Klipsch Forte vs. Heresy (Two BEASTS from the Same Manufacturer!)

For the people who love to blast A Rolling Stones while playing air guitar and slamming cheap beer everywhere throughout themselves, this new Forte III would be a pair of retro throwbacks. 

If you are in a hurry, here’s a quick comparison for Klipsch Forte & Heresy:

Klipsch Forte	Klipsch Heresy
3-way Design	3-way Design
1″ horn-loaded Tweeter	1″ horn-loaded Tweeter
1.75″ Midrange	1.75″ Midrange
12″ Fiber-composite Woofer	12″ Fibercomposite Woofer
48-20k Hz Frequency Response	38-20k Hz Frequency Response
99 dB Sensitivity	99 dB Sensitivity
Impedance: 8ohms	Impedance: 8ohms
Power Range: up to 100 watts	Power Range: up to 100 watts
Weight:20.45kg	Weight:32.73kg
Dimensions: 631.0 x 394.0 x 337.0mm	Dimensions: 909.0 x 423.0 x 331.0mm

The favorite aspect is that they will overwhelm everyone with the overwhelming enjoyment of the music itself, preventing people from worrying about connection quality or the amplifier individuals are using to attend to them. 

These speakers would be brand-new off the manufacturing and assembly of gold Corvette like the ones the scientists used. 

Most audiophiles aren’t entertaining to converse with about actual music, much like hearing your well-rich pals spout off lightning-fast 0-60 speeds while racing their supercars in the middle lane is scarcely relatable. 

High-end purchasers frequently utilize music as gear tasting rather than savor indulging in the tunes directly since they are sophisticated aficionados of tube wattage and uncompressed digital audio files. 

Consequently, it is easy to comprehend why many models in the $4000/pair speaker class seem to be made for people who drink expensive scotch in small amounts and spend a lot of time debating resistance on online forums.

Klipsch Forte III vs Heresy IV

Klipsch Forte

Design and Features

Gary Gillum started working on a layout for a speaker which would produce greater sound from such a smaller cabinet under the direction of Paul W. Klipsch.

The technical team at Klipsch experimented using passively emitters, or what they dubbed “drone” speakers, and eventually developed an acoustic speaker design that offered strong bass development from a compact cabinet. 

It had a 12″ passive rear-firing radiator, a riser platform to position the tweeter at ear level for enhanced imaging, and, of course, horn-loaded mid-frequency and high-frequency drivers for improved efficiency.

This new Forte speaker benefited from a redesigned horn-loaded tweeter created by Paul W. Klipsch and Gary Gillum, making it the first Klipsch speaker to go up to 20 kHz. 

Further improvements have benefitted Forte II and Forte III. To reduce standing waves and boost power, the Forte II has a bigger 15″ passive radiator and repositioned its 12″ driver within the cabinet. 

Roy Delgado and Kerry Geist, two fresh engineers, focused on creating a novel horn. They contributed to creating the Tractrix horn for the Forte and the rest of the engineering team.

The Forte III has brand-new, cutting-edge titanium drivers for its mid and tweeter loudspeaker drivers. The mid-range speaker now features a new phasing connector as well.

The mid-range driver is also brand-new and has a significant Tractrix horn upgrade. Roy Delgado’s proprietary Mumps technology, which is the updated modification. 

Performance

The warmth, depth, and complexity with which these upgraded classics handle audio have been nothing short of astounding.

It is quite difficult to express the ideal balance of accurate reproduction and passionate coloring that develops within speakers this amazingly. 

No matter what or to whom you are listening, every song you play via these speakers transforms into a profound, joyous experience. 

The Forte III seems to be astoundingly excellent. It is not just that Lou Reed’s Take a Walk on the Wild Side sounds so buttery that you can almost access out and make contact with the upright bass. 

Most others in this price range can achieve the same effect but also how the speakers mildly warm up the entire soundstage without overpowering any one instrument with coloration. 

