Kudos to you John for reviewing the Heresy IVs... my current speaker. The realistic and lively dynamics, and low end pop, is what keeps me coming back for more. The soundstage ability of this speaker was quite amazing actually...albeit compared to my old Klipsch Tangent 40s from yesteryear. Re soundstage depth and height, I honestly have no issues there. But, I'll say when I had added a high quality LPS as well as the Sparkos 2590 Pro op-amps to my Geshelli 4499ex DAC, I had experienced very noticable (significant) enhancements in both. Miles Davis' "So What" is prominently 7 ft above the floor in my listening room, and the extreme depth of the percussion instruments (i.e., 6 to 8 feet behind the speakers) in the Kronos Quartet's Mishima Opening is truly extraordinary. Enjoy.
So happy to see people are still reviewing Klipsch Heresy, it is by far one of the best speakers i have ever heard but in my opinion they sound at best when paired with tube amplifiers, never liked the matching between solid state and horn speakers but yes heresy is an amazing sounding speaker. Hats off to you sir
Just watched the video and I have to say that personally I think that the importance of dynamics in speakers is a 10/10. I am a retired music educator, and after years of being in front of ensembles as a director and teacher, and as a member of professional ensembles I believe that dynamics are what give the music it's energy, feeling, and the conveyance of emotion. For me, speakers that can reproduce sound in a real and dynamic way are best for me because the music sounds as close as possible to being there. I bought my Heresy IVs 3 years ago and haven't looked back. Powered by a Yamaha A-S1200 integrated, with a Yamaha CD-S300 CD player, going through a Denafrips Ares 2. I'm quite happy with the sound this system is capable of. And I agree with John's assessment of the Heresy's sound character and soundstage. In my 9'x13' listening room, it's more than enough.
I agree. I hadn't heard great dynamics till I got my Elysian-4 s. I genuinely didn't know what I was missing. My previous Zingali speakers were sweet and smooth but there was a whole musical dimension lacking.
Totally agree - and I think other high sensitivity speakers like the Heresy and some of the big ol JBL speakers from the 70s with large paper cone drivers absolutely give the music a pop and texture that best emulates the excitement of live music. Drums sound snappy and lively, the cymbals shimmer, the kick drum has a textured attack to it... Elements that may not please a beard stroking purist... But they just make music fun because they bring out the dynamics and energy of the performance.
Another great and detailed review! I’m located in the US and I bought a pair of the Zu DWX with the Superfly upgrade a month ago, and I couldn’t be happier. I have a Schiit Ragnarok 2 and a Schiit Bifrost 2/64 that are a perfect pairing with the DWX. The Klipsch Heresy IV are almost twice as much, so it’s not a surprise that they outperformed the DWX.
@@andrewgorenc9160Instruments and vocals sound lifelike and natural on the DWX. They also have a great soundstage that’s wide, deep and tall. I also think they do a great job at separating the instruments in the soundstage. The size of the cabinet help create a very large sound in my 10’ x 10’ listening room. I live in a condo, so I never listen at really loud volumes. Zu speakers are some of the best speakers at low to medium volume listening. The speakers are very well made and look fantastic in person.
I had listened to the DWXs with Sean Casey at a local audio show! That's probably what I would pick as my second pair as my towers aren't going anywhere. Dynamics and low level listening are outstanding with both Klipsch and Zu. Few others can match it except for JBL. My MLs come close. They also sound lively. Seems you often get those things at the same time.
The Klipsch Heresy IVs, I took a set home from the HiFi shop to demo with my gear, I loved them and thought they looked and sounded great, I ended up buying the Cornwalls though and very glad I did as those speakers are on another level in the sound and looks department, my end game speakers and I love them, the Heresy IVs even though I didn't buy them are also great and highly recommended to the right kind of buyer, the midrange is addictive,
about 40 years ago I was exposed to Heresy speakers for the first time. A DJ was using them in a huge military hall, and they filled the place, loudly. I was totally amazed.
Thanks for the review. I have three Klipsch systems- all in service. Still have my Hersey I bought in mid 80s, my Forte I also in 80s when first introduced. Now a pair of RP 600 Mark II powered by low watt tube amp. Plan to upgrade the old Heresy pair w/ Mark IV… maybe V when available… Dynamics , dynamics, dynamics…. At least 8 of 10. Keep up the great work… best regards from Austin Texas.
Hi John, I have watched,subscribed, and liked your channel for years now! I was so happy to watch your review of the Heresy IV. I purchased them about 6 months after their launch! I have loved them ever since. You are right about placement, and about amps. I think they will come in very handy the next time you are reviewing amps. At one point I has them 4’ from the back wall, toed in so they crossed a foot in front of me, on 4” high movers dollies. The speakers totally disappeared, super deep soundstage and very locked in center image with soundstage well beyond the side of the speakers. I really thought these were going to be my last set of speakers, until I found a 2nd Klipsch La Scala’s to match a single La Scala’s I found at a garage sale 3 years earlier for $500 USD for the same price.I decided to listen to them before I listed them for sale.long story short, kept both pairs.Heresy’s for the living room powered by NAD700, great combo and the La Scala’s are powered by McIntosh c50 pre and mc352. I also run them with a tube amp as well with monoblocks class D amps. I like to switch sources and amps. Keeps me from buying new products when I get bored or too use to the sound. Thanks for the review, I’m always interested in how my gear compares to new gear on the market!
I am really glad that my wife supports my love of music and has found a way to appreciate the style it brings. I do realize I am very fortunate for that, but she very much appreciates how music brings us all together in many ways which really helps. The family does not appreciate something hard to use though and that was a real challenge. Thank goodness for ARC.
Love my Heresy IV's! Went through 6 other speakers sets before trying these, and was wowed by the sound. The dynamics, clarity and live like sound was on another level to the other speaker sets I tried before them. The Heresy IV's I will keep for a long time.
I think a great part of the Heresys profile is its ability to play at low volumes while retaining dynamics and a full sound. I've had my pair since 2015, and my nephews prefer it to the sound of a pair of Spendors and a pair of Polks, largely because of its dynamic expressiveness.
I bought those a while ago after your review of the Forte IV which I believe would have been “too much” for my room. I am so happy with them! I paired them with an Hegel H95 and it was good but I have them now with an all digital Technics SU-700m2 and oh boy I didn’t expected this combo to work… magnificent specially with electro. My Autechre and Aphex Twin never sounded that immersive… thank you John!
music to my ears as i was contemplating buying this combo. also, lets be honest, the silver technics su-700m2 is arguably one of the best looking VU meter amps out there. the looks matter as well. (to me and my living room at least)
I'm 77 and about 40 years ago I stopped being an audiophile and started listening to the music and the last time I heard Klipsch 'speakers they were right up my strasse if only I could afford them.
@@TriAmpHiFiIndeed. Speakers of this type are pretty basic things and not complex to build. One option might also be to source broken vintage speakers with similar internal volume and repurpose the cabinets to use modern, better drivers and crossover. I did it with a pair of Wharfedale Denton recently. Probably £60 of parts, some teak oil and varnish and they sounded pretty good. They were a bit bright due to my tweeter choice, so if doing them again I would put in a better tweeter, but they sounded pretty good and looked great.
This is very probably the best audio gear channel. I am a pro musician in the uk, i have jbl speaks in twin, marshall cabs etc. My vibro champ has a jbl. My domestic setup has jbl L100. I have encountered jbl in all pro situations. Studio, theatre & pa rigs. This chap has a good ear, most musicians have a very good ear, essential!. I am late in discovering this channel, but i enjoy the integrity of the content. Most of the people uploading on their channels talk nonsense, utter drivel. Cables seem to cause a great deal of rubbish being spouted. I swear by belden every time, good all round interconnects. Most people are ignorant of the fact that their cd or whatever was likely mastered on jbl. With a couple of grotbox speakers to replicate domestic/car audio.
