In this review, we will be comparing Heresy III and Klipschorn 80th, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Klipsch
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Klipsch Heresy III and Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Klipsch Heresy III Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Tractrix horn Tweeter
- 1.75" Midrange
- 12" Fiber-composite Woofer
- 58-20k Hz Frequency Response
- 99 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:100watts
- Weight:20.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 23-7/8" x 15-1/2" x 13-7/16" ( 607.0 x 394.0 x 342.0mm )
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- " Compression Horn Tweeter
- 15" Paper Woofer
- 34-20k Hz Frequency Response
- 103 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:100-400watts
- Weight:65.70kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 51-15/16" x 31-1/2" x 24" ( 1320.0 x 800.0 x 610.0mm )
Heresy III and Klipschorn 80th are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Klipsch Heritage Series
History
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Klipsch Heresy III and Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Heresy III is a 3-way design whereas the Klipschorn 80th is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Klipsch Heresy III |
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 1.75-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 12-inch
|
1 x 15-inch
|
Heresy III features a 1" titanium-diaphragm compression Tractrix horn Tweeter , a 1.75" Midrange and 1 x 12" Fiber-composite Woofer . On the other hand, the Klipschorn 80th features a " K-692 with K-5-K aluminium horn Compression Horn Tweeter and 1 x 15" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz.
Frequency Response
Heresy III has a frequency range of 58-20k Hz whereas Klipschorn 80th has a frequency range of 34-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 34Hz, the Klipschorn 80th can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Heresy III's min frequency of 58Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Heresy III and Klipschorn 80th have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Heresy III sensitivity is rated at 99 dB and the Klipschorn 80th's is at 103 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary a more sensitive speaker compared to Klipsch Heresy III, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Heresy III can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Heresy III has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS , 300 watts less than the Klipschorn 80th.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Heresy III features 5-way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Klipschorn 80th has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Klipsch Heresy III's and Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary's external dimensions. Klipsch Heresy III has external dimensions of 607.0 x 394.0 x 342.0mm ( 23-7/8 x 15-1/2 x 13-7/16inch) whereas Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary has external dimensions of 1320.0 x 800.0 x 610.0mm ( 51-15/16 x 31-1/2 x 24inch) .
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 406mm wider, 713mm taller and 268mm deeper than Klipsch Heresy III.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Klipsch Heresy III is approximately 1347.5cm2 / 208.9inch2 and base area of the Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is approximately 4880.0cm2 / 756.4inch2. The Heresy III requires 72% less surface area than the Klipschorn 80th which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.