robcfoster's Full Review: Klipsch HERESY II Main / Stereo Speaker
Klipsch Heresy II Speakers Review:
After listening to my new pair of Klipsch RF25s for a week (review: http://www.epinions.com/content_217615339140) I was hooked. And I wanted even more. Not that the RF25s are lacking (they certainly are not), but because they sounded so good, I could only imagine the quality and quantity of sound I could get from an even bigger pair of Klipsch speakers. Now I understand better the phrase "Dope From Hope".
Upon a return visit to my local Klipsch dealer "just to look around", I purchased a pair of the Klipsch Heresy IIs nearly on impulse. The dealer was making a great deal on his last pair. Like a junkie in need of a fix, I just couldn't resist. I looked at my wife, and saw what I took as approval in her eyes. To be sure, I handed her the "plastic"; she smiled and handed it to the nice man behind the counter. Enough said.
The Heresy IIs ("Baby Horns" as I now affectionately call them) are the entry-level speakers in the Klipsch Heritage Series, which includes the legendary Klipschorn (The original "Dope From Hope"), La Scala, and Cornwall speakers.
I expected the Heresy IIs to be a step up from the RF25s. What I got was much more.
Klipsh info here:
http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=8&dmore=True&rmore=False
After allowing the speakers to sit at room temperature for 2 hours, I hooked them up to the the "B" channel of my Pioneer VSX-454 110-watt per channel AV receiver (the "A" channel being occupied by the pair of Klipsch RF25s mentioned above). In this configuration, it is easy enough to switch between one pair, the other pair, and both pairs, for comparison. This equipment is setup in the center of a 16' wall in my carpeted 20' x 16' rectangular living room. All four speakers are toed in toward the center of the room, and the Heresy IIs are sitting 8' apart on their angled floor stands which lift their face upward to direct more sound into the room.
After listening to these speakers for a week, I have to say that the Heresy IIs are in a different class than the RF25s. Where the RF25s are a refined technological marvel that excel at definition, spatial alignment and nearly perfect reproduction, the Baby Horns are rather "old school" and excel at stereo seperation and big bang pure adrenalin. Think new Lexus vs old GTO...
I spent nearly 5 hours today putting the Baby Horns through a battery of musical selections, including (in no particular order): Dave Matthews Band, Eric Clapton, BB King, Collective Soul, ACDC, Dire Straits, 38 Special, Brooks & Dunn, Boston, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Pat Benatar, ZZ Top, Bad Company, and others. Note: All CDs are factory originals, in perfect shape, with no bothersome scratches.
These speakers seem "tame" and unassuming at low volume levels, providing the listener with a "nice" sound. Add some volume, and these speakers begin to show their stuff. And that stuff is pretty good most of the time. The more volume you add, the happier these speakers become; they magically transform from tame to "in your face", filling the room with very big sound. My 20' x 16' room is nearly too small for these speakers, as they seem to benefit from being spaced farther apart.
The midrange and tweeter are of the horn variety and are easily capable of providing more mids and highs than I need, but can be a little bright at times for my taste; this brightness was especially evident at medium and high volume levels when listening to selections from Pat Benatar's Crimes Of Passion CD.
The 12" woofer makes bass to spare, easily shaking the floor and rattling walls. I was especially impressed with the bass output during various selections from the Def Leppard and ACDC CDs.
My wife likes that the lyrics and vocals are clear and not overpowered by the music.
For comparison, a few days ago I visited a friend who owns a pair of Bose 901s and the accompanying eq setup; he auditioned them for me, and I have to say that the 901s did not impress me, although the price he paid was much more than I paid for the Klipsch Heresy IIs.
With only my somewhat anemic receiver driving them, the Klipsch Heresy IIs are happy to provide music I can feel as well as hear. At 3/8 volume level on my 1995 vintage Pioneer receiver, I have my own front-row center to the concert of my choice. Some passages evoked emotional response; the tingling sensation and hair raising on the back of my neck made it clear that I am that much closer now to audio nirvana.
This review has been written to explain my experience listening to only the pair of Klipsch Heresy IIs; I must admit that when I add in the pair of RF25s (all four Klipsch speakers playing simultaneously), the combined sound presence and quality is simply amazing - surprisingly, these speakers compliment each other quite well. My brother came to visit last weekend and brought some of his favorite CDs. After auditioning the Klipsch speakers for a few hours (literally), we took a break; he looked at me, grinned, and said "it's like a religious experience".
This is a PAIR of 12 inch 8 ohm replacement woofers for use in the Klipsch Heresy and Heresy II speakers. This woofer replaces the original Klipsch K-...More at eBay
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