Should Klipsch Heresy IIIs retire??

Subbu68

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Have been toying the idea of retiring my Heresy IIIs after i made an experimental OB with the humble Ahuja 12FRX on cardboard baffles.

Now I could make a video to compare the two speakers. Both driven by same source, same pair of ACA amps, same subwoofer helping them.

First 2 minutes or so Heresys and next half Ahuja.

Not sure if video is blocked by YouTube though the source is from YT Music

 
Mids are more pronounced for Ahuja, seems to sound a bit bright too.
True..
Rather Klipsch seemed muffled.

I tried playing the video to my daughter who is my "ears" without showing her which was it and switching between Heresy and Ahuja at random (moving the cursor). She immediately picked Heresy and said it's muffled Papa.

Ahuja seems true to it's specs as far as sensitivity is concerned. Heresy though 99dB as per spec is lower in volume.

Ahuja lifted a heavy veil off the songs. Never heard my favourites so clear. Maybe time to get Lii Audio F15.
 
@Subbu68 , the Ahujas indeed sound brighter , livelier , or , depending on listener , more fatigue inducing ,in this video. :)

Are you 100% certain that your dual mono bridged ACAs is not the bottleneck somehow for the Heresys? With your DIY skills you can surely make a Pass Labs F5 Class A 25w , which by all accounts is a better amp than the ACAs by the same designer. Just a thought to chew on ….
 
Some comments tell me not to retire Heresys :)

@Hari Iyer , @Bloom@83 - you wrote fatigue inducing. Had been listening with it for long hours but no issues. With Heresy driven by my Elekit many a times my daughter tells me to turn down the volume. Not with Ahuja. The roll off at higher end of Ahuja maybe sooner than Heresy. Not many seem to have tested and published Heresy IIIs FR to compare .perhaps due to the horns for mid and HF

One thing that seemed to tell is Heresy are not as sensitive as advertised
 OR
@Bloom@83 we seem to think the same. the actual impedance of Heresy maybe lower than nominal 8 Ohm and ACA output goes down? ACA is 5W @4 Ohm and 15W @8 Ohm in bridged mono.

I can only drool over a Pass F5 now. Family commitments....
 
Subbu68, you need to check with both the speakers at the same position. Now it’s not. Also you can’t have the other speaker in the room when testing.
 
This is a wonderful experiment. Infact i am just waiting for the Ahuja drivers to get delivered. Next week sometime I'll be able to post some recording with a 20w Class A which I built and share some experience..
Hearing the above recording I am to believe that getting the Ahuja drivers was not a bad choice. Let me share in a day Or two.
 
Subbu68, you need to check with both the speakers at the same position. Now it’s not. Also you can’t have the other speaker in the room when testing.
Agreed

The speakers are at the ideal position for of them. The phone placed was moved to same position relative to the speakers.

In normal listening, Heresys and Ahujas are at the places as you see so i thought that would be representation of real listening in the video too.

Ahujas are easy peasy to move around but moving the Heresys out every now and then can hurt my back. Don't want wheels on their stands as some do install.
 
I have been looking for the Fane Sovereign 12-250TC for a long time and called every possible Fane dealer/distributor in India and unfortunately none have them anymore. Upon reaching out to Fane directly they say they have no longer distribution in India as the scope for Diy is less compared to other countries where they are sold. The only option to get those drivers now is import and by doing it the price seems to shoot up over the roof . Since that will be a hit or a miss thought lets try with these Ahuja's and if they really do good in my room then it makes real sense to import the Fane's.
 
This is a wonderful experiment. Infact i am just waiting for the Ahuja drivers to get delivered. Next week sometime I'll be able to post some recording with a 20w Class A which I built and share some experience..
Hearing the above recording I am to believe that getting the Ahuja drivers was not a bad choice. Let me share in a day Or two.
Waiting for your result.. wish you all the best with your built. Ahujas are not at all bad in my opinion.
 
Have been toying the idea of retiring my Heresy IIIs after i made an experimental OB with the humble Ahuja 12FRX on cardboard baffles.

Now I could make a video to compare the two speakers. Both driven by same source, same pair of ACA amps, same subwoofer helping them.

First 2 minutes or so Heresys and next half Ahuja.

Not sure if video is blocked by YouTube though the source is from YT Music

After auditioning it through my system which results in a rather inaccurate assessment, I do prefer the Klipsch's. Sound more relaxed and balanced. The Ahujas sound more exciting, gritty and dynamic. Alternate between the two when you get bored of the specific sound of each speaker. You've got a win win situation!

P.S.:- Those Ahuja OBs are going to be murder during parties! 🤩
 
Each one of us listens differently and likes different kind of sound. Here’s my impression of your two speakers’ reproduction of this track, Subbu:

At least for this track, I liked the Heresy III’s better… a lot more to my liking. This is pop-rock and the Heresies made me rock with it… I found my head swaying to the song every time I replayed it. This result, I consider most important - the song should produce the primary impact expected on the listener. For this youthful swinging song, it’s that. The Heresies did it, the Ahujas didn’t.

I am inclined to conclude that for peppier songs/albums/genres the Heresies are the one to go with. In fact, this kind of speakers are best suited for fast, peppier music. i felt the same listening to Prem’s JBLs, even the Linton Heritage, I suspect the KLH5 might fall in this too… what separates them is how well each resolves the bass, and that goes hand in hand with the price. If a headphone analogy is to be given, I’d say it’s the Grado sound… nothing beats it when it comes to rocking!

Coming to the Ahuja’s, they didn’t do it for me on this track. Yes the mids are clearly pronounced. The guitar sounded truly special on it. An analytical listener might enjoy these speakers especially on the right kind of music. And I believe that music would be slower, mid-centric music - think blues, country, old Hindi romantic and the kind. There’s also the DIY (subjective) love to go with them.

The ‘veil removal’ effect of the Ahuja’s is obvious even in the video, but this veil isn’t really all bad. It’s intentional in the Heresy - it’s how they are designed, for a purpose. Rock listeners and those who want to swing to their music don’t like to listen to clear, separated voices and instruments as much as to a harmonised symphony of sound enveloping them.. a wall/dome of sound if you’d call it that.

Also, the Ahuja’s are currently bright. Don’t think I could listen to them for long without getting fatigued. But that’s something you can work upon. Once that’s achieved, they could delight the listeners on the right genres (mentioned above). Achieving that without compromising on the transparency would be an interesting challenge for the DIYer in you.

And thanks for that YouTube playlist. It looks like an interesting mastering project on Indian songs.

Can you put up another comparison video of the two speakers on opposite kind of music? Say an old blues track or Norah Jones? It would provide an interesting counter to this one.

As for whether to keep the Heresies or retire them, I’d suggest don’t decide too soon. I read somewhere you bought them un-auditioned. This is a lovely sound that can grow on you. If your listening space allows it, I’d suggest keep both - and listen to the appropriate genres through each. But it’s not elegant/convenient, even if possible to do. I just want you not to regret selling the Heresies later.
 
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I couldn't sense much difference. To me, the OB clearly has lesser bass, causing the ear to sense more of high frequency.
Oh... I forgot to dial up the sub.

Without the sub, this OB is perfectly enjoyable with old recordings devoid off any electronic percussion of Rahman and his clan. Heresys too drop downhill from around 60Hz or so. When that was the only speaker to contest for listening time, the sub sounded best around 65Hz cutoff.
 
Also a personal request, if it’s not too much to oblige. Can you please record the same track with the Heresy without the sub? You could just WhatsApp it to me. I want to hear how they sound on this in comparison to when aided by the sub.
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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