Best amplifier for klipsch heresy 3 speakers.

The same question was posted on 7-1-12. Check past discussions.

I missed that old thread so I will add my 2 cents here. I own Heresy Is I guess you would call them, vintage 1976 before numbering. For reasons unknown, I found as do many others, that McIntosh power amps are synergistic with Klipsch speakers.
From the tenor of your post it doesn't sound like you have a budget in line with a new or even recently used Mac amp, so that would leave you with only the older Macs which is just fine, actually. I use one of there oldest and least expensive models the MC 2505. The best option might be a clean MC2105 which puts out over 100WPC, I know you don't need all that much juice for the Heresys, my amp is only a 50WPC piece. The tone of the amp is most important and since you have eliminated tubes, you have taken out a lot of amps with a warmer than standard tonality. Other choices might be- a used again low output class A amp. The other thing to consider is using earm cables, I like Cardas but they are expensive, Use good copper if Cardas is too much, leave out silver in any form.

You might consider a Plinius integrated amp. I have owned several and thought they were all good.

You did not mention a budget so I will suggest both new and used.

I have had very good results with Heressy's and Heresy II's with 80's/early 90's Denon PMA integrated amps(80w/ch to 100w/ch). Not what I would call "warm" but about as neutral as you can get with a very tiny lean toward "warm". These amps are fast and punchy with plenty of detail. Expect to pay in the range of $100.00 to $200.00 on the used market.

For new integrateds, any of the NAD BEE line will do the trick. New: C355BEE, C356BEE, C375BEE Used: C372

Cambridge Audio also has some nice affordable integrateds.

Bill

The Heresy has always been very tube friendly and easy to drive. I used to use them with 60-watt amps as a PA for a band many years ago. So you don't need a lot of power to get satisfying volumes.

I would match them with tubes-maybe an integrated amp from Jolida. Ifsolid state, NAD has also proved to be a good match.

Many nice choices for speakers that efficient and easy to drive. I'd recommend looking at the FirstWatt line of amps designed by Nelson Pass. I have heard F1-F5 (not all of which will work with your Heresys). For what you are looking for, the F3 might be ideal. The M2, J2 and recently released SIT amps also get a lot of praise. From reviews and your stated preferences, the M2 would be the first place I'd look among those amps in the FirstWatt line. I miss having speakers efficient enough for those amps...

Pete and Repeat were on a fence and Pete fell off, who's left ?

Repeat...

Thanks for your responses,I am also wondering about the nad m3 and the rotel 1080 or 1090 my budget is around $1500.00

I'd avoid pro amps...I use 'em for PA but they often have noisy fans (QSC) and non standard speaker posts...lots of bang for the buck but not as sweet as good modern hifi amps. The reviews of the new Cambridge integrateds are universally enthusiastic and they build that stuff really well, and the new NAD amps seem like a bargain. There are a lot of amazing integrateds out there these days...a friend has a Vincent that is a tank and sounds great.

The NAD M3 is an excellent choice. More than enough power with great control and punch.

Bill

I used a Cambridge Audio 840a with Fortes 1's, Chorus 1's, and RF-83's. The CA sound is a good fit for Klipsch. Will you be getting a sub?

I'll back up with Atmasphere stated, take a good look at tubes. The Heresy has horn mid and tweeter and is quite revealing, tubes should mate very well with it, and you don't need a hold lot of watts because of the efficiency of the Heresy. Paul Klipsch used tubes for what's it worth. Don't take my word for it, head over the the Klipsch forums and see the the Heresy owners there have to say.

Ok i may look into the m3,still curious about the rotel

.Im looking for an amplifier with good power but tame on the highs. still curious about the rotel

then you might to pass on the rotel.

Because of the high efficiency drivers used in this speaker, the back EMF is pretty high. This means it will exhibit some harsh behaviors if you use an amplifier that has lots of feedback. This rules out 99 44/100ths percent of all transistor amps.

