Disappointed w/ Klipsch Heresy III. Now what?


I'd be very grateful for some help with a quandary.

I recently replaced my Ohm Walsh 1000 speakers with Heresy III speakers, running two-channel from a Rega Brio. I was pretty excited about the Heresy IIIs based on reviews — they were efficient, so my 35-watt amp would get the job done; they were supposed to have real punch in the low mid-range, so I could hear the upright bass clearly; they reportedly had excellent imaging; and best of all, they were supposed to sound great at low volumes. They are also indisputably beautiful, which was an important factor for my wife. (The Ohms are elegant, but you have to be an audio lover to see their beauty.)

I set them up, and . . . not so bad, pretty good. Especially loud. In fact the louder the better. Crank them up and they sing. But loud is not really an option with a new baby. So how do they sound quiet? They sound like the band is trapped in shoe box. Really in two shoe boxes because the L and R don't merge that well. The sound stage is tiny. All the detail is gone, the joy is gone. They are no fun at all. Music just seems like a bunch of noise.

But I want to believe! I want to make these speakers work. So I am faced with a quandary. I could:

1. Buy stands, a subwoofer and a tube amp, all of which people in various forums have recommended to improve the various failings I hear now.

2. Replace the Rega with something much more powerful and pull the Ohms out of the closet. (Suboptimal because it will make my wife sad because of the aforementioned perceived ugliness.)

3. Just start all over again. Different amp, different speakers.

I'd kind of prefer number 1. But I don't want to end up with a bunch of stuff designed to solve a problem and then not have that problem solved! (And I'd also just as soon avoid getting a subwoofer.)

Final note. Positioning is an intractable nightmare. It is the one thing that I can't really change, because of how our living room is layed out. It is obviously a big problem though. The living room is a big rectangle, 18 x 40 feet, and the speakers are near the corners of the 18-foot ends, on either side of a couch. I can move them around — closer or further from the couch, closer or further from the wall. But I can't raise them above the height of the couch or move them out in front or over to another wall. That discussion went nowhere!

What should I do?

 



brooklynluke
I remember getting to meet him when I was a ;little kid.  He was bigger than life.  I think it was Phase Linear or Crown electronics.  the dealer in town carried them and I fell in love with the whole line. lol..
Klipsch is lo-fi these days. The old man made some good stuff once upon a time. 
Lol. Compared to what exactly?
https://forum.audiogon.com/users/wolf_garcia
"I use a single ended 12 watt per side tube power amp and a tube preamp with the Heresy IIIs (and 2 REL subs…you kinda need a sub with Heresy IIIs).."

What REL Model Subs have you &/or which Subs/Models do you believe would work well in a Heresy Home Theater setup?
The best sub I've heard under 5k is the Vandersteen Sub 3.  It has the same amp with an 11 band EQ built in.  Roughly the same one I have built into my Quatro's.  You can dial it in no matter your situation.  Unlike digital EQ, you can't hear it at all.  I have a friend who just got a pair and is in love with them.  He brought the more expensive REL's in and he and his buddy's chose the Vandersteen and said as good as the REL was, the Vandy was just better in all aspects.  

Yes, I love Vandersteen's, but I also love other gear.  If I needed a sub Vandersteen and REL is where I'd start and finish.  There are some other good choices, but the only other one I'd look at needs 4 of them and I would never have the room for that (I have a wife who also uses the listening room ;)...ha