You can not see it. But I`m standing here in my livingroom in Norway, giving you standing ovations. This is how it should be done. There are xlr cables that could wish they were as balanced as this.
Exactly what separates you from most reviewers. You are admittedly not a horn fan .. but you gave these an honest review and it’s not just about the white paper but they do immerse you in the music and bring joy and emotion. Thanks Ron
After years of repairing, refoaming, and paying for crossover upgrades on vintage speakers from JBL, KLH, Advent and others, I purchased a pair of these about 90 days ago. I’m OK with using a sub (svs S.B. 2000) and I am pleased with their diminutive size after having Forte II’s in my space. I am really happy with their performance and have no regrets. I agree with much of what he says about the speakers except the sensitivity. They are far more sensitive than other speakers and I don’t need numbers to tell me that. I primarily listen to vinyl and CD and I have pushed these with a 2 watt tube amp, 20 watt Vista Spark, 135 watt Yamaha Class A amplifier as well as several vintage receivers from Sansui and Scott. They sound great to me in my space with my equipment. In the end, I knew I enjoyed Klipsch sound and for once I am able to determine the history of use of a pair of speakers.
I agree with you , drivers hasn't to be the only player in terms of sensitivity threshold ,there are other players ( dynamics , materials, enclosure design and even the mass of dust cap can be able to make a change , I like this guy because he is brave heart and says the truth no matter what sponsor would be responded , but i should agree with you because volume capacity depends on so many factors.
I'm very fortunate to have been gifted my uncle's 1981 Cornwalls a couple of years ago. I built my system around them with Quicksilver Horn Monos and "Mom and Pop shop" tube preamps that I've had for years. You nailed my experience. I have friends with Magnepans and subs which seem more "perfect", but the set up with the Klipsch speakers gives me joy and the feeling that I'm in the studio with the band. Congrats on your move to TX. Please get in touch if you come to Houston! Message to other readers - if you find the Heresy too expensive but want to get into Klipsch, find some vintage KG4 speakers!
These, coupled with a flea powered SET tube amp, are sheer magic to me. I can see that they might not be for someone looking for tonal neutrality. If you are looking for a speaker that will allow the music to hit you at an emotional level, however, give these an audition. Thanks, Ron!
@@gregorypatton360 Right now a Bottlehead Stereomour II that puts out a glorious 3.5 watts per channel. More than enough to drive these puppies. I'm looking at ordering a Decware Amp, as well. We'll see.
I used a decware se84 with my heresy 1s. It was one of the best combos ive heard. Another great little amp is the glow amp one. I love mine and it sounds great with my heresys
I dont really think theres a wrong choice with his amps. Ive ownd a few including the taboo and torii jr. They were all excellent but i think i miss the taboo the most.
I love how you were split between the analytics and actually how they sound. I will never measure speakers, I will enjoy these speakers for many years to come. No complaints from me. Thanks for your review.
My brother has a pair of these in his big Texas house plays vinyl and spotify and loves them. They fill the space effortlessly and are great for his rock and reggae library.
I've owned these for a bit over a year now. To note, this is a secondary system that I use in my California apartment with my main rig being in my New York state home. What I like about them - 1) Form factor - they don't visually dominate the space; the fit and finish is high quality, attractive and both retro and modern - fitting into lots of different decors; works well in my space, which allows me to sit about 12 feet away, which - I think - eliminates any issue with feeling the sound is coming from the floor, given that the backward rake of the speaker pushes the sound up. I've never has a desire to raise them off the floor. 2) Efficiency - It may or may not be 99 dB, but regardless, it is a super efficient speaker. It allows for usage of any amp you can imagine and as a result, you need not spend a lot of money on a high-powered amp. I currently run mine with a 150 watt Wadia, but that was the result of a great deal and aesthetics. 3) Live, life-like sound - Depending on the type/sound quality of music you listen to, this may or may not be meaningful. I have a wide variety of musical tastes, some of which is not especially well recorded. This is where some of the bloom that Ron mentioned can be taken one way or another. If a recording that you like to listen to for the music (vs. technical expertise) is played on a linear, high resolution speaker - it might not sound especially nice to listen to. Played on the Heresy, you may find that you enjoy it more. This is not to say that well-recorded music does not sound excellent on the Heresy - it does. In fact, I sometimes find it easier to notice the variance in quality from track to track on an album that was recorded/mixed/mastered in multiple locations, than I do on my main rig - which costs many times more. Is it perfect? No speaker is. Does it have a space in the marketplace for consumers looking for something that can add life into recordings - either recent or many decades old? I think yes. Is it worth the $? That is up to the buyer, their desires and their wallet. I was able to get mine on discount as supposedly they were a B-grade finish, but I was unable to find a flaw on them. Happy listening.