In addition, the crossover will not work correctly (horn will operate out of band and become 'honky') if the amplifier behaves like a voltage source. Again, this rules out transistors.

For more information about how this work, read the article at this link:
http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php

Do your self a favor- find a tube amp in your budget. There are no inexpensive transistor amps that will do this speaker justice.

Jolida...I loves me my Jolida! The 60 watt remote integrateds are sweet, cheap, and have plenty of juice...I use the 502P power amp and it kicks it up (do people say that?) well and is inexpensive even new.

Thanks for your suggestions.like i told riley804 my wife works out in the living room every morning so i dont know if a tube amp would work,even though i am about tired of looking for an ss amp that does sound good with them.

If you want a transistor amp that sounds any good on that speaker, its going to make some heat too. If you don't mind compromising, then any amplifier will work.

The 'tame on highs' thing is where you are most likely to get in trouble with most transistor amps. Transistors have non-linear capacitive elements in their junctions. This contributes to distortion. It is also magnified by greater amounts of current through the device. To control the resulting distortion, feedback is often used. Both contribute to odd ordered harmonic distortion, which the ear interprets as both brightness and harshness.

That is the physics and the physiology of the situation. If you are dead set on a transistor amp, put a level control in series with the tweeter so you can tone it down. It won't be ideal but it will work.

Alternatively, you could get a speaker that is designed to work with transistors. The speaker you have now does not sound right with transistors because it was designed on and for tubes.

I've been using both a McCormack DNA-1 (SS) and an Audio Research VT100 mkiii (tubes) with the Klipsch Heresy III's to good effect. The ARC is a little warmer than the McCormack. Preamp is either an ARC SP-10 mki or an SP-11 mki.

Anything from Cayin audio.

I've enjoyed Musical Fidelity integrated amps with my Klipsch Forte's. Deep tight bass, nice mids and detailed, but not bright highs.

If you are really uncomfortable with the sound of the Heresys then perhaps the better part of valor would be to sell them and start over. I realize that you may not recover all your funds but the money you'll spend trying to get them to "sound right" may add up fast.
I never gave up myself with my JM Labs Electras and eventually found the right combination of gear to make them sound great.
I started by telling you that you may want to get some used Cardas cables, that had a big impact on tone. I eventually found that Tube power amps did the trick in combination with a specific type of tube pre amp. But it took 5-6 years to figure it out and to budget enough money to do it.
There are a lot of inexpensive tube integrateds out there that you should keep an eye on. As mentioned Cayin. Jolida, and I will add Prima Luna amongst others, but I thought you said no tubes? An older British tube amp from Quad might be the right thing. You will only know if you actually try it in your system, there is no really quick cure in most cases of "Trebelosis extremis".
Do some homework over on the Klipsch Forums as suggested for more ideas and advice. BTW I have my LaScalas attached to my old small SS Mac even though I have several tube amps I could easily use instead!

I don't understand the issue with a wife working out in the same room as a tube amp...but, of course, I can guess: Sweat beads landing on tubes causing them to crack, a large plastic exercise ball melting and popping from hot tube contact, tube glow reminding her of fading love and vanishing youth, she prefers there be no euphonic harmonics taking the edge off of Joe Scarborough's innanities, there are cables running under the Bowflex, she thinks "I have to get in better shape so he spends more time with me and not this stupid hifi hobby", splashed chlorine from the lap pool is making the amp smell like a small town YMCA locker room, extra heat from the tubes are causing the emergency food rations stored in the basement to rot...or something...

I dont know if you think your a comedian or not but the reason im asking about the tube amp is that my wife does extreme workouts like tapout and the insanity workout.

I don't think I'm a comedian, just a seeker of truth and justice for all, even among the humorless who lurk among us. The inability of an amp to coexist with an extreme worker of out is still pretty funny to me. Tough room...I'll be here all week...now how about that airline food?

I have narrowed my choices down to the odyssey stratos or the nad m3.there is also one other integrated the teac distinction series ai2000,has anyone heard this amplifier,i was told by the salesman it would work very well with the klipsch.