Great review John and I didn’t have to look at squiggly lines to prove your point, bravo! I use the Heresy II (all internal crossover parts , wiring, and tweeter diaphragm upgraded ) as my daily for several years and I won’t be changing my speakers. I drive them with dual mono block quad tube amps and a tube preamp, they open up beautifully with tubes. My room is similar size to yours and I agree with assessment. They are a music lovers speaker, I’m sure that they don’t measure perfectly but they just sound like live music. I use dual Rel subs with them and it rounds out the low end. Great job as usual nailing your review, I look forward to your next podcast. Dynamics are a top priority to me, so 10. That is why my second set of speakers are my monitor audio bx2 bronze. ✌🏻
Dynamics are probably 9/10 for me. Love the burger analogy! I always wondered about the Heresy for your room, since you liked the Forte III/IV so much. Happy to see this review. I loved my pair of Heresy IIIs so much that I bought a few more to make a 5.1 surround setup for movies. You didn’t mention it, but even a stereo pair is fantastic for movies/tv, IMO.
Thanks for review John. I also have a pair of Heresy IV's and bought them specifically because of their dynamic range. For me, 9/10 importance. I normally listen between 55-65 decibels and in my 18'x11x9' room, the Heresy's fill the space even at low volumes. I listen primarily to jazz and soundstage width and depth is excellent....depth on R&R not so much. My copies needed the driver hex nuts had tightened. I called Klipsch and they were surprised to hear and recommended I screw in a bit. The sonics were more focused and cleaner after.
I enjoyed this episode very much and your enthusiasm about the Heresy. I own a pair of Klipsch La Scala and love their dynamics when listening to music or enjoying a movie in the home cinema. They are 30 years old and still make me enthusiastic ❤
Dear John, these videos just keep getting better and better. My 2nd pair of speakers were RP-600M, and my 3rd pair, the one I have now, are the JBL HDI1600, which, too, excel at dynamics. I would have to rate my importance for dynamics at least an 8/10, maybe more, because I've loved both of these speakers very much! (I got the RP-600M pair partly because of your older videos)
I too had the RP-600M's and loved them for their presence and realism at that price point. They were really fun to listen to! I ended up with the Heresy IV's about 3 years ago, and really enjoy them.
Paul Klipsch was famous for his Corner Horn speakers. One of the problems with them was as they were required to be placed in the corners of the room, this often put them too far apart for a good center image. Often leaving a noticeable sonic hole in the center. So Paul decided to solve the hole in the middle by making a speaker for the center channel. Smaller with less fidelity just to fill the center hole. The idea of a 3rd speaker in the 2 channel stereo system was considered..... a HERESY! So guess where the name comes from! They were never intended to be sold as a stand alone stereo pair of speakers.
@glenncurry3041 So, given that is the story for the mark I... do you know if they have subsequently refined them for their use as a stand alone pair of stereo speakers?
When I heard them in the mid 70's they were sold as a stereo pair. One would hope Klipsch would "refine" the model over the decades towards sound improvement as a stereo pair, since the marketplace early on accepted them as such. @@imantisocial3179
Great review John. Thank you! I heard the Heresy in the mid 1970's and as an impressionable teenager, it was a sound experience extraordinaire that burned into my brain. This review has me craving for them all the more. Curses on you Darko!
I’ve had my Klipsch Heresy IV for a number of years with the Wadia A315 amp (150 watts) / Wadia 321 DAC/Pre-Amp. It sounds great on music that is not especially well produced and really outstanding on well recorded music.
I can't speak to the Heresy IVs, but I owned the Heresy IIIs on three separate occasions over the past 10 years. In short, I missed them every time we parted ways. At present, my small studio condo is too small for Heresys, so recently purchased the Zu DWX. The DWX have proven to be exactly what I was hoping for: The sound of a mini-Heresy. I agree with John's take on the sound of the Heresys in general based on experience with the prior version. If you have the room give the Heresys a go. If space is tight, consider the DWX as compact, lower cost alternative. PS: I think dynamics is a key performance parameter of a loudspeaker. That's why I moved away from Magnepans many years ago. Very nice sounding speakers, but not the last word in dynamics.
Couldn't agree more. Have owned Klipsch, B&W, Boston Acoustics, NHT and many others. Have always loved the Klipsch, but currently own Zu and quite happy with them.
With smaller rooms, toe in more inwards will help with the side refrection and if toed just right, the phantom center will actually get better. Of course if you over toe, it goes more diffuse. Sweet spot i found was so that you wont see the speaker side walls but they are a tad aimed front of you.
I had the Heresy IV a few years ago they are amazing. The only speakers that my wife commented on the imaging while watching MadMen series. She was upset when I sold them. I think i should have kept them and just added a sub.
Couldn't agree more...now go out and buy yourself another pair! Honestly, adding just one Rel S/510 to my Heresy IVs instilled enormous depth and scale to my system. Simply unbelievable actually that the addition of just one unit could make such an impact. Yes, it's a pricey addition, but it's well worth the price of admission.
I had a pair of these for the exact reasons you stated. I loved how dynamic they were. You really should try them on stands. The sound depth improves but the bass decreases I had to add a subwoofer when I had them on stands. PS I sold these to fund some Focal Aria 926s which I love.
Great video. Thanks. Dynamics are the main reason I listen. The more visceral, the better. To me, it evokes emotion and good memories. Isn’t that what this is all about anyway?
I believe the name is due to it originally being designed as a center channel for klipschorns. Using a center with stereo speakers was called "heresy" by many and so the speaker had its name.
Using three speakers for stereo reproduction was actually much more common in the 1950s then it would be in the modern day. The heresy came because the bass driver is not horn loaded as it had been with all previous Klipsch designs.
I'll add that an additional reason for the name was that Paul Klipsch previously only advocated corner full horn speakers, yet here was a speaker boldly violated both the horn-loading for bass AND the corner placement design approach previously advocated by Paul AND it was stated to be the center channel for the K'horn setup along long walls to boot.
Really enjoyed this review! Dynamics are ~8/10 importance for me. I love detail, and soundstage, but dynamics are what make the speaker sound most "lifelike" for me. Good dynamics encourage me to stop "listening" and just let me enjoy the music.
Preaching to the converted here John, your review of the Forte IV’s was one reason I eventually decided on them. The Heresy’s will be every bit as good, of that I’m sure. 🎶🎶👍
Dynamics are right up there for me. 9 outa 10. I have the heresy 3 with a sugden a21 and they certainly like an amp with some meat on the bone. As you say they may not measure the best but certainly make for a fun listen and that’s what I want form a system.
Heresies of any vintage exemplify the majority of what I call "the formula", a time-honored approach to high quality dynamic sound reproduction used in virtually all commercial cinemas and concert venues. The elements of the formula are: 1. Driver radiating areas (or better yet, horn mouth areas) sized large enough to efficiently couple to the room via good acoustic impedance matching. 2. Three or more bandpass design to narrow the operating ranges of the drivers to their optimum bands and reduce intermodulation distortion. 3. High efficiency driver motors to minimize thermal compression. 4. Relatively lightweight diaphragms to sharpen transients. 5. Ideally, multiamplified---preferably via DSP---to eliminate passive/reactive networks between amps and drivers and permit fine tuning of frequency and phase responses. As good as Heresies are, I can't help thinking they can be dramatically improved via active DSP multamping. Someday I'll try this with my Heresy 2s and my Forte 1s, as I am already doing with my best DIY system---with spectacular results.
