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I’d read about the Klipsch Heresy series loudspeakers and thought they might be a good loudspeaker to pair with my 10W valve push pull monoblocks. For the past 2.5 years I’ve been using Frugel Horns loaded with Mark Audio 4” CHP70 full range drivers and a pair of attenuated Mark Audio super tweeters and so was curious to hear an alternative.
A new pair of Heresy Mk III loudspeakers retail in the UK for £2K which, to be quite honest, I baulked at paying. They may well be worth it but that many pound coins to me are pretty big money for home audio equipment, having pursued this hobby on both a DIY and budget basis.
A new pair can be had for around £1K75 on Ebay but I wouldn’t care to buy something that expensive on Ebay, tbh.
I’d also noticed a lot of differing opinions expressed about these loudspeakers and didn’t fancy splashing out that amount of money only to find I didn’t care for them very much. So when I saw a pair of Heresy Mk II loudspeakers going on Ebay I entered the bidding. I’d just been paid, eventually, for some work I’d undertaken last April so was kinda flush.
The Heresy II’s were in Manchester (I'm in London) but postage was offered in the original packaging for £35. I set myself a price limit and towards the end of the bidding time put that in as a highest bid and *after something of a frenzy with the bidding in the last twenty minutes I won the auction. My bid was just £30 short of the maximum I was prepared to pay for them.
And so several days later they arrived. They are very heavy. In fact they more resembled a PA loudspeaker to me than one for use in my living room. *I started playing some music and thought I’d made a horrible mistake, they did not sound very nice at all.
Still, I persevered, and after about three hours of playing music through them they suddenly started to make sense, it was if a veil had been lifted away from them. The highs were now discernible and the bass was no longer boomy.
A further twelve hours playing, sometimes at reasonably high volume levels, and I was really starting to like them. Some recordings displayed a definite boominess though. I wondered about making a pair of platform stands for them to angle them upwards and lessen the bass where they sit directly on the floor. I haven’t done that yet and probably won’t.
After a while I slid each one back about 6” (150mm) from the position they’re seen in the pix below and things improved a great deal. Boominess now pretty much non-existent on the greater majority of recordings. One problem I do have is my rather strange room acoustics but I’m stuck with the loudspeaker positioning, I’ve considered every kind of room layout but my present setup is the only way I can accommodate everything I have in this room.
I wondered why these used loudspeakers would require a ‘running in’ period, after all, they are probably between 25 and 30 years old. I decided to open them, as much to determine all original Klipsch drivers were present as well as curiosity.
And discovered some corrosion (see pic). The retaining screws holding all drivers in also showed some rust. So I’m guessing that these loudspeakers had not been used for some time and stored in damp conditions. Me playing music through them probably dispelled any moisture and likely got them loosened up again. That’s what I’m guessing anyway.
I’ve cleaned all *that corrosion off now.
And now, after 9 days use I really like these a lot and I think they’re keepers.
All I’ve used for loudspeakers in this dwelling are a pair of Kef Crestas on stands and the aforementioned Frugel horns. Comparing these Klipsch Heresy II’s to the Frugels has made me realise just how good the Frugel horn design is, for what they are, those Frugel horns are fantastic. The Frugels, including the pair of Super Tweeters, cost me a total of £310 for everything to make them with btw.
So what difference do I hear? Compared to the Frugels the Klipsch’s have better stereo imaging and more bass (which is kinda obvious, really). And that’s it really, the rest of the sound reproduction between the two different sets of loudspeakers is surprisingly similar.
One very good point in each loudspeaker set’s favour is there’s no harshness in the top end, high frequencies are smooth and pleasing, none of that tish tish tisssssh you sometimes get in some of the less subtle loudspeaker designs.
So that’s it, I’m very happy with them, no more loudspeaker changes for some considerable time now, *but I’ll be keeping the Frugels, they’re just too good to let go.
Here's the home made Frugel horns I was using prior to:
A new pair of Heresy Mk III loudspeakers retail in the UK for £2K which, to be quite honest, I baulked at paying. They may well be worth it but that many pound coins to me are pretty big money for home audio equipment, having pursued this hobby on both a DIY and budget basis.
A new pair can be had for around £1K75 on Ebay but I wouldn’t care to buy something that expensive on Ebay, tbh.
I’d also noticed a lot of differing opinions expressed about these loudspeakers and didn’t fancy splashing out that amount of money only to find I didn’t care for them very much. So when I saw a pair of Heresy Mk II loudspeakers going on Ebay I entered the bidding. I’d just been paid, eventually, for some work I’d undertaken last April so was kinda flush.
The Heresy II’s were in Manchester (I'm in London) but postage was offered in the original packaging for £35. I set myself a price limit and towards the end of the bidding time put that in as a highest bid and *after something of a frenzy with the bidding in the last twenty minutes I won the auction. My bid was just £30 short of the maximum I was prepared to pay for them.
And so several days later they arrived. They are very heavy. In fact they more resembled a PA loudspeaker to me than one for use in my living room. *I started playing some music and thought I’d made a horrible mistake, they did not sound very nice at all.
Still, I persevered, and after about three hours of playing music through them they suddenly started to make sense, it was if a veil had been lifted away from them. The highs were now discernible and the bass was no longer boomy.
A further twelve hours playing, sometimes at reasonably high volume levels, and I was really starting to like them. Some recordings displayed a definite boominess though. I wondered about making a pair of platform stands for them to angle them upwards and lessen the bass where they sit directly on the floor. I haven’t done that yet and probably won’t.
After a while I slid each one back about 6” (150mm) from the position they’re seen in the pix below and things improved a great deal. Boominess now pretty much non-existent on the greater majority of recordings. One problem I do have is my rather strange room acoustics but I’m stuck with the loudspeaker positioning, I’ve considered every kind of room layout but my present setup is the only way I can accommodate everything I have in this room.
I wondered why these used loudspeakers would require a ‘running in’ period, after all, they are probably between 25 and 30 years old. I decided to open them, as much to determine all original Klipsch drivers were present as well as curiosity.
And discovered some corrosion (see pic). The retaining screws holding all drivers in also showed some rust. So I’m guessing that these loudspeakers had not been used for some time and stored in damp conditions. Me playing music through them probably dispelled any moisture and likely got them loosened up again. That’s what I’m guessing anyway.
I’ve cleaned all *that corrosion off now.
And now, after 9 days use I really like these a lot and I think they’re keepers.
All I’ve used for loudspeakers in this dwelling are a pair of Kef Crestas on stands and the aforementioned Frugel horns. Comparing these Klipsch Heresy II’s to the Frugels has made me realise just how good the Frugel horn design is, for what they are, those Frugel horns are fantastic. The Frugels, including the pair of Super Tweeters, cost me a total of £310 for everything to make them with btw.
So what difference do I hear? Compared to the Frugels the Klipsch’s have better stereo imaging and more bass (which is kinda obvious, really). And that’s it really, the rest of the sound reproduction between the two different sets of loudspeakers is surprisingly similar.
One very good point in each loudspeaker set’s favour is there’s no harshness in the top end, high frequencies are smooth and pleasing, none of that tish tish tisssssh you sometimes get in some of the less subtle loudspeaker designs.
So that’s it, I’m very happy with them, no more loudspeaker changes for some considerable time now, *but I’ll be keeping the Frugels, they’re just too good to let go.
Here's the home made Frugel horns I was using prior to:
Never mind Mrs Exmoor come around my house my misses would pleased to see you too