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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
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
If you listen to Jazz and good acoustic music, Magnepans. 
handymann
383 posts
 
I feel your pain. As a owner of Klipschorns and Cornwalls, I can tell u Klipsch speakers are very efficient, but not necessarily pleasing. From your post, youre wishing they were not as "loud" as they are. Unfortunately, that's the sound of a horn loaded speaker.  EQ may help, but there are a lot of purists that think EQ is a four letter word. The only way I know to get a warmer sound is to get a high current tube amp. The extra power is needed for those Cymbel hits and deep woofer sounds. I don't think u will ever get rid of the loud sound without it, and probably won't even then. That's just the sound of a horn.  Room treatment is sometimes overlooked. Absorbers and diffusers may help. Try to cover any glass, such as windows or pictures. I recently removed all the glass from my pictures. I realize the wife factor, but just saying. Try to make a triangle of your speakers and listening position, with no glass coffee tables etc. Place them out from the walls and try an intimate triangle with your listening position and the speakers. One inch in placement can make all the difference, as well as toeing them in. However in the long run, you're still going to have horn loaded tweeters. 
helomech
1,702 posts
 
I have Heresy IIIs and have used them with a number of amps.

They do not like high power SS amps, nor will they do well with any class D amps or cheap AVRs. Contrary to popular belief, they’re not best with low power SET amps either.

They perform very well with a moderate powered tube amp, something around 25 to 45 watts, such as KT88 based amps.

If you want an affordable tube amp that’s built as well as any other and can make the Heresys sing, look for a Cayin amp such as the A70T or A88T. One of these will really show you what detail retrieval is all about.

Heresys do have a narrow sweet spot, there’s no real getting around that, especially at your listening distance. I personally don’t mind it, but I can understand why it’s a deal breaker for some. Most speakers sound brighter with excessive tow-in, so experiment with reducing that some.

If you think Heresys are harsh or fatiguing, you won’t like Harbeth C7s. I know many will claim otherwise, but I’ve had both speakers in my system for extended periods and the C7s are the more fatiguing speakers. They’re not the slam-dunk, can’t-go-wrong speakers that many would lead you to believe. I know all the Harbeth fanboys will get bent reading this, but IMHO, the Heresys are a better speaker except for the narrow sweet spot. They are far more dynamic and detailed at lower volumes, especially with a tube amp.

Heresys will expose weak points in your chain as well. In my case, it was my DAC that was making the Heresys just a tad unrefined. Once I switched to a different, albeit still budget DAC, things vastly improved.

I’ve owned and auditioned quite a few sub $3k speakers over the last few years and the Heresys are the best at low volumes by a country mile. Of course, you may just decide you hate them. No speaker is the perfect solution for everyone.




buellrider97
395 posts
 
Hi , good question with some great advise . I have a pair of Heresy II's. I tried different combos too . I switched from SS to an Antique Sound Labs 30 wpc integrated tube amp . I rolled tubes , settling on Winged C EL 34's and Tungsram driver tubes . I placed the Heresy's on 12" tilted wooden stands , before settling on Sound Anchor stands 24" high . I tried different speaker cables , interconnects and power cords . I played CD's and DVD's. I never tried internal speaker mods , but Crites is a good Idea . I also ran a Klipsch reference series 10" sub . After about a year ,I  purchased a used pair of JBL 4312A's . This was a substantial improvement over the Heresy's . But 30 wpc was not enough for them . In retrospect, I prefer the KG series over the Heresy's. I'm now running ZU's. The JBL's and the Heresy's reside in the closet . I'm running ZU's with low power . I do plan on modding the Heresy's with new Caps or crossovers , as well as new wire , terminals , bracing and dampening . You should  try to audition some different stuff . The 3 pairs of speakers that I own are completely different in sound from each other. I think that a high quality pair of bookshelf speakers with stands and a sub would yield better sound and meet your wife's criteria. The Heresy's are nice , but the oddball of the series . Above all speaker placement is paramount . Give them time to break in. Then take a day and move out the furniture and set the system up placed correctly. Then spend the afternoon listening . Then you will know if there's room to improve or you want different speakers . But be sure they are broken in . I just purchased 2 pair of Morrow interconnects that took about 600 hours to mature . Good luck and happy Listening , Mike.
mcfaden1's avatar
mcfaden1
1 posts
 
I have a pair of Heresy IIIs and I absolutely love them. I run them with a vintage Scott 299c and the pairing is a match made in heaven. I’m no expert but to my ear every genre sounds great on it. Source is exclusively the VPI Classic which doesn’t hurt, the Scott has a great phonostage. My vote is to get that vintage integrated, have it rebuilt and then give the speakers time to break in. Also the big soft couch between them is gonna kill the soundstage but we all have to make do the best we can and sometimes that’s a big soft couch between the speakers, oh well. Get the vintage amp and enjoy. A Scott of Fisher would be perfect. 
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