I have a pair of walnut Heresy ! speakers. These use oil base capacitors vs electrolytics and autoformers vs coils in the crossover. There is an excellent simple modification on the internet which flattens the response of this speaker as it was initially "voiced" as a center channel speaker. I highly recommend making this simple change. Horn loaded speakers generally have much lower Doppler distortion than traditional speakers and more efficiency. That said, they tend to have frequency and directional aberrations which can impact their accuracy. In generally the Heresy speakers sound best for far field vs near field listening. If you sit near your speakers I would look else where. If your room is fairly large, I think you will really appreciate the Heresy.

These sit near the floor and require careful placement.

Amazing how some folks will come on here to criticize a brand/model they obviously have no experience with. The current iterations of the Heritage speakers will go toe-to-toe with many speaker models priced between 4 and $15K. I'm not talking about garbage from Polk and Cerwin Vega, but honestly good speakers like Harbeths, Maggies, Totems, Dynaudios, KEFs etc.

Concerning the Heresy, it's only real weakness is bass extension. It doesn't produce much bass under 50Hz. I estimate it's about -6db at 50Hz. Other than that, they can wipe the floor with far more expensive speakers in imaging, soundstage, resolution, timing...you name it.

while Klipsch speakers can be very dynamic, and can get really loud as these are such efficient speakers these will sound very nice with the right amp. Klipsch speakers can be great for Jazz, acoustic music, folk, new age, and even classical music if you have the right amp. Yamaha integrated amps are real smooth. Tube amps go great with Klipsch speakers. Any of the Klipsch line. I sell Jolida audio gear and vintage Klipsch speakers. The amps and speakers always sound great together. Klipsch speakers can seem kind of bright at first, but one gets used to that. After all, the upper ranges are part of the music as well, and usually come across the loudest in live performances. And the horns reproduce horns very well. Klipsch speakers make a trumpet, or sax sound super. And, one a final note, Advent speakers are great speakers. Those were an excellent value when new. I have a pair of 6003 3 way full range speakers with real walnut veneer cabinet. Those Advents are about the best sounding speaker over all that I have ever heard. Again, put the right amp with these speakers and you will enjoy listening to music all the time. For years I used a Jolida Jd202BRC 40wpc tube amp with my Advents. Sounded live in the living room. I have heard a lot of live music in the living room as some of my family play- piano, guitar, organ. That is what I use as a guide- live piano in the living room, guitar, organ, singing. All without the benefit of electronics. If music reminds me of that then the system is good. I have a pair of RF 52II that sound real nice and smooth and detailed with a Jolida hybrid amp. If you connect a Big Box AV receiver to a pair of Klipsch speakers most likely it will sound harsh. The problem will not be the speakers. Some people just want loud. Go for it. Some people are bass crazy as if that is all they crave- bass, bass, bass. When listening to a jazz combo live there is a clarinet player, a drummer, a string bass player. While the bass sounds nice it is in the background. It lays a foundation, a backdrop. That is music. If you want to listen to a flute along with an acoustic guitar and an acoustic bass get a nice amp, and Klipsch speakers and enjoy. but everyone's hearing is different as everyone's voice is different too.

I owned a pair of Bose 601s in the early 80s and they sounded rather flat. We had a DJ host our family Christmas party one year and he had two Heresys. It was amazing how crisp and clear they were. So I shopped around and bought two Heresy HIPs for $800 in 1986. Been loving them ever since. Paired them with a Yamaha receiver and KSW-15 sub and an RC-7 center speaker and I couldn't be more pleased. Some day I need to get some vintage LaSalles to finish off my set up.

Klipsch isn't for everyone. For peeps like me who love to listen to live Dead and other vintage concert recordings, these seem to work quite well.

The Heresy is a center channel, no more and no less. Personally I use a Klipsch Quartet center channel, better tonal balance. My Left and right fronts are a pair of Klipsch Chorus II's, Klipsch Cornwall II's Forte II's.

The Heresy like the Cornwall tends to be a bit too brassy for me. I like the Quartet as a center channel, it has a better tonal balance and is around as efficient. Everything Klipsch makes is efficient, Currently I have Heresy II's deployed in a small room with a KSW-12, rolling at 80 Hz. It's a good and efficient center channel, with 1.8 cubic feet of box volume how could it be more than that. In a small room, they have dynamic range and all the good stuff Klipsch is famous for including "Q" for hand made quality,

The Heritage speakers are actually hand made and human tested, you have to love that. Personally I've had experience with both the RF series as well, frankly it was okay, but my neighbor with RF 82 II's comes over to my place to watch movies and he uses words like "Dynamic". The Heresy is part of this family, but it is a center channel, made to go between two K-Horns or Cornwalls. You have to take them for what they are.

Personally I never left the Heritage series, they are all hand made and the sound and quality show through. If my Chorus II's were $1800 back inn 1995, how much would they be now?

To nodahomer.Please sell me your Cornwalls for next to nothing as that is what you seem to think they are worth.I bought my Heresy speakers pre 76 and wish I had bought the Belles.My cars and trucks have all come and gone but my Heresys are still worth almost as much as what I paid or them and are NOT for sale.If you have some sort of hidden agenda ,so be it .I hope you enjoy shopping at the big boxes on Black Fridays.