Possibly the best review and reviewer I have ever watched ......keep doing what your doing Ron.... you are the best! ... P.S.. Klipsch never stop making Heritage speakers.
" And, the measurements, also, can't bring joy. You know what can? Dancing with my wife while listening to the Heresys." That comment touches me. It says it all.
Wow. You have perfectly described what I hear from and what I like and dislike about, my Heresys. Well done. More impressive to me, you have distilled the purchase choice down to the nub: what do you prioritize in sound reproduction and what is your amplification. I bought them because they were designed to match my very vintage tube amp and because I prioritize a "you are there" presentation. They deliver these things in massive amounts. They are far less neutral and micro detailed than some other, more modern design speakers I've owned such as Thiels, Kefs and Merlins. But those speakers seemed to strangle the sound whereas the Heresys opened the barn door and let the music run wild. Your choice
I have an OPPO 205 connected with XLR's to a Marantz 8805A and two Parasound Halo A23's bi-amp to my pair and they sound, well, heavenly. I'm a musician which means I have a better ear than most and I bi-amp any chance I get. I wouldn't miss out on that with this pair of speakers. Especially when Klipsch is known for their high sensitivity and perfect for heavy metal. Oh BTW; I have them sitting on a pair Auralex MoPads. Not 14 inches off the ground but I think this made a huge difference.
To quote Nelson Pass, after he finally found a pair of vintage 1970’s JBL L300 Summit speakers: “What can I say? I can make it flatter, but I can’t make it sound better”.
I really didn’t know what to say about such a perfect description of a speaker, so I just hit the like button. You hit this one far outta the park. Bravo, Ron. 👏🎶👍🔊✌️
Just discovered this channel, and wow. Really honest review, and a nice angel to describing this speaker. Rock’n roll ain’t pretty on paper! Well said..
I just heard a sound demo today of the Hereseys where the guy had them sitting up at ear level on a pair of chairs next to a wall and they sounded a heck of a lot better than when sitting on the floor. I really liked them when positioned like that.
Hi, I took your advice to lift Heresy's up from the ground for about 12 inches in my listening room, and that opened the soundstage and cleared the sound picture for a lot. Best advice in order to run these speakers on a higher level. Thank you for the advice and for the great review! I will try them with the subwoofer, too.
Truthful, articulate, damn near perfect review. Fantastic production value. 👍👍 Looking at the graphs alone was 25% of the story. Your experience and the way you explained it added so much meaning to the graphs, it was almost like I was there 😂 Vocal boominess, as confirmed by spectral decay in the bass region looks downright awful 😱 It would drive me mad within minutes 😂😂😂
These are great speakers. I own them for nearly a year and last week boight REL sub for them. This is a gamę changer. I have all the goodies and all of the problems of bass disapeared. Well set crossover and this is a perfect rig. The boxy sound is gone. They got authority now and sound slightly softer and fuller keeping the razor blade response in the mids and tops.
The bi-amp feature might just come down to the old school way of adding a different flavor to the top end, such as tubes. Zeos’ application did make sense in that the lows would get left behind at high volume.
Yes in general, i always think brightness comes from upper mid, not from treble, which makes music sparkle, not bright. I wholeheartedly agree with you
Finally a reviewer, telling the truth about the sensitivity. Way to go Ron! On a pedantic note, it's 99dB sensitive not efficient as efficiency is expressed as a percentage and doesn't have a unit of measure. Really love your presentation.
Wow - what an amazing review. Very honest and neutral - something I can really embrace!! I feel like we were friends in High School, but then you went to MIT in Engineering and decided to relax, grow a beard, and focus on your true love - being an audiophile. Hats off to you. Ok, with that said, I had ordered the JBL L100, but changed my order and switched to these instead. I talked with some "experts" and let them know I already have a Klipsch Center channel and also a Klipsch Subwoofer. I have a Yamaha RXA-2080 Aventage 9.2 receiver with 140 watts per channel. Any recommendations on cross-over settings with the sub? Any recommendations on an additional amp for these, tubes, etc? I am really ready to step up the the next level. Thanks in advance. BTW - Andrew Robinson has got nothing on you man!
