Review: Klipsch Heresy IV Born to be wild!
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- I was a big fan of the little Heresy III, but the IV sports a bigger low end, these little guys rocked my world.
Here's my 2013 CNET review of the Heresy III, www.cnet.com/n...
The Heresy IV sells for $1,498 each.
Specs:
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
48-20k +/-4dB
Sensitivity 99dB @ 2.83V / 1m
Power handling 100W/400W
Max Loud 116dB Continuous
Impedance 8 ohms Compatible
Crossovers HF: 4500Hz MF: 850Hz
Tweeter K-107-TI 1” (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver
Midrange K-702 1.75” (4.45cm) polyimide diaphragm compression driver
Woofer K-28-E 12” (30.48cm) Fiber-composite cone woofer
MDF
Dual binding posts / bi-wire / bi-amp
Height 24.81” (63.01cm)
Width 15.5” (39.37cm)
Depth 13.25” (33.66cm)
Weight 45lbs (20.41kg)
#speakerreviews #hornspeakers
This guy reminds me of all the things I used to like about shopping for audio components back in the day. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic and no condescendence.
Your taste in Music Open my Soul ,, My wife just died 3/6/2023 your music list wowow,,, I needed it Thank You,,
My dad was in the industry and we had a lot of cool tube amp's and speakers and two turntables.
Out of all the components my dad had , he always had Klipsch Heresy and Klipsch Lascala's ?? May be killing that name .. 900lb Mcintosh amps ( they were massive and heavy) speakers came and went ..the Klipsch speakers lived here longer than some family members. It was a special time in my life ...only problem is , i have a serious case of Klipsch ear.
The Hersey Mk4 does it for me. The last pair of speakers i will buy...ok , the last pair i will buy brand new ! If you van scrape up the cabbage ...just do it ...pull the trigger , life is short . Oct of 2019 , i was fine one minute and wole up in Yale ICU a couple days latter , i had a brain aneurism ! Tube everywhere , a hole drilled in my head ... a year 14 mos latter & I'm still here..not as hood as i was but ..i am here . Point is ..ya never know, this is not a dress rehearsal...if you can afford to do something really special for yourself ...something that you have been wanting to do for YEARS.... maybe go ahead and do it ! I gave my Heresy 4s to a U.S. Marine vet. He always wanted a pair of Klipsch speakers...served our country , came home and didn't have a whole lot ...he was going to buy a pair of Boston's i repaired ..but he took home the Klipsch H4's , he had tears in his eyes because he was so touched ..i had tears in my eyes after left ...but i wanted him to have them ..in my heart , i really did.
Sorry for the derailment...
Killer speakers ....absolute top shelf built in the U.S.A Quality and performance. Hope to obtain another pair again sometime soon.✌👍🇺🇸
You lucky man you!
Glad to hear you made it through. I hope you are still doing good!!! These speakers must be a Marine thing, I am a Marine Vet and 48 years old now. One day I will own these......or at least an older model. These always intrigued me!!!! A guy that owns a record shop near me has the series II he uses to play music inside there. That is the only pair I ever was able to see in person.
I did and you are correct. Heresy IV
BS
The Heresy IV is the only thing Steve could find that was louder than his shirts.
lol...did you notice the artwork on his wall is very close to the art he wears on his shirt...that being said, I personally am an artist and admit I like Steves taste...
that shirt is awesome! too bad 99% of us cant rock that shirt like he does.. lol!
The shirt is horrific, especially on an older guy like Steve, but he has good taste in audio.
Straight from Goodwill man!
His Shirts are the best part of the show. I'm not sure I'd listen if he wore anything else.
I’ll never forget when I played queens another one bites the dust for my mom through my heresy ii. Her reaction was priceless... rocking her whole body side to side for the whole song, and when it was over, she yelled “where do I buy these speakers!?”
I first heard a set of these when I was 12 years old. My nextdoor neighbor had them paired with a Yamaha amp and played the B52’s at an astonishingly loud level. They were so clear and so crisp. I started buy audio stuff short after that. Now I primarily buy Klipsch and Yamaha. Although Emotiva and Elac are wandering into my equipment collection now days as well
You go brother!
