Simple tweaks to optimize Klipsch Heresys

I still have fond memories of them ( a relative owned them ) as a classic speaker with a truly "unique sound". Maybe not for everyone or every room, but still a great old speaker. Ive probably listened to many more older style speakers than recent speakers. I realize the compromised deep bass for output level, and my only big gripe was mids sounded real in a way but forward too much, instead of hanging there between the speakers. I realize changing the mid driver level and so on could drastially change the sound. But I never got to hear it modded. I wouldnt mind having a set honestly, but overall as they were, they didnt suit the sound I desired. In a fairly small living room they are still kinda big!

 

If you ever have a party, or need to "provide sound" for an event in, say, a rented hall, etc..
Set a pair of these up, with a 50 watt amp (that's all you need, believe me) and a c.d. player (or whatever source you have) and you have it DONE.

 

Party All The Time

Agreed, for something like a party, set 'em up and crank em.

But for sitting and listening, they just dont cut it, at least for me, and I'm a tube guy, too.

 

Here's what you should do. Find a pair of AR4x's for cheap off ePay or locally. $50-$100 should get you a decent pair. Make sure the drivers are all good. Listen to them exclusively for 3 months. Then start listening to the Heresy's. The Klipsch megaphone sound should be easily recognizable, instantly.

 

That would have been the Cornwall. The Heresy got it's name because it was remarked that it was "heresy to put that much Klipsch into such a little box!"

 

Shoot, I can replicate it with an 8-watt amp sourced by a hot CD.

 

Whilst I don't wish to appear a rather tedious internet pedant the Heresy was introduced in 1957, the Cornwall two years later in 1959. The Heresy got it's name, which apparently started out as a nickname (it was originally called the H-700), as it was the first non-corner Klipsch.

Tony.

 

I'd be willing to try different speakers - in fact, I'd like to. I just found a pair offered locally for $110, I'm to see if they're still available.

 

I checked out the AR4Xs this evening with my VM 20wpc tube amp. They did sound very smooth, but even with the VM cranked all the way, it just didn't have enough power to drive the ARs, and there just wasn't enough volume.

For now at least I'll continue enjoying my Heresys.

 

Hi i own heresey II's.I have done about every mod you could inclueding building larger box's.What i found works are a crossover rebuild with better caps.In my case auricap's.
There is nothing you can do about them being forward except run a warm tube amp.
They really are bookshelf speaker's but don't look like them.
I found the best mod for them was to build a new box.Then you can make them behave like cornwall's.They still are forward though because the woofer is 3 db less efficient than the mid's and tweeter's.
I found the most worthwhile mod was a ribbon tweeter replacement of the stock tweeter.Which i feel is poor.
I used the cheapest aurium cantus ribbon tweeter.
The result's of this mod transformed the nature of this speaker.In a good way.
Since then i put everything back to stock except the crossover.I found they are really nice in the role they were designed for as a center channel speaker.

 

So I’ve been looking for a pair of efficient speakers to pair with a 12 wpc Leben integrated and ended up grabbing some Klipsch Heresys off craigslist this weekend. After hearing some of the usual comments regarding Klipsch, I was concerned they would be too forward and light on the bass, but I’m pleasantly surprised. These little speakers rock! They’re very dynamic which I seemed to be missing with my Revels and the Leben , and they have a great low end and pleasant highs.

Now I’m tempted to have Bob Crites rebuild the cross overs, but I’m concerned that the result may be the brightness you hear others complain about. Has anyone regretted the cross over rebuild? Should I leave well enough alone and enjoy?

TIA

 

ROTFLMAO

 

You do remember correctly.

Mr. Hoffman has done most of the standard mods and they do improve the speaker quite a bit. I think they are a good speaker for novices to start with but they are never going to be up to modern standards in terms of overall balance. Attenuating the tweeter does help a lot in some situations.

With a Heresy you get a lot of sound for not too much money and a lot of the virtues of horns. And some of their drawbacks too. Cornwall is similar in this regard. You have to get into the bigger Klipsches and perform substantial modifications to really get into the top level of what real horn systems can do in terms of efficiency and dynamics while avoiding the stereotypical horn issues.