I have an old pair of Heresy IIs I was given for free. I replaced the crossovers and the tweeter diaphragms (Crites). I’ve actually used them for some near-field listening and there’s nothing quite like them for midrange voicing. HOWEVER....I wouldn’t pay 3 grand for a new pair. I just think there’s too many other options in that price range that are overall better.
I agree with you on the boxiness sound. I added No Res this weekend to both my Cornwall IV's (left/right channels & Heresy IV - center channel). Also upgrading the crossovers with Mundorf Caps, Resistors, & Inductors (Cornwall IV's only...for now). Also added Dynamat Extreme on all the horns and Woofer baskets. Without changing the Caps yet, just adding the No Res & Dynamat eliminated the boxiness and made dialog and vocals much smoother. The are my forever Speakers. This whole modification Rabbit Hole started when I blew both Cornwall IV Tweeters while watching a Movie. Klipsch replaced them for free under the remainder of the factory 10 year warranty. Hope all is well with Sara and the kids.
In the sea of holy subjective reviews it is so refreshing to hear your take and see your measurements. I heard open baffle for the first time last year and ever since I have been unable to un hear the box in my original heresy. I have had a decent sub since day one so bass was never an issue and I would also argue passing off the low end of the heresy to a sub has been the easiest in all my speakers. Perhaps I missed it but I don’t know if you talked about soundstage. The heresy was the first speaker in which voice is really jumped out at me. Song after song I literally did a double take and think to myself, “did that really just come out of the speaker? “ I have almost come full circle with the box, knowing that in all likelihood it was a design and voicing choice. It is the one speaker that helps me enjoy music without being so analytical and I love it for that. Do you prefer these or the GRresearch RP600M?
Wow Ron, one of your best reviews to date and agree, you hit this one out of the park. I had thought about trying to save up for an older pair of the Forte's but in the end, ended up with a vintage pair of ADS L810 speakers that are acoustic suspension and use 2, 8" paper woofers, like the Heresy's are they the most accurate, no, but they have a naturalness about them that I love and even though they are the series I models and thus rated for 88dB sensitivity, they can get loud, I barely have to turn the volume up to the 10:00 mark before reading 70-75dB with a vintage NAD receiver, rated on paper to "40W Per Ch", but play like they are more like 60 watters. Anyway, I'd say it's a good combo for jazz and most rock, and probably like you, I don't have any "audiophile" grade records or CD's in my collection so some sound good, some middling etc and I can listen to most of them without issue. I like that and it sounds like the Heresy's may do that as well. if there is a true negative, it's the price. I had been looking at the MKI or MKII series Fortes as they could be had on more of a pauper's income, but the ADS speakers came to me free so there is that. :-)
Really good review. Was enjoyable for me to watch. Even though I am with you on open baffle I know loudspeakers are never one size fits all. You did a nice job of just helping someone understand what they will get. I have found that some people follow a reviewer and want their blessing before they buy something and that often leads to disappointment. To me a good reviewer not only gives their opinion helps someone understand if it is what they will like.
With Heresy III its 2.1. With my experience if you boost the treble it can sound harsh, keep the eq as flat as possible and they shouldn't sound harsh. I hope to try the IV's someday to see if the bass response is better.
I am the original owner of a pair of Heresy II early 80s and they are still perfect. Over the years I have had many good amps, Onkyo Integra Marantz and JVC pre hdmi. At times I have thought they were just OK. Then I bought a Pioneer Elite stereo receiver and now these are music to my ears so to speak. They are very source fussy but when you find the right one these will truly be the last speakers you will buy.. Clear and natural.