So many ways you can go on audio, but at the end is about how you and only you FEEL the music. I owned Yamahas for the past 20 years, even old school m-80 and c-80, I regret selling them, and I can tell you that they sound way better than many others mass production receivers. Right now my main amp for stereo is a Yamaha rxv3300, with a decent dac, and it can drive any speakers with a deep full rich sound. In my office I have the emotiva ta100 paired with elac 6.2 debut and it is really good, that’s way I’m replying your comment. At 50w/ch @8 is plenty even for my kef’s iq90. The elacs after break in you’ll fall in love with them, might need some placement and decoupling adjustments dough. Like to hear your thoughts if you end up getting any Emo or elacs
My dad had the Heresys with a Yamaha CR-1020 in 1978. The Yamaha died in 2002 but he still has the Heresys.
My first love for audio must have originated from high school while visiting a friend, and my friend's father had an early pair of these back in the 70s (1st gen Heresy) driven by a Sansui 9090 receiver we would listen to for hours. The experience for me was exhilarating. The sound was nothing short of incredible, and utterly breathtaking. These speakers are legendary. Indeed, these are some of the most awesome creations, guaranteed to satisfy even the most discriminating audiophiles, and for decades have been consistently a standard by which everything else compares.
Fantastic Review Steve. Your descriptions are vivid and even without any audio (which would be pointless and unproductive over a computer or smartphone anyway) are incredibly detailed in to be of much more value than any audio sample could ever be and you entice us (even taunt us) to give these speakers a Close Encounter of the Audiophiliac Kind. I’ve heard older Heresy models quite a bit. For a time, one of the Horn bands I gigged with for many years used the wedge shaped Heresy Monitors for our Horn Section. What better way to hear horns through monitors than with Horn speakers and yes they were Loud!
Some speakers are great at reproducing nuance, detail, sibilance, definition, etc. and many can’t. I want to hear the detail in Louis Armstrong’s phrasing when he sings and plays his trumpet because they are one in the same. I want to hear Miles as he shades a single note in his unique way on his Martin Committee Trumpet. I want to hear Johnny Hodges beautiful richness of tone on his saxophone and Thelonious Monk’s percussive pointillistic melodies and he manipulates the pedals and “bends” the notes of his piano. I want to hear Billy Holliday’s “God Bless the Child” in its naked soulful yearnings. I want to hear Buddy Rich’s drawing those incredible tonal nuances out of his cymbals and I want to hear Gàbor Tarkövi’s dynamic Mahler 5th Solo on his Schagerl Rotary Trumpet like he’s on that big Concert Stage and I’m on the Front Row. How many speakers can deliver all that? I can’t really say because I haven’t heard them all but I have heard some Klipsch speakers come awfully close.
Thanks Steve.
I love Klipsch speakers and JBLs, been living with both for over 40 years. I had a pair of pro La scala's, the two piece 200 watt one's. Now I been jamming out with a pair of Forte's. 🎼
Nice, very few people know what a La Scala or a Belle Klipsch even was.
atill have the pro heresys
I've had a lot of well regarded speakers: Harbeth, Buchardt, Kef, among others, but these Heresy's have a little touch of something magical that is totally and completely endearing✨
Harbeth, Buchardt, Kef are all soft voiced and almost opposite. I've used those and vandersteen in the past. Too soft for realism or HT for me. I stopped listening and sold my Vandy's and kef, kept the heresy IV.
I auditioned these, in the first 10 seconds I knew I had to have these! They are fabulous!!!
I am glad that you touched on low level listening. One of the great features of these high sensitivity speakers is that you can play at low levels and retain a sense of excitement. Plus the HOA doesn't get involved.
Walter Sims What are high sensitivity speakers lolz? Why would it retain a sense of excitement at lower levels? They must think their customers are idiots if they EQ it to balance out the low end at a lower DB. Just turn up your sub. If you don’t have a subwoofer don’t buy Klipsch speakers, and dont buy klipsch subwoofers, they’re garbage.
@@user-di7tg7qf6u Mt RF7 IIs do not need a sub.
scottyo64 quality monitors dont need a sub...it is just a suggestion because most klipsch are garbage on the low end...I have not heard the model you are referencing I am just generally speaking.
In my experience, all the Klipschs' I've listened to lacked bass until they were pushed to ear bleed levels. At low levels, the bass was virtually non-existent. The K-horns, La Scalas & Chorus all need a sub imho.
@@user-di7tg7qf6u Lolz I consider 104 dB/Watt/meter to be sensitive.
Which for my amp works out to 104 dB at one meter.
Oh, man, I hadn't seen "The Gut" in so long, this was so great to fall upon, Mr. Steve, I love how he talks about sound and speakers.