"Closest to a live event" nails it! That's what I want out of a speaker, as a live music fan with hundreds of shows under my belt...funky, fun, dynamic and thick is how I want that sound served in my home. I have Heresy IVs and have run them off low powered tubes, CXA61, Schiit monos - these speakers really do it all for me. I'd only consider Cornwalls as an upgrade. Also worth pairing these with a sub (or two)!
I grew up with klipschorns back in the 70s. Back then they were a kind of harsh when room treatment wasn’t a thing. After decades of owning more traditional audiophile speakers I decided to play around with Klipsch again. I got some Chorus 2 from the 90s and LaScalas from the 80s. Yes Klipsch Heritage do last for ever. I modified both of them quite a bit. Use modern electronics, modern subwoofers and a proper room and boy do those speakers perform. Big, bold, dynamic, live and extremely detailed. My modern speakers now spend most of their time in my equipment storage room. It’s just hard to go back to boring unless I plan on a very long listening session. Maggie 1.7i typically fill that need. Side note. Unlike the new LA5 LaScala the older LaScalas are probably the least wife approved speaker made. A man cave listening room is required.
I suppose this is bad etiquette. My apologies in advance. I just have to praise the statement that if all speakers sound different, then only can be closest to the original sound. Concise and logical, and refreshing!
I live my H4’s. 100WPC solid state with a Japanese analog front end. Yes. They do everything well. Couple of niggles in regards to system matching: they have a 3db bubble between 1k and 3k which h has caused issues with certain speaker cables. I also run a pair of subs. Great review!
I have owned a pair of these for a couple of years now and they are my end game speaker. I think you nailed the things they do well. They are NOT a Swiss army knife, in that they won't excel at every kind of music, but pop/rock (which is where the party speaker thing comes from I think) and small ensemble jazz sound really good on these. They push enough air to make bass heavy classical sound okay but they will be trounced by many speakers. All in all they are exciting, dynamic speakers that in the right size room are very satisfying. (I play them with tube and solid state amps and they sound great with either. Having the high sensitivity is nice to give everyone the option for either.) Enjoyable review.
My Heresy 1 that I purchased used for 800 CAD have been the pair that keep coming back to the permanent setup. I use them with a rather ordinary sub and find them perfect for the room. People who may not be able to afford the IVs can get a fair bit of satisfaction from an older version. Esthetically, they are my wife's favorites as well (lovely walnut veneer). Great video Darko. I wish you well with these chunky little oompah loompahs
I actually prefer the sound of the v3's to the 4's, they the 3's lack just a touch low end welly but thats easily sorted with a subwoofer if one where so inclined. The important thing is they need to be matched with a really meaty amp. Not bass heavy but really full sounding nice and thick. NAD for example not a good fit to thin sound
Only tangentially relevant. I recently rescued and rebuilt a pair of 1970s Tannoy Eatons. The problem with these vintage speakers, shaped like the Klipsch and wider than deep, is the fact they don't fit well on modern stands. My solution was to commission a pair of solid walnut centre speaker stands, which fitted perfectly and was cheaper than commercial vintage style stands, which are thin on the ground. Also budget centre speaker stands are abundant on outlets like Amazon. So if you are thinking of going vintage, or modern repro vintage, it might be worth thinking about.
out of the dozen or so speakers I've owned over 2 decades, may favorites are the Klipsch Forte II and JBL 4311B. Neither are the most accurate but they sound much more dynamic than the others, so, I would rate dynamics for me at an 8 or 9
Dynamics are a 10/10, I have the Spendor D7.2s and I’m on the hunt for a new pair of speakers that give me that thumping experience when the music calls for it. Essentially, rock and orchestral movie scores don’t give me enough on the Spendor’s, sadly, as their tone and vocal is amazing.
love dynamics, in australia klipsch are way up in the pricing for the average listener especially the larger speakers - now i go for what is affordable/quality trade off.. Dig your channel and your view point on audio equipment & music
Had to laugh at the “if you like a speaker that doesn’t visually dominate the room” - Well maybe if you put the front grills on they are slightly less obtrusive, but I know the kinda reaction that I’d get from my Mrs if I brought them home and said, “What do you think of these honey?” 🤣 Glad you like the sound of them, but not visually dominating the room wasn’t on the list of things I figured you might say … 👍
You need a room, not only so you can benefit from an actual lissening room, but also so you can buy speakers You want too try. Finding synergy is harder with a wife complaining😂
I dunno man. They are basically wood veneered boxes and not so different from say cabinetry. When I was choosing my speakers the wife wanted these so I went with them. Haven't regretted it either as they go together nicely with our decor and sound nice.
I have mine sitting on stands designed for the Wharfedale Elysian 2. Looks and sounds great. Was lucky enough to A/B test with other more expensive brands and I just liked the Heresy's better (in spite of all the horrible things the haters say). I'm at the stage in my life that I don't need to scrimp. The Klipsch just sounded better to me.
Enjoy the charm and humor of your channel and I love the poetry of your ‘pickles and sauce’; however I’ve never heard a pair of Klipsch or JBL’s I could live with, date, yes, but short term only and marriage would be out of the question unless I wanted to forever suffer from sonic indigestion.
I bought a pair of Klipsch RP600-MII for my Black Ice Audio F-35 Integrated tube amp. They took about two months of playing before they started to sound really nice. Unfortunately, they were just missing a little something in the mid range. So I opted for a pair of Klipsch Heresy 4's in black. They need a minimum of eight hundred hours or more playing time before they really start to sound their best, and yes, they sound spectacular. Klipsch are dynamic speakers that come alive when playing. For female jazz singers, I still prefer my Tannoys as they reproduce female voices with such realism. Klipsch also sound really good at ear piercing levels. That is why the old Klisch commercials used to say, "Klipsch, pissing off your neighbors since 1946."
Back when the 4 came out, I tried both the 3 and 4 back to back over a few days - 4 was too consistently bright and harsh sounding for my taste, so I stuck with the 3’s. Over time I noticed that the center image was too low for me at my seating position (not a huge room). So, I experimented with raising them up AND leveling them. Wow, what an improvement; now going on several years of satisfaction that way. 18” off the floor and leveled. I also prefer sitting on a bar stool which puts my ears over a foot higher than the tweeter - what you lose in absolute crispness and detail you GAIN massively in soundstage depth this way. Wonderful, wonderful sound with Pass power, Ayre pre, and Denefrips Pontus dac fed by BS Node 2i w/upgraded external power supply (along with KEF sub).
yeah you have to sit a distance away for the sound to at the right hight. about 3-4meter or so, found the same between the 3s and 4s, 4s where just a touch harsher but then my 3 had 5 years on them a that point.
Heresy 3's here, leveled and raised to 40cm with stands, corner placement, pretty steep toe in, dont feel i need sub for music, its tighter without the bloat (svs sub) these get to 40-35hz in my room. I have a different dacs and amps dedicated for stereo vs cinema.
Document is my favorite R.E.M. release. King of Birds is a rather forgotten deep cut. I like everything about the Klipsch but the price! I'm set for speakers for a while. My, new to me, Boston Acoustics are doing just fine. Accidentally bought my first sacd today, a Rolling Stones big hits (high tides and green grass). Cool.
I bought a set Klipsh Heresy II new in the nineties and I still have them! But nowadays they are not my main-speakers anymore. As you say, they aren’t perfect but, they still sound amazing, dynamic and exciting. They really can suck you into the music. And yes, they are on plant-rollers too. 😅
I've owned a pair since 2021. With an 8 watt 300B tube amp it can play LOUD in a 13 x 29 ft room. Make sure to scrape off the varnish on those cheap speaker straps or use after-market jumpers. IMO most natural sonic presentation for classical and jazz.