Hi Curiousgeorge

Wolf is awesome. His posts always make me crack up. You should see some of his posts on tube rolling and record cleaning. Great stuff.

In all seriousness. I'm curious as to how your wife's strenuous work out routines are one of the reasons for steering you away from tube amps. Are you concerned about vibrations from those kinds of workouts? I looked them up and both workouts really keep a person moving. Is it the heat from the tube amps?

Anyway. If I had the Klipsch Heresy 3 speakers you have I would go the tube route. Either a Jolida 502P or a rebuilt Dynaco ST-70. The Klipsch owners in my family have used tube amps and their rooms are close to the size of yours. If I had to go SS I would go with a McCormack DNA .5 Deluxe. I've owned this amp and I found it better than the DNA-1. Open and Airy without any edginess in the highs. In my system I sometimes had issues with the highs when I had a DNA-1 stock or Deluxe.

Best of luck with your search.

:) that is of course their job.

If you find it too bright, or the speakers sound 'honky', try putting a high power 4 ohm resistor in series with the speaker. This will help simulate a higher output impedance amplifier, and will help tone it down.

Ok i am also considering another amp for the heresys it is the nad s200 power amp,does anyone have feedback on this ampand what is the going rate on it? thanks

Pass Labs first watt you cannot lose $2500

lower in price 2015 Temple Audio Special edition just coming out.
Seperate PS and the best of everything around $1600
Vacyuum tube solid state I call them.

I had some great modded Heresy II's a few years back and they sounded great with both a McIntosh MC240 and MC275. I'm not sure the 275 was any better.

Great synergy.

I have some Klipsch Quartets that I run with a 1.75 wpc Grommes PHI 26 tube amp

sounds great plenty loud

I would try First Watt too...your Klipsches are sensitive enough so they won't clip on you.

Curiousgeorge, hi I had a pair of these, great speaker, very unlike your typical Klipsch sound, more audiophile quality rather than quantity.

I would look at high biased class A solid state amps power or intergrated. Like Pass, Krell, amps that run nice and toasty.
This will ensure you get that class A high frequency smoothness coming from the Klipsch's tweeters and mids, yet still have the control over the bass with good solid state amp damping factor and dynamic punch.

Cheers George

I kid you not, the best synergy between my original Klipsch Heresies and amp, was to use a McIntosh amp. This is not my opinion alone. The combination has been extoled for decades and my experience was no different. If you insist on using a tube amp (most of my gear is tube) I would opt for an older Conrad Johnson unit most importantly the use of a CJ tubed Preamp, if and only if you can't get a McIntosh amp. I know I have owned Klipsch Heresy speakers for nearly 40 years. Not all of those years were happy ones. Nonetheless I went on to buy LaScalas amongst many other non Klipsch speakers. Even now I still own both pairs of my Klipsch speakers after forced downsizing.
Really try a McIntosh amp with you Klipsch, even an old inexpensive one (relatively) will work, my 2505 did.

I ran a modded GTA SE40 on a pair and it sounded great!

Curiousgeorge, the Odyssey Stratos (truly an overachiever at its modest price) would be a good choice, I have used one with horn speakers with great results. The other recommendation for a Mcintosh should also be considered as it tends to lean more towards a warmer sound. Right now I'm using an Onix integrated amp and I like its warm but detailed sound.

By the way tell your wife to be careful with the daily intense exercise program. I have a relative that did this routine on a everyday basis for years. In retrospect she feels it wore out her joints and her body although at the time it did keep her fit and toned.

all right everyone. start laughing.But, I have a carver M4.0t amp that does a great job with klipsch speakers.problem is finding one.

Bradlabour I used to run the M4t w/Klipsch Chorus I's & a carver sonic holographic whatever preamp it was called in my enormous great room way back before the internet blew things wide open & we had to rely on the local brick & mortars for our fix & it was a fantastic combo - all my friends were astounded.