Heresy IV vs Zu DW6/Soul mk2


Hey guys, looking for opinions on Zu and Klipsch Heritage speakers.  I really like the looks of both brands, and am seeking a speaker that will work well with live concerts (Phish/Dead) for my living room system. Any pros and cons to be aware of?  Any others worth cross shopping? Also leaning towards the smaller models because I can’t have too much bass extension due to neighbors. 

128x128perkadin

OP, I was looking at both Zu Audio (DWs) and the Heresy a couple years back but ultimately went with Omega for low level listening, and from what some had said at the time, more refinement. I still want to experience both Zu and the Heresy, but what I can say, is that Omega delivered in what I was hoping for when I initially started looking. Regardless, I think all three companies are a good bet, but your post resonated with me - usually listen at 4:00 in the morning and don’t want to wake the spouse, but want to hear everything at the same time - which Omega did in spades. Send Louis an email or have a quick chat. Honest but busy guy (for good reason). If there’s a particular woofer or cabinet combination, ask for a quote by email with screenshots from his website or Instagram page. 

But if you do go with the Heresys I’d be really curious to know your impressions. Don’t leave us dry over here!
Omega’s Instagram

 

I was able to audition the Heresy IVs and was pleasantly surprised. I had it in my head at the time for some reason that high sensitivity speakers would sound similar to each other and that is definitely not the case. The Heresys are nothing like the Zu’s aside from both being efficient. The Heresys are much more detailed and refined and closer to what I was looking for. I think if you described the Zu’s as presenting an A shaped response curve, focusing on the midrange while rolling off the highs and lows, the Klipsch would be more like a hockey stick, with a flatter response across the mids and highs and rolled off bass. I guess the difference comes down to how they gain efficiency, with the Zu’s not needing crossovers and the Klipschs using horn loading. I think I greatly prefer the horn approach, but I can appreciate how some people prefer the simplicity of a single driver design (I know the Zu has a tweeter but the driver is full range). It’s a bit like SET vs Push Pull tubes. There Heresy’s are not a perfect speaker by any means, but I feel that’s covered by the Dynaudio Heritage. The Heresys should be a perfect compliment for when I’m looking for something different. Hopefully the attributes of one will help me appreciate the attributes of the other and vice versa.

Hey @perkadin, just caught this thread and wanted to comment. I have Zu Soul in my upstairs system, but they always left me wanting a bit more. For a single female vocal with maybe just some strings, they are great. Something more complex and fast (think Yes, as an example) they definitely wouldn’t be my first choice. I recently brought home a very clean set of Klipsch Quartets and really enjoy them on tubes. They aren’t as strong visually, but they are very presentable. Haven’t decided but I now have 5 sets of speakers and 2 systems, so wife is going to pressure me to thin the herd.

With regard to your bass comment yeah if you are trying to minimize it, Zu could be good.  Before I put my new speakers downstairs I rotated the Zu's into my solid state setup for a weekend.  They are easily 2' from front and sidewalls and there was very little bass as a result.  Almost like they need to be close to the wall.  

I have a nice pair of upgraded (Crites Xver and Tweeters) Klipsch Quartets.  Baby Fortes.  Good bass, great live sound, use a 6 watt Grommes amp. and Not expensive

So a bit of an update- I was able to find a pair of Forte IV’s locally and so far they are absolutely amazing, except for one issue. I’ll get the bad news out of the way- I got my first neighbor sound complaint in over two years within the first 5 minutes of turning them on. I’m a little gun shy now on their dynamic range, its truly impressive and nothing like traditional speakers. Other then that they are exactly what I was looking for. They were too overpowering in the office, but perfect for my living room, and still great for HT despite no longer having a center channel. I don’t think I’ll miss it though, these have terrific imaging. I’m thrilled with these horns and the Forte IV. Its a different approach to high sensitivity compared to Zu with a very different result.