Klipsch Heresy III vs Klipsch Heritage Rebellion Comparison

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Klipsch Heresy III

Passive Floor-standing | 58-20k Hz

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Klipsch Heritage Rebellion

Passive Bookshelf | 60-20k Hz

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Klipsch Heresy III

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Klipsch Heritage Reb...

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Klipsch Heresy III

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Klipsch Heritage Reb...

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Klipsch Heresy III vs Klipsch Heritage Rebellion Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Klipsch. Klipsch Capitol Heresy III is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Rebellion is a Bookshelf speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Klipsch Heresy III and Klipsch Heritage Rebellion first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Klipsch Heresy III	Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
Design	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Tractrix horn	Compression Horn
Midrange	1.75"	—
Woofer	12" Fiber-composite	8" Paper
Frequency response	58-20k Hz	60-20k Hz
Sensitivity	99 dB	95 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	100 watts	up to 200 watts
Weight	20.00kg / 44lbs	14.51kg / 31.9lbs
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	19-1/8" x 12" x 9-3/4" 485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm

Heresy III and Rebellion are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Klipsch Heritage Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
Klipsch Cornwall IV	Floor-standing	34-20k Hz	102 dB	8Ω	1 x 15"
Klipsch La Scala AL6	Floor-standing	40-19k Hz	103 dB	8Ω	1 x 12"
Klipsch Forte IV	Floor-standing	38-20k Hz	99 dB	8Ω	1 x 12"
Klipsch Heresy IV	Floor-standing	48-20k Hz	99 dB	8Ω	1 x 12"
Klipsch Klipschorn AK7	Floor-standing	34-19k Hz	103 dB	8Ω	1 x 15"
Klipsch La Scala AL5	Floor-standing	51-20k Hz	105 dB	8Ω	1 x 15"
Klipsch Klipschorn AK6	Floor-standing	33-20k Hz	105 dB	8Ω	1 x 15"
Klipsch Heresy III	Floor-standing	58-20k Hz	99 dB	8Ω	1 x 12"
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion	Bookshelf	60-20k Hz	95 dB	8Ω	1 x 8"
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary	Floor-standing	34-20k Hz	103 dB	8Ω	1 x 15"

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Drivers

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Heresy III is a 3-way design whereas the Rebellion 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.

Klipsch Heresy III

Klipsch Heritage Rebellion

TweeterMidrangeWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	Klipsch Heresy III	Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
Driver Setup	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	-inch
Midrange	1 x 1.75-inch	-
Woofer	1 x 12-inch	1 x 8-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 Rebellion features a " K-702 driver Compression Horn Tweeter and 1 x 8" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 715Hz.

Frequency Response

Heresy III has a frequency range of 58-20k Hz whereas Rebellion has a frequency range of 60-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 58Hz, the Heresy III can go slightly deeper then the Rebellion's min frequency of 60Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.

Low Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

Heresy III

Rebellion

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

Heresy III and Rebellion 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 Rebellion's is at 95 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heresy III a more sensitive speaker compared to Klipsch Heritage Rebellion, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Heresy III

Rebellion

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

Rebellion can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Heresy III has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Rebellion.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier — change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier — change this

Distance

Playing as

Klipsch Heresy III

Klipsch Heritage Rebellion

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Heresy III features 5-way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Rebellion has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be 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 Rebellion'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 Rebellion has external dimensions of 485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm (19-1/8 x 12 x 9-3/4inch).

Klipsch Heresy III is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 89mm wider, 122mm taller and 95mm deeper than Klipsch Heritage Rebellion.

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 Rebellion is approximately 753.4cm² / 116.8inch². The Heresy III requires 79% more surface area than the Rebellion which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of Klipsch Heresy III?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Heresy III:

Floor-standing loudspeaker
Detachable grille (installed)
Base riser (installed)
4 Self-adhesive rubber feet
Owners Manual
Congratulations letter
Klipsch brochure

Reasons to choose Klipsch Capitol Heresy III over Klipsch Heritage Rebellion

Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	99 dB vs 95 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size	12 inches vs 8 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	58 Hz vs 60 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections

Reasons to choose Klipsch Heritage Rebellion over Klipsch Capitol Heresy III

Max Input Power	200 watts vs 100 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Height	485mm vs 607mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	753cm² vs 1347cm²	Takes less floor space

Klipsch Heresy III vs Klipsch Heritage Rebellion Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Klipsch Capitol Heresy III	Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
Brand	Klipsch	Klipsch
Speaker Type	Floor-standing speaker	Bookshelf speakers
Power Range	100 watts	up to 200 watts
Sensitivity	99 dB	95 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Impedance	n/a	3.3 ohms
Frequency Response	58-20k Hz	60-20k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	12"	8"
Woofer Composition	Fiber-composite	Paper
Woofer Surround Material	Treated cloth	n/a
Tweeter Size	1"	-
Tweeter Type	Tractrix horn	Compression Horn
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	1.75"	No
Crossover Frequency	n/a	715Hz
Firing Direction	n/a	rear
Physical Specs
Height	607.0mm (23.9")	485.0mm (19.1")
Width	394.0mm (15.5")	305.0mm (12")
Depth	342.0mm (13.5")	247.0mm (9.7")
Weight	20.00kg (44lbs)	14.51kg (31.9lbs)
Enclosure	Acoustic Suspension	Bass Reflex
Finish	MDF/Wood veneer	18 mm MDF with real wood veneer
Available Colors	Blonde Cherry	Black Ash, Walnut
Mounting Bracket	No
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	Yes	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in Klipsch's Heritage series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	evenly matched	Much the same reach (58Hz vs 60Hz).
Amplifier needs	A	Klipsch Heresy III is more sensitive (99dB vs 95dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	B	Klipsch Heritage Rebellion takes more power (200W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is easier to place; Klipsch Heresy III is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Floor-standing against a Passive Bookshelf - a different job rather than a better one.
Cabinet	depends	Sealed vs Ported. Sealed is tighter and happier near a wall; ported digs lower but wants space behind it.
Expandability	A	Klipsch Heresy III: bi-amping.

A Klipsch Heresy III B Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

Klipsch Heresy III has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. In a large or open-plan room, Klipsch Heresy III has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is the easier speaker to get right. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Klipsch Heresy III is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.