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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
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
7,068 posts
 
Traditionally, speakers like the Heresy did best with tubes. Its easy to imagine it being a bit harsh with a transistor amplifier. You don't need a powerful amplifier so you have lots of options. I would recommend something with at least 15 watts per channel. Our smallest amp drives that speaker with ease.

As I recall that speaker is fairly deep. So I would back them up so that the back of the speaker is only a few inches from the wall. That will help with the bass and due to the depth of the speaker, will not mess with the imaging.

I would also check the phase; simply reverse the red for black on one speaker only and listen to the result. If the speakers are out of phase with each other I can see the system acting very much like you describe!

Keep your speaker cables short. High end speakers do not deserve to have the cables in the wall! This will help regardless of the speaker.
chayro
1,801 posts
 
What you should do is accept the fact that you cannot buy a speaker based on reviews or sometimes even an in-store demo, unless you are prepared to accept the possibility that the speakers just don't work well in your room.  In the typical domestic environment, IMO, without a home demo, it is a total crapshoot.  I've had small speakers in my room that sounded twice the size of large ones because of the way they interact with the room.  Anyway - I totally agree you should wait for the speakers to break in before changing anything.  Also, as said above, move them closer to the wall, which could make a big difference.  Best of luck. 
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,318 posts
 

Atmasphere, please correct me if I am wrong. There is a couch in between the speakers. If he pushes the speakers closer to the wall, that means more of the couch is in front of the speaker. Will that not mess with the imaging? I was suggesting to position the speaker just slightly in front of the couch.

islandmandan
848 posts
 
Just to experiment, try temporarily moving them one third, or as close as possible to it, then adjust your seating for best sound. This may sound heretical (no pun intended), but it may show what's possible with your Heresy III's, or at least what you're missing. This works for me in my similar sized living/listening room.

Class D can sound spectacular with horn speakers, and can be done on a small budget. In my system, I switch between an SET 300B, and Class D Audio, which is kit-built, and sounds much better than it has any right to, considering its modest price.

At any rate, I don't believe you are getting anywhere near what the Heresy's are capable of, whether it be break-in, room placement, or whatever else it may be.

Best of luck, hope you can get them to work out to your satisfaction. Regards,
Dan 

brownsfan
1,238 posts
 
Most of what I am going to say you have already heard.  Don't buy speakers without auditioning them, preferably in your system.   I've done that twice, and been disappointed both times.   Reviews are almost irrelevant, unless the review is done by someone you trust based on prior experience.   Now, as to the Heresys.  I haven't heard them.   The closest I come is my first audition of a CD player back in about 82 or 83.  The monitors were Cornwalls.  I had never, ever, heard such poor mid to low frequency reproduction.  I walked away from the demo, concluding that digital was the culprit.  Later, I was told by a friend who had recently been an employee of the salon, that, "yes, that is how the Cornwalls sound."  The point is that you like the Klipsch sound or you don't.  It is not for me, and perhaps it is not for you.  There are many other options out there for high efficiency tube friendly speakers.    But audition what you buy.  Speakers that excel at low volume are out there, and if that is a requirement, start your search with those and be prepared to build your system around them.   

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