Classic ballads such As the Eagles’ Desperado will make you cry because each note sounds more alive and passionate than you have ever heard.

The speakers also magically make each note seem like the band is performing on a platform 20 feet from each other. 

Not only does Lou Reed’s Take a Walk on the Wild Side seem so buttery, but most comparable voices in this price category may provide the same effect, but the speakers also subtly warm up the whole soundstage without dominating any one instrument with coloring. 

You will weep to listen to timeless classics like the Eagles’ Desperado because every note sounds more vibrant and emotional than any time you have heard it. 

Additionally, each note is miraculously made to seem as though the band is playing it on a stage 20 feet apart, thanks to the loudspeakers.

Attractive sound

The Forte III builds on the Heresy III’s merits and fixes most of its flaws to share its distinctive sound. It is a much more sophisticated listen. It grabs your attention despite not being flawless like Heresy III. 

However, if you pump up the volume to something the Forte III really encourages or listen to a subpar recording, the sound may occasionally get harsher.

However, it is a one-time cost worth paying. Compared to conventional speakers, the Forte III’s inherent live experience brings you closer to the performers.

The primary distinguishing feature of Klipsch is, in fact, that live feel, which is greatly enhanced by their large and effortless elegance featuring dramatic swing.

If I remember correctly, my B&W 802 speakers, which were wider than the Forte III, were brought back to life by the low end. People used to query where the bass was due to its size.

They kept asking until there was actual bass in the music, at which point they stopped.

The Forte III accomplishes the same feat by holding back its firepower until a performer such as Kangding Ray, Grace Jones, and the Berlin Philharmonic performing Rite of Spring enters the room. 

Then, a thunderclap sounds! When it comes to low-end reach and wallop, the Forte III tramples his Graham LS6’s impressively low stand-mount performance.

Witness Metallica’s Enter Sandman, a bombastic riot that used the Klipsch to tether me to the sofa.

The Forte III’s outstanding detail delivery, which serves as a means to a goal rather than an end in and of itself, contributes to this life experience.

The realism surprised me repeatedly during the evaluation time, even towards the end, as a drum or percussion instrument struck.

The Forte III’s ability to capture my attention and hold it far surpassed any inclination to sound barren, even while the overall tonal equilibrium is somewhat skewed up and the Graham LS6 undoubtedly provides a warmer sound.

Klipsch Heresy III

This Klipsch Heresy III Special Edition loudspeaker, is a small batch of our legendary Heresy III loudspeakers treated in stunning exotic natural woods like California Black Walnut and East Indian Rosewood.

This model from our Legacy Series gives the most positioning freedom due to its smaller casing. 

The Heresy speaker debuted in 1957 and is renowned for its small three-way construction with a 12″ subwoofer and horn-loaded middle and treble.

We hand-selected new grilles with additional special edition finishes, including a classic shearling for the Californian Black Walnut finish and a lovely silver luster cloth for the Rosewood pattern.

Wood Veneer With Ook Matching

For the Heritage line, Klipsch solely used book-matched wood veneers. The veneer sheets are carefully separated from the wood while being carefully positioned to create a carbon copy at the splice junction, much like turning pages in a book. 

This gives each speaker a uniform, visually pleasing look that is more prized than any other cutting of engineered wood.

Aligned Pairs

Using wood veneer sheets made from hardwood, the grain of every combination of Heritage Series speakers is matched.

Each loudspeaker in the combination is identical to the other, thanks to meticulous cabinet matching. Through manufacturing, the speakers flow together without any gaps. 

Each completed item is examined, tagged with a sequential serial number, and tested before leaving the manufacturer to guarantee that such Heritage series amplifiers are a well-constructed pair.

Klipsch Heresy IV vs Forte IV

Klipsch Heresy IV

The Klipsch Heresy IV version is significantly different from the 1957 and 2006 versions and the original model released in 1957. The design has changed, and one of the biggest modifications is that it is now bass reflex. 