Heresy III here. I have a quite narrow room, 4m wide, 5-6m deep (back opens to other parts of the apartment). I find the best placement is about 15 cm from the side walls, 30cm from the back(front?) wall (corned placement). The width of the speakers is more or less or little more than my distance to the speakers, but the toe in is most important, to eliminate side refrections, i have toed these aggressively inwards so that they cross just in front of center sweetspot of my listening position, i cant see either of the sides of the speaker, so they are more like "dead on", but just a tad in front of me. Very solid phantom center and 3d holograpic imaging ! EDIT: also, i have removed the original slanted stands and have these on a custom stand 40cm height. Mine goes to around 40-35 Hz in this room 👍
To answer the question. Dynamics are very important in enjoying music. Most of my listening is to classical music, and this (as a general observation) has very contrasted dynamics. Many classical recordings (and reproductive systems playing them) are prone to compressing these contrasts in an effort to avoid excessive volume or inaudible quiet passages, but the outcome often robs the music of excitement. Of course, there are extreme examples that go the other way, particularly in music where the original content seems very wideband dynamically (such as late romantic French pipe organ music, or late romantic and early modern orchestral music), though this is not as common as a compressed result or simple gutlessness of all aspects of a recording. A key aspect in terms of the system is whether it not only swings the dynamics per se, but can sound convincing across the entire dynamic range. Too many systems allow the sound to collapse into a squishy mess at low dynamics, or to become incoherent and frazzled at high dynamics. Too many seem to be searching for their sweet-spot-volume. So the best system plays well at low volume but can do justice to the situation on the occasional peak. It can then be listened to at generally low volume settings, and this is better also for family and neighbours. I have a pair of Mark II Heresies, from the mid-90s, and these have some differences from the Mark IVs. For mine, they purr along nicely at low volumes, but have the dynamism to give a full throttle sound when needed, so the volume setting is easy to determine for most recordings. My Mark IIs can sound rather over-juiced where the ambient content of a recording is considerable, however, and this arises irrespective of playback volume. Where the recording captures a lot of the natural acoustic (reverb) the speaker seems to add some more of its own, and we get into excessive washes of tone. Perhaps that's a system matching aspect, and of course, room matching too. However, with most recordings it works nicely. The limited bass is satisfyingly grounded, so for most purposes you don't miss it too much, though, being objective, this model is somewhat unbalanced in favour of the midrange.
I am begging record sleeve and label designers, especially of electronic music, to PLEASE label RPM speed, especially if it varies between various sides of a release. PLEASE!!!
Thanks John, a very nice review. However, I prefer that the chef seasons my meal in the kitchen so I don't have to do that myself. Similarly, I prefer neutral speakers. Fortunately, we can all have it our way.
Great review. Dynamics are important but it's also relative to the kind of music. With classical music, dynamics are extremely important and I listen to a lot of that. But for pop or jazz, dynamics are not as contrasted in the music itself so then I'd say it's still important but not as important as for classical music.
great review, do you still have them in Berlin? where did you get them? i'm trying to find a shop to audition them in Berlin. Have you listened to Jazz on them? all the AAA blue note reissues for example which i find too aggressive/top heavy on my speakers. Seriously considering those - even though as you pointed they are expensive in Europe!
Thanks Darko ' Been with you since day one ! But these speakers Sound best with an old school warm sounding tube amp IMHO 'most new age Solid state way to bright sounding ' companies trying to boost the top end so it sounds hyper detailed ' Mackintosh one of the new age exceptions !!
I'm a big fan of the loudness button for low level listening. A common feature on vintage amps, but almost unknown these days. Yes, you can simulate it in EQ, but it's much less convenient.
Interesting, I've got these speakers and love them. Definitely on the forward side although nothing that can't be tamed with placement & a little DSP. I'm using with a couple of subs to give that depth, pretty sure I'll never sell them.
I really want to hear a Klipsch Heritage. The overall description reminds me of the DIY Singularities I built which is a single 8" driver 92 dBA full range TL tower, super dynamic and detailed sound. They also excel at low volume but can throw down on command.
Great shout getting Ricardo Villalobos out!!!!!!! Also fair play to buying a vinyl reissue when the original made you nauseous 😂 But I am not keen on these floor speakers at all. I just can’t see why anyone would buy them over about a dozen other options
Nice choice on the Villalobos pick , I used to listen to some of his stuff years ago I need to get back into his gear man, the guy is a talent. Do you listen to much Skee Mask or Shed and his many aliases?
The short speaker on the floor and angled upwards is a logical and rarely used configuration. The KLH Model 5 did it to great acclaim. The whole angling up presents all sorts of thoughts about spacial issues. The thing is it's aesthetically lousy. Still no fear of being knocked over like a stand mount. I would think more manufacturers might try the squat floor stander, angled up in the interest of cost. To repeat, the whole angled up from the floor should be tried with other, admittedly vanishing, box 'bookshelf' speakers.
Humm…the Klipsch I’ve listened to and owned, and that’s not a lot of them, had that “Live “ sound but I found them fatiguing after a half hour. Might have to check these out.
The Heresy lV's sound great, no listening fatigue. Put some tube equipment somewhere in the mix as Klipsch speakers love tubes. I use a Black Ice Audio F-35 integrated tube amp. The music sounds spectacular.
Kudos to you John for reviewing the Heresy IVs... my current speaker.
The realistic and lively dynamics, and low end pop, is what keeps me coming back for more. The soundstage ability of this speaker was quite amazing actually...albeit compared to my old Klipsch Tangent 40s from yesteryear.
Re soundstage depth and height, I honestly have no issues there. But, I'll say when I had added a high quality LPS as well as the Sparkos 2590 Pro op-amps to my Geshelli 4499ex DAC, I had experienced very noticable (significant) enhancements in both.
Miles Davis' "So What" is prominently 7 ft above the floor in my listening room, and the extreme depth of the percussion instruments (i.e., 6 to 8 feet behind the speakers) in the Kronos Quartet's Mishima Opening is truly extraordinary.
Enjoy.
So happy to see people are still reviewing Klipsch Heresy, it is by far one of the best speakers i have ever heard but in my opinion they sound at best when paired with tube amplifiers, never liked the matching between solid state and horn speakers but yes heresy is an amazing sounding speaker. Hats off to you sir
Or low powered class A solid state
Just watched the video and I have to say that personally I think that the importance of dynamics in speakers is a 10/10. I am a retired music educator, and after years of being in front of ensembles as a director and teacher, and as a member of professional ensembles I believe that dynamics are what give the music it's energy, feeling, and the conveyance of emotion. For me, speakers that can reproduce sound in a real and dynamic way are best for me because the music sounds as close as possible to being there. I bought my Heresy IVs 3 years ago and haven't looked back. Powered by a Yamaha A-S1200 integrated, with a Yamaha CD-S300 CD player, going through a Denafrips Ares 2. I'm quite happy with the sound this system is capable of. And I agree with John's assessment of the Heresy's sound character and soundstage. In my 9'x13' listening room, it's more than enough.
I agree. I hadn't heard great dynamics till I got my Elysian-4 s. I genuinely didn't know what I was missing. My previous Zingali speakers were sweet and smooth but there was a whole musical dimension lacking.
Totally agree - and I think other high sensitivity speakers like the Heresy and some of the big ol JBL speakers from the 70s with large paper cone drivers absolutely give the music a pop and texture that best emulates the excitement of live music. Drums sound snappy and lively, the cymbals shimmer, the kick drum has a textured attack to it... Elements that may not please a beard stroking purist... But they just make music fun because they bring out the dynamics and energy of the performance.
Another great and detailed review! I’m located in the US and I bought a pair of the Zu DWX with the Superfly upgrade a month ago, and I couldn’t be happier. I have a Schiit Ragnarok 2 and a Schiit Bifrost 2/64 that are a perfect pairing with the DWX. The Klipsch Heresy IV are almost twice as much, so it’s not a surprise that they outperformed the DWX.
