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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
helomech
1,730 posts
 
@stevehuff

Thanks for sharing your review. I agree with much of what you wrote.

I too was apprehensive to try the Heresys for the same reasons. The H-IIIs are a perfect example of why forums can occasionally be detrimental to our pursuits.

I’ve had the H-IIIs for about 8 months now and I still enjoy them immensely. Since then, I’ve added passive KEF LS50s to the stable for a third system. My take is the LS50s have the superior midrange and off-axis imaging, but the Heresys have the better dynamics and low-volume performance. I wouldn’t trade one for the other, but where price is concerned, I think the LS50s still hold the budget speaker crown, especially at their recent prices. I also tried some Vandersteen 1Cis for a while. They’re another great bargain, and other than some odd sibilance I experienced with some recordings, I prefer them to many sub $5K speakers.

I run my H-IIIs with a 45 watt/ch Cayin tube integrated. They definitely require valve power to sound best. Rolling in a pair of WWII era RCA preamp tubes rounded out the sound to a near perfect balance. I also tried them with a Yamaha integrated (albeit the much cheaper A-S500) and they sounded quite good. Most of my speakers have superior bass when paired with my humble A-S500 (compared to any <$3K integrated I’ve owned, believe it or not), but not the H-IIIs. Their bass improves immensely with the high current of a tube amp.

Folks who base their opinion on the old H1s would do well to give the new Heritage line a chance. One of my local dealers sells many well regarded brands such as ATC, Harbeth, and Vandersteen, yet the H-IIIs are one of his top sellers.
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,990 posts
 
I will echo what Wolf said about the Heresys, they are great speakers.   I listened to a number of speakers around $2k and nothing really came close to what they do for their price.

I think many who disparage Klipsch have never even listened to the Heritage line,  they are not harsh or bright at all with good electronics.
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Agree on the Quicksilvers.  Mike has made great amps for many many years.  I"ve owned a bunch of his gear and loved every piece.  Built very well too.  I had a buddy who had the Heresy's and used Quicksilver amp and pre amp and LOVED them more than some of the more expensive tube gear.  They need that to warm up a bit.
wolf_garcia
6,734 posts
 
I now read any speaker review with a point of view tainted by my enjoyment of a low powered single ended tube amp, as only efficient speakers really work well with it (unless it's used in a desktop rig maybe). No LS50 for me (I do think they're way cool though), although elsewhere in my house I use my beloved KEF Q10s I've had forever….GREAT speaker! The good news regarding efficient speakers is you can save bucks by buying lower powered versions of cool amps…Pass just came out with their least expensive amp, a Class A 25 watter that seems like a good thing, or great small tube amps…I auditioned the Heresy IIIs with a Luxman M200, a very cool little 25 watt SS amp with an interesting wattage display (made it to almost 3 watts when I was listening to it). 
mr_bill
348 posts
 
@stevehuff 

have you tried the bigger Forte III?
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