The Klipsch Heritage Series speakers are out of my price range, so I started watching Internet ads for Klipsch’s KG speakers, from the 1990s. Bought my first set of horn speakers, KG 3.2s, in =mint= condition, Thursday afternoon, for just $200! They are magical: clarity, presence, and a smooth, full response! Thanks, Steve! 🔥🔥🔥
Kgs are awesome
I picked up some KG5.5's a few months ago. You dont need a subwoofer cause theyll crack your house foundation. Total ass kickers.
I have Heresy 3 in my studio. Matched them with a sub and they rock!
I love what Roy Delgado is doing to the entire Klipsch Heritage Line. Better drivers and superior horn lens designs. More refined sound. Best speaker you can buy for Rock and Blues Guitar.
Yeah, especially blues guitar. Jazz …. Budda
Good to know a reviewer's defined preferences.
Steve, I previously had my Klipsch floorstanders towed in to focus in between my 2 listening chairs. I was always happy with the sound but on your advice I towed them in even more so left speaker would hit the right chair and right speaker would hit the left chair (per your diagram). Wow!! Amazing difference! Sound stage is super balanced and (maybe) since the backs of speakers are directly in line with the true corners the bass response has increased noticeably. Incredible and cheap!!!
I've had two pairs over the years.
My last pair was the Heresy II in light oak with factory angled stand.
They sound great!
Since they are compressed driver technology, the are very efficient so you can use a very modest amplifier to drive them.
I've also owned a pair of "Cornwall's" but the passive subwoofer was too bassi for me.
My dream speakers were then either a pair of "La Scala's" or a pair of K-Horns"
The larger Klipsch's require a huge room because they are so physically big.
The Heresy's are perfect for any room modest or large and sound great too!.
I never planned to use them in my home theater, but somehow they made their way into my system probably while I was deciding on which speakers to get for that purpose.
Turns out that they sounded so good that I just left them as my front left and right speakers.
True audiophiles don't like Klipcsh loudspeakers for many reasons.
One of them is that they over drive them with huge amplifiers (you really only need 20 WPC to make them really sing).
I used a small tump and preamp and a killer turntable and had an amazing system.
True audiophiles scoff at compression drivers in a loudspeaker for some reason.
True audiophiles can be snobs at times.
My theory is that once you educate yourself about your equipment, audition everything, consider even buying used components on eBay and places like that, once you establish a budget, you'll be able to build an awesome system that satisfies YOU and not anyone else.
It is great fun to share your music with others, perhaps sipping a good Chardonnay and nibbling a Brie cheese, listening to symphonies, female vocalists and Jazz, or even classic rock and alternative rock are good choices once you've built your system.
Once you find the sweet spot, you will be in heaven.
Educate yourself and choose wisely, buy used speaker cables and you will save BIG!
Sure, the really high end stuff costs as much as a house, but don't get caught up in that stuff because for modest money, you can have a system that sounds almost as good once you know what you're looking for for a fraction of the price.
So endulge yourself!
Groovy shirt! Groovy Review! Always enjoy your passion and analysis! Thank You! I have been a Klipsch fan over the years...
KLIPSCH SPEAKERS....
pissing off the neighbors since
1946!
I’ll certainly drink to that and I would love to piss off neighbors with my loud music I have been doing here since 1983! 😂
So it's actually as as old as Fender...
Thge are not audiophile. They have horn loaded compression drivers. Theyt are as far as accurad sound as imatribale. The only other abomination close to it si Bose 901.
Sold many of its older brothers back in the late 80"s such good times!
Loving my '79 La Scala's.
9:18 - You can say that again. Also I now own the set you reviewed. They are amazing.
Steve's sloppy seconds
how well do they do at low volumes, ie low enough to hear phone ring in another room, or have a conversation at normal levels, w/o shouting...
I cannot imagine a more odd couple than Zeos and Steve. I'd ship it.
Go away zeos
@@ColocasiaCorm no!
Late 1970s... the local Tower Records, as big inside as a large grocery store inside with a tall 20-foot ceiling, had four of these positioned around the perimeter of the album area about 12 feet up and cranking hard. I was blown away at how clear they sounded at such a high volume. I always wanted a pair, but ended up with lower cost Cerwin Vegas which did a decent job, followed years later by some sweet JBLs. Let the music play on....
Paired with a good tube amplifier, in my case a Line Magnetic 211 iA, the Heresy IV is an absolute dream team. This plastic openness and transparency in the mid-high range is unique. I like listening to live recordings, you can literally reach into the stage.
The audiophile virtues such as resolution, localization and spatiality are also at a very high level with the Heresy IV.
Other loudspeakers, even high-quality ones, often bored me relatively quickly, but this is completely different with the Heresy IV, these are captivating and you feel like you are right in front of the stage.