@@DavidHead61 David what do you like about the DWX’s and any critiques? Thank you!!
@@andrewgorenc9160Instruments and vocals sound lifelike and natural on the DWX. They also have a great soundstage that’s wide, deep and tall. I also think they do a great job at separating the instruments in the soundstage. The size of the cabinet help create a very large sound in my 10’ x 10’ listening room. I live in a condo, so I never listen at really loud volumes. Zu speakers are some of the best speakers at low to medium volume listening. The speakers are very well made and look fantastic in person.
I had listened to the DWXs with Sean Casey at a local audio show! That's probably what I would pick as my second pair as my towers aren't going anywhere. Dynamics and low level listening are outstanding with both Klipsch and Zu. Few others can match it except for JBL. My MLs come close. They also sound lively. Seems you often get those things at the same time.
The Klipsch Heresy IVs, I took a set home from the HiFi shop to demo with my gear, I loved them and thought they looked and sounded great, I ended up buying the Cornwalls though and very glad I did as those speakers are on another level in the sound and looks department, my end game speakers and I love them, the Heresy IVs even though I didn't buy them are also great and highly recommended to the right kind of buyer, the midrange is addictive,
about 40 years ago I was exposed to Heresy speakers for the first time. A DJ was using them in a huge military hall, and they filled the place, loudly. I was totally amazed.
Thanks for the review. I have three Klipsch systems- all in service.
Still have my Hersey I bought in mid 80s, my Forte I also in 80s when first introduced. Now a pair of RP 600 Mark II powered by low watt tube amp. Plan to upgrade the old Heresy pair w/ Mark IV… maybe V when available… Dynamics , dynamics, dynamics…. At least 8 of 10. Keep up the great work… best regards from Austin Texas.
Hi John, I have watched,subscribed, and liked your channel for years now! I was so happy to watch your review of the Heresy IV. I purchased them about 6 months after their launch! I have loved them ever since. You are right about placement, and about amps. I think they will come in very handy the next time you are reviewing amps. At one point I has them 4’ from the back wall, toed in so they crossed a foot in front of me, on 4” high movers dollies. The speakers totally disappeared, super deep soundstage and very locked in center image with soundstage well beyond the side of the speakers. I really thought these were going to be my last set of speakers, until I found a 2nd Klipsch La Scala’s to match a single La Scala’s I found at a garage sale 3 years earlier for $500 USD for the same price.I decided to listen to them before I listed them for sale.long story short, kept both pairs.Heresy’s for the living room powered by NAD700, great combo and the La Scala’s are powered by McIntosh c50 pre and mc352. I also run them with a tube amp as well with monoblocks class D amps. I like to switch sources and amps. Keeps me from buying new products when I get bored or too use to the sound. Thanks for the review, I’m always interested in how my gear compares to new gear on the market!
I am really glad that my wife supports my love of music and has found a way to appreciate the style it brings. I do realize I am very fortunate for that, but she very much appreciates how music brings us all together in many ways which really helps. The family does not appreciate something hard to use though and that was a real challenge. Thank goodness for ARC.
Love my Heresy IV's! Went through 6 other speakers sets before trying these, and was wowed by the sound. The dynamics, clarity and live like sound was on another level to the other speaker sets I tried before them. The Heresy IV's I will keep for a long time.
Same here. Friggin love em. I’ll never sell as I wanted a forever speaker and man these are it:)
I think a great part of the Heresys profile is its ability to play at low volumes while retaining dynamics and a full sound. I've had my pair since 2015, and my nephews prefer it to the sound of a pair of Spendors and a pair of Polks, largely because of its dynamic expressiveness.
I bought those a while ago after your review of the Forte IV which I believe would have been “too much” for my room. I am so happy with them! I paired them with an Hegel H95 and it was good but I have them now with an all digital Technics SU-700m2 and oh boy I didn’t expected this combo to work… magnificent specially with electro. My Autechre and Aphex Twin never sounded that immersive… thank you John!
music to my ears as i was contemplating buying this combo. also, lets be honest, the silver technics su-700m2 is arguably one of the best looking VU meter amps out there. the looks matter as well. (to me and my living room at least)
I use Wilsenton R8 with mine. I’m done I think for my main rig
I'm 77 and about 40 years ago I stopped being an audiophile and started listening to the music
and the last time I heard Klipsch 'speakers they were right up my strasse if only I could afford
them.
77 and no money? Yikes.
@@TriAmpHiFiIndeed. Speakers of this type are pretty basic things and not complex to build. One option might also be to source broken vintage speakers with similar internal volume and repurpose the cabinets to use modern, better drivers and crossover. I did it with a pair of Wharfedale Denton recently. Probably £60 of parts, some teak oil and varnish and they sounded pretty good. They were a bit bright due to my tweeter choice, so if doing them again I would put in a better tweeter, but they sounded pretty good and looked great.
@@TriAmpHiFi Are you saying this could sound good relatively hassle free open baffle?
@@lawrencewang3327 tweeter and mid are compression horns which do not need a cabinet.
For a successful OB you need specific woofers though.
Yet another excellent review! I run four of them in a big room.
This is very probably the best audio gear channel. I am a pro musician in the uk, i have jbl speaks in twin, marshall cabs etc. My vibro champ has a jbl. My domestic setup has jbl L100. I have encountered jbl in all pro situations. Studio, theatre & pa rigs.
This chap has a good ear, most musicians have a very good ear, essential!. I am late in discovering this channel, but i enjoy the integrity of the content. Most of the people uploading on their channels talk nonsense, utter drivel. Cables seem to cause a great deal of rubbish being spouted. I swear by belden every time, good all round interconnects.
Most people are ignorant of the fact that their cd or whatever was likely mastered on jbl. With a couple of grotbox speakers to replicate domestic/car audio.
Was eating a burger (with plenty of pickles and sauce) while watching and my munching-obscured ears kept hearing you say "Klipsch Harrison Ford"
Great review John and I didn’t have to look at squiggly lines to prove your point, bravo! I use the Heresy II (all internal crossover parts , wiring, and tweeter diaphragm upgraded ) as my daily for several years and I won’t be changing my speakers. I drive them with dual mono block quad tube amps and a tube preamp, they open up beautifully with tubes. My room is similar size to yours and I agree with assessment. They are a music lovers speaker, I’m sure that they don’t measure perfectly but they just sound like live music. I use dual Rel subs with them and it rounds out the low end. Great job as usual nailing your review, I look forward to your next podcast. Dynamics are a top priority to me, so 10. That is why my second set of speakers are my monitor audio bx2 bronze. ✌🏻
Dynamics are probably 9/10 for me.
Love the burger analogy! I always wondered about the Heresy for your room, since you liked the Forte III/IV so much. Happy to see this review.
I loved my pair of Heresy IIIs so much that I bought a few more to make a 5.1 surround setup for movies. You didn’t mention it, but even a stereo pair is fantastic for movies/tv, IMO.
Thanks for review John. I also have a pair of Heresy IV's and bought them specifically because of their dynamic range. For me, 9/10 importance. I normally listen between 55-65 decibels and in my 18'x11x9' room, the Heresy's fill the space even at low volumes. I listen primarily to jazz and soundstage width and depth is excellent....depth on R&R not so much. My copies needed the driver hex nuts had tightened. I called Klipsch and they were surprised to hear and recommended I screw in a bit. The sonics were more focused and cleaner after.
I too run the Heresy IVs with the KEF KC62. Great combo!