A lot of people have been conditioned to dislike horn loaded speakers and regurgitate the same tired lines about their sound even when they have never heard them. Likewise, there is a faction in the audio world who is going to hate on Klipsch no matter what the product actually delivers. Put the Heresy's behind an acoustically transparent screen and a great many horn and Klipsch haters would change their tune. The main complaint, depending on the room and source material, would be a lack of depth to the bass. Not brightness, not a megaphone effect or any of the other foolish cliches audiophiles use to pretend they know something others don't. The Heresy isn't may favorite Klipsch speaker, That would be the La Scala and a subwoofer to match and if you understand anything about horn loaded woofers then you'll know why the La Scala can only go so deep even though it's huge. If you don't understand horn design and don't care to then you'll say it sucks and Klipsch sucks and on and on. So be it. But what I really don't understand is why in a community of supposedly like minded individuals that we have such animosity towards any type or brand of product. I would love to hear the NX-Oticas. Or the Spatial audio speakers. I would enjoy listening to the different amps and Dacs and cables just to hear for myself what the differences are. I've heard a ton of speakers and amp combo's over the years because I've sought those experiences out. Yes, Virginia, there are still shops to visit and shows to go to. If you make the effort. Some well regarded speakers and amps just didn't float my boat. Some did. And some products I'd never heard of before really wowed me. My advice is to go and listen to as much product as you can. When the big audio shows get going again go out to Rocky Mountain Audiofest. By all accounts the new venue has the best sounding rooms of all the hotel shows and the scenery is great. And, seriously, almost every major city has a stor or two you can visit and listen to the stuff you may have only read about. Take the drive, make the effort. Discover rather than complain or criticize. Explore rather than simply wish.
as always, an excellent and honest review. ...and by your description, I know these speakers are for me. And when I heard the demo with the comment, I knew these speakers weren't for me. That boomy boxy bass would drive me up the wall. But back in my college days, these speakers would have been a huge bag of fun for a rock'n house party...
Sounds like a few too many quirks to this speaker's sound to make it worthwhile at $3000/pair except for a very select few. And then you need a subwoofer after that? It is a beautiful piece of furniture but are its virtues so much better they can't be had elsewhere for the same or less? Without all the compromises? Appreciate your honesty in this review. You and Randy make a good pair.
I don't care whether you buy a Klipsch product or not but listen for yourself, then decide. Nothing against Ron at all but these are his opinions and unless you know that you like what Ron likes you could be missing out on something you would love.
Dave P, I haven't followed Ron long enough to know what he likes for music. But the "boxiness" I heard in the sound demos were in line with his description and I was not a fan. I know many other reviewers, ( some very well regarded) raved about the Heresy IV, usually as a rock and roll party speaker. Not my thing. If I'm going to spend $3000 for a pair of speakers with a distinct personality it needs to be one I can live with. If you like them fine with me enjoy them. People have different tastes and at $3K there are a lot of choices. And I have owned and liked Klipsch speakers in the past but not at price point.
Ron, reviewers like Danny at GR and (ironically) Amir at ASR really focus on measurements. It can be very interesting to see the data and understand what they are talking about...But you hit the nail on the head: A speaker that has less than stellar measurements can still provide tremendous listening pleasure. I have spent time with a few models that either or both individuals have poo-poo'd in their evaluations. I won't let them spoil my fun!
I've known the Klipsch name for a fairly long time, but I never owned any of their products or truly dug into their history until just recently. Over the past several years, through not much effort on my part, a bunch of vintage audio equipment has found its way to me. Thinking about all the gear I have that is patiently waiting for my attention, one particular picture came into focus... I have a 1950s Heathkit W-5M vacuum tube monophonic power amplifier (~25 watts) + matching Heathkit WA-P2 vacuum tube monophonic control preamplifier. I have an H.H. Scott vacuum tube monophonic FM tuner. I have a 1949 RCA "Victrola 45" (7 inch 45 RPM only) monophonic record changer, introduced by RCA right alongside the 45 RPM record format. I have a "spare" modern turntable that can run at 78 RPM (as well as 33 and 45) and can accept a stylus appropriate for 78 RPM records. And I'm an open reel tape fanatic, so one way or another, I will have a vacuum tube monophonic open reel tape machine. So, I'm going to assemble a dedicated all-mono all-tube audio system as a standalone system, secondary to my main stereo system (which is mostly vintage, but newer and mostly solid state). I will mostly be playing 1950s doo-wop, rock-n-roll, blues, etc. on this system. Generally nothing later than about 1965. The big missing piece was a period-correct (or at least spirit-correct) speaker or pair of speakers (being driven by the single mono power amplifier). I just recently picked up a pair of Klipsch Heresy II speakers for this system. I expect the Heresies to be perfect for this system and music. I don't have the system all together yet, but I look forward to the day I do! 🙂
And as I recall he also raised them to ear level and canted them forward, even though they are voiced for a floor standing and canted back position. The standard position should help with time alignment as well as balance in FR.
