Klipsch Heresy IV

Heard the Heresy IV at my local dealer. It was hooked up to a Luxman SQ-N150 a 10wpc tube integrated. Gives you better bass than the III. The speaker is rear ported. This gives you a fuller sound. A nice improvement.

I just got them. Powering them with 8W 300B. Heaven 

I can't quite adjust the fact the Heresy's are no longer seal boxes. While the bass may be more plentiful, is it as tight and does it add boominess to the bass? I wonder if there is any loss to overall quickness and clarity?

Usually porting speakers, no matter what type, gives the illusion of more bass, but it never seems as tight or as "real". If you want the real story do some research on both types of speaker design. I think it was some Stereophile writer, probably Dudley, that wrote a short article about this recently and essentially got everything wrong. So read this article and go the opposite direction and you will be on the right track.  

They redesigned other things with this speaker including the drivers and crossovers, and that interests me...the rear port doesn't interest me so much because I prefer having the sealed box "accurate bass to its limits" with my Heresy IIIs, and easily blend in the REL subs I use...I like the control I get with the subs. I'll listen to the IVs at some time but for now the IIIs are simply great sounding things that were a relative bargain at 1500 bucks new (and they're the "Capitol Records" version which is possibly meaningless but they make them at least "seem" special).

I have mentioned before, on other threads, that Klipsch has made the Heresy design, in pro models, for years, and all have been ported. This is nothing new for them. I believe the IV is a big upgrade, over the III. 

I would like to hear the IIIs and IVs side by side in an audition as that could be fun...I like my IIIs enough (including their lack of ports) to hang with 'em for a long time until IVs become less pricey, and since I just read a review of some also non-ported Magicos I feel even better about portlessness (I can turn off the rumble filter on my phono preamp, although I leave it on anyway to put less stress on my small single ended amp)...I like the AQ wire idea in the IVs and with redesigned crossovers and the like I bet they do sound great. "Upgrades" certainly but the degree of detail and coherence in my IIIs doesn't really beg for improvement...they beg to be listened to, and that I do...frequently.

What I cant figure is why Klipsch would increase the  cabinet size and add a port. Perhaps they put in a bigger woofer? No way the bass is as tight or as real and rear ports can be problematic. It would be nice to get Duke's opinion on these issues. I know hey said he liked the new horn geometry on some of the new Klipsch designs.

The H4’s have a tractrix mid range horn, the woofer is the same as the H3. I have H3’s but would like to hear the H4’s but will be keeping the 3’s. 

I'm scratching my head about the price increase.

The cabinet size is obviously important when a speaker is ported, as you're just not going to simply stick a port in there without considering everything...including what the "new" 12" bass driver's design might be. Roy Delgado did a great job with the other new "Heritage" re-designs and it's reasonable to assume a lot of time was spent considering how to get another 10db of bass from the Heresy IV as the lack of low bass is a common criticism of them. Duke's or anyone else's opinion isn't as valid as what the individual listener thinks of the sound of the IV with the complete redesign, and thus ends my statement of the obvious.

10 db of bass ?....= 10 hz of bass. Guys ( and gals ). You need to look at some of the pro versions of the Heresy’s..........again, nothing new with the ported design, except for the port itself. R.D. had much to do with the design of the pro models. Amazingly, what needs to be done to the news ones, as well, is a " heavy layer " of Dynamat on all of these horn drivers. Danny Richie, on the mods of the Forte IIIs, did not do justice to the mid horns. A recent Steve G. video, about a fellow modding a Cambridge CXC transport, stated, that with every mod that he did, the Dynamat made the most significant difference, in SQ. Again, I’ve been using Dynamat ( and some roofing repair tape found at Lowes and THD ), for the longest time, on not only horns, speaker frames and cabinets, but on electronics, of every kind. This fellow, also recommends, to put a book on top of the chassis, something I have been advocating, for the longest time. I know, this mod stuff belongs on another thread, but I am bringing it up here, because it is a cheap, but very relevant upgrade. I know of only one person, who applied Dynamat to his horns, who did not find it superior in sq, and I do not, for the life of me, understand why. Enjoy ! MrD.