I enjoyed this episode very much and your enthusiasm about the Heresy. I own a pair of Klipsch La Scala and love their dynamics when listening to music or enjoying a movie in the home cinema. They are 30 years old and still make me enthusiastic ❤
Drool 🤤 Happy listening ! 👍
"I'm not looking for a taste that is as close to the cow as possible..." 🤣🤣🤣
Masterpiece video review.
Dear John, these videos just keep getting better and better. My 2nd pair of speakers were RP-600M, and my 3rd pair, the one I have now, are the JBL HDI1600, which, too, excel at dynamics. I would have to rate my importance for dynamics at least an 8/10, maybe more, because I've loved both of these speakers very much! (I got the RP-600M pair partly because of your older videos)
I have the big boy HDI 3800’s, fantastic speakers 🔊
I too had the RP-600M's and loved them for their presence and realism at that price point. They were really fun to listen to! I ended up with the Heresy IV's about 3 years ago, and really enjoy them.
@@jameslangley5696 I'd be rocking them for sure in the future if I had the space for them.
@@jstoli996c4s If I had space for towers, I'd have auditioned them already for sure!
Paul Klipsch was famous for his Corner Horn speakers. One of the problems with them was as they were required to be placed in the corners of the room, this often put them too far apart for a good center image. Often leaving a noticeable sonic hole in the center. So Paul decided to solve the hole in the middle by making a speaker for the center channel. Smaller with less fidelity just to fill the center hole. The idea of a 3rd speaker in the 2 channel stereo system was considered..... a HERESY! So guess where the name comes from! They were never intended to be sold as a stand alone stereo pair of speakers.
Yep! That's the story.
@glenncurry3041 So, given that is the story for the mark I... do you know if they have subsequently refined them for their use as a stand alone pair of stereo speakers?
When I heard them in the mid 70's they were sold as a stereo pair. One would hope Klipsch would "refine" the model over the decades towards sound improvement as a stereo pair, since the marketplace early on accepted them as such. @@imantisocial3179
@@imantisocial3179 isnt that whats being implied in the video? silly question no?
Damn, so on point and my sentiments exactly on the Heresy, and many of the Klipsch Heritage models. Applause applause.
Great review John. Thank you!
I heard the Heresy in the mid 1970's and as an impressionable teenager, it was a sound experience extraordinaire that burned into my brain. This review has me craving for them all the more. Curses on you Darko!
I’ve had my Klipsch Heresy IV for a number of years with the Wadia A315 amp (150 watts) / Wadia 321 DAC/Pre-Amp. It sounds great on music that is not especially well produced and really outstanding on well recorded music.
I can't speak to the Heresy IVs, but I owned the Heresy IIIs on three separate occasions over the past 10 years. In short, I missed them every time we parted ways. At present, my small studio condo is too small for Heresys, so recently purchased the Zu DWX. The DWX have proven to be exactly what I was hoping for: The sound of a mini-Heresy. I agree with John's take on the sound of the Heresys in general based on experience with the prior version. If you have the room give the Heresys a go. If space is tight, consider the DWX as compact, lower cost alternative. PS: I think dynamics is a key performance parameter of a loudspeaker. That's why I moved away from Magnepans many years ago. Very nice sounding speakers, but not the last word in dynamics.
Couldn't agree more. Have owned Klipsch, B&W, Boston Acoustics, NHT and many others. Have always loved the Klipsch, but currently own Zu and quite happy with them.
With smaller rooms, toe in more inwards will help with the side refrection and if toed just right, the phantom center will actually get better. Of course if you over toe, it goes more diffuse. Sweet spot i found was so that you wont see the speaker side walls but they are a tad aimed front of you.
I had the Heresy IV a few years ago they are amazing. The only speakers that my wife commented on the imaging while watching MadMen series. She was upset when I sold them. I think i should have kept them and just added a sub.
Just so you know, I have the Heresy IVs and after I added an SVS SB-1000, they were even better!
@@jameslangley5696 🥇🔊
Couldn't agree more...now go out and buy yourself another pair! Honestly, adding just one Rel S/510 to my Heresy IVs instilled enormous depth and scale to my system. Simply unbelievable actually that the addition of just one unit could make such an impact. Yes, it's a pricey addition, but it's well worth the price of admission.
Dynamics and sound staging to my ears are equally important so they both get a 10 out of 10.
I had a pair of these for the exact reasons you stated. I loved how dynamic they were. You really should try them on stands. The sound depth improves but the bass decreases I had to add a subwoofer when I had them on stands. PS I sold these to fund some Focal Aria 926s which I love.
How do these compare to the focals? My brother bought a pair recently coming from b&w 703 s2
I love mine, paired these with a sub and I'm a happy camper.
Could you tell me wich sub do you have with the Heresy IV ? Thanks
@@yvescorbat9726 I got a SVS SB-2000 Pro. Many people would probably go with a REL subwoofer, but I'm happy with my SVS sub.
Great video. Thanks. Dynamics are the main reason I listen. The more visceral, the better. To me, it evokes emotion and good memories. Isn’t that what this is all about anyway?
I believe the name is due to it originally being designed as a center channel for klipschorns. Using a center with stereo speakers was called "heresy" by many and so the speaker had its name.
Using three speakers for stereo reproduction was actually much more common in the 1950s then it would be in the modern day.
The heresy came because the bass driver is not horn loaded as it had been with all previous Klipsch designs.
I'll add that an additional reason for the name was that Paul Klipsch previously only advocated corner full horn speakers, yet here was a speaker boldly violated both the horn-loading for bass AND the corner placement design approach previously advocated by Paul AND it was stated to be the center channel for the K'horn setup along long walls to boot.
Thank you John! I’ve had my IVs for an about 3 years powered by a Decware.
Great review.
Yes, nice review. I run my Heresy IVs with a 7 watt Dennis Had amp. I’m sure the Decware is just as fantastic a combination. Enjoy!
Same here . Tubes and a sub with mine.
Really enjoyed this review!
Dynamics are ~8/10 importance for me. I love detail, and soundstage, but dynamics are what make the speaker sound most "lifelike" for me. Good dynamics encourage me to stop "listening" and just let me enjoy the music.
Whqt would you recommend. What is your choice ?
Preaching to the converted here John, your review of the Forte IV’s was one reason I eventually decided on them. The Heresy’s will be every bit as good, of that I’m sure. 🎶🎶👍
Dynamics are right up there for me. 9 outa 10. I have the heresy 3 with a sugden a21 and they certainly like an amp with some meat on the bone. As you say they may not measure the best but certainly make for a fun listen and that’s what I want form a system.
Yep, class-a single ended amps are fine match (like sugden),i mosthly use these low wattage single ended class-a, tube and solid state
Heresies of any vintage exemplify the majority of what I call "the formula", a time-honored approach to high quality dynamic sound reproduction used in virtually all commercial cinemas and concert venues. The elements of the formula are:
1. Driver radiating areas (or better yet, horn mouth areas) sized large enough to efficiently couple to the room via good acoustic impedance matching.
2. Three or more bandpass design to narrow the operating ranges of the drivers to their optimum bands and reduce intermodulation distortion.
3. High efficiency driver motors to minimize thermal compression.
4. Relatively lightweight diaphragms to sharpen transients.
5. Ideally, multiamplified---preferably via DSP---to eliminate passive/reactive networks between amps and drivers and permit fine tuning of frequency and phase responses.
As good as Heresies are, I can't help thinking they can be dramatically improved via active DSP multamping. Someday I'll try this with my Heresy 2s and my Forte 1s, as I am already doing with my best DIY system---with spectacular results.
"Closest to a live event" nails it! That's what I want out of a speaker, as a live music fan with hundreds of shows under my belt...funky, fun, dynamic and thick is how I want that sound served in my home. I have Heresy IVs and have run them off low powered tubes, CXA61, Schiit monos - these speakers really do it all for me. I'd only consider Cornwalls as an upgrade. Also worth pairing these with a sub (or two)!
