Inspired in part by this thread Klipsch Speakers for Serious 2-Channel ? I've been surprised recently by the number of folks who've discovered, maybe rediscovered, Klipsch Heritage for their 2 channel systems. One recent one comes to mind, forum member Bananas&Blow, who during his speaker journey when he went to Forte IV, I thought "nah, he's not going to end up there". Later, when he compared it to the vaunted SHL5+, I again thought 'Nah... not this time". He might change his mind again, but I was surprised. And my journey, 16 months ago when I installed the Cornwall's, I knew I'd like them, but was skeptical they'd carve out a spot long term. But every time I think about upgrading, I realize how versatile they are, and the number of things they do well. Getting a "step up" is always possible of course, but with the Cornwall's, I'm finding that step to mean serious $$ for my tastes and findings. Anyway, have you (re)discovered that Klipsch *can* be a part of a serious 2 channel system?
I “rediscovered “ Klipsch when I set up a pair of $50 KG 1.5 temporarily in my system. We were having a graduation party and I didn’t want my main speakers out. Damn they sounded good with nice components…. 40 watts of tube goodness sounds great through them A short time later I picked up Heresy III for a good price. They sounded great , I enjoyed them for three years and traded them toward Forte IV That set off a major upgrade of Amp , DAC , Streamer , and soon a new preamp that I’m having built I owned several Klipsch on the past, KG 4, CF 4 so I have always liked the big live sound they project The Heritage play nice with great electronics, they respond in a big way to system changes . Each component in my upgrade path was revealed and I believe fully realized with them .
I rediscovered Klipsch about fifteen years ago after first hearing Cornwall's in 1976. I have owned and liked a lot of speakers in between but currently have Cornwalls in my office and SHL5+ downstairs. I enjoy both equally. Through absolutely no fault of the latter the next time I am looking to scratch that itch for something else it will be the Harbeth's that fuel the search.
I'll pencil you in as a "yes" then. What speakers are you running? You had a hand in me thinking about Khorns. And all my reading on them made me realize in your size room, as long as your goal is not to listen at ear bleeding levels, your on-axis positioning is right in the sweet spot. And why I'm not surprised at your satisfaction with them...
Good post. As some here might recall, the Harbeth 40.2 or 3 is a speaker that I could be tempted by moving forward... as stated the "step up" for me would be pricey though, and those are! I do notice a fair amount of them rolling through TMR used at good prices though.
Those were on my mind while writing that but I just might have to wait for someone to ding them up enough to purchase.
I guess if we asked that question about near any topic, we could just shut down the board! Seriously, I thought it could be revisited from a different, if not more positive, angle. Plus this one is focused on Heritage. Nothing more.
This one is about "RE"-discovering. Rediscovering is discovering again after an absence of some time. I bet these speakers are the perfect choice for this topic.
I'll chalk it up as you don't like the thread idea, loud and clear... I can live with that. Thanks for the feedback!
Right now I am using Klipsch RP600M and 2 12" powered subs and have a mint set of Forte 1s in storage...oh and a tasty pair of JBL Studio 590s to boot. When the smoke clears I will be courting a McIntosh MA352 with walnut La Scalas. I love horns.
looking forward to some thoughts on the Heritage line- Comparisons between Forte I, II , III and IV? Are the I and II worth trying? Are upgrades available for the older ones?
I have Heresy IV's and love them! I wish I had room for Cornwalls, both in my apartment and my bank account.
Replaced Infinity Qe’s in our dinning room/home office with Klipsch Forte II’s with Crites cross overs and tweeters a few weeks ago. Wanted more bass and better sound when listening from adjacent rooms. And I was just curious to hear some horn speakers after reading this: Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon, by Sasha Frere-Jones . The Fortes have been working out great so far. Really enjoying them.
Well curiosity got the better of me and I looked. 50% off used with a few nicks. A stable situation just became unstable.
Went from high powered Rotel separates and Maggie’s to Cornwall III’s and a Cary SLI 80. That was maybe seven years ago. The only thing I itch for now is a pair of Klipschorns.
I'm more a fan of cherry though, and yes, the price is good enough where I also think "OK, what's wrong..." They've sold a few of them though that I've seen, have a few in stock both new and used... so they're probably fine for anyone that wants the lighter wood. Not that I'm trying to enable you in any way...
I went from Heresy III's to Forte III's to Spendor SP 3/1's to Fyne F500SP's.... the Forte's were too big for my 10'x10' room.. loved the Spendor sound as different as it was, liked the looks of the Fynes more than the sound with my equipment, and I missed the Klipsch sound. Just took delivery of a pair of Heresy IV's and they are blowing me away. I've also jumped back into the tube game with a Decware Torii Jr and a Rogue RP-1.. so a lot of new stuff going on. In my space, these Heresy IV's are perfection. And some may not think/believe it, but these IV series Heritage speakers are audiophile friendly. The Forte IV's that I've heard in bigger spaces are just awesome.
Apparently many people have, used prices have doubled in the past few years. Heresy II were $500 at most forever. They seem to be selling for $1,000 consistently. I think the popularity of vinyl and low powered/vintage amps has revived the heritage line to a large extent.
I started out with some Bose 10.1 speakers I purchased back in ‘95 when I was stationed at March AFB, fast forward to 2009 and the Bose blew, went down to a local hi-fi shop in Roseburg (funny, I actually work there now) and was able to get a demo set of RF-63’s. All was good until about 8 years ago and a friend in Eugene who also owned a hi-fi store called me and said he had a trade in I’ve got to see. He had a client wanting to trade in some La Scala II as he was downsizing, one listen and I was hooked, long story short I now have La Scala AL5’s for my L/C/R setup and Fortee IV’s for my surrounds. I can honestly say my end game has been achieved. Khorns and Jubs are just too big for my room. 90% of the time it’s just 2 channel and the La Scala’s really shine being driven by good tube amps, and I’ve gotten back into vinyl to boot.