You definitely shouldn't let the Klipsch haters stop you from listening to this phenomenal speaker, it's absolutely worth it.
I heard my first pair of Heresy's at a party in 1978, at a girl's house. Super impressive with just 50 watts.
I bought my Heresys in 1983 and was powering them with a 30 WPC Pioneer amp. That was plenty of power for them.
I'm pleased you like large horn speakers... I use to own one of Paul Klipsch's personal favorite the Klipsch corner horns...now that's a speaker that can rock and sounded so amazing once you had them set up correctly...they also got
me in a lot of trouble back in the day...I believe they still build them today... Steve, I think you should give them a try while you still have peaceful neighbors... ...lol...my present speaker is the JBL 4325's, a 15" studio moniter...love both these manufactures...thanks for your time and reviews... I have followed you long before the internet was around...how times have changed...peace
I love listening to van morrison on my heresy’s. Listen to Van and his choir album, gypsy queen. I could hear into the music so well and can feel the heart in vans music.
I bought.a pair of Heresys in 1975 and originally paired them with a Sherwood receiver with 60 watts per channel. They always performed cleanly and without effort at all listening levels. In the 80s I switched to the NAD 3020 with 20 Watts/channel. Still plenty of power.
Pedro Nord NAD watts are much bigger than everyone else's. Have a NAD 2600 and it'll take your breath away compared with most amps.
Agreed.
Great speakers. Heard them in the late 70's. The adage still stands as in cameras.
The best speakers as in cameras is the one you use at the time you have it.
In side not I have owned Cerwin Vega Boston Acoustic Sansui JBL Altec Lansing. Sold them all and as far as I know still in service. Just to say I am glad that audio geeks are still out there loving the craft of old equipment of yester year.
S.G. - "If you're itching for neutral, probably not for you."
Andrew Robinson - "The Heresy IVs are now perfectly neutral."
Who to believe. Who to believe.
No one. The room, the system and each person's ear and preference means these "reviews" are ver subjective. You gotta listen them for yourself.
Which is why a good relationship with a dealer is so important...buy your gear from the same dealer even if it means paying +10% more. In the long run they'll let you audition gear in your home/system thus avoiding VERY costly mistakes.
It's a BS audio term that has no point of reference and i wince when a reviewer users it. It's like white paint which is truly white there all different tones of one another yet there all still white. I own the heresy 3's and they're amazing ( these are probably better still) but studio monitors they're not. What they are is fun and exciting and easy to live with and they put on a show every time you listen.
hold on, the first quote was for Heresy III...; the second quote for the Heresy IV
Great review. I now have inherited parents 1983 model Hersey's (speakers I help my Mom select back in the day) in my studio office paired with the smallest 8" Klipsch down firing sub. No complaints, except I now want the model IVs!
You won’t regret it and now they are ported so ten down in the bass
I sure wish I could have heard all your advice, for the last 50 years , when I think of all the crappy sound equipment I’ve spent my money on
Steve I enjoy your reviews. You, unlike some reviewers, don't have a tin ear!
I've now watched 4 reviews on the Heresy IV, and there hasn't been a single review that actually plays them..... Amazing.
Well, Genius, if you really think you can get a good sonic impression of ANY Audio component over a CZcams Video, you aren't an Audiophile in the first place lol
Listening to speakers through CZcams will never be accurate or tell you how they’ll sound. That’s why most if not all audiophile equipment reviewers never actually play them.
Steve, I’d LOVE you to review the La Scalla!
I heard these recently at the Bristol HiFi Show. Absolutely killer speakers. They reminded me of the sound of the speakers that my dad had when I was a kid. I just sat and listened for who knows how much time. The best rooms are the ones where you don't try to dissect strengths and weaknesses because the speakers engage you to just listen. This was one of those rooms.
Jason . Sounds like the way to go. Its all about enjoyment
One thing you convey really well is how fun Klipsch speakers are. Are they the most ______ ? No. But they are freaking fun. I love them too.
I bought a pair of Klipsch Roughly 30 yrs ago and they are still the best sounding compared to others i have bought
Love my Heresy 1 speakers. That was the beginning of my Klipsch addiction. Have Klipsch in every room now. There is no other speaker that matches Klipsch in my opinion. I have gone through many Klipsch center channels and subs. Some do not last forever but the Heresy 1 kind of does. Had to replace the woofer years ago on one Heresy but that was the only problem I have ever had. Bought them from a friend in the mid 90's for $275.