I grew up with klipschorns back in the 70s. Back then they were a kind of harsh when room treatment wasn’t a thing. After decades of owning more traditional audiophile speakers I decided to play around with Klipsch again. I got some Chorus 2 from the 90s and LaScalas from the 80s. Yes Klipsch Heritage do last for ever.
I modified both of them quite a bit. Use modern electronics, modern subwoofers and a proper room and boy do those speakers perform. Big, bold, dynamic, live and extremely detailed. My modern speakers now spend most of their time in my equipment storage room. It’s just hard to go back to boring unless I plan on a very long listening session. Maggie 1.7i typically fill that need. Side note. Unlike the new LA5 LaScala the older LaScalas are probably the least wife approved speaker made. A man cave listening room is required.
I suppose this is bad etiquette. My apologies in advance. I just have to praise the statement that if all speakers sound different, then only can be closest to the original sound. Concise and logical, and refreshing!
Great video and I agree wholeheartedly
I live my H4’s. 100WPC solid state with a Japanese analog front end. Yes. They do everything well. Couple of niggles in regards to system matching: they have a 3db bubble between 1k and 3k which h has caused issues with certain speaker cables. I also run a pair of subs. Great review!
I have owned a pair of these for a couple of years now and they are my end game speaker. I think you nailed the things they do well. They are NOT a Swiss army knife, in that they won't excel at every kind of music, but pop/rock (which is where the party speaker thing comes from I think) and small ensemble jazz sound really good on these. They push enough air to make bass heavy classical sound okay but they will be trounced by many speakers. All in all they are exciting, dynamic speakers that in the right size room are very satisfying. (I play them with tube and solid state amps and they sound great with either. Having the high sensitivity is nice to give everyone the option for either.) Enjoyable review.
My Heresy 1 that I purchased used for 800 CAD have been the pair that keep coming back to the permanent setup. I use them with a rather ordinary sub and find them perfect for the room. People who may not be able to afford the IVs can get a fair bit of satisfaction from an older version. Esthetically, they are my wife's favorites as well (lovely walnut veneer). Great video Darko. I wish you well with these chunky little oompah loompahs
I actually prefer the sound of the v3's to the 4's, they the 3's lack just a touch low end welly but thats easily sorted with a subwoofer if one where so inclined. The important thing is they need to be matched with a really meaty amp. Not bass heavy but really full sounding nice and thick. NAD for example not a good fit to thin sound
@@gaza4543 Yeah, i have the 3's ...like the sealed box !
Carlos is Crying! Great track. Thanks. I had kinda given up on The Hold Steady. Time to reappraise.
Only tangentially relevant. I recently rescued and rebuilt a pair of 1970s Tannoy Eatons. The problem with these vintage speakers, shaped like the Klipsch and wider than deep, is the fact they don't fit well on modern stands.
My solution was to commission a pair of solid walnut centre speaker stands, which fitted perfectly and was cheaper than commercial vintage style stands, which are thin on the ground. Also budget centre speaker stands are abundant on outlets like Amazon.
So if you are thinking of going vintage, or modern repro vintage, it might be worth thinking about.
John. I gotta be honest, I don’t think I could have shown this much restraint:
“Depth isn’t the Heresy IV’s strongest suit.”
Bravo!
out of the dozen or so speakers I've owned over 2 decades, may favorites are the Klipsch Forte II and JBL 4311B. Neither are the most accurate but they sound much more dynamic than the others, so, I would rate dynamics for me at an 8 or 9
Liking the BoC t-shirt John. Nice.
I enjoyed this review.
Dynamics are a 10/10, I have the Spendor D7.2s and I’m on the hunt for a new pair of speakers that give me that thumping experience when the music calls for it. Essentially, rock and orchestral movie scores don’t give me enough on the Spendor’s, sadly, as their tone and vocal is amazing.
love dynamics, in australia klipsch are way up in the pricing for the average listener especially the larger speakers - now i go for what is affordable/quality trade off.. Dig your channel and your view point on audio equipment & music
Had to laugh at the “if you like a speaker that doesn’t visually dominate the room” - Well maybe if you put the front grills on they are slightly less obtrusive, but I know the kinda reaction that I’d get from my Mrs if I brought them home and said, “What do you think of these honey?” 🤣 Glad you like the sound of them, but not visually dominating the room wasn’t on the list of things I figured you might say … 👍
They're much less obtrusive than those orange ugly things he showed in the B roll for example.
You need a room, not only so you can benefit from an actual lissening room, but also so you can buy speakers You want too try. Finding synergy is harder with a wife complaining😂
@@BeatlesOasisFan
Check out the Barba-Papa reference 😉
I dunno man. They are basically wood veneered boxes and not so different from say cabinetry. When I was choosing my speakers the wife wanted these so I went with them. Haven't regretted it either as they go together nicely with our decor and sound nice.
Cwohh--pshhhht
I have mine sitting on stands designed for the Wharfedale Elysian 2. Looks and sounds great. Was lucky enough to A/B test with other more expensive brands and I just liked the Heresy's better (in spite of all the horrible things the haters say). I'm at the stage in my life that I don't need to scrimp. The Klipsch just sounded better to me.
Did you try the Elysians?
Enjoy the charm and humor of your channel and I love the poetry of your ‘pickles and sauce’; however I’ve never heard a pair of Klipsch or JBL’s I could live with, date, yes, but short term only and marriage would be out of the question unless I wanted to forever suffer from sonic indigestion.
Thank you John for the Klipsch/Zu comparison! I’m cross-shopping the DWX Supreme and the Heresy IV; very tough to call…
I've owned both... currently have the Zu and love them, but you really can't go wrong either way.
I bought a pair of Klipsch RP600-MII for my Black Ice Audio F-35 Integrated tube amp. They took about two months of playing before they started to sound really nice. Unfortunately, they were just missing a little something in the mid range. So I opted for a pair of Klipsch Heresy 4's in black. They need a minimum of eight hundred hours or more playing time before they really start to sound their best, and yes, they sound spectacular. Klipsch are dynamic speakers that come alive when playing. For female jazz singers, I still prefer my Tannoys as they reproduce female voices with such realism. Klipsch also sound really good at ear piercing levels. That is why the old Klisch commercials used to say, "Klipsch, pissing off your neighbors since 1946."
There's a new version of Get Behind the Mule? Oh, thank you John. I'll look it up now
Back when the 4 came out, I tried both the 3 and 4 back to back over a few days - 4 was too consistently bright and harsh sounding for my taste, so I stuck with the 3’s.
Over time I noticed that the center image was too low for me at my seating position (not a huge room). So, I experimented with raising them up AND leveling them. Wow, what an improvement; now going on several years of satisfaction that way. 18” off the floor and leveled. I also prefer sitting on a bar stool which puts my ears over a foot higher than the tweeter - what you lose in absolute crispness and detail you GAIN massively in soundstage depth this way. Wonderful, wonderful sound with Pass power, Ayre pre, and Denefrips Pontus dac fed by BS Node 2i w/upgraded external power supply (along with KEF sub).
yeah you have to sit a distance away for the sound to at the right hight. about 3-4meter or so, found the same between the 3s and 4s, 4s where just a touch harsher but then my 3 had 5 years on them a that point.
Klipsch H-4s need about 1000 hours playing time to really start sounding their best.
Heresy 3's here, leveled and raised to 40cm with stands, corner placement, pretty steep toe in, dont feel i need sub for music, its tighter without the bloat (svs sub) these get to 40-35hz in my room. I have a different dacs and amps dedicated for stereo vs cinema.