I have heard a few of Duke's speakers. They sound great. They also had rear ports.

I think it is patently absurd to assume that any redesign will automatically sound better than its predecessor. 

My point was and is that ports require a smaller cabinet than sealed. Last time I looked simple laws of physics applied to all speaker companies even Klipsch. 

I agree.  Until someone actually listens to the new Heresy, there's no way to tell.

I liked the 8 ohm compatible statement on the website when addressing the impedance of the Heresy. 

Yeah...10hz is right...oops.

I had the opportunity to listen to both the Heresy IV and Forte III yesterday, putting both through their respective paces with a playlist of Al DiMeola, Rob Wasserman, Alison Krauss, aria from La Wally, Japanese Drums, Don Shirley, Ron Carter, Brad Mehldau and Sade; short of teeing up Zeppelin, it was a diverse playlist. Frankly, I was disappointed by the Fortes in comparison - the Forte midrange was not as supportive of vocals as that of the Heresy. Bass on the Heresy, located 2 feet from the back wall, was absolutely superb; every pluck of Wasserman and Carter's fingers was perfectly rendered - very fast action ( thanks to the porting ?). I purchased a pair of the Heresy IVs but must forewarn all that these speakers require both the highest quality source material and well-matched components; your average bluetooth streaming service will leave you disappointed on some tracks. Now, where's that Joe Satriani ?!?

Thats interesting that you preffered the Heresy to the Forte. Can you offer any more insight on dynamics, bass comparison, etc. Since you said the Forte was not as suportive of vocals would you say the whole midrange was more forward on the Heresy? 

Thanks

You really do have to have the front end sorted out to make the Heresy IIIs really sing as they're very revealing of anything put into 'em...they're great tube tone and wire quality (or characteristic) indicators...I imagine the IVs have the same basic needs.

Absolutely. In response to Mofojo’s post, I have to say, “Yes”. The port seems to offer faster response vs. a passive radiator. The “mumps” added to the Forte midrange horn seem to be an attempted solution to a problem which the Heresy does not have. Set about 2’ from the rear wall, toed in slightly, and seated about 12’ back - “Holy crap, Batman !”. The Heresy IV created a three-dimensional, immersive experience. I originally wanted a pair of Harbeths, but opted for Klipsch Heritage due to their legendary efficiency and much better price point. I was not expecting finesse, but it is absolutely there. Pricing was $2,650 for the pair and an excellent fit within a $10,000 “starter- plus” system including: 
- Deep Core / Furman power,
- Rega P6 with Ania MC cart and Aria stage,
- Primaluna Prologue Classic Integrated,
- Bluesound Node 2i,
If I upgrade in the future, I would likely give the Klipsch speakers to an adult child - true heritage quality and sound. From a middle-aged former rocker, these are decidedly not my old Cerwin Vegas 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Quote: "  ports require a smaller cabinet than sealed "
This is incorrect.  You can get away sometimes with a smaller box using ports because of tuning capability, but.... and a big but.  For ANY woofer in its perfect sealed box,  its perfect ported box will be larger.  

I really like my Heresy III. , one thing that I like about them is they are not ported and can be placed close to the rear wall.....  I would love to hear from a current H3 owner who demo'd the III and IV side by side.   

Yes-given the same woofer-one that had a EDP that lends it’s self to sealed and ported boxes-the ported box will always be LARGER.
Amazing how many assume just the opposite.
I would certainly recommend any audiophile to get and read a copy of Dickason’s Speaker Cookbook.
Also Weems-designing and building speakers.
It keeps you away from the huge misinformation on speaker design, and implementation.
I prefer sealed myself-overhauled my ESS AMT3’s with woofers, and sealed the boxes (trial and error-even with woofers that had the correct Theil Parameters to work in the box-some integrated poorly with the supporting drivers).
But frankly, making a correctly ported box, without expensive testing equipment to get the tuning spot on, is darn near impossible. Damping a sealed box, by ear, with aid of a simple damping tester is much easier.
I assume Klipsch certainly tuned these with the proper equipment-no doubt in my mind. The Heresy is their best selling Heritage model, has been for years, and help keep them afloat during the rough years.
Good competition for the reissued JBL’s.
IMHO the biggest news is the new midrange, updated tweeter horn, better, and more even dispersion and updated crossover. As Klipsch mentions-smoother, less peaky response, and better driver integration.
All issues that reduce it’s marketability.
I haven’t hear one yet-but remember the III’s very well-should be interesting.
Just guessing from my memory-but these changes clearly address the issues I had with the Heresy III’s. The bass frankly wasn’t one of them-but I never played bass heavy material @ high volumes either. I would rather have tight bass-over extended boomy bass. But there is still away to get tight bass with a port-not sealed but close.
Each design decision had tradeoffs, particularly with bass.

