John Darko
UPDATE: The Heresy IV video review is now online here.
Each pair of Klipsch Heresy IV loudspeakers comes with a backstory that cannot be ignored: the Heresy line has been in production since the middle of the 20th Century; so (re)named because it was Paul W. Klipsch’s first ‘regular’ box-shaped speaker. Until Heresy’s inception in 1957, Klipsch had made only corner-wedge loudspeakers for which the original Heresy (then called the Model H) was initially intended as a centre channel. Only later was it sold as a stereo pair.
The Heresy II came to market in 1985, the Heresy III in 2006 and the Heresy IV in 2020. Confusingly, the Heresy IV sells for US$3200/pair in the USA – where it is made – but just shy of โฌ5000/pair in Europe.
Heresy IV is a short (63cm) but stout speaker. Can we call it the Oompa-Loompa of Klipsch’s Heritage Range? I just did! And I purchased a pair because I was so taken with the sound of the larger and more expensive Forte IV. In the long run, the Forte IV proved to be too much speaker – visually and acoustically – for my 6m x 5m Berlin room. They work far better in my acoustically larger room/s in Lisbon. Perhaps the Heresy IV would dig life in Berlin?
The Heresy IV brings with it two notable changes over Heresy III. It dispenses with the Heresy III’s sealed box design to put a Tractrix-shaped bass reflex at the base of the rear panel for an extra 10Hz of bass response. Fair enough. A Darko.Audio Patron had suggested that the port audibly chuffs so I played a minimal techno cut and had a listen for myself: nope, no chuffing!
More questionable is the Heresy IV’s wedged-profile skirting – used to cant the speaker back by 10 degrees – that replaces the Heresy III’s more stylish (to these eyes) open-archway support. In stock form, the Heresy IV is a floorstanding loudspeaker (if not a tower) but the 30cm-square skirting can be removed to put the Heresy IV on stands.
However, I chose to sit ’em on 30cm-square plant rollers. Why? Two reasons.
Firstly, castors make lighter work of moving each speaker’s 20kg mass around the room. That’s helpful when conducting side-by-side comparisons. Secondly, the plant rollers lift the Heresy IV’s 12″ paper bass driver a further 3″ from the floor to reduce, albeit slightly, the impact of floor bounce. Side walls aren’t the only nearby surface to reflect a speaker’s output.
Heresy is a 3-way design where the titanium tweeter and Polyimide midrange driver are both horn-loaded compression drivers. According to Klipsch, their nominal impedance sits at 8 Ohms and their sensitivity at 99db. The finish on my pair is called Distressed Oak. I chose it over the American Walnut, Natural Cherry and Black Ash because it’s the only finish to come with ‘lambswool’ grilles. Ironically, I prefer to listen with grilles off, if only to see the drivers. Any audible difference between grilles on and off is negligible.
You can expect to see comparisons to the Zu DWX and the JBL 4329p when our video review drops in a week or so.
Further information: Klipsch