Want to have a some fun and create a sound system that meets audiophile standards, while on a comparably reasonable budget, that simply floors the unexpected listener with a huge yet detailed wall of sound? I did. Here we go: Buy six (yes, 6!) H1's (1970's-mid-80's) via CL or eBay for $300-$400/pr. Stack 'em 3 per side, paint to match, bond 'em with a some tape and corner 'em. Replace all the woofers with Eminence Delta 12-LFA's @ 100 db/w. Great musician setup since you are already deaf, lol. Hope ya like it since this is my crib notes from years experimenting and I'm already deaf anyway... Cheers!, Doug

I first heard the Heresy's at a nightclub from across a narrow river in 1978. The Village People were pumping and reverberating off the nearby buildings. It sounded wonderful. When I turned 18 I was able to go into that nightclub and saw four birch Klipsch Heresy's suspended around a small dance floor. About 20x20' with a Klipsch each corner. I thought it sounded good outside, it was astounding inside. There was no way you could stand still. These are such lively and crisp speakers with that punch in just the right frequency.

I made note of them and put them on a wish list. I compared them to the early Bose 901's I'd heard at skating rinks and although not as smooth, spacious and deep, the Heresy's sounded alive in comparison. I wound up purchasing Advent loudspeakers and a Marantz amp and of the three speaker systems, the Advents are superior (in my opinion). BUT, the Heresy's have characteristics that make it a perfect speaker when you want to get the 'live' experience. True, their musicality and bass pales in comparison to the Advents and Bose setups and their accuracy isn't all there but that's exactly what makes these speakers so special. They are accurate enough that you can listen for hours at relatively high level and experience only minimal fatigue. And what a sound stage! Spec's be damned. The Heresy's just plain rock.

I operate a 1,000 sq. ft. listening room and have two 1974 Heresy's I's up front and two KSB 3.1's as behind the audience as corner satellites. I have a secret weapon though. I'm using the Advents placed on the back wall underneath two tables and use them as sub's at very low volume. Using standard quality pro amps with 200 watts per for mains, 100 watts per for satellites and 50 watts per for the advents. This is an astounding setup. I get compliments on a near daily basis on how good the sound is. I'm so glad I didn't go with the usual JBL, Peavy, Pyle, EV, Mackie, Yamaha setups. I must say though,Yamaha gives the Heresy's a run for the money but those pro PA speakers sound... well, like PA speakers. Built to bludgeon and not for listening.

For amplification of live music, I can't think of a better speaker for the money. Picked mine up from Craigslist for $300 in dark wood but had to repair the woofers after about a year. One cone separated from the voice coil but hey, I was pumping strong vocals through them and they were over thirty years old . I leave the grills off to proudly display those horns. Just beautiful. I do need to do a little EQ to minimize the older horn squawk. These are definitely speakers you can tweak to meet your needs.

Since I opened shop I've picked up an identical pair of Advent loudspeakers for use in my home. In my opinion, the Advents are just about the best speakers I've ever heard for home use but you can't beat Klipsch for that live sound.

Klipsch speakers and accuracy? Like Iced Tea in your Chili they don't blend. The Heresey is not some killer speaker. The cubic box crammed with variations of woofers and horns is not exactly what the "homers" say. These claims of accuracy in hearing all these fine details and subtle changes are just plain fantasy. If you come from Cerwin Vega or other cheesey mass consumer type brands I'm certain they are an upgrade. I've owned different pairs of the Heresy's, Forte's, and Cornwalls, KG's, and others. None are "audiophile class" or capable. Let's go beyond comment and opinion though? There are web pages filled with comments regarding Klipsch speakers. When it comes to Heritage types or vintage versions from the mid 85's back the one constant that is evident is this: On their own they are not as good as you can tweak them to be. People and business both combine to making an industry on tweaking and updating them. That's where the popularity resides mostly.

If you pay 300 or 1000 do you expect to dump that much in them to make them reach these bragged about levels that the tweaker raves over? These are mostly all slightly above average mass consumer level speakers. They are over-justified commonly. They are boring unless you like to rock the house down with high volume levels. I personally can't stand them. Many many people feel the same way and if you do explain it then you set yourself up for an internet street brawl.

Everyone hears differently. There is no sense in assuming based on a bandwagon mentality that the Heresy must sound good unless you feel it's fashionable to own them and tell everyone you do. Go listen and do comparisons. They may disappoint you greatly if you buy what the mob mentality is selling? Especially when it comes to these glorified claims of unbelievable accuracy and detail. JBL and Altec made far superior horns and drivers, and woofers for sure btw. DON'T READ - GO LISTEN. Make a decision on what your ears tell you not what homers say. Guess what? I own Cornwalls and they sound poor even after tweaking the cross-overs and updating drivers when it comes to accuracy and fine detail. The Forte models are better then the Heresy, the Cornwall better then the Forte. The K - Horn is not included in this subject though but I'd rather have a modified A7 or C19 any day. Rather have a C56 Dorian with a JBL LE12C over a Heresy, Forte, or Cornwall any day. You listen, you compare, you decide but don't be convinced by the reviews here?

I just started reading through this site and thought i'd post a few things. The Heresy's are an excellent speaker, for anyone looking to grab a pair at a yard sale or an estate sale i would say go for it. Just make sure they work, I had a hard time finding a pair in near mint condition with nice cabinets and paid $350 for them. I got these to see if a flea sized amp would make them sing and it does!!! I always thought dynamics in a speaker meant that is could go from soft to loud and back which is true BUT the 99db sensitivity on these speakers let's you here a drummer make subtle shifts in dynamics the way you hear it live. AMAZING! That is what I think dynamics is all about, those subtle shifts of dynamic shadings get lost in heavy coned and insensitive speakers. I compared these to Martin Logan Sequels and the ML's are more transparent but NO WHERE NEAR as dynamic! The ML"s make me think while the Heresy's make me dance! Love em'.