Okay, so get a pair of Heresy IVs for when you want to storm the Bastille, either with James Brown or Richard Wagner, e.g. (yeah, government certified Old Dude here), AND a pair small-ish Maggies like the LRSs or .7s when more finesse is desired. These flat panels are light and compact enough to pick up and move over to the side walls when you need to clear the dance floor. Just make sure that you've marked those carefully located set-up sweet spots for later. How about a Rogue Atlas for the amp with KT120s? Just something about the idea of a Rogue spouting Heresy that appeals to my sense of whimsy. Not an unrealistic price match either and all "Born in the U. S. A.", for those who care about such things.
I had a pair of Heresy's I purchased in '81 and they where portted across the front at the bottom. I had them paired with Crown components. 2 DC300A amps, a SL2 preamp and FM2 tuner. Tyvm for the reviews on the IV's. :)
.... I admit it, I've listen to this review a few times now
....... I had 4 different AR Speakers before 74 and they were my 1st love
.......... I had my JBL 4311 and they were my ROCK n ROLL speakers for decades
but I think in Dallas 1977 I heard the entire line of Klipsh & dreamed of the day!
Most of my equipment disappeared as I invested in Studio & Live Equipment and about a Year ago I decided to do the best I could and go back to just LISTENING for a while. Not many people have the WORK and PAY that we all use to get in the USA, but so many PEOPLE are Dying in my age group, that incredible equipment is around last few years to enjoy even if your living under a $1,000 a month.
..... anyway, I realize that if anyone really knows me they will someday in the future get an AWESOME Unit I leave behind, even if it's not FAB or New.... it will still pull your Zipper Down.
Steve, I've been bingeing on your content. I love your show!
Steve- thanks for this review. I just kept watching it. Made me remember my time with the KG4's I used to own...and the Heresy II's I talked my buddy into getting 20 yrs ago. I got my Heresy IV's on Friday. Moved out my ProAc Monitors. Took time to set these up. Are they better? No. Are they awesome,Yes! Just something about Klipsch. Somehow they have slam that defies size and specs. They have detail and a large soundstage. Very easy to place in a room. Thanks for spotlighting these. I am am going to enjoy my musical trip back in time.
I find it rather funny that not one but two CZcams audio enthusiasts (Steve Guttenberg and Andrew Robinson) have the exact same name as two actors. (Steve Guttenberg from the Police Academy movies and Andrew Robinson from Dirty Harry and Hellraiser).
And they both love the Klipsch Heresy IV, which just shows they're not deaf 😁
The Heresy IV’s with two SVS SB-3000’s connected to The Outlaw RR2160!
Great Sound!!!
Wow! This week I got my 2160! My plan is to trade in my pb 1000s for sb 3000's. And am wanting to upgrade to the Heresy. Any advice?
@@randystern7870 I would purchase the latest version, Hersey IV. Always purchase from an Authorized Klipsch Dealership. For Power Protection check out Zero Surge. I use Blue Jean Cables. Have Fun!!!
Thank you!
@zen10ten would it work to have them on stands?
If you want to cause WW3 just bi wire these speakers to the new 2020 YAMAHA A-S1200 AMP along with 1 SVS SB-3000 all for just a bedroom setup
I bought a new pair of Heresy speakers in 1980. They were too much speaker for my small livingroom, but I would set them on the corners of our porch about 25 feet apart. Our back yard was a 1 acre field where we played frisbee. Those speakers sounded so beautiful anywhere in the yard. They made the Vapors, the Police, Head East, The Cars and Fleetwood Mac sound so good. If I could share one piece of advice, if you were to acquire a pair of these speakers don't try to play disco, because 40 years later, disco still sucks.
Designed and built in the USA.
Cabinets only, drivers made in China
NOT made in USA anymore, only cabinets & final assembly is done here. When I sold them they were made here
I had a pair in a listening room with a Phase Linear amp and a sub woofer. It was in a remote setting, the sound levels were impressive. Other than other Klipsch speakers never heard anything to create concert realism so effortlessly. For critical listening there are other roads to take. Fun speaker LWE's
I have never been a Klipsch fan myself but that is okay. That is the neat thing about this hobby-one man's meat is another man's poison. I think we have different tastes in speakers (and possibly music as well) but I still enjoy your reviews. They help me keep an open mind.
Nice detailed explanation Steve .It helps to make that perfect choice .
My parents bought a pair of Klipsch Cornwall's new in 1979. Mom still has them and still sound great!!! She said they cost $500 each then...