I certainly agree with the draw backs of rear porting, the bass extension over the III will mainly come from the port. But there are creative ways of reducing rear port interference.
However, as I recall with the III’s they needed at least 2-3 feet away from the walls to sound their best.
Usually that’s sufficient for rear ports. If not, some creative damping can help as mentioned.
I once made a small l shaped holder for a 2" thick piece of fiberglass wrapped in a tick, it held it about 3" from the port, and nulled the rear wall interference.  Much also depends on your wall and floor construction/type.

jacques19602 posts01-24-2020 7:19am"I had the opportunity to listen to both the Heresy IV and Forte III yesterday, putting both through their respective paces with a playlist of Al DiMeola, Rob Wasserman, Alison Krauss, aria from La Wally, Japanese Drums, Don Shirley, Ron Carter, Brad Mehldau and Sade; short of teeing up Zeppelin, it was a diverse playlist. Frankly, I was disappointed by the Fortes in comparison - the Forte midrange was not as supportive of vocals as that of the Heresy".


This does not surprise me. The Heresy was more of a specialized midrange speaker anyway, so why vocals would be expected to sound more coherent in a Forte wouldn't make much sense IMO. 

I own the Heresy IV, reviewed them on my website and on YouTube. These speakers are a huge improvement over the III (I owned the III and enjoyed them). The IV are way more transparent, more wide open, have a huge soundstage, image amazingly well, and the bass sounds about 10hz deeper. Still sounds like a sealed design and bass is tighter and more plentiful than ever. Makes the Heresy a much more balanced sounding speaker but the start of the show is the Midrange. Like velvet with actual texture to the human voice. 

They are crazy good. Can play soft or loud as thunder and do both equally well. They are much more refined and sound like a true Hugh end speaker. I sold my Dynaudios after getting the HIV as they were just so much better doing the "live sound" thing. These are not forward nor do they sound like old for speakers. Build wise they are gorgeous and have the updated metal speaker binding posts. The high end is more extended and has more snap than the III's as well. 

I adore these and have been listening more than ever. I attribute that to these speakers. They really do breath life into the music. I suspect these will end up being very popular once people start to hear them. 

If any substantial improvement has occurred with the IV redesign (and I do expect there has) I'll likely have to get a couple of them suckers as the IIIs have been such a pleasure to have around the last couple of years. They surprise me every day really...

I picked up a set of H3's last Dec (2019) and am really enjoying them. now the 4's are out at double the price yikes.... they better be better. may have to sell my 3's and get the 4's I wanted a wood finish aposed to the black anyway.... haha yeah that's the excuse I'm using.

glen 


I'd may look at the H3's mods though first. 

I'm not sure about double the price.  Music Direct has the 3's listed at $2598 for a pair.  The 4's are listed at $2998 a pair.  Looks like there's only a $400 difference.

My IIIs new were from an Ebay store that's allegedly an "official" Klipsch dealer and cost about $1500 including shipping..."B" stock IVs I see here and there can be owned for as low as $2200 or so which is tempting to say the least (or maybe I can say less), but since I like my IIIs so much I can wait...

 Not sure if anyone posted yet but a new Heresy iv review with comparisons to Dynaudio Special 40 and Heresy iii.
  https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2020/02/17/klipsh-heresy-iv-review-klipsh-steps-into-the-audiophile-realm/

Sounds like I need to hear them. 

@stevehuff 

Nice review. Well done. You're based in Phoenix?

