Great speaker. Maybe even the best Klipsch! Tubes are fine with this speaker but I would want at least 60 watts. They are shy in the lowest bass so subwoofers would be a great addition down the line.
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I have been eyeing these as well. I have picked up a set of new heresy 3’s a couple weeks ago to get a feel for the new heritage lines sound. I also have a set of loaner Cornwall 2’s (1988 vintage) in my house to compare. I have to say the older Cornwall’s are a disappointment just not IMO really HI Fi, mid-fi at best not to mention for the size of the speaker the base is not as deep as I expected. really the older ones midrange and high frequencies are lacking IMO. Now to the Heresy 3’s these little buggers surprised me at what they do. much better midrange and high frequencies then the older models. defiantly have the live event in your room sound with surprising detail and sound stage for a horn system. for a well under $2k speaker i was quite surprisingly happy with them. Also I was surprised at how much bass comes out of them and how forceful it is, even if only 50hz. really they don’t feel much less then the much larger Cornwall 2’s in my room that is quite a large space to fill (18’ ceilings). I really like how the Heresy projects a sound stage over your head putting you in the middle of the mix. The Cornwall 3’s use the same mid and high frequency drivers as the heresy 3 by the way. They are really fun speakers only thing that stands out that may be a short coming is there is a slight disconnect between the bass driver and horns above them, id expect this to be worked out in the 4’s with the newer mid range horn driver. Also i’d seriously also consider the forte 3-4’s as well I had a brief listen at the dealer I bought the heresy 3’s from and they seemed to be a sweet spot in the line. The Cornwall is a really large speakers and if the base isn’t that much more in the newer models then I don’t see the reason to get them over the Forte’s for example. They are all using similar mid and high frequency drivers so makes me wonder why they charge so much more for the Cornwall’s, that larger base driver and larger cabinet can’t cost that much more to justify the huge cost increase IMO. But they do have a certain toe taping sound that’s quite fun maybe not the ultimate in detail and refinement but they are fun as hell. Oh yes I have a tube based system, its listed in my system . Glen |
They still do not go all that low but what is there is clean Huh. When I auditioned these (the III's) at a dealer's showroom, the bass I heard was not clean. Somewhat thumpy and poorly defined - close enough for R&R but little else. I really wanted it to be clean, but that was not what I heard. Perhaps it was the MacIntosh amp or the cavernous room? Whatever, I put my wallet back in my pocket. |
I know Klipsvh very well even with their latest Titaniunm drivers their big weak spot is the very poor quality crossover parts ,hiding inside the cabinet if you had the crossover and wiring upgraded you are talking night and day more refined . I modded the latest Heresy and Lascalla for a friend for maybe $1k or so in parts = to a new much more refined speaker.you would be shocked,Xover parts ,no name from China ,even in their $12 k K horns just unexcusable,and connectors in all your system should be copper ,gold or silver,rhodium, no they use junk $5 grass or plastic ,I may buy a usedK horn someday just to max out in quality parts , keep this in mind. Just remove a woofer you will see what I mean,and wiring 50 centa meter just unexcusable. its like putting $50 tires on a Ferrari !! |
From my understanding (what I have heard elsewhere) is the CW IV is a much better sounding speaker than the III. Most reviewers have said the new mid makes for a large improvement. I too have read from some fanboys of the line that the crossovers are not the best. Improvements are available and easy to install. I really wanted the CW IV. The price ($2K more than the III) was tough to swallow and I instead ordered a built pair of the Cornscalla type 2 from Crites. This is an interesting speaker, was nearly $4,000 less but decent enough to try instead. I have a set of ALK Universal crossovers on order that I will install in the future to see if I can ring out more HF out of them, but the Bass is substantial as is the massive Mid Horn. If these do not work out for my room, I'll likely start looking at the Forte III or elsewhere. The Cornwall and Cornscala take up plenty of floor space as well. |
Feel bad for the guy above who bought the Heresy III's. Did the dealer even tell you the Heresy IV is now available? You made that dealer very happy Im sure. Same kind of thing happened to me...picked up the Forte III brand new and about 1 month later the Cornwall IV came out. Luckily I never opened the Forte's so It will be easier to get rid of. |
I seriously considered the Heresy III but ultimately decided on the Omega SAMs. My main issue with the Heresy was its neither a standmount nor a floorstander and I just couldn't figure out how to make it work in my room with the furniture, etc., getting in the way of listening position with the higher frequencies at ear level. |
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Klipsch, 102db/1 watt efficiency is BORN for tubes, or any low powered amp. I like 30-35-45, but these would shake the place with 20wpc I suspect. Very big room, then perhaps more power. stereo pair of 15", with front ports, bass shy, huh??? I would say, make sure your preamp can cut the bass if necessary. |
