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Disappointed w/ Klipsch Heresy III. Now what?

I'd be very grateful for some help with a quandary.

I recently replaced my Ohm Walsh 1000 speakers with Heresy III speakers, running two-channel from a Rega Brio. I was pretty excited about the Heresy IIIs based on reviews — they were efficient, so my 35-watt amp would get the job done; they were supposed to have real punch in the low mid-range, so I could hear the upright bass clearly; they reportedly had excellent imaging; and best of all, they were supposed to sound great at low volumes. They are also indisputably beautiful, which was an important factor for my wife. (The Ohms are elegant, but you have to be an audio lover to see their beauty.)

I set them up, and . . . not so bad, pretty good. Especially loud. In fact the louder the better. Crank them up and they sing. But loud is not really an option with a new baby. So how do they sound quiet? They sound like the band is trapped in shoe box. Really in two shoe boxes because the L and R don't merge that well. The sound stage is tiny. All the detail is gone, the joy is gone. They are no fun at all. Music just seems like a bunch of noise.

But I want to believe! I want to make these speakers work. So I am faced with a quandary. I could:

1. Buy stands, a subwoofer and a tube amp, all of which people in various forums have recommended to improve the various failings I hear now.

2. Replace the Rega with something much more powerful and pull the Ohms out of the closet. (Suboptimal because it will make my wife sad because of the aforementioned perceived ugliness.)

3. Just start all over again. Different amp, different speakers.

I'd kind of prefer number 1. But I don't want to end up with a bunch of stuff designed to solve a problem and then not have that problem solved! (And I'd also just as soon avoid getting a subwoofer.)

Final note. Positioning is an intractable nightmare. It is the one thing that I can't really change, because of how our living room is layed out. It is obviously a big problem though. The living room is a big rectangle, 18 x 40 feet, and the speakers are near the corners of the 18-foot ends, on either side of a couch. I can move them around — closer or further from the couch, closer or further from the wall. But I can't raise them above the height of the couch or move them out in front or over to another wall. That discussion went nowhere!

What should I do?

 



brooklynluke
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willland's avatar
willland
846 posts
 
Sorry about your less than happy experience with your HIII's.  I have never owned or even heard HIII's but do own HI's and HII's and have been more than pleased with their performance.  I have tried many different receivers, integrated amps, pre-amp/amps with both pairs and have been totally amazed how amplifier friendly they are in my rooms.  From 200w/ch Acurus amps to an NAD AVR to a Luxman R-117 to a Cambridge Audio 640A V2 integrated.  All combos had their strengths and weaknesses but all were very listenable and all volume levels with spot on imaging and fast punchy midbass/upper bass.

My suggestion is to experiment with placement, toe-in, and amplification.

Bill 
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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Luke, My amps are from Class D Audio, I have five channels worth, a three channel I made for center and surrounds, and the two channel for my front speakers. I use two preamps, a Primare SP-31 preamp-processor that I love the sound of, and a Transcendent Sounds Grounded Grid preamp, which is also a kit build, with a few upgrades in caps, wire, remote volume control, and NOS 12AU7 Amperex tubes. This little pre is another exceptional value, it is on a par, or better than, many other very good preamps I have had.

Have fun, and hope you get where you want/need to be.

Dan 
ddafoe
259 posts
 
I would probably want to use a tube amp with Klipsch Heritage speakers including Heresy.

Whereas with the original OHMs the key would be throw power and current at them for best results. Class D amps are a natural for those.


I purchased a pair of Cornwall IIIs a few years ago. I used a PrimaLuna One Integrated with them and thought the two worked well together.

I had them in a dedicated room so I could play them loud enough to sound good.  My room was a lot smaller than yours; I had them placed in the corners toed into my listening chair.      I tried a Bel Canto class D with them and the bass was a ton better but I found the sound too dry and sterile.  The PrimLuna integrated was very nice for the $$ and dead quiet.

I only purchased the CWIII because I had a pair of Forte IIs and was hoping they would be a big step up in sound.   Based on the cost, I much preferred the Fortes and the CWIIIs were just too big for my room anyway.   The Forte III might be a much better choice for you assuming you do like the Klipsch Heritage sound (e.g. stands not needed, better bass, great looks, ...).

Good Luck...
raymonda
855 posts
 
I danced with Heresy for a bit and did the following to bring out the best in them. However, I should qualify that these mods were with the 1.5's. But, you should consider some if not most of them.

1) tube amp
2) place the speakers on stands that brings the tweeters up to ear level
3) place some mic foam wind screen in the throats of the mid horn
4) upgrade the crossover Crites
5) upgrade internal wires
6) upgrade binding post
7) damp internal cabinet
8) add sub woofer
9) aim them straight forward not at the listening position. Or only slightly toed in.

this changes the stock speaker to a bit different design but, IMO, greatly improves a speaker that has many short comings to one that is enjoyable.
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