements I finally found the perfect placement for these incredible speakers. I now stack one on top of the other and would you believe that this placement brings out solid deep bass that was missing from all my other placements over the years...I was floored...I use the four Heresys as my front speakers and I have a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 10's and Bose 301's for the rear...I can truely say that at loud volume, the Klipsch's are by far the loudest and clearest of them all....they have been my main speakers for many years and I've had no trouble at all with them....

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Polk Audio, Bose

Effeciancy, Sound quality

Maybe a little more low end would be nice

I have used these speakers since 1981 when I started High School. I bought them with a Yamaha R100 and used them at a lot of very large(500+) outdoor parties through high school and trust me my friends would end up turning the reciever up all the way and play them for hours. These speakers played unbelievably loud and clean. I never had to get them repaired. They are the most bulletproof product I have ever owned of any kind. A good indication of this is the number of studios and stage musicians who used the monitor version of this speaker.

To the sound. I just purchased a Denon 3300 and thought I would be wanting to also upgrade my speakers. I have looked and looked and can not find anything that sounds any better for under $2,000 and then the sound improvement was marginal and then maybe only on some classical music. For movies they are unbeatable at the price and size. Granted I have listened to horns for so long that I am used to them but so many speakers sound lifeless to me. I am a singer and a guitar player and the sound reproduced is exactly what I hear live.

I am amazed 20 year old technology that something can sound so good.

I would reccomend them to anyone who might run across a pair.

very detailed, plenty loud. rel. small sized, super clarity

none

I got these Heresy 1's from a guy advertising them on Webaudio for $525...that included shipping..so it wasn't such a bad price, however i probably could have done better on Ebay...they are the unfinished birch and are in mint condition they were made in 1983..i also found a pair of Heresy II woofers on Ebay which i got and replaced the original woofers with the Heresy II woofers..That was a big improvement the bass is not as loud, but its a lot deeper and cleaner..i tried damping materials on the interior wall panels, but that really took the quickness and livliness out of the bass..so i put no dampening at all on the interior panels.. However i did put some Mortite (weather proofing putty type rope caulk, from Home Depot) on the horns and that really smoothed them out nicely..
Overall, i have to say that these Heresy's are really great speakers..i have listened to a lot of speakers and nothing comes close to these for under a thousand dollars and at higher prices, its hard to find anything that matches the clarity, detail and purity of the Heresy's..
I am extremely pleased with them..i discover new subtleties with them every day.. they are great speakers..They truly rock!!!

Similar Products Used:

sf-2's, iw-200,optimus nova-500's

Killer all round speaker

Low end responce

I have two pair from the mid 70`s. Never had A moment of trouble and never found A speaker I love more !! I have A pair of H2`s but the older one`s sound better to me. Mabe it`s 9 ply birch verse the particle board used now and the rear loaded verse front loaded. The low end is the only thing I don`t like.I like to feel it in my chest, but the mid`s and high`s can`t be beat. For audio I have A 15" JBL and for the home theater I use two JBL 18"s mounted under floor.I push the 15" with A crown DC 300 and the 18`s with A crown 1200 and the heresy`s hold there own with yamaha RX-V2095.

Similar Products Used:

cornwalls

First of all I remember the audio shop in Houston (on Westheimer) referenced by one of the correspondents. I used to go there when I was in college (UH) in the 60's and salivate over all the Big Speakers. I really craved a JBL Paragon.

One of the reviewers suggested a killer home theatre system would be K-horns up front and Heresy's in the back. I've come close. I have Cornwalls for the left and right and Heresys for the surrounds. I came into a second pair of Heresys at a good price with the notion of using one of them for center channel. When I switched from "phantom mode" on the Cornwalls to the Heresys in center mode, the sound field collapsed. The Heresys are very capable, but they ain't no Cornwalls. So I have a reasonably killer home theatre with Cornwalls up front in phantom mode and Heresys in the rear. (I might add my listening room is 18 x 30 x 11 and my previous favorite speakers - Boston Acoustics T- 1000s couldn't fill it). The Klipschs are ideal for that size room and I drive them with a Yamaha 795 receiver. The second pair of Heresys happily reside in a bedroom 2 channel home theatre system powered by a Carver receiver. A good match.

Sounds great. Total investment. $500 for a pair of unfinished Cornwalls (in very good condition) and $350 for a pair of finished Heresy IIs (mint condition) with risers. $300 for a second pair of Heresys (very good condition) without risers.

Never A-B compare a Heresy and a Cornwall (or other big speaker) The Heresys are excellent in smaller rooms but they are smaller and don't have the "big sound" of the Cornwalls. But they sure can convey the surround sounds. Try the opening of Star Trek VI and the big bang for rumble in the back.

Heresys are ideal for smaller rooms and smaller systems. Just don't push them beyond their limits.

Live Sound, clarity, wonderful high and mid-range

None

I just recently rediscovered how really great these speakers sound both for pure music and HT. I listen to classical music almost exclusively. I also enjoy HT very much. In upgrading my system with a new receiver - AVR-3300 and DVD player - Denon MVP-3700 to take advantage of all the great movies coming out on DVD. I had considered replacing all my speakers with something I thought more update. My surround speakers were in need of replacing to take advantage of the power of the Denon. I also thought that meant replacing the Heresys. Fortunately, I got the new receiver before replacing any of the speakers. The results was astonishing, everything came alive. My old set-up consisted on a vintage MacIntosh amp and a NAD 1700 Tuner/Preamplifier. I sure there was more than enough power from the Mac to drive the speakers, but it just did not seem to be the right combination. Anyway to make along story short. The Heresy's just seemed to bloom with my new Denon AVR-3300 receiver. The music was fuller, a more defined soundstage with the in-your-face that I really like. To compliment the Heresy's, I purchased a Klipsch RC-3 center channel and luckily found a pair of KSP-S6s for the surrounds. Since there are no matched center and surrounds, Klipsch recommends additional Heresys for these duties or the KLF-C7 and RS-3 as close matches for the Heresys. I had a size consideration to manage and the RC-3 and KSP-S6s fitted my requirements better than the recommended speakers. This configuration is very satisfying. My HT is absolutely fantastic. Using the system for just music is awesome. My Herseys will be with me a long time. If you like being in the concert hall or theater locate a pair of vintage Heresys and buy them. I don't believe you will be disatisfied. If you are, you can always get back what you paid for them. I personnally do not think you find a finer speaker at any price. I recently heard the B&W 802s I came away thinking that my 20 year old Heresys still are great speakers. Of course, the choice of the other HT components can be a challenge. You will need to find components that match your ears and situation.

Denon AVR-3300 Receiver
Denon DMP-3700 DVD Player
Klipsch Heresys (1981)
Klipsch RC-3 Center Channel
Klipsch KSP-S6 Surrounds
M&K VX7 Sub
Kimber Kable PR-4 Speaker Wire
Kimber Kable Interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Celestion