Hey Steve, as mentioned here by someone else, I'd love to hear your opinion on Klipsch La Scala. Also, not too long ago you visited an audiophile in NYC that was rocking PBN M2! (speakers based on JBL M2 pro-audio drivers). Is there any chance you would have a critical listen to those again and tell us about it. In fact, Volti Audio, Unison and JBL Synthesis have great horn-loaded speakers. Any horn speakers you can get hands on ... i'd love to hear about it.
I’m running a pair of the first generation with a pair of Decware amps in a small office and love them. The answer to 6 watts per Channel is yes plenty loud. I sometimes think about getting the new generation and why spend another 3 grand. You are right around speaker position as I’m constantly changing positions from album to album. Cool shirt by the way.
Get the IV’s . Budda
As soon as I get back up to Oregon and out of this condo after winter is over I’m buying a set in cherry. All based on you and Robinsons reviews. The LAST thing I will play through these though, will be The Ramones! Or The Fugs or the Velvet Underground.
I have the same experience of directivity with my horns (Avantgarde Duo Mezzo). Couple of things about setup (some you already mentioned):
1- Tow-in changes the tonality as the higher frequencies are more directional than the lower frequencies in this type of speaker
2- Room plays a smaller role given directivity, but still matters so watch out for first-reflections on side walls
3- The distance between the speakers also matters for tone - I find the right distance between the speakers improves the tone of piano and vocals markedly (BTW, the equilateral triangle has never worked for me, I always place speakers closer together than their distance to the listening position, just sounds more cohesive to me that way).
You have a killer system pal! I tweaked my transport as per your instructions. Thanks.
Jim Mitchell nonesense
I do extreme toe in with 600m’s and it is great. Thank you Steve!
I play trombone in several local regional symphony orchestras and so I’m well acquainted with how a orchestral brass section should sound. I’ve heard no other speaker series other than the speakers of the Klipsch Heritage series that come close to faithfully reproducing that brass sound. Many other speakers can get the volume but lack the impact, realism, and believability of Klipsch horn loaded three-way speakers. Of course the Klipschorn does this the best but the La Scala/Belle Klipsch, Cornwall, Forte, and Heresy hold their own well in that regard too. Listen to the last 3 or 4 minutes of the San Francisco Symphony/Blomstedt 1995 recording of the final movement of the Bruckner 4th symphony. That’s well recorded orchestral brass! Or the same orchestra/conductor recording of the Nielsen 4th and 5th symphonies. These speakers work for the right kind of classical listener! Or at least for brass players who know how a brass section sounds live and without artificial amplification like so many things are now.
The date was sometime in 1993 in my parents living room: listening to Boston's Third Stage cd through my father's 305/wpc Hafler, Superphon pre-amp in bypass mode, NAD cd player fully enhanced with poly caps and Kimber Kable running to both Klipsch Chorus speakers. "The Launch" preludes "Cool the Engines". You haven't heard rock 'n roll until you've heard a pair of Klipschs. So powerful a moment, I can recall the equipment and the songs like it was just last week. I've been a Klipsch fan ever since. They really do rock.
Poetic passionate Review! Thank You! Honest and Balanced!
I have '84 Heresy's and love them.
I love that, right off the bat, you mention that these have freaking 99 dB sensitivity. I could run that on a 10 watt lePai amp and be satisfied for years.
I loved at 8:39 how you described them about the extreme toe-in. Speaker placement is SO IMPORTANT. I am so glad you brought it up here, and they did, too.
I loved at 8:39 how you described them about the extreme toe-in. Speaker placement is SO IMPORTANT. I am so glad you brought it up here, and they did, too.
I have to say, this thing about placing speakers, I have so much fun placing the Hsu HB-1 MK2 speakers, with their horns and the woofer and port, and the whole thing acts as a single horn. When you position it correctly, WOW.
Steve you need to BIG. How about a review on the Klipsch La Scala’s??
Great review
I almost forgot I also would like to add a subwoofer with the Klipsch heresy speakers
Back int the 1970's my room mate had a pair of Heresy speakers and a Phase Linear 700 power amp. He played Quadraphenia wide open, and our neighbors up and down the apartment came out looking for the storm.
That's a 50% price increase for a pair - Klipsch did the same thing recently with the Cornwall 4 I believe. At this price I'd rather go 4 grand and buy a pair of Forte 3 speakers I think.
Why don’t you listen to them first before assuming
The Ramones 1st (and best) album?!?!?!?! Now THAT'S the way to christen in a pair of speakers! Very cool!!!!
Love those Klipsches!
"It sounds like being there: The Ohm Walsh 2000," says the Audiophiliac.
Does the Heresy iv manages to challenge or even overshadow the Forte iii in some aspects?
