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Revel F35 vs Klipsch Heresy II or maybe III

First time post so please be kind.

I’m considering a brand new pair of Revel F35s for $1,000 (retail $1600). I’ve heard them and I think they will work better in my 18X22  Vaulted main listening room...(likely with a sub)...than my current Def Tech BP8040s (ebay $800) that are just to airy in that room. No punch at all. Nice at low levels but nothing even near loud. I have a very average Yamaha RXV1000 receiver now that I will upgrade to amps / inters of Mac or Parasound or possibly Emotiva. Stereo only..no mulit channel.  Have only heard the Mac so not sure. I stream Spotify thru a Bluesound Node 2 about 98% of the time right now. Listen to everything from Steely Dan to David Gilmore to Miles Davis to Postmalone. I want Klipsch Forte IIIs but can only afford the F35s or maybe Klipsch Heresy IIs or IIIs. I love vintage Klipsch sound...but also the direct sound of Energy, Boston Acoustics and now Revel.

Any thoughts on what my best next step might be?

Thanks....
128x128purplejester
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Wow, those are completely different speakers.  The Revel is a very detailed and high resolution speaker.  I would avoid the Emotiva amp with this one, as the Revel is not a forgiving speaker.  The Parasound A21 or higher would be excellent for detail, attack and slam.  McIntosh would be great if you want a more laid back sound.

The Klipsch are very nice, but have a very unique sound.  The Emotiva would probably be okay with this.  Classic rock would probably be more pleasing on the Klipsch speakers.  The Klipsch doesn't have the high frequency resolution of the Revel and it is not going to be as exacting to the source.

The loss of punch in your room could be a weak amplifier.  That Yamaha receiver doesn't have a lot of muscle.  Or it can also be due to the very large size of your room. 

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,826 posts
 
I sold my Revel M106 and bought a pair of Heresy III..... great speaker , totally different than Revels ... I enjoyed my time with the Revels, don't get me wrong, but the Heresy driven by the same  c-j Classic 2SE and a 40 watt pair of EL34 Quicksilvers sounds much closer to live music.   They are way more fun to listen to ....they have excellent bass, it just doesn't go very low.  I often use my sub with most material, except at night.  

Disclaimer:  I had a pair of Klipsch CF4 20 years ago and really missed them and unlike most purchases I bought the Heresy after about a 10 minute audition, they were playing when I walked in and I knew I was going home with a pair.   Huge soundstage for such a small box. 

When I want to hear every nuance and detail I put on my Grado RS2e 'phones.   But when I want to rock out or play a movie or concert video its the Heresy , great speaker for the money.  
wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
Oddiofyl and I are the "Heresy III Mafia" around here, but if only to help a little company in Arkansas...The Heresy IIIs don’t have a "unique" sound particularly, they’re clear and precise...it is sort of a sideways adventure that brought me to these things as I bought some new, efficient, and well made ribbon tweeter tower speakers to go with a low powered single ended amp, and compared with my less efficient previous main speakers (which I still have) they seemed somewhat lifeless. Thought about the Heresy IIIs, heard ’em, bought a pair, and they’re amazingly good. A sub or two is recommended.
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