})(); Compared to the III these just have upped the game in the imaging department. But again for the cost they are remarkable and will breathe life into your music collection. I traded the Octave in towards the Vinnie Rossi (had to as the cost was much more than I could swing without doing that). A little bit dry vs the special 40’s but just a much larger presentation from the Klipsch. I am very familiar with Klipsh. As I have said though, they will sound different than typical speakers like that from Dynaudio, B&W, Sonus Faber, Elac and others. With the IV, well, I believe they are wowing more than the Special 40’s! It’s a dinky little thing and arrives with an added pre-amp facility, Paul Rigby reviews this low-cost DAC Topping seems to have descended upon the hi-fi firmament with little or no fanfare. I do have two systems in my home now anyway ; ). This is a track I use to test a system for space, for vocals, for sweetness and for air/soundstage. The recording is a little flat but sounds as good as ever with the Heresy IV. Particularly with vinyl. For now they will replace my beloved special 40’s as I move those to the back room system (where Dynaudio Evoke 10’s are now) and let the Heresy IV take main duty until the Cornwall IV’s arrive. The binding posts are now metal as well, which is a nice upgrade over the old plastic on the III. It just flows freely like the speaker cable is a vein for music and there are no clogs in that vein. What these other speakers lack, the Klipsch has tons of. Dolly’s voice is again, dead center. The Sweetest Perfection. A lot. Even so, listening to a live performance is special on almost any Klipsch speaker. I love the way the Heresy IV handles the bass here. The speakers are made in the USA with real wood veneers that are book matched and these are gorgeous. The Best DACs, Servers, Streamers, and Disc Spinners [Editor’s note: Welcome to the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for 2021! While they have improved along the way, and in some big ways, they still look very much like a vintage old school speaker. The Qln Prestige 3 Speaker Review. Sure, they may sound loud and big but these can scale with the best of them and the better you feed them (quality watts, not mega watts), the better the sound that will emirate from these little stout boxes. From memory, I thought my Special 40’s did better so I hooked them up. } Listening in the other room with the Dynaudios make them sound thin. Any suggestions? I will say these look much nicer in my room than my Dynaudio’s and my wife loves them as well. I adore them and bought them TWICE. Would you be able to update the spelling to Klipsch* pretty please? THAT amazed me as well as those Corns are easy to place. The Dynaudios are a tad more “airier” and smooth. Even though the 40’s bring me more instrument separation here, the Heresy IV’s bring those instruments to me in a more intimate way. This was the last gen before the EVO line. I really liked their SpinBase Turntable Speaker System ($299) so much I made it our Product of The Year for 2020. As is, it doesn’t get any better for $3k in my honest opinion. Each series covers a different aspect of audio. With these new IV’s being more transparent than ever they played with a similar vibe but the mid bass weight was missing here for me and with the Klipsch there was a bit of brightness I was hearing in the upper midrange area. But most importantly, its sound quality is just superb!. new interesting facts about your collection. Billy Joel – “Live at Shea Stadium” – Entire Album – Qobuz FLAC. The lesson here is, trust your ears to determine what you like, not the traditional audiophile “wisdom”. Dolly Parton – “Sugar Hill” – From Halos & Horns – Digital. No weaknesses at all for this price. Here the Heresy IV’s sound spacious, huge and lean to the warm side as I feel the recording does itself. writing a review of the Klipsch Heresy III. You may get some reflective sounds going on. ... which makes it a perfect pick for any audiophile on your list. Wow. Not a fan of cherry. Our expectations have been satisfied with multipotent, proprietary, often expensive audiophile-quality streamers of full-component dimensions and ever-more-complex PC-based boxes such as my Baetis Prodigy-X and the impressive Pink Faun 2.16x I reviewed in our December 2020 issue. Sounds glorious so maybe the Yamaha will do great with the IV series. It is this characteristic that gives them their live sound. That is also