I'm waiting for the Ken Rockwell review.  Well, no, not really.  

@stevehuff In your photos (which are great by the way) you have the speakers pushed right up against the wall.  Is that how you're listening to them?  I would think that wouldn't be the best placement, especially now that they are ported.  Just curious.  

Ha feel like a dumb**s. The guy that wrote the review posted right above me in this thread. Lol. 

So for those who have possibly heard both. Cornwall 4 or heresy 4 in a 12x 16 room?

**deleted bad joke**

Would you say the JBL 4306 monitor is more refined than the Hersey 3&4. Probably Heresy more dynamic.

I spent about an hour with a pair at a local dealer today. They definitely have a unique sound and aesthetics to offer versus the competition.

The sound was pretty much as Mr. Hoffman describes in his review. This was off a sizable Anthem STR SS integrated amp, not tubes.

$3000 is a lot of money but I notice pretty much everything at the local shops has increased a good bit in price over the last 6 months or so. There are some very tiny speakers out there that can set you back a lot for what you get.   Most are 2-way not 3 like the Heresy's.

The unique thing with the Heresy’s as will be no surprise was the jump factor....these are way more efficient than most and a good choice for a very dynamic sound especially I would expect with a tube amp or smaller SS amp.

The aesthetics are unique....very old school but classy looking.

I played all kinds of music and recordings old and new, and they handled everything with aplomb. I had things going fairly loud most of the time and my ears survived quite nicely....not shouty or fatiguing even on poorer quality recordings.

They really jumped to life with better recordings like "Birds of a Feather", by Carribean Jazz Project. There was a nice realistic sounding liveliness to the xylophone which was miked very closely in this recording and you could precisely locate each strike left to right across the sound stage loud and clear .

"Everything in it’s Right Place" by Radiohead came through crystal clear and expansive with nice fullness but no flab in the bass.

These definitely offer a unique sounding option with a lot of audiophile appeal beyond just efficiency and dynamics.

Work trip this week for a couple days to Detroit and Ann Harbor. Gonna try and check them out. 

Hey Big Greg. The photos in my review are almost all from Klipsch. The last one, is of them in my room. They are just about 3ft from the back wall and not pushed up against the wall in any way. One should never place speakers against a wall if they are ported in the rear or even if they are not. You will not hear the best of whatever speaker you have unless they are out into the room some. To let them breathe so to speak. These Heresy IV..I am still listening hours every day. They are addictive. Different from all other non horn speakers in the way they present the music but for me, it's a better way. Whether I listen to vinyl or digital, they just play music. After 100 hours they do warm up some but are still much better than the III's. An improvement in all areas. These are not going to give you the sound of an uber detailed audiophile speaker that is more about tech than music but they will give you music that sounds rather amazing at times. 

As for the larger brothers, The Cornwall IV's should arrive to me next week for review. Can't wait to hear them. I did own the Cornwall III's and even in my small 12X13 room they sounded phenomenal, just leaned warm. Those who say you must have a large room for Cornwalls maybe never heard them in a dedicated controlled smaller space. I had them in my room here and in my much larger living room. They sounded much better in my dedicated (smaller) room with a powerful presentation that commanded attention. They could be as thunderous as needed or as gentle and intimate as you could imagine. The sound was always full, rich and big with a very real vocal presentation. The Heresy IV's have some of this but they are more transparent and not as dark in presentation. When you power these with quality amplification they will not scream, shout or sound overly loud. They will remain composed, smooth and live sounding but they never get harsh or piercing in any way. If you use a harsh amp, like a cheap HT amp, they may sound harsh and thin. They scale very well. 

In any case, these Heresy IV's are well worth an audition! 

Aren’t Cornwalls designed to go up against the wall? Hence the name?