 

So you gave up the Aurum dipole tweeter and the bigger box? I thought you said they were substantial improvements.

 

Wow, seeing this thread pop up again after three years is like having your baby photos thrust before you unexpectedly!

Quite true! That pair of Heresys were my first 'good' speakers and gave me a nice taste of hifi, but I sold them and moved on several years ago. In fact, I'm already starting to think about what my next upgrade speaker purchase will be!

 

I thought the Heresys I had (from 1986) sounded considerably better after Bob Crites recapped the crossovers, bringing them back to within factory spec.

 

IIRC, the Heresy got its name because it was the first speaker by PWK (Paul Klipsch) that wasn't an all-horn design. That DR woofer was considered heresy in Paul's team but it was a necessary evil to fit everything in a smaller box. It (and the Belle for larger rooms) was offered as a center channel speaker to address the gap caused by corner placement of Khorns that were too far apart in some rooms.

 

As I recall, even the flagship K-horn was not originally intended for stereo use- it was designed back in the days of mono.
A few random observations and anecdotes as a horn speaker user (Avantgarde Duo):
horns don't have to be shouty, but set-up, placement and ancillaries are extremely critical- I was a hard-core electrostat user for decades- the midrange of a horn can be lucid, open and non-fatiguing, but, based on my experience with the AvG, changes in cables, amps, line stage, cartridge, phono head, are under a microscope with 100db+ efficiency;
the crossover is probably a huge weakpoint- my midranges horns don't have any crossover - amp goes directly to the midhorn and then branches to hi-freq horn and woofer (active) which have crossovers.
Wonder if externalizing the crossover on the Klipsch would help in addition to parts upgrades.
Haven't heard K-horns in years- back in the 70's, had an older neighbor who had a pair of K-horns running on the long wall of a big room- I'd bet there was 35 feet between the 'stereo' pair (he drove them with vintage Marantz tube amps, the entire system was 'period'). No stereo image, as such. Bass was impressive, even with compromised vinyl playback of the era. Coming back to the crossover for a second, the difficulty I've experienced has to do with integrating the mid-horn with the rest of the bandwidth. Bass is tricky if you are not using a horn-loaded woofer, and physical and phase alignment of the tweeter can be tricky. (I run my hi-freq horn out of phase to the mids, and it sounds more coherent, given the physical placement of the horn array).
There is a guy up in Maine, Greg Roberts, of Volti Audio, who started by modifying K-horns and other Klipsch speakers to improve their overall balance, and now makes his own line of speakers. He is very knowledgeable and accessible ( a nice guy). He also makes appearances at some of the audio shows in the US.

 

I replaced the caps on my Is easily (unscrewed them and sent them to a guy I found at the Klipsch forums, got them back and screwed them back in). Adding a sub isn't a bad idea for bass response, keep in mind why they are called Heresys. Switching to tubes made a big difference but again they are accurate speakers, bad in means bad out. Works for me as I never add any equalization but YMMV.

 

Mobile home roofing cement, you can get it at Lowe's. I use it inside my speaker enclosures, and I coat the underside of turntable platters with it. Easy to work with, and once it dries, it's there for good.

 

PWK was huge on phantom channeling. It works very well on some recordings and poorly on others.

I have done it and like it in some rooms. My advice is to wire your center with a DPDT on/off/on switch so you can put it in or out of phase or off entirely as desired. Just like "New York Wiring" a Stratocaster pickup.

But use a much bigger switch.

 

I always wanted to like them but I never could. Some extra bass would help how about adding a sub? I always preferred the Cornwalls. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

You know, for the price of the Heresys, you could hunt around a get a pair of Tannoy Saturn-10s (which I have now).

Even with a 15 watt tube amp (which I use) , the Tannoys SING. I think, if you compared the two, you would really hear the difference in quality.

Of course, I may just be biased because I really hated the way Gary Lewis and The Playboys sounded on the Heresys. And Gary Lewis rules.

 

From Paul W. Klipsch, The Dope From Hope: http://community.klipsch.com/dope/Dope_610501_v2n6.pdf