Not surprisingly, Klipsch has utilized one of its renowned “Tractrix” horn throats in place of the more typical tubular or rectangular acoustic guitar reflex port. 

According to the Australian distributor for Klipsch, the Heresy IV’s low-frequency extension has increased by 10Hz, while Klipsch specifies a 4dB down-point at 48Hz. 

The tweeter, which uses the same aluminum membrane as the III but a redesigned phase plug in front, is claimed by the manufacturer to provide substantially broader high-frequency dispersion and, as a result, a larger “sweet spot.”

Due to improvements made to the midrange driver, Klipsch engineers were able to shift some frequencies formerly handled by the tweeter to that driver, lowering the resonance frequency between the two by 500 Hz, which minimized distortion from 5 kHz on the Heresy III down to 4.5 kHz on the Heresy IV. 

The K-702 midrange compression speaker, which has a polyimide diaphragm and spans the audio spectrum from 850Hz to 4.5 kHz, is loaded by such a K-704 Tractrix horn.

Listening activities

When I turned on my evaluation set for the first time, I fully expected to hear deep and strong bass because a 305mm driver is now uncommon in all but the largest hi-fi loudspeakers and nearly unrecognized together in pair of speakers as compact as the Heresy IVs. 

In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion that Klipsch’s designers could have over-egged the bass and overpowered it with the large cone size at their disposal.

The engineers have not over-egged the bass response, and it is neither too deep nor too strong. 

It was not as extensive as I had anticipated, and its pass-band equilibrium is astounding.

The Heresy IVs are tinier than they appear, but their sound is really large, so don’t be fooled into believing users can put them in a tiny space and sit near them.

Klipsch Forte IV 

The Klipsch Forte IV first resembles its predecessor nearly exactly (footnote 1), and both models have the same technical details. Both loudspeakers are floor-standing, three-way, horn-loaded instruments.

Both devices have a frequency range of 38Hz–20kHz and a sensitivity of 99dB/2.83V/m at a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. 

The IV is 0.13″ narrower (now 16.63″; 422mm) and 14″ smaller (now 35.75″; 908mm) than the III. Both weigh 72lb (32.7kg) per loudspeaker and are 13″ (330mm) deep. 

Both styles are available in distressed oak, black ash, natural cherry, or American walnut. The IV costs $4500 per pair, which is $500 more expensive than the III. 

Other significant variations exist. The high-frequency player on the IV is a titanium diaphragm, K-100-TI 1 “.

In order to create a “wider, more precise sweet spot,” Klipsch fitted an ABS phase plug to the (25.4mm) compression driver attached to the 6″ 4″ K-79T horn. 

The K-702 from Celestion, a 1.75″ (445mm) polymeric compressed speaker combined with a 10″ 7″ midrange, is a new midrange “Horn K-703-M. According to the combination, “excellent detail and dynamics” are ensured.

Listening from within the box

Despite all of their charms, the IIIs lacked the polish and composure I noticed in the IVs. The IIIs are active, vivacious, and just a bit rough around the edges, like the weight, reduced Klipsch Heresy.

From the middle through the upper frequencies, the IV was smoother and richer sounding than the III, and the speaker system was larger.

Typically listen to Fortes with the loudspeakers 61″ apart in the middle and toed in such that they are 66″ distant from my listening seat and firing straight at each other.

In such a setup, the Productivity through increased could appear beamy, whereas with the IVs,

I rarely heard that; rather, I experienced a top end that was more transparent and open, with a somewhat broader auditorium. I did not mind that the overall tone of the IVs was occasionally a little gloomy.

Klipsch Forte III for Rock & Metal music?

The Klipsch Forte III uses an average of 8 percent less energy than traditional speakers to produce the same sound volume because of its high sensitivity level of 99dB.

The speaker’s power of 1 Watts is already generally adequate for placement in a living room. In other words, this Forte III can demonstrate its capabilities without a very strong amplifier.

Frequently Asked Questions