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What is the best amps for a pair of Heresy? I know they are very sensitive so what could I get away with wattage wise an still sound good?
I cant find the exact model numbers must have been tore off. I had one of them but I put it away and now I put it away so good I cant find it. LOL
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If you use solid state be sure it's quality, the Klipsch get a bad rap because they are unforgiving to bad electronics. Jolida is a good suggestion as they are priced well and generally do a good job. Cambridge Audio integrated might work as well. Most decent tube gear will cost. I haven't tried it but I wonder how one of the Trends digital amps would work, cheap and have a good rep for sounding good. I bet any of the Peachtree would be a good match as well.
I have a set of Heresy III in a system which is fed mostly Rock and Pop in a workout area. They seem to have a nice midbass hump but roll off the bottom end fairly steeply. I deal with that using an Emotiva Ultra 12 crossed about 50Hz. The III's allow for biamping, so I'm currently using a Bryston 3B-st on the bottom end and a Parasound hca-750 on the horns. The 750 has gain controls so I can dial in just enough horns to a desired sound balance. Needless to say this system will reach insane SPL, either amp would be plenty by itself. The sound is clean though and hits hard.
If not abused Klipsch can last a very long time, with the high efficiency the woofer barely moves.
Mine sound very good driven by an Advent 300 receiver with the loudness contour switched on.
find a vintage tube integrated or receiver! ideal match and not too expensive. scott fisher, etc.
klipsch bashers are amusing. I wonder what kind of wimpy little speakers they enjoy. ;) although i do appreciate the bashers because they keep used prices relatively reasonable. let's hope stereophile never decides to do one of those retro reviews of a klipsch cornwall or forte.
I own a pair of ca 1975 first generation Heresy's. Before you make any pronouncements regarding their sound, make sure all of the drivers are actually working. In the set I bought, one of the tweeter diaphragms required replacement and there were intermittent, loose connections on the crossover screw terminals which made different drivers pop on and off.
I've used my Heresys with many different amps and finally settled on using them with an SET 2A3 home brew amp. Volume is decent but not for rocking at full volume. It's fine for listening to jazz and vocals which is mostly what I use this system for. Not much bass from Heresy's so you can forget about pipe organ or orchestral music with these, They are an apartment dweller's delight.
good news, the heresy speakers open you up to the world of SET amps! before you make a choice, try to listen to a single ended amp with your speakers. it may be a revelation. it was for me.
all the best
-andre d
You might want to consider a Jolida JD 102B. More than enough power at 25wpc. Uses inexpensive EL84 output tubes that are readily available. It should work nicely with Heresy's and smooth out the highs a bit which can be a bit rough with a SS amp.
Twin powered Harman Kardon 330
I have a 930 but have read about the 330 on Klipsh forum. Apparently very popular for your speaker brand.
Its a vintage Receiver circa 70's.
nt
The 330C and 430 used the same circuit boards, the 430 had two transformers though. They sound virtually identical.
The Yamaha from the same vintage sounded smoother on the Klipsch, and the Tandberg was even better (but very expensive).
I sold and serviced HK, Yamaha, Tandberg, Klipsch, JBL, etc from about 1975~1988.
I love the sound of the better old gear from this period, but as spare parts become non-existent I hesitate to recommend them anymore. I own a Nakamichi TA-2 that sounds wonderful, but can only use the power amp section as the switches and controls wear out.
A couple of years ago when I was researching HE speakers I read multiple comments that recommended the HK 430 as working well with some Klipsch models. That stuck with me because I have a very clean 430 I intended to sell by never got around to doing so.
"For a nominal service fee,
you can reach nirvana tonight."
FWITW the HK330 is not twin powered. The 430,730 and 930 are. Also as mentioned by mls-stl it is not a good match with horns. It was a good inexpensive receiver with enough power to drive the lower efficiency A25's and AR's of the day where the slightly bright high freq sound added a little sparkle to their sound.
That's interesting. I managed a stereo store in the mid-70s and we sold HK. I always thought the 330 was a rather edgy sounding amp and it surprises me anyone would pair it with horns. Just shows how diverse opinions can be on a subject.