Zeos is also a bit of a joke when it comes to really reviewing gear. I would take anything he's says with more than a grain of salt. He was running them with crown or behringer pro amps. Not exactly what is ideal.
I wonder why no one talks about the fact that perception is completely different for each person and we learn how to perceive sensory input. For example, the colors we see are nonsense if we aren’t taught their meaning.
Favorite line, and def applies to any quality made speaker... "Measurements also can't bring joy. You know what can? Dancing with my wife while listening to the Heresy."
99dB sensitivity is probably about right for a high EBP woofer of this size if measured into half space, which may not be terribly inappropriate for big wide baffles expected to be used in a room anyway. The Eminence Delta Pro-12A would drop off pretty rapidly below 50hz and is 99dB sensitive into half space.
great review, I have struggled to put in words to myself and audiophile friends why I use my cornwall 4s and my faber Olympic 3s and vandersteins sit in the corner, your reviews says it well, numbers arent everything and how the speakers sounds is important..thank you....
Gee, thanks for making me miss my Heresy's! I decided to downsize, and really wish I had the opportunity to hear them after learning about low/high pass filters. They were awesome and were even better with a SW, even though I had no idea at the time on how to set-up a SW. Bought in 1989 for $800 and sold a year or 2 ago for the same price.
I personally appreciate the liveliness of Klipsch speakers. So many audiophiles go by on paper specs. I don’t understand. We listen with our ears. I go by what I like and what I enjoy. Not by reports or response. That being said. I do have a lot of different speakers and audio equipment. I appreciate them all for different reasons but I have always made my decisions to purchase by ear only.
I did too before I realized I dont have to anymore. Speakers have gotten so much cheaper and better recently that they can play everything very good. You dont have to prioritize any more I feel. With a frequency graph like this it will be hit and miss whats sounds good. I recently redesigned my crossover in my Xtz speakers with the newest speaker theories and it sounds excellent on all material.
I haven't heard the 4s yet. But I own 1s from 1979 in mint condition with sonicaps in the xover. Single ended EL34 powering and I'm hooked for life. I have other better speakers but the Heresy is my main go to. Yep they aren't perfect for everything but when its a good recording you know it. Mine have great detail and all of the other things people want but the bass is good on the right music. If techno or rap is your game then these won't do it. As far as bi-amp goes I have on other speakers with great results using tubes for the top and solid state on bottom. Anyway, great video. I'm glad to see Klipsch get some love. Good luck on the move and keep up the great work.
Your reviews are wonderful. I think Z Reviews bi-amped his Heresy 4s. I am running Cornwall 4s with a Schiit Freya plus and Aegir monos-blocks. I've found some magic with this setup. I hope you get a chance as I think the Cornwalls are like a Heresey on steroids ( talk about "box sound"), and while sharing the same mid-range compression drivers. The 15" woofers eliminate the need for subs IMO. I also think they are more flexible in terms of placement and positioning. Thanks again for all of your passion and great work!
@@chrislesnar I watched his videos where he did it and thought it was pretty crazy. I imagine the good people down in Hope being pissed off as he basically reworked Klipsch's crossover with a new active network inline too. Odd to say the least.
About the bass. I built some speakers with similar stiff suspension drivers. I ran them for over a year and once when l had the driver out l hand pumped it and it was easy. I recently got some more of the same 8" drivers (for a new project) and they were so stiff l couldn't even hand pump them at all! So if the Heresy's are new, they aren't ran in. So l bet they will go to 40 hz if you use them long enough and the bass sound will improve with less boxiness.
They are not perfect, but for some reason I notice that I need this sound in my life. The midrange has to be worked on a bit, and a slightly deeper bass and a slightly wider treble. I use a sophisticated EQ system for that and then it gets really good, with a separate quality system, and then I mean a 100% separate system, which does not necessarily make the bass faster, but in a way it gets a little better, which works well anyway. I'm not a big fan of the bass being super fast either, as I get the impression that the sound is a little smaller, even though it really is not, of course. (Using a sophisticated EQ system is not for beginners. It will just ruin it). Personally, I like the sound of these cabinets, but there is nothing that is for everyone, so everyone may not appreciate the type of sound character as much as I do.