Back in college a friend who lived about 5 blocks off campus would put his heresy's in his living room window and crank it to call the kids from campus to come to the Party... They LOUD
good finally playing a real speaker, being a live sound guitar player who loves his 100 watt marshall stacks, this speaker sounds live. i like the cornwalls also. live is where its at , i always laugh at audiophiles who talk about colour and imaging. if u want to hear how the band sounds live get these.
I've owned Heresy I.
Years ago . Loved them.
Lively.
Also Forte I.
Currently running Paradigm Studio 20 v5.
Love them . Very smooth.
Tomorrow going to look at Forte iv
Heresy iv.
Tomorrow I'll be bringing home Klispch .
Leaning towards Forte iv.
But those Heresy are like a Fender Tweed 57 Champ.
Heresy have that history.
Either way I'll be good.
Very good video.
Which one would you choose, the Klipsch Heresy IV or the JBL L100 Classic?
Both
@@rumporridge1 jijiji👍but heresy l V sound….. very very well, the L100 too, but Heresy aciert.
Great review man, nice shirt :-)
Looks like the connectors on the Heresy IV have made it to the new upgraded RP 600 M II.
! small part of the upgrade kit for the RP600M was wire to wire connectors
The Klipsch speakers are a bigger than life listening experience. Try a stack of three KP-2002s each side. Not probably for the typical audiophile type person, but still an awesome experience behind a rock band with a sub.
I have tried extreme toe in with my DI's. Love it.
Thanks Steve! I am thumbs up #280. Great review as always. I am now your newest subscriber with the bell!
A shouty loudspeaker imo. You have to get at least Cornwalls and very careful with amplification, probably want about 8 watts played at modest levels or you could be in trouble. Shouty at loud levels. Great with small acoustic ensembles with low wattage SET amps played at moderate levels. There you have it.
I'm using mine with a Wadia 321 Pre/DAC and a315 amp (150 watts into 8 ohms) and it is not shouty at all. The speaker will definitely reflect what is being driven by. I would not recommend a inexpensive AV amp, for example. Plays all type of music equally well. There, from an actual owner.
I'm a Maggie guy which is the exact opposite of the these, but I'm tempted for my mid life crisis, to put together a second system w/ these and a Willenston tube amp instead of buying a sports car. (Would prefer a vintage Conrad-Johnson MV amp but man, they sell for big money) Why CJ? Nostalgia......my first quality amp was an MV-45......sort of an updated Dynaco ST-70. Full of tubey goodness.
Have a pair of Heresy 1 - purchased them for $175 (used) to use at outdoor parties at our lake house with a Marantz 2275
mark scott sounds like you know how to throw a great party
Steve, you should open another channel where we can discuss all your AWESOME shirts and what's new in the Audiophiliac shirt world!!!
This may sound crazy but I like a speaker which can play loud and forward without sounding loud.
Great review Steve.
Looks like you shop where the Huxtables shopped in the 90s. I liked the style the Cosby's wore back then.
Those speakers are lovely, and I'm sure they sound great. But I try not to get distracted by them because I simply do not have the space for them.
@10:15 Holy crap look at the difference in size of the heresy iv and the Cornwall iv. 😄
The strangest part is, I think they use the same size drivers, only the woofer is 3" larger in the CW iv and massively, it looks like 3 heresy could fit inside the cw box.
The biggest mistake I made with stereo equipment was passing up on the chance to buy a pair of late 70s Heresy speakers for $500 Canadian in 2003. The sound was amazing, but at the time I thought $500 was unaffordable.
Had a pair, but changed to piano sized horns. They are nice little speakers for sure, but I just missed that huge sound..
@@jim9930 Now, those sound like real speakers.. I got Jealvox Sound Monitor's.. Danish horns, produced in the early seventies.. Ugly as hell, but the sound blows you away..
Steve love your reviews. BUT I Don’t agree on one big detail here. I have a pair of heresy II speakers from the late 70s or early 80s. I wouldn’t tell anyone to to pair them with a low power amp unless they are low volume listeners.
I have them paired with an old MCIntosh 2105 (105watts per channel of super clean power). You still get that fantastic low volume listening, but when you crank them up they don’t bite your ears. My fear is - and where I disagree with you is - the more sensitive the speaker the more uncomfortable, fatiguing, terrible sounding AND painful amp derived distortion becomes. Spare people the mistake of hooking these up to any amp that doesn’t maintain low levels of THD through the rated power output.