I payed $1600 new Canadian for my Heresy 3’s yes they were on sale regular list price in Canada is I believe $2200. the 4’s are $4k. Electronics for Less has them for $2200 each. sigh...…...so yes double. hopping for a sale or discount later in the year maybe. or La Scala’s mmmm La Scala’s

If you have Heresy 3’s (or any of their heritage line) an easy tip dyi is horn and cabinet damping. get some Dynamat 2’x4’ sheet is enough for both speakers. put it on all the back side of the horn drivers to damp the horns. also damp the bass driver’s metal frame. that will use half the sheet use the rest to put on the inside back, side and top of the cabinet. you don’t need full sheets on the inside of the cabinet I just use 5"x12" strips on the sides and top and a 12"x"12 on the back just behind the midrange and tweeter.
this will help immensely with detail retrieval, cabinet resonance issues (somewhat I’d rather put in braces but this is easy for now) and focus. cost me $120 for the Dynamat, a screwdriver and a couple hours of time.

I’m betting that would help all Klipsch heritage speakers from any year. damping the horns is really noticeable.

I found the dynamat at a car audio installation shop home depot I believe has it on their website too. 

I may get a new crossover with better parts as well GR research has some interesting DYI upgrade products. oh they have a full upgrade kit for the Forte 3 as well supposed to be excellent and includes the damping mat, braces and crossovers. 

Thanks for clearing that up Steve.  I've been forced to put some of my speakers in less than ideal positions, but whenever possible I get them out into the room.  I had some Klipsch KLF-30s that got moved into my bedroom for a while and were right up against the wall and just a couple of feet from the foot of my bed.  Far from ideal, but I wasn't playing them at high volumes in there and they actually sounded quite good.  I sold them recently to free up the space.  That was one of the few times when I struggled to let some of my gear go, they were great speakers (at their price point).

I have some Heresy I speakers from the mid-80's that I've upgraded with Crites crossovers, tweeters, and woofers.  They are fun speakers and easy to listen to.  They don't have the detail, soundstage, or imaging of my Harbeth speakers, but they are really good.  I've heard some of the newer Klipsch Heritage speakers, but not the newer Heresy.  I wondered if adding ports to them would be a good thing or not, sounds like it's a good move on the part of Klipsch.

Good day folks.  New here, but I'm configuring a system with the Heresy 4 speakers and Steve talks about not using them with a cheap a/v receiver.  Since these would be used as front speakers in a HT system, what a/v receiver would you  recommend Steve?  

My guess is that over 50% of the time they would be used for music in stereo. I've had a Marantz 2270 back in the day and I'd be starting from scratch with this.  Thanks if anyone else has thoughts on this.

Consider separate amplification for home theater and stereo listening.  A two channel integrated with home theater bypass or an amp/preamp combo with HTBP.

Anthem is high quality gear, but maybe not exactly what I was suggesting. 

In my system, I have a Marantz AV7704 for home theater.  I have a five channel amp that powers the center and four surround speakers.

I also have monoblocks that drive my 2 main speakers and a separate preamp for two channel listening.  For two channel listening, the home theater processor is not in use.  The preamp has a home theater bypass function that sends the signal from the pre pro to the main speakers while using the monoblocks to power them for home theater use.

Hope that helps.

Yes it does and thank you. The research goes on.

I know that speaker placement is critical with these speakers and I will have to place one of them in front of a glass door.  This door is the fixed part of a sliding glass outside door.


Should that be a problem?

Low frequencies might rattle your door but highs are tossed out from horn speakers to the extent that reflection is less of an issue.

Having read a long article about what Alon Wolf thinks about sealed vs. non sealed speakers I feel better about my completely sealed system of Heresy IIIs with 2 RELs. I get that the IVs have many other improvements beyond porting, but Alon makes sense as he feels the bass boost at low levels can be out of scale at higher levels...I suppose the port can be plugged, but, again, my IIIs sound so good I'd have to do some serious side by side comparison to decide to switch to IVs, and I currently get a great sounding adjustable low bass from my 2 REL subs.

Hooked my system up for the first time last night - H IVs and Wadia 321 / a315 with Cambridge CXC transport.  Really wonderful sound that fills my 16 x 24 foot space.  Grainless highs, liquid mids and real solid base.  Needless to say, I was up until late at night listening to all sorts of music.  Belefonte at Carnegie Hall is a revelation.  If feels as though you are right there in the middle of the show.  Lots of detail, but no harshness on all the albums I have listened to so far.  Some less well produced music made itself known, but it was not intolerable.  Very pleased so far.