Running refurbed Heresy 1s with an Onkyo RZ50 in Stereo, and boy do they sound great. The refurb transformed then. Then, I added a rather mundane Onkyo HTIB subwoofer I already had from early 2000s, ran Dirac and it sounds a little better still. Currently debating RSL 10S Mk2, REL classic 98 and an SVS 3000 micro; I'll probably go for the SVS sure to space and WAF considerations, maybe add a second SVS later as it's a decent sized room (24x16x8). Thanks for the review of the heresy 4; very balanced and fair based on what I know from the 1s.
I think The Rolling Stones got it right in their review. It's only Rock and Roll, but I like it. Thanks Ron, I enjoy the Heresy review and reminded if you feel something then it made an impression.
Use no muddy sub.............................. Use an active crossover to a pair of 18" passive paper cone drivers in separate generous sealed cabinets. That will keep that snappy bass all the way down low. 🔈🔉🔊
The difference in sensitivity is important because some folks use really low powered amplifiers, 1-2 watts, expecting these speakers to be useful. 8 watts on your amp is low compared to a typical amplifier, but there are even lesser powered amplifiers that people use.
It's only Rock and roll but we like it ,like it ,yes we do. Buying a pair of 3's tomorrow. Will report back. Enjoy your honest review. It may not look so pretty on paper, LOL.
I wouldn't pass up La Scala's or K-Horns if I had the money and space. Bass horns have unmatched dynamics and articulation even if they don't plumb the lowest depths.
I own a pair of minty Klipsch Heresy HWO's. And drive them with a pair of Antique Sound Labs monoblock amplifiers @8watts . They get extremely loud and ultra clear. Sometimes drive them with a Scott LK 48 tube integrated. Occasionally I mate them with a Rel Q150 sub. Very fun little system.
I’m running these sub par boomy Heresy IV’s with a Yamaha A-S2100 integrated amp, streaming Roon from a sonictransporter to a Sonore rendu and a pro-ject S2 dac. They are only sub par because they are b stock. Paired with a ML 1100x ARC sub and a semi treated bedroom they are absolutely schiit eating grin worthy minus a c and a t. Ella and Louis singing under a blanket of blue will give you chills. That’s what’s up.
I love the classic lines of Klipsch speakers, just wish I had the room and budget for there beautiful sound. Ron also it appears your Patreon link is broken, may want to check.
The frequency response appears to show some sort of comb filtering. It shows up in the spectral decay measurements also, but isn’t an issue. I just found it interesting. It also appears to be similar to beating vibration amplitude peaking where two competing frequencies come in and out of tune.
High efficiency speakers often have bass roll off, I was waiting for that to be the case. It will likely sound inconsistent as well dependent on the spectral balance of any given song
I place the speakers on top of my r112sw subs. They are about 18” tall. The mid horn is aimed at my listening position. I use the Herseys for tv/movies and the subs help the bottom end nicely.
As Ron noted these were originally designed to be used as a center channel as such they were usually mounted in a way to bring them up to the height of the main speakers, usually a K-Horn. Klipsch found a lot of people loved their sound so they started selling them in stereo pairs and added the tilt to try and give them a little more height presence. A lot of folks think they were designed to be used on the floor but that's just not the case. The floor base was just an after thought. They sound much better on stands are would be best used as stand mounts with a pair of high end subwoofers. It always amazes me the lengths audiophiles will go to in speaker set up but if the manufacturer doesn't show pictures of it used in a certain way then raising a short speaker up never seems to cross their minds.