The other major point that you missed is (and I wish you would re review these just to include my points here, but whatever) almost all concert sound systems are horn loaded and because these are, IF YOU ARE A LISTENER WHO REALLY ENJOYS LIVE CONCERTS - THESE ARE THE SPEAKERS FOR YOU. THEY BRING OUT THE EXCITEMENT OF LOUD CONCERT SOUND SYSTEMS, BUT ARE FAR MORE REFINED SOUNDING THAN PLOPPING A PA SPEAKER DOWN IN YOUR LIVING ROOM. WITH A SUBWOOFER THEY ARE NUTS. I HAVE A DUAL 18” SUB. WETHER YOU LIKE EDM OR JAZZ OR THE DEAD, THE HORNS IN THESE SPEAKERS REALLY BRING YOU TO THAT SPECIAL PLACE.
OH AND IF YOU HAVE SOME HEARING LOSS THESE ALSO SHINE.
Low powered TUBE amps can sound good with high sensitivity speakers as their sound is more pleasant than SS amplifiers as they reach their nonlinear operating region. I'm not really a fan of tube amplifiers and believe that there is no such thing as too much power or speaker sensitivity as I sometimes play music at high levels and demand that the peaks are clean. That is the biggest advantage of horn speakers and another one is that their directivity helps minimize the influence of the room acoustics and allows a range of tonal control depending on how they are setup as Steve pointed out. If you want to hear music as lifelike as possible, you definitely want to use horn speakers. People that say they want to hear a more neutral or refined sound are really saying they want to hear sound that they are more used to hearing from direct radiator speakers, that have more distortion especially on the peaks. But that is what they are used to which makes them think it is more natural.
Stewart Markley nice! Some people really want to “hear” the speaker. My heresy II speakers are loud and clear, but I never feel as if I’m hearing the speaker. It feels like I am immersed in the source material. Especially with my mc2105 amp. Sounds unreal, ethereal etc, but never sounds like “speakers.” That’s my true test.
well said
These are extremely efficient speakers.
Paul Klipch was quoted as having said, “What the world needs is a really good 5 watt amplifier.”
@@davidr346 Efficient does not say anything about impediance. Those horn loaded Klipsch can have, in the high frequencies, an impediance above the 20 ohm. Tube amps do not like these characteristics (see here the Forte II community.klipsch.com/uploads/monthly_02_2016/post-36163-0-65120000-1456026923_thumb.jpg
Steve kudos on the severe toe-in recommendation.
Time - Intensity Trading
Legit constant/controlled directivity waveguides are ideal.
Big stable image regardless where you're seated.
So, with heavy toe-in, when moving out of the money seat, and begin moving across a wide couch;
When moving away from left speaker, what's lost in distance is gained by level (you're positioning yourself more on axis).
When moving closer to the right speaker, you're moving more off axis with it but lessening the time distance.
Just realized this is somewhat akin to flight, whereas a wing's dihedral angle tends toward roll stabilization. If interested, try "why are wings angled upward".
that shirt is Heresy!!! Just kidding Steve....love the channel.
What I'd love to see is your comparison of the Heresy and the Maggie .7.
Works in apartments when you do not want to disturb your neighbors.
The bass is the thing that travels farthest and has the highest amount of energy.
When there is less bass in this speaker than in a typical more compact bookshelf despite this has a 15" woofer. So it will be approved by the neighbors they has loots of sirens sound pollution anyway.
This is the first time I see a "±4 dB" specification. Why not stick to the more commonly used ±3 dB. Yeh I understand that if you increase the number of dB then we will get a lower frequency number and a higher one also in the frequency range specification.
So actually the bass is quieter and do not reach so low that is specified when using the more standard ±3 dB.
That is good for keeping it quieter when listening late/nights that you can increase the volume without worrying that you disturb anybody.
I have a pair of first gens ... They rock.... I love them!
Not a good choice for classical? Rock and roll only? That would be news to Paul Klipsch. These speakers were originally designed for sound reinforcement for churchs. I play my pair of Hersey 1s for jazz, opera and classical. Love them! Just like you say, they sound "live" and are fun to own. Thanks for the review.
Would you recommend these speakers with a Vintage Sansui 9090 Receiver?
I got some and run a tube pre-amp with a great DAC and cdp. Yes, I use a sub. In a small space, they sound extremely realistic. Moreso than many high end boutique speakers that feature ever-so-gentle treble. I got rid of my boutique speakers, the Heresy IV make them sound boring and unrealistic by compare. Fully Crites modded Heresy II can't touch these. These are also obviously better than the HIII as well. These are head and shoulders better than any previous model.