I have a pair of Klipsch Heresy HBR speakers that I bought new in 1980.  Only used occasionally and still in great shape.  Is it possible and/or advisable to use them as part of a home theatre system to save some money versus buying new ones?  If so, in what positions (which speakers in the system) should they be used in the room?  Also, what additional speakers should I buy to go with them to complete the system keeping in mind I am trying not to sink a lot of money into this (no more than $400 to $500 for the additional speakers total)?  What would be a good A/V receiver to match up to such a system?  (Maybe a couple of hundred dollars additional?)  Or would I be better off forgetting about my existing speakers and just going with a fairly cheap come in a box surround sound speaker system for the same price?

1884 K horns-1984 cornwalls- 2 sets of 1984 Lascalas- 3400 invested in speakers

I will take the HT Pepsi challenge against anything at 5 times (or more ) the price. At every level- the old klipsch Heritage will destroy anything comparable. It is so bad that I avoid comparisons with owners of new stuff because it is so lopsided- out of courtesy.  It is not even fair.

Use your old speakers- buy some more old heritage to go with them- the worlds biggest no - brainer

I have heard herseys used for just about any application. You will be sadly isapointed with new box store stuff.

 

 

 Get yourself 3 more Heresys and a sub and you have a great HT system!

 You bet your Sweet Bippy!

Use them in all positions!  I have 70s and early 80s Heritage, plus an OLD Model H in my 6.2 system and it rivals any theater! You can see my Heresy Center in my sig. 

Beware of cheap electronics, though, as all of the Heritage speakers are ruthless in revealing flaws. 

If you want to save money, look into the 15" Dayton sub(s) with the 1000 watt amp. You can buy a kit and assemble it yourself, or buy the driver and plans and even build the cabinet yourself for more savings. My brother did and the results are really good. (A new trick I just learned, put the sub in the center of the front wall for the smoothest bass response.  Better yet, use a second in the center of the rear wall.) 

Look for a receiver with at least 100 watts/channel.  That usually gets the build quality you'll want.  

 If you read much here on the forum, you will quickly learn that having timbre-matched/identical speakers all around creates a seamless immersive aural space. An all Heresy HT with a sub will sound better than almost any other arrangement, unless you spend 10-20 times as much. Older Heresys can be bought on Ebay or Audiogon, sometimes craigslists, for between $300 (fair/good condition) to $500 (great condition). Try to go for ones within driving distance; speakers that heavy are difficult and risky to ship. Older speakers can be updated, if necessary, with new driver diaphragms, capacitors, or whole crossovers, from Bob Crites (BEC on the forum). Most HT receivers can accommodate 5, 6, or 7 channels, although only some movies have even 6-ch soundtracks. This means if you have to buy two more pairs, to get a 5th Heresy for a front center channel, you can use the other of the pair for a rear center. In sum, keep the Heresys as a base from which to build up an incredible system.

winchester21:

Use your old speakers- buy some more old heritage to go with them- the worlds biggest no - brainer

I'd have to agree with that.  Get 4 more Heresies and a sub and you'll have a far, far, better 6.1 system than any HT-in-a-box setup.  For 5.1 you'll need 3 more Heresies, but it's hard to find singles, so you might as well get a pair, so if you do 5.1 you'll have a spare.

It might be an idea to look for 1986 or later Heresy IIs with the square connector cup at the back, since they can be upgraded to Heresy III spec when your budget allows, so you could have 2009-spec Heresies at some point.

In my system, I'm using 1974 La Scalas (upgraded to 510 JubScala spec), a pair of 1992 Heresy IIs for surround, a 1989 Heresy II for rear surround and the other 1989 Heresy II (upgraded to Heresy III) for centre.  The combo sounds great, and it's rounded off with a Paradigm