Klipsch Heresy IV

I spent about an hour with a pair at a local dealer today. They definitely have a unique sound and aesthetics to offer versus the competition.

The sound was pretty much as Mr. Hoffman describes in his review. This was off a sizable Anthem STR SS integrated amp, not tubes.

$3000 is a lot of money but I notice pretty much everything at the local shops has increased a good bit in price over the last 6 months or so. There are some very tiny speakers out there that can set you back a lot for what you get.   Most are 2-way not 3 like the Heresy's.

The unique thing with the Heresy’s as will be no surprise was the jump factor....these are way more efficient than most and a good choice for a very dynamic sound especially I would expect with a tube amp or smaller SS amp.

The aesthetics are unique....very old school but classy looking.

I played all kinds of music and recordings old and new, and they handled everything with aplomb. I had things going fairly loud most of the time and my ears survived quite nicely....not shouty or fatiguing even on poorer quality recordings.

They really jumped to life with better recordings like "Birds of a Feather", by Carribean Jazz Project. There was a nice realistic sounding liveliness to the xylophone which was miked very closely in this recording and you could precisely locate each strike left to right across the sound stage loud and clear .

"Everything in it’s Right Place" by Radiohead came through crystal clear and expansive with nice fullness but no flab in the bass.

These definitely offer a unique sounding option with a lot of audiophile appeal beyond just efficiency and dynamics.

Work trip this week for a couple days to Detroit and Ann Harbor. Gonna try and check them out. 

Hey Big Greg. The photos in my review are almost all from Klipsch. The last one, is of them in my room. They are just about 3ft from the back wall and not pushed up against the wall in any way. One should never place speakers against a wall if they are ported in the rear or even if they are not. You will not hear the best of whatever speaker you have unless they are out into the room some. To let them breathe so to speak. These Heresy IV..I am still listening hours every day. They are addictive. Different from all other non horn speakers in the way they present the music but for me, it's a better way. Whether I listen to vinyl or digital, they just play music. After 100 hours they do warm up some but are still much better than the III's. An improvement in all areas. These are not going to give you the sound of an uber detailed audiophile speaker that is more about tech than music but they will give you music that sounds rather amazing at times. 

As for the larger brothers, The Cornwall IV's should arrive to me next week for review. Can't wait to hear them. I did own the Cornwall III's and even in my small 12X13 room they sounded phenomenal, just leaned warm. Those who say you must have a large room for Cornwalls maybe never heard them in a dedicated controlled smaller space. I had them in my room here and in my much larger living room. They sounded much better in my dedicated (smaller) room with a powerful presentation that commanded attention. They could be as thunderous as needed or as gentle and intimate as you could imagine. The sound was always full, rich and big with a very real vocal presentation. The Heresy IV's have some of this but they are more transparent and not as dark in presentation. When you power these with quality amplification they will not scream, shout or sound overly loud. They will remain composed, smooth and live sounding but they never get harsh or piercing in any way. If you use a harsh amp, like a cheap HT amp, they may sound harsh and thin. They scale very well. 

In any case, these Heresy IV's are well worth an audition! 

Aren’t Cornwalls designed to go up against the wall? Hence the name?

I payed $1600 new Canadian for my Heresy 3’s yes they were on sale regular list price in Canada is I believe $2200. the 4’s are $4k. Electronics for Less has them for $2200 each. sigh...…...so yes double. hopping for a sale or discount later in the year maybe. or La Scala’s mmmm La Scala’s

If you have Heresy 3’s (or any of their heritage line) an easy tip dyi is horn and cabinet damping. get some Dynamat 2’x4’ sheet is enough for both speakers. put it on all the back side of the horn drivers to damp the horns. also damp the bass driver’s metal frame. that will use half the sheet use the rest to put on the inside back, side and top of the cabinet. you don’t need full sheets on the inside of the cabinet I just use 5"x12" strips on the sides and top and a 12"x"12 on the back just behind the midrange and tweeter.
this will help immensely with detail retrieval, cabinet resonance issues (somewhat I’d rather put in braces but this is easy for now) and focus. cost me $120 for the Dynamat, a screwdriver and a couple hours of time.

I’m betting that would help all Klipsch heritage speakers from any year. damping the horns is really noticeable.

I found the dynamat at a car audio installation shop home depot I believe has it on their website too. 

I may get a new crossover with better parts as well GR research has some interesting DYI upgrade products. oh they have a full upgrade kit for the Forte 3 as well supposed to be excellent and includes the damping mat, braces and crossovers.