the deal I got on the Heresy 3's ( and I know there is a 4 soon to be out) was close to dealer cost so I'm not worried about getting my money out of them. I payed $1600 Canadian ($1200 US)for a new in the box speaker that lists here in Canada for $2150 so I'm not upset at all even if I sell at a small loss I'm happy knowing what I'm getting into with the newer Klipsch line. Forte 4's I think are in my future for a second speaker set up, next year probably. Open baffles too are on my radar. not to toss my local high end dealer under the bus here but I sort of fell into them. I dropped into my dealer to talk about if he could get the heritage line as he was not a dealer for them at the time. turned out his distributor had mistakenly delivered a new set of heresy 3's to him that morning by mistake so he sold them to me chuckling the whole time. turns out the distributor wasn't happy but when asked if they wanted the money they shut up. so I got to sample the new Heresy 3 for not much out take. I'm not disappointed for the money they rock. no not perfect but who cares when your ear deep into Jimmy Pages solo. they actually do Jazz very well to fyi. can't say much for classical as I'm not a listener as of yet. probably a bonus I'm driving them with a $30k system haha hell the speaker wires were almost double the money lol I only bought these Heresy's to evaluate the horn systems from Klipsch and if I wanted to take the plunge on the La Scala-Cornwall, both I think are too big why I'm thinking the Forte 4 maybe a La Scala we will see. I really like the new La Scala friend has a set, that's who lent me the older Cornwall's, they are just so much money for what you get IMO. Glen |
kalali I owned a set of SAM monitors as well for a while great speaker too for what they do. best sound staging I have ever heard in my system. I'm still thinking of the SAM high output's floor standers as a contender. just would like more bass but hard to do everything in a single driver. Voxative are high on my list to listen to for single driver systems. maybe the Pure Audio project's open baffle system with a Voxative main driver would be interesting to listen to. |
Have not heard the IV but I owned the Cornwall III and I could NOT find a way to like them. The cabinet resonances obliterated detail in the midrange that I just could not live with. My Forte IIs also do this but to a much lesser extent. I did like my Heresy IIIs. Probably the worst in the way of cabinet resonances was my Belles. It seems the big Klipsch really have a problem with the damned boxes singing along with the music, |
Yes. After selling Forte originals, I picked up Heresy ivs used, and broken in, 10/10 condition for $2100 pr meticulous sound… so distinct… so lucious and warm, and super clear at low volumes that you hear pieces in songs you know… that weren’t there before. Amps? I have vintage ones, and Marantz 2226B is perfect for efficiency… better yet the TONE CONTROLS on vintage split, and they have a MIDBASS knob, to bring out where most music lays in the song. Most amps only have bass and treble. Marantz low powered amps were sweeter and warmer, and if one channel (L or R) is more in a corner, you can simply turn and say “split” the midbass a bit more to the less-revealing channel that isn’t in a closer corner proximity( rather than just making a BALANCE adjustment. I cannot wait to hear my CARY ROCKET 88, warming up my Mancave in the tube Winter. SS is cooler now in Summer. |
Very happy with my modded CWIV. They’re quite good stock, but as @audioman58 noted, they can be seriously improved by upgrading the caps and resistors in the crossover and damping the horns, ports, and woofer baskets. Big improvement from changing the binding posts to WTB NextGen, too. Now they’re perfectly at home at the end of an all tubes and vinyl chain that would warrant much pricier speakers. I’ve tried them with several amps, using various tubes and topologies; 300B SET is the best for me, with plenty of power and all that wonderful nuance and musicality. Don’t underestimate these speakers! Careful placement and toe-in will also change their sound dramatically, as will putting them on something like Herbie’s Giant Gliders to tighten up the bottom. One of these days I’ll try damping the cabs, but they sound so good now I have not felt the need. |
It’s been a minute since I posted this….I picked a pair about a year and a half ago and did all the mods mentioned above and man what a difference. They are an endpoint for an all VPI analog front end and I am mesmerized every time I drop the needle. I did make some silver speaker cables and this only added to the transparency. |
I've had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours listening to the CWIV in a less than ideal setting (smallish room), driven by a very high end tube amp (forgot the brand, price was around 12000 for an integrated) It still is to this day one of the most musical systems I've heard. The midrange and treble on the IV is far, far better than any previous version. The CWIV communicate Music with a warm, inviting musicality and a big sound. It's not your overly transparent Magico speaker, but it certainly is refined enough for all but the most picky ears and communicates scale, micro and macro dynamics, and textures with ease. If I was in the market for my last pair of speakers, the ones that will accompany me to the grave, I would seriously consider the CWIV. |