Klipsch Heresy IV or Revel f226be

I have heard both, owned the 228be and currently use horns (JBL 4367). Really the revel is on another level. The 226be with a good pair of subs (highpassed) could be a final speaker. It has no real flaw but lacks exotic cabinet material and deep bass under 60hz. I would not enjoy them without subs

the forte also lacks some deep bass (under 40hz) and really needs rear wall enforcement to get that kick. With a close wall placement it would be ok. The mids and highs are not near as refined as the revels. The hash kind of worn on my ears. the sound stage shifts with frequency in width and I felt the box was noisy. But if you are new to horns they might sound existing/different and interesting.

if you want a more refined horn speaker a few (not all!) of the JBLs might do the trick. The JBL 4349 used is about $4000ish and would split the difference. The JBL 3800 is also on sale now in brown and grey ($2500 pair) which is a crazy deal. Worth looking at too.

I personally am not interested in box speakers after owning good horns but the Klispch are not refined enough IMO. Horns just get the dynamics more correct and sound less reproduced to me  

Immathewj,

yes having 2 drivers wired in parallel will cut the impedance of those drivers in half. So if they are 8 ohms each the result will be 4 ohm. Then there are added changes with the crossover. But the multiple drivers will generally increase efficiency. 
 

I have not heard the 126be but based on the measurements the 226be is an all around better speakers. Hard to say how that translates to real world enjoyment. I would not worry about it as there are then again better speakers than the 226be too… a slippery slope lol. 

Immathewj,

Both revels need a real amp to play well. All revels need power. The big difference for me is the 226be has a dedicated mid. It is not just a smaller bass driver but a designed midrange. It has a lighter surround and the driver has very little travel with steep crossovers above and below it. It just makes for a very fleshed out detailed mid. Those advantage probably mostly show up when played loud. My experience with revel is they play very loud. I always gave up before they did. 

Trivema,

yes the revels are similar to focal. Generally the revels are a little softer in the highs maybe a touch less detailed in the upper bass but very similar. The 226be is a total steal next to something like the Sopra at 3 times the price. I would argue the sound quality is within 5%. 
 

I don’t disagree with your Klipsch assessment either. They just lack a bit of refinement. If you ever get a chance try the higher end JBLs. I think they will keep all the things you like about your Klipsch but add refinement. There are some good deals from time to time.