a key sign that your system is right. Always tight and fast. forms : { STEREOPHILE'S LOUDSPEAKER PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2020! No matter the price. Much different than the III’s, proved in every way. I always suggest a demo in your own space if you can or at least at a dealer as they will have them set up optimally. You may thank me later ; ). Install Volumio on the Raspberry Pi and many other silent micro-Computers, as well PCs and Notebooks. High Frequency Driver: K-107-TI 1″ (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver They impart a richness and offer up that beautiful big analog sound when playing good vinyl records. No! There’s a general rule – hi-fi hardware is anti-social. ; ) These things ROCK! I can not wait to hear them here in my room in about 2 weeks. This track sounds heavenly on my Special 40’s. Tidal Flac. Acoustic instruments? Enjoy and I will see if I can find one! THIS IS an all new speaker over the III. These Heresy IV’s can easily do the big wide soundstage thing as well as bring precise imaging and clarity. Maximum SPL: 116dB Continuous With the Klipsch, you can also turn it up … and up… and up. Great song, great recording. I feel when I have the Cornwall IV here this will sound even better with an even larger and possibly more meatier sound. The instruments were placed to the left and right while his voice, hauntingly realistic, croons out the lyrics as if Frank was about four feet in front of me. Check them out if you can, and thank me later. He said these were the most impressive he has heard to date in this house. The IV does away with this. It’s haunting at times when they are set up right, in a dedicated room and with quality gear upstream. Being that I am one of the first to get a set, and review them, I now own them. UPDATE MARCH 8th 2020: Lifetime speakers IMO. It sounds as good as it ever has right now with a full cohesive sound that is gentle, dynamic and sweet all at the same time. : ). These things tame down the higher end and most speakers sound very nice in here Also, the gear you use to power these will make a HUGE difference and to a lesser extent the DAC, cables, etc. If I am anywhere BUT THE SWEET spot with the special 40’s they lose the magic. The Klipsch here has more high end but again, this seems to bring the life and vigor to the song/performance. The Dynaudios Special 40’s are among my favorite bookshelf speakers under $10k. The sound that is reaching these very trained and experienced ears is nothing short of wonderful. Small close miked Jazz? Usually when we talk of a sealed speaker we think of tight tuneful bass. - AUDIO, "Volumio is exceptionally powerful, expandable and reliable; it is about one of the best software music systems in the world." Once day there was no Topping, the next I’m seeing the name talked about on every major techie social media platform on the planet. Any of the Davone designs are equally at home in a living room, music room or the museum of modern art. For me, it will be between the Heresy IV and Cornwall IV. Enjoy. Here is where I notice a cohesiveness about these speakers and they excel at it. Better yet, stick around and read this one as the new Heresy IV’s have been in my listening room and they are bring some very nice improvements over the III in just about EVERY WAY. It’s as tight as can be and tighter than the bass of my Special 40’s. Some will ask me what the faults are of the Heresy IV. THE VALUE PROPOSITION IN AUDIO: ROLLING YOUR OWN IS AS EASY AS PI Recording and working with audio files on a simple Raspberry Pi DAW From brighter and splashy to lean bass to where they are now..huge, full, clear, transparent and beautiful. Heck, who am I kidding…one recent day I spent 11 hours in my listening room with these speakers. They sound fantastic out of the box and may surprise you when you hook them up! By direct side by side comparison the Dynaudios sound like they have a clog in the system (as good as they are) and the Heresy IV’s just sound so freaking ALIVE when playing loud. The build quality is exquisite. Remember, it’s not about how much something costs, it is about the performance. The Cornwall had the same character, it just gave A LOT more of it with the biggest wall of sound I have ever heard and they sounded GORGEOUS in my small 12X13 room. This is true, I do not need more than this as they provide all the sound I love, crave and desire from a speaker. Meet the Fringer Adapter. By Steve Huff