Quello che hai detto corrisponde perfettamente a ciò che pensavo su questi diffusori : sono colorati non perfettamente equilibrati ma vanno benissimo per il rock & roll. Li trovo complementari alle mie Sonus Faber Venere S, nel senso che i pregi delle italiane non li trovo nelle klipsch heresy IV, ma il punch live che ma manca nei miei diffusori è il punto forte delle americane. Quindi arrivo alla conclusione che le compro, perché Klipsch + Sonus Faber è l'ideale par assaporare tutti i generi musicali 👍🎶🇮🇹
Got mine for 2300. They sound better on floor in my room. I have a sub set at 50hz it sounds better. Most genres sound good. 99 efficient until Proven otherwise. I absolutely love these speakers and can listen all day long and all night without disturbing anyone cause they sound awesome as low levels. Yeah man maybe I'm a fossil but there is so much right with these i don't notice the imperfections kinda like falling in love with a good woman who cares if she's a little thick on the bottom
I really want to like Klipsch because I know the lively sound can grab you, but that being said the more I listen critically the more I notice box sounds and to me it feels cheap. I would rather lose a little bass extension than have boxy sounding bass. Extension and output can be remedied with a sub very easily. The year is 2021 and not properly damping the cab of a 3000 dollar speaker is lazy, sorry not sorry. Love the review!
Should be easy enough to add a brace or two in the cabinet, apply No-Res inside the cabinet, including on the horns' backside, upgrade a few caps and inductors on the crossover, then one should have speakers that have presence and character as well as better resolution/balance.
Ron: I'm enjoying your videos. Have you mentioned or posted your reference system any where? Is there a speaker you return to in order to hear what something "is supposed to sound like?" Again, many thanks.
I've got some JSE Ifinite Slope Model 2's ...I'll never let em go! I'll give you all some advice. Have two sound systems. One in your man cave and the other in your living room. Get three different sets for your living room and swap em out every week or month. These JSE's are in my man cave. 125lbs each, on castors....Those are stayin put. Speakers are like guitars. They all sound different.
I might bi-amp only for adjustment. Years ago, I had 2 Sansui BA3000 amps. I had a horrible over bass/muffled sounding B&W speakers, they even had that horrible contact paper finish...? BUT when bi-amped I was able to adjust the bass to the treble which helped them so much!
While not bi-amping Zeos uses a MiniDSP to correct time alignment issues with such a fast tweeter and there's a reason.Plus If I only had this speaker I might want to try the crunch below of Class A and have valves up top But yeah I agree =there are other speakers that could use bi-amping way more than these puppies
Nice review. “Dancing with my wife” was an awesome “measurement “. I’ve had the 4’s for about 9 months, gone through 3 receivers/amps. Settled on an emotive preamp and power amp (160 watts which they don’t need). I grew up with the JBL L100s and missed the bottom so recently added a sub to the party, and that’s made all the difference. The sub is turned way down by the way. Thanks again for the review.
I don't understand the beef with the 99dB rating, and Klipsch's assertion there. I'm not sure, but I think they have a "pretty" good auditory lab where they measure things like this. I could be wrong, though.
Of course they're not perfect , but at least Klipsch is giving you a decent size woofer. Most speaker companies are just using little ring-a-ding drivers and they try to make you believe that they're excellent.
You would bi amp to separate the horns from the woofer. It may not make much sense for some but when you have 6 of these like I do it makes all the difference in the world. And i'm talking about Bi-Amping not bi-wiring. Klipsch has been in the business longer than anyone else, Its safe to say they know what they're doing by adding this option, its been requested by fans of these for years.
Ron get your Spatial thing on plus horn with a Pure Audio Project Trio or Quintet 15 with the top of line horn mid tweeter.Steve liked em' though now he's got Conrwalls
Did you replace the metal jumpers? I use jumpers that match my speaker cable and went into the top connectors with the speaker cable from the amp. Noticeable improvement overall.
I do not get it? "Box coloration" yes I understand that someone might not see this as a issue. But definition of "box coloration" is that the panels/box is getting excited with a given frequency and those panels is acting as a speaker membrane and is also producing sound together with the drivers when it hits that resonance frequency that just that specific box/panels have. So the whole box/panel can be considered as a passive driver and acting as such. Now when we know that then that passive box/panels is not tuned to resonate at a given frequency. In other words there is a difference between one box compared to another box especially with different finishes and so on, on them among with other factors. That will change the resonance frequency up/down. That is why it is a better idea to let the speaker driver generate the vibrations/sound than a uncontrolled factor as the box doing sounds. If not klipsch is tuning each and single box and treat it as a sound producing item that it actually is. And have control over the box/cabinet as if it were like a cello body that radiate frequencies. (And I suspect strongly that they do that) Otherwise it do not make any sense. 👍