Cornwall IV next please :) 8/10 dynamics
Document is my favorite R.E.M. release. King of Birds is a rather forgotten deep cut. I like everything about the Klipsch but the price! I'm set for speakers for a while. My, new to me, Boston Acoustics are doing just fine. Accidentally bought my first sacd today, a Rolling Stones big hits (high tides and green grass). Cool.
You have a beautiful equipment stage !
I bought a set Klipsh Heresy II new in the nineties and I still have them! But nowadays they are not my main-speakers anymore.
As you say, they aren’t perfect but, they still sound amazing, dynamic and exciting. They really can suck you into the music.
And yes, they are on plant-rollers too. 😅
A job well done 👍
I've owned a pair since 2021. With an 8 watt 300B tube amp it can play LOUD in a 13 x 29 ft room. Make sure to scrape off the varnish on those cheap speaker straps or use after-market jumpers. IMO most natural sonic presentation for classical and jazz.
That villalobos record is one of my favorites. Absolutely mental
masterful metaphors as usual, love some pickles and sauce!
Nice to see you reviewing bigger speakers. How about a review on the focal Arias?
Nice review.
I value dynamics pretty highly too. The first button I switch off in Spotify is the Audio Normalisation!
Heresy III here. I have a quite narrow room, 4m wide, 5-6m deep (back opens to other parts of the apartment). I find the best placement is about 15 cm from the side walls, 30cm from the back(front?) wall (corned placement). The width of the speakers is more or less or little more than my distance to the speakers, but the toe in is most important, to eliminate side refrections, i have toed these aggressively inwards so that they cross just in front of center sweetspot of my listening position, i cant see either of the sides of the speaker, so they are more like "dead on", but just a tad in front of me. Very solid phantom center and 3d holograpic imaging ! EDIT: also, i have removed the original slanted stands and have these on a custom stand 40cm height. Mine goes to around 40-35 Hz in this room 👍
To answer the question. Dynamics are very important in enjoying music. Most of my listening is to classical music, and this (as a general observation) has very contrasted dynamics. Many classical recordings (and reproductive systems playing them) are prone to compressing these contrasts in an effort to avoid excessive volume or inaudible quiet passages, but the outcome often robs the music of excitement. Of course, there are extreme examples that go the other way, particularly in music where the original content seems very wideband dynamically (such as late romantic French pipe organ music, or late romantic and early modern orchestral music), though this is not as common as a compressed result or simple gutlessness of all aspects of a recording. A key aspect in terms of the system is whether it not only swings the dynamics per se, but can sound convincing across the entire dynamic range. Too many systems allow the sound to collapse into a squishy mess at low dynamics, or to become incoherent and frazzled at high dynamics. Too many seem to be searching for their sweet-spot-volume. So the best system plays well at low volume but can do justice to the situation on the occasional peak. It can then be listened to at generally low volume settings, and this is better also for family and neighbours.
I have a pair of Mark II Heresies, from the mid-90s, and these have some differences from the Mark IVs. For mine, they purr along nicely at low volumes, but have the dynamism to give a full throttle sound when needed, so the volume setting is easy to determine for most recordings. My Mark IIs can sound rather over-juiced where the ambient content of a recording is considerable, however, and this arises irrespective of playback volume. Where the recording captures a lot of the natural acoustic (reverb) the speaker seems to add some more of its own, and we get into excessive washes of tone. Perhaps that's a system matching aspect, and of course, room matching too. However, with most recordings it works nicely. The limited bass is satisfyingly grounded, so for most purposes you don't miss it too much, though, being objective, this model is somewhat unbalanced in favour of the midrange.
I am begging record sleeve and label designers, especially of electronic music, to PLEASE label RPM speed, especially if it varies between various sides of a release. PLEASE!!!
When listening to a Horn speaker, the proper move is to connect them to any and every Tube amp you have.
Horns and Tubes, that’s where the magic is.
Thanks John, a very nice review. However, I prefer that the chef seasons my meal in the kitchen so I don't have to do that myself. Similarly, I prefer neutral speakers. Fortunately, we can all have it our way.
Can't go wrong with klipsch just need right amplifier ❤
look for low wattage single ended class-a style amp, tube or solid state 👍
Great review. Dynamics are important but it's also relative to the kind of music. With classical music, dynamics are extremely important and I listen to a lot of that. But for pop or jazz, dynamics are not as contrasted in the music itself so then I'd say it's still important but not as important as for classical music.
great review, do you still have them in Berlin? where did you get them? i'm trying to find a shop to audition them in Berlin. Have you listened to Jazz on them? all the AAA blue note reissues for example which i find too aggressive/top heavy on my speakers. Seriously considering those - even though as you pointed they are expensive in Europe!
Nice Barbapapa reference 😊
So, they are great for pop/rock/techno and the like. Now i also listen to classical music. How well do you think they perform, say, a violin concerto?
good speaker dont differentiate or care what your playing.
Dynamics are very important to me for late night listening
Thanks Darko ' Been with you since day one ! But these speakers Sound best with an old school warm sounding tube amp IMHO 'most new age Solid state way to bright sounding ' companies trying to boost the top end so it sounds hyper detailed ' Mackintosh one of the new age exceptions !!
Love the cat picture on the Samsung frame! Where did you find it?
For me dynamics are essential, I don't like listening at high volume, 9.
I'm a big fan of the loudness button for low level listening. A common feature on vintage amps, but almost unknown these days. Yes, you can simulate it in EQ, but it's much less convenient.
Interesting, I've got these speakers and love them. Definitely on the forward side although nothing that can't be tamed with placement & a little DSP. I'm using with a couple of subs to give that depth, pretty sure I'll never sell them.
I really want to hear a Klipsch Heritage. The overall description reminds me of the DIY Singularities I built which is a single 8" driver 92 dBA full range TL tower, super dynamic and detailed sound. They also excel at low volume but can throw down on command.
Great shout getting Ricardo Villalobos out!!!!!!!
Also fair play to buying a vinyl reissue when the original made you nauseous 😂
But I am not keen on these floor speakers at all. I just can’t see why anyone would buy them over about a dozen other options
Nice choice on the Villalobos pick , I used to listen to some of his stuff years ago I need to get back into his gear man, the guy is a talent. Do you listen to much Skee Mask or Shed and his many aliases?
The short speaker on the floor and angled upwards is a logical and rarely used configuration. The KLH Model 5 did it to great acclaim. The whole angling up presents all sorts of thoughts about spacial issues. The thing is it's aesthetically lousy. Still no fear of being knocked over like a stand mount. I would think more manufacturers might try the squat floor stander, angled up in the interest of cost. To repeat, the whole angled up from the floor should be tried with other, admittedly vanishing, box 'bookshelf'
speakers.
Priority 10 out of 10!!!
Ricardo Villalobos is amazing vinylist. This release looks like be on Perlon, I have to check it out. Thanks John!
Yeah, new artwork for this vinyl reissue.
Hey, I love dynamics with 8/10. Would love to see a comparison between those an the VESTLYD V15C.
Pickles and sauce for life!
Dynamics are much needed 10!
Love ❤️ your channel. But I have to say I have a pair of cerwin vega sl15, and for partial the price, they would take the kliptch.
Love mine. Tubes and a sub, and I’m done. 10
Dynamics in hifi as in instruments is everything
Humm…the Klipsch I’ve listened to and owned, and that’s not a lot of them, had that “Live “ sound but I found them fatiguing after a half hour. Might have to check these out.
You are better of buying a lowbudget dj style active speaker build in china from thomann
The Heresy lV's sound great, no listening fatigue. Put some tube equipment somewhere in the mix as Klipsch speakers love tubes. I use a Black Ice Audio F-35 integrated tube amp. The music sounds spectacular.
if they are fatiquing, its because your room acoustics or bad DAC / amp and or artificial room correction sofware / EQ doing nasty things.