Fast Facts: This amp, without question, is an amazing synergistic match with modern day Klipsch Heritage speakers like the ones I own. The results are not audiophile subjective suggestions ... PinkFaun Streamer 2.16 Is probably the best computer for audio on the market. It’s also nice that the horns have very wide dispersion, so you don’t have to sit in the “sweet spot” to get the highs/lows balanced. It is designed to play all your music in high quality from any device with a browser. Tidal 24 bit FLAC. On my Special 40’s it sounded a sterile but good. Yes I know I say “Heresy” wrong just as I did in my III review. if (!window.mc4wp) { But the H4? And speak about a decently big soundstage with a wide and fat fast bass, for I can – yes Sir!It’s again accurate and dynamic and this great bass articulation is often a give away of a very audiophile capable DAC. Larger mid range horn, crisper details, tighter bass….its going to be very interesting. on: function (event, callback) { Control it with your It’s a shock to the system if you never heard these kinds of speakers before. These Klipsch look better in my room and offer me a better sound in my room. Yes, they shocked me. Linear Tube Audio, Decware, Omega Speaker Systems, And Zu Audio The Audiophile System Builder V2 Our recommendations for buying a complete audiophile stereo system with a budget between $3600 to $7400 for streaming hi-res audio. […]. Sounds emerge from the sides, the back, the front, the center and even by the sides of my head. 3. These Heresy IV’s can teach some other speakers a lesson in simplicity as well. Moody Blues – “Send Me No Wine” – From On the Threshold of a Dream. I now know what you mean by “3D” sound stage. Play anything you connect as an input to your Volumio device. Super tight across the board without any boom or loose bass. I would say the Heresy IV is more like an instrument that produces music where the Special 40 is more like a piece of art that reproduces sound as as lushly and beautifully as it can. That Luxman amp is beautiful and priced not so crazy compared to their higher end offerings. Did you ever test Klipsch with the yamaha as3000 you had for a while? I LOVE this album and feel it is a beautiful document of some of the most lovely songs crafted by this Swedish sister duo. With Klipsch Heritage we listen to the life of the music, not the analytical details of it. Just an observation… Not too long ago audiophile snob community was laughing at Japanese audiophiles and their obsession with vintage horns (esp. Looking at upgrading from a set of Heresy IIIs. Sounds awesome! Why limit yourself choosing a HI-FI Player device? Tori’s voice here is dead center as we hear her piano soaked in some sort of reverb that presents itself as being in space when listening. It’s a different presentation without question. These did change throughout the 100 hours. Power Handling (Cont/Peak): 100W/400W 25th November 2020, 7:08 pm . I look at what will sound the best in my room as the room is what I am stuck with. When you can’t stop listening and get zero listening fatigue. It offered a nice old school sound with some hints of audiophile traits but overall it was considered a great classic fun speaker that played great music with so much life and a live feel. MyVolumio Superstar Plan – Yearly License Coupon, Black Friday Surprise! I am FLOORED. First of all, the speakers are an inch taller and a bit less wide. When the guitar break comes in at 1:45 or so it’s AMAZING when played loud. One thing I will say is that make sure you use good gear with these. These excel with acoustic music, jazz, vocals, and almost everything besides heavy metal in which they could use more bottom end thunder. These are indeed horn based speakers which is what makes them so easy to drive. My video look at the Klipsch Heresy IV Speakers. You can go further by separating the Bluetooth module and putting that in its own chassis. Best I have heard vinyl in a long while, since my Cornwall III’s which were my all time fave speakers for Analog. It’s not big, flabby, booming or even that noticeable! As the old audiophiles are dyeing out, young generation is rediscovering the benefits of horns. I think again, once the Cornwall IV get here then these live albums will create a concert in my listening room. I bought some Heresy 80’s vintage and really like them but this review makes me want to go hear the IV’s. Definitely a step up from the III. - Head-Fi, "Thanks to the isolated structure, Volumio delivers a truly audiophile sound. " End Game for your Digital? No small feat. From looks with the new special grille that is salt and pepper to the new stand that is black and adds great contrast between the speaker and stand. It is a horn speaker after all! The Klipsch is more immediate and more intimate. First Aid Kit – Vinyl.    HF: 4500Hz ; ). Spacious, angelic, detailed, minimalistic. Haunted Laundry – “Cheated” from Haunted Laundry – Tidal FLAC – Another song I love to play when I evaluate gear. Thanks. I prefer this track on the Heresy IV but it’s a different presentation over the Dynaudio. Enclosure Material: MDF JBL). They sound smaller (they are after all a bookshelf) and more constrained than the free flowing Klipsch. They sounded awesome in that system as well, which clocks in at about $1200. Not something the older III did as well in my experience. I could not believe the realistic human voice that was even larger than what the III’s put out in my room. That delivered a huge, warm leaning sound that was slightly lacking in lower bass but had a nice mid bass. A Musical Fidelity M2si and $150 speaker cables with a Bluesound Node 2i. While $3000 is a lot of money, I have heard speakers that cost $40,000 and not sound as alive, fresh and enjoyable as these Heresy IV’s. The III was for me, warmer, did not image nearly as well and the midrange was slightly smaller sounding/thinner. 8 comments. – Tidal FLAC 24 bit. This may be one of the most wholesome and satisfying presentations of this song I have heard. Line Magnetic, Luxman or even a low cost China made amp (of which I may test one soon with these). All speakers that I consider “musical instruments” rather than boxes that make music. When I go back to a normal speaker they sound insanely recessed to me now. At the price of $3000 there is zero to complain about here. You will be moving your feet, body, head, whatever. Dimensions (HWD): 24.81″ x 15.5″ x 13.25″ These Heresy IV’s deliver more percieved detail than my Dynaudios in the treble dept and are not as silky smooth or warm but wow, they let me hear what I was missing with the Dynaudio’s! Perfume Genius – “Otherside” – Tidal FLAC – So my wife loves this song when played on a great system. In fact. Just use the RCA outs. Where it got me though is the sound and it is has matured so much from the previous Version III Heresy. I love the look. We move our feet instead of our brain overthinking every minute detail. It can go each way and sometimes products that are lower cost can be tremendous deals as they perform well above their price point. Listening on a Sunday morning when the house was still quiet Frank’s vocals came out front and center, bold and strong. With these in my system I have been spending upwards of 6 hours a day in my listening seat, and never ever did I get any kind of fatigue. Room is 16 x 22 x 8 and I listen to alternate & 70s/80s rock, jazz, blues and classical. This song is produced so well. I remember the experience of this on the Focal Sopra 2’s and it was phenomenal and so transparent. window.mc4wp.listeners.push({ Oh and these speakers CAN ROCK. These speakers sound so damn clean I can not believe it. – This is an oldie but sounds so good no matter when I play it. That was, so far, many deep nights listening to music that has touched my soul in the most direct of ways. These speakers are the opposite of “boring”. It’s funny but as I remember back to all speakers I have owned, tested or ran through here the ones that I remember the most? Frequency Response (+/- 4 dB): 48-20k +/-4dB, High Frequency Driver: K-107-TI 1″ (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver, Midrange: K-702 1.75″ (4.45cm) polyimide diaphragm compression driver, Low Frequency Driver: K-28-E 12″ (30.48cm) Fiber-composite cone woofer, Inputs: Dual binding posts / bi-wire / bi-amp, Dimensions (HWD): 24.81″ x 15.5″ x 13.25″, Mirrorless Central – My reviews of all Mirrorless Cameras. When I bring the Special 40’s back in I lose some life, some presence and I also lose some size. The Special 40’s will remain one of my fave bookshelf speakers ever but the Heresy IV has now become a speaker that I enjoy just as much, if not more than my Dynaudio. It is not the dry sound that pseudiophiles like, but like my leica r lenses, it’s more about character and fun than just accuracy. It’s the best integrated I have encountered in my lifetime, and bought one as soon as I demoed one as a (rest of my) lifetime investment. There seems to be less mid bass here over when I heard this on the Heresy III. All Klipsch Heritage speakers have this quality from what I have heard over the years and the new Heresy IV continues on. Do you love Volumio and want to be part of our team? Maybe I’m in the minority here but I like a more modern looking speaker whereas these things look like they belong in my Dad’s basement along with a 1970’s wooden cabinet CRT television. – OK so this is not any kind of audiophile recording. The III’s are awesome, make no mistake. I will say that these are really an amazing speaker for the money, and even at any cost. The Heresy IV is in my opinion, the best Heresy EVER MADE. I recommend it more with Dynamic-based or with Planar-based … So no need to spend the big bucks to enjoy these, just feed them quality and yes, you can get quality for under $1500. In fact, at times the bass vibrated my walls behind my couch yet never boomed or sounded loose. Rather, more like a high end speaker would do, like my Special 40’s. Leave this field empty if you're human: Privacy | Cookies | Terms & Conditions | Status. These are one of the best deals in HiFi in 2020 bar none. This is a lovely recording and song. They sound flatter here and thinner! I’m going to compare the EVO 100 to the Luxman 150 with these speakers and see if there’s a big difference. High-End AudioPC, Audio PC, Audiophile Optimizer, Audio Optimization, Computer Audio, Computer Audio Shop, Computer Audiophile Shop, AudiophileOptimizer, MUTEC, SOtM-Audio, Paul Pang Audio, JCAT, AudiophileOptimizer, Computer Audiophile Hardware, Computer Audio Consulting Services, Music Server Software OS Optimization I feel the IV will accomplish this (and those will be my next speaker review in March). We have a important announcement for you. There is that texture again in the voice, which means I am hearing details in the voice. In search for the ultimate music server, Euphony Audio has joined forces with the Dutch high end computer audio manufacturer Pink Faun.Full customization of Euphony Stylus for the Pink Faun 2.16 Ultra streamer resulted in a breath taking harmony of high end audio hardware and software. } Add a nice DAC, cables and amp and they will reward you each step up you take. I’m currently running a Pi4 with a Justboom DAC hat running Volumio. When I read the specs of the Heresy IV I was worried that they took it from a sealed design to a ported. Those are some of the best $2k speakers around. She said it reminded her of the recent passing of a friend and her emotions just poured out. Yes, I tried these on stands as I did the III’s but found them to sound much better, fuller and spacious on the floor as they were designed to be placed. That is dynamics, life, energy and a huge spacious sound that will fill any space, with almost any amount of amp power. Yes, the price has been increased from $2500 to $300o for a matched pair but when you hear them you will understand why this is. TV. I thought the Heresy III was amazing, and blew past the myths associated with Klipsch from the past (in some audiophile circles they frown upon Klipsch). UPDATE DECEMBER 2020: I have moved cross country and set up a temporary listening room and I am still listening to the Klipsch Heresy IV and still blown away by what these boxes do for the money ; ) After all of this time and with many comparisons against other speakers, I can say that the magic of the H4’s lie in the huge midrange. Nice, full and detailed yet very transparent. I thought we would get some boomy bass with the ports added to the back but this is like no ported speaker I have heard. The Dynaudio Heritage Special Speaker Review. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa0j1e-cary-audio-sli_80-signature-tube, All-new K-702 midrange compression driver, featuring a polyimide diaphragm, for exceptional detail (, K-702 midrange is mated to the K-704 Tractrix® horn for a wide coverage pattern (, K-107-TI titanium diaphragm high-frequency driver with an all-new wide dispersion phase plug for providing exceptionally even high-frequency dispersion (, All-new high fidelity network for truer to life sound, best-in-class efficiency, and power handling, For the first time, the Heresy IV features a rear port for the most efficient, fastest air transfer in their class, which reduces port noise for punchier low frequencies (, Klipsch Tractrix ports have custom designed inner flares that help reduce air turbulence entering the port.