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Disappointed w/ Klipsch Heresy III. Now what?

I'd be very grateful for some help with a quandary.

I recently replaced my Ohm Walsh 1000 speakers with Heresy III speakers, running two-channel from a Rega Brio. I was pretty excited about the Heresy IIIs based on reviews — they were efficient, so my 35-watt amp would get the job done; they were supposed to have real punch in the low mid-range, so I could hear the upright bass clearly; they reportedly had excellent imaging; and best of all, they were supposed to sound great at low volumes. They are also indisputably beautiful, which was an important factor for my wife. (The Ohms are elegant, but you have to be an audio lover to see their beauty.)

I set them up, and . . . not so bad, pretty good. Especially loud. In fact the louder the better. Crank them up and they sing. But loud is not really an option with a new baby. So how do they sound quiet? They sound like the band is trapped in shoe box. Really in two shoe boxes because the L and R don't merge that well. The sound stage is tiny. All the detail is gone, the joy is gone. They are no fun at all. Music just seems like a bunch of noise.

But I want to believe! I want to make these speakers work. So I am faced with a quandary. I could:

1. Buy stands, a subwoofer and a tube amp, all of which people in various forums have recommended to improve the various failings I hear now.

2. Replace the Rega with something much more powerful and pull the Ohms out of the closet. (Suboptimal because it will make my wife sad because of the aforementioned perceived ugliness.)

3. Just start all over again. Different amp, different speakers.

I'd kind of prefer number 1. But I don't want to end up with a bunch of stuff designed to solve a problem and then not have that problem solved! (And I'd also just as soon avoid getting a subwoofer.)

Final note. Positioning is an intractable nightmare. It is the one thing that I can't really change, because of how our living room is layed out. It is obviously a big problem though. The living room is a big rectangle, 18 x 40 feet, and the speakers are near the corners of the 18-foot ends, on either side of a couch. I can move them around — closer or further from the couch, closer or further from the wall. But I can't raise them above the height of the couch or move them out in front or over to another wall. That discussion went nowhere!

What should I do?

 



brooklynluke
analogluvr
800 posts
 
Bang on Johnny!!!  The only speakers I bought unheard were a pair of klipsch cornwalls.  When I got them I thought they were broken. No low bass and very little mid bass. 
johnnyb53
3,490 posts
 
Replace the Rega with something much more powerful and pull the Ohms out of the closet. (Suboptimal because it will make my wife sad BECAUSE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED PERCEIVED UGLINESS.)
I know asthetics is a matter of taste, but this limitation has me shaking my head. Compared to the slim elegance of the Ohm 1000, the Heresy looks like the speaker equivalent of a troll. I don't know what veneer you chose for the Ohms, but I think they're stunning in several of their available veneers, such as cherry, ribbon maple, sapele, rosewood, etc.

They are also easy to place and modestly sized. Their footprint is only 7.75" square, with a modest height of 38".

Esthetic and performance advantages:
  • No squarish humpy speakers sitting on the floor, tilted up
  • No stands required--less clutter
  • Omnidirectional radiating pattern and plinthed downfiring woofer makes for easy integration with the listening area.
  • Omnidirectional pattern also fills the listening area and presents a stable soundstage that's friendly to a wide range of listening positions.
All you need is a 100-150 wpc amp to bring the 1000s alive with the dynamics and clarity they're capable of.

I hadn't realized you still had the Ohms. You don't even have to buy them a second time.
markcarbone
1 posts
 
Luke, You seen to have fallen victim to one of the oldest pitfalls in buying home audio - you need to listen to the equipment before you buy it. Especially speakers. Let reviews inform which speakers you seek out to audition, but you’re really asking for it to buy speakers without listening to them.

Now, to the instant case. You need to listen at lower volumes (congrats Dad!), and the speakers do not ’open up’ at these volumes. It is not your imagination that different speakers seem to ’start sounding good’ after they reach a certain volume level. Think of equal loudness contours. Depending on the low end frequency response of the speakers, they will sound ’thin’ when played at soft levels, will ’open up’ when played such that their volume level and bass response give a satisfactory amount of perceived bass (reference equal loudness contours), and systems so often sound bass heavy when played very loudly.

You bought speakers that don’t open up until they are played inconveniently loud. Do you love the way the Heresies sound when played at louder levels? Your offspring won’t be in the house always or young always. You can add a sub to get by, recognizing that it won’t be a perfect solution. Matching a sub to the Heresies (use 80 Hz) will be a bit of an effort, and you can expect a bit of mid-to-upper bass dip. Assuming you are still in NYC, you live in the audio Mecca of the US, and you can probably work out some kind of sale, deal, or trade to a more appropriate speakers if you need to.

Caution on changing electronic components. A new amp or preamp will not bring the large shift you need to enjoy your system in the manner you describe. A tube amp for headphones? Some people go that way. Best of luck. And no matter what you do, try your best to listen to something as close to the equipment as possible before you buy!
helomech
766 posts
 
Heresys won’t give you much below 50 Hz, that’s correct.

The claim that they don’t open up at low volume is compete bull. They accomplish that feat better than almost any modern design. They’re also far more revealing of amp differences than many other speakers.

And the Rogue Sphinx suggestion is about the worst on this thread. Those amps have terrible low frequency performance, especially at low volumes. Yes, I owned the Rogue Sphinx, in addition to the Pharaoh, neither reaches well into the nether regions unless cranked loud.

The Heresys do mid-bass quite well and with a sub crossed at 80 Hz (the omni-directional threshold) you shouldn’t have any dips if the speakers are placed within reason. Heresys have no problem reaching clear down to 65 Hz, unless one’s room is producing bass nodes, which was the case when I first heard a pair of Cornwalls. I too thought they had no bass until they were properly positioned and amplified.
32blownhemi's avatar
32blownhemi
6 posts
 
I might have missed it but I don't think you mentioned what kind of floor the speakers are on. If they are on anything other than carpet put a thick carpet sample under the speakers. My Klipsch La Scala's sound much better on carpet versus a wood floor... And I use McIntosh tube amps. Mc275...   Bill
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