I used a HK 330b for over 20 years, and I thought it was the least edgy amp I have ever heard. The sound was very warm and mellow, almost to a fault.
Like I said the prior post, "Just shows how diverse opinions can be on a subject."
There's never been a piece of equipment made that doesn't have those who love it and those who don't.
There were also 330A,B & C models all slightly different in execution and at least the "B" and "C" versions were manufactured by different OEM's. As you say everyone has different likes and dislikes.
I run my Klipsch Quartets with a 15wt el84 tube amp
plenty loud and great sound
nt
“Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead"
― Charles Bukowski
... I can't help thinking that zero amplification might be best. But because I have never actually heard them I'm hoping that I'm wrong.
"He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
I remember a thorough listening session with Heresy's in the 80's that had me completely entranced. Big Band, Fusion, Louis & Ella, Frank and it was the first time I heard the staple, "The Three" Joe Sample Ray Brown Shelly Mann. Gotta hear it. Heresy's can Rock, too. Heart never sounded better. Of course this is just the romantic memory of a 30 year old reproduction event.
Three most important things in Audio reproduction: Keep the noise levels low, the power high and the room diffuse.
those posts were mostly written by one guy! I'm surprised he's not chimed in yet!
Tom? :-)
Anyhoo . . . they are loved by many, and that too is reflected amply in the archives here and through Internetland.
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
So now you've heard one good thing about them.
You've heard bad things but have you heard a pair?
"BEWARE the Blunted Needle!"
Never heard a pair myself but there seems to be some bad junk in the archives. I'm sure that proper setup means a lot.
"He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
There are many people in the same boat. Those who have never heard them, but continue to criticise them.
There a ton of them available on the used market for about $300/pair.
Why not listen to them first and then decide?
"There a ton of them available on the used market for about $300/pair."
I've never heard a Klipsch speaker that sounded like real instruments. Maybe the price point for the used ones is a clue.
I am curious about what speakers, at the same price point, you would recommend?
"Why not listen to them first and then decide?"
Because that would violate one of the cardinal rules of buying speakers: Ask for opinions on the Internet, and then decide, without hearing them first. ;)
But really, I don't have any recommendations at $150 each. Sorry. I suppose the Heresy is as good as anything for the money, I've just never liked the sound of any of the horn-loaded Klipsch's, so I wouldn't buy them at any price point - why spend my money on something I don't like, even if it's cheap? But that's just me. On the other hand, some people like them, and still others might want them for efficiency and are willing to EQ the sound to their taste. Heck, I EQ the speakers I've got, but I like their sound even without it.
:)
I might be tempted to try Heresys but I already own a pair of Klipsch KG 4.2 speakers. I was surprised when I found out how smooth these sounded, not harsh or boomy.
"He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
I find the tweeter in the original Heresy to be nasty, bright sounding with no real high end.
The Heresy II switched to a much better sounding tweeter, and Bob Crites sells a replacement for the original Heresy that sounds better.
and assuming that you are NOT going to play them at insanely loud levels,
a nice 50 wpc tube amp would do the trick nicely. Audio Research
and Rogue make very nice 50wpc tubed integrated amps that would fill the
bill very nicely. And there are several others, I just happen to be
partial to ARC and Rogue.
nt
Amplifiers can be awfully expensive. I've been looking for a solid state amplifier for a while, but I wanted some power. After reviewing specs and other things, I've come to the conclusion that Parasound offers some excellent values. As I said, I need a little bit of power so I bought a Parasound Halo A21 with 250-wpc. However, the Parasound Halo A23 seems like a very good value with 125-wpc.
Good luck,
John Elison
Their rated sensitivity is 96dbs, so you "could" get away powering them with a flea powered tube amp. "You'd be surprised how good a 3.5wpc 2A3 SET tube amp would sound with them!" If your thinking solid state i would use at least 50wpc for some headroom..(depending upon how loud you listen). Yes their highly efficient, but the last thing you want to do is drive them loud with a low powered (say 10-20wpc) solid state amp! It will/might damage the tweeter!
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