Klipsch Heresy or JBL 4309

[Buddelbaby]

I am currently using a Canton Ergo 902 speaker. I would like to switch to a pair of Klipsch Heresy or JBL 4309 or Hdi 1600. Which speaker would be best when it comes to spatiality and details, as well as for home cinema.

 

[Norcal]

I am currently using a Canton Ergo 902 speaker. I would like to switch to a pair of Klipsch Heresy or JBL 4309 or Hdi 1600. Which speaker would be best when it comes to spatiality and details, as well as for home cinema.

What drew you to those particular three options?

 

[Zwepp]

Hello,

I have both the 4309's and HDI-1600's here to compare. I power them with a Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 and have a SVS SB-2000 subwoofer to complement the low end. I measured my in-room response with REW and a Umik-1 microfoon to correct for any FR inconsistencies. Both speakers als very close, but the HDI-1600's sound a little more forward, where the 4309's are a bit more relaxed with better separation between instruments and sounds. Both sounds very dynamic and lively. In my room a subwoofer isn't overly necessary (there is massive room gain around 35Hz), but it's sure is nice to have for some electronic music. Mind you, al experience is are based on what I here in my room and I can't say anything about the Heresy's, as I haven't heard them. From what I know and read, they don't measure as nice as the JBL's (to put it mildly), but they might be just what you seek ;-)

 

[GeorgeWalk]

I can't speak to the JBLs, but I do have a pair of Heresys. I love them. I bought them in 1977. I have since replaced the woofers (I had a cat that loved to play with the cones), replaced the crossovers, and re-sealed the horns. They tend to be bright (some people might say harsh) compared to other non-horn speakers. I keep the treble down a bit on them. They are also very efficient speakers. If you have other speakers with them - I use them in my home theater system - you need to keep the volume lower on them to keep from overpowering the other speakers.

 

[Buddelbaby]

Thanks, that helps me, I would rather go for the 4309. The Heresy are definitely a different speaker, I chose without because it is supposed to be very lively and fun with music.

 

[Buddelbaby]

Has anyone heard the Heresy versus the new JBL 4309?

 

[DSJR]

No, but I remember the Heresy of old basically all but jumping off the floor and going WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! at the listener. No low bass but hey, it doesn't matter in a smaller room and that incredibly projected tonal balance is dearly loved by many people, almost a cult thing...

I'm sure current ones may be tamed just a little as Klipsch do seem to be gradually pulling these old models a little more into line. No chance here of a listen to 4309s sadly, but if they're anything like a smaller version of the 4367, I'd say they'd be really nice, the upper hundred Hertz region I'd suggest being deliberately left 'rough' to project the upper mids out a touch and I suspect the tweeter horn/waveguide disperses high frequencies really nicely too.

Good luck.

 

[Ludovic]

Bonjour,
J'ai une paire d'hérésie IV.
A mon oreille, elles sont incroyables.
J'ai pu les comparer directement aux kef ls50 et aux colonnes qacoustics dans la même pièce, mais jamais avec les JBL malheureusement.
Je comprends votre intérêt pour ces 2 modèles.
Je n'irai plus chercher le plaisir dans d'autres marques.
Je sais qu'elles mesurent mal, mais de toute façon mon salon n'est pas traité.
Par contre pour le home cinéma, c'est très démonstratif mais beaucoup moins raffiné que les colonnes classiques.
Je trouve les médiums extraordinaires même s'ils ne sont pas fidèles.
Je dois avouer que je m'ennuie avec nombre d'autres enceintes de salon.

 

[AdamG]

Bonjour,
J'ai une paire d'hérésie IV.
A mon oreille, elles sont incroyables.
J'ai pu les comparer directement aux kef ls50 et aux colonnes qacoustics dans la même pièce, mais jamais avec les JBL malheureusement.
Je comprends votre intérêt pour ces 2 modèles.
Je n'irai plus chercher le plaisir dans d'autres marques.
Je sais qu'elles mesurent mal, mais de toute façon mon salon n'est pas traité.
Par contre pour le home cinéma, c'est très démonstratif mais beaucoup moins raffiné que les colonnes classiques.
Je trouve les médiums extraordinaires même s'ils ne sont pas fidèles.
Je dois avouer que je m'ennuie avec nombre d'autres enceintes de salon.

Translation by Moderator:

“Good morning,
I have a pair of Heresy IVs.
To my ear, they are incredible.
I was able to compare them directly to the kef ls50 and the qacoustics columns in the same room, but never with the JBL unfortunately.
I understand your interest in these 2 models.
I will no longer look for pleasure in other brands.
I know they measure wrong, but my living room isn't treated anyway.
On the other hand, for home cinema, it is very demonstrative but much less refined than classic columns.
I find mediums extraordinary even if they are not faithful.
I must admit that I am bored with many other living room speakers.”

Please use English going forward. Thank you and Welcome Aboard Sir.

 

[AwesomeSauce2015]

Personally, if you're going to home theater and an accurate sound, then either of the two JBL options will do well. The Herseys will inevitably color the sound due to their "classic" design. Now, if you like that sound, then go for it, but it is not "accurate".
Between the two JBL speakers, just pick whichever one you like the look of, or the measurements of, better.
You'll probably want a subwoofer (or two) in either case, and an AV receiver or DSP (ie: miniDSP) to handle the crossover.

The only real benefit of the Heresys over the JBLs, in my opinion, is their 12" woofer vs the JBL 6" woofers. If I was running them solely as a music system in a large living room, I would go with the Heresys just because of that alone. I also happen to like the way that they look sitting on the floor. However, I would also be running DSP to correct for the Heresy's frequency response issues, and I would not consider it to be a "reference" system in any way, instead it would be a system designed to play back classic rock at '11', and sound good while doing it.

So to answer your question: The JBLs are much better choices for what you are looking for. Pair them with a subwoofer to handle the bass, and you'll be set. If a subwoofer is not an option, then you could try the JBL 708p, or the 708i if you are open to figuring out its DSP requirements. The 8" woofers will obviously be better than the 6" woofers for bass.

 

[Buddelbaby]

Thank you very much, I have found new options. Financially, however, I think the Heresy is my favorite, although you always hear that the IV is much better in the details. And if that's true, I would probably buy the IV. My options would be Heresy 1 with Mundorf capacitors 600 euros Clonwall replica 1500 euros Heresy IV 2100 euros My system also consists of 2 15 inch subwoofers Would you take them? Is the IV really better in the details?

 

[Ludovic]

Merci beaucoup, j'ai trouvé de nouvelles options. Financièrement, cependant, je pense que l'Heresy est mon préféré, même si on entend toujours dire que l'IV est bien meilleur dans les détails. Et si c'est vrai, j'achèterais probablement l'IV. Mes options seraient Heresy 1 avec condensateurs Mundorf 600 euros Réplique Clonwall 1500 euros Heresy IV 2100 euros Mon système se compose également de 2 caissons de basses de 15 pouces. Les prendriez-vous ? L'IV est-il vraiment meilleur dans les détails ?

You have to test them in your living room. And compare with other speakers like kef ls50. Kef speakers are very good, and had a very good review here. Try the klipsch heresy against kef and let me know what you think. I test them in the same place with commutator. Thats the way I bought speakers.

 

[Ludovic]

The meta version of course

 

[Chrispy]

I'd want bigger JBLs.

 

[AwesomeSauce2015]

Thank you very much, I have found new options. Financially, however, I think the Heresy is my favorite, although you always hear that the IV is much better in the details. And if that's true, I would probably buy the IV. My options would be Heresy 1 with Mundorf capacitors 600 euros Clonwall replica 1500 euros Heresy IV 2100 euros My system also consists of 2 15 inch subwoofers Would you take them? Is the IV really better in the details?

Anyone who says that the Heresys are better in details is probably being misled by either their bad / narrow directivity (Though klipsch may have fixed those issues in the Heresy 4), or they are being misled by a treble boost which is a consistent theme among Klipsch speakers.
Generally speaking, a modern JBL or KEF design will have much more resolution (ie, ability to resolve details) than the Heresys.
Though, your best option will be to audition the speakers in your room.
I would not buy an old or replica klipsch speaker. The modern designs follow much more correct design principles, and the older ones tend to have horns that aren't nearly as good as the modern ones. Upgraded capacitors don't really make a measurable difference in sound quality, so anything you think you hear is probably not actually there.

If you are set on the Heresys, then I would audition the Heresy 4 in your room and see if you like them. If so, then great! However, something like the JBL 4349, 4309, or 708p will probably measure and perform better. And if you don't have a huge space and don't want to crank the volume to '11', then KEF and Revel also make good options.

 

[Skeptical_Aus]

I own a pair of Heresy IV. With room correction they sound amazing and very detailed. FR issues are dealt with and the dynamics are excellent. DSP is very powerful in correcting your speakers and makes the FR differences between speaker types much less significant. What you don't change is the dynamics and the Heresy's have that in spades. Also being very sensitive you don't need a huge amp to drive them. I had mine powered by a Topping PAs3 and that was fine for more than enough volume.

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

My options would be Heresy 1 with Mundorf capacitors 600 euros Clonwall replica 1500 euros Heresy IV 2100 euros My system also consists of 2 15 inch subwoofers Would you take them? Is the IV really better in the details?

I do use Heresy 1s as AV speakers. All new drivers/caps after 20+ years of constant use, and modified mid horn. Before modification, they were free to me, so the price was right.

If you go that route, I suggest stuffing the cabinets with polyfill, and putting them up, level, on stands. On the floor, there is really just one seating spot for which they sound best, but level they can cover an entire room well.

They work well, other than two things There is a lot of cabinet resonance. As in those unbraced cabinets REALLY boost ~1700hz, and some other frequencies. The recessed horns make things... different (lots of reflections before they hit the room). Which is why my midhorn is no longer recessed. You will never get a neutral sound with them, even with lots of EQ. Fun, I like them, but I don't use them for music much anymore.

Yet another options would be Heresy 3s, or even 2s. At a guess, 3s will be about 1500 euro, plus or minus. That gets rid of the recessed horn issue, at least.

The 4s would be a better choice, again, up and level. Cornwalls, I think that depends on how high your screen is, because you likely don't want those up on stands, and I am not sure how the replica might sound, it depends on parts and such. Huge speaker though. Good for close to the wall or corner placement. But definitely consider the size, wide and tall not deep. A couple of boxes or cardboard to mock up the size is worth doing in this case.

Were it me, I would likely go JBL. Of the other options, Heresy 4.

The other option is to buy the Heresy 1s, use them, then resell them if you don't like the sound. Then go with one of the other options. They won't lose value while you own them, but you will waste a bit of time if you do resell.

 

[Buddelbaby]

The housing was made from birch wood by a carpenter and stained. The front edge was veneered.

The following components were installed similarly to the Klonewall kit.

Tweeter - Monacor MHD 190

Midrange is Faital Pro HF 200 A 2" tweeter 70 W 8 Ohm with horn from P-Audio PH 4528

Bass is the CW 1526C from Criets






This is the Cornwall replica, but it costs me 1500 euros. I'm worried that the speaker will sound worse than a Heresy IV. Otherwise it would be my favorite, along with a Heresy 1 as a center speaker. Is the Cornwall a good option in terms of components? It's a replica, after all. Or should I go for the Heresy 4?

 

[Waxx]

The Heresy is like all Kiplish speakers very bright and sounds on first sight more detailed because of that, but it's very fatiguing to the ears on high volume.

JBL is way more neutral in tone in general, i don't know that model you mention but it's bigger brothers (4367 and 4329P i know, and they are very neutral in sound. The smaller ones benefit from a sub (even if they go low on their own) and go less loud, but they are very similar in (very high) quality.

I would get the JBL, especially if you already got subs, and use a dsp like the MiniDSP flex (or similar) to tune the speakers and subs to the space and personal preference. The JBL is very fit for that, the Kiplish will be harder to tune with dsp, also because of the (narrow) dispertion.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

ASR tries to remain within objective parameters to assess quality, on those metrics, the Heresy are not great speakers. Do they have some redeeming qualities? Perhaps. Would some people even prefer them? Possible. Are they objectively good? Nah. Are the JBL 4309 better speakers? Yes.. but it depends on the application: As someone has noted earlier, there is the matter of the Heresy 12 inch vs the 4309's 6.5 inches .. And it is not only a matter of bass but of overall SPL capabilities, I believe the Heresy are more capable in this department than the 4309, so in a large/medium room and in HT, the Heresy could provide more SPL, and this matters in HT...

In summary:
In term of accuracy and audio performance, the 4309 is the better but may not play loud as well as the Heresy ... JBL has other speakers, among these, the 708 mentioned earlier. I'd go JBL 705 (their smaller version with a 5 inches mid/woofer) before thinking anything from Klipsch. You get the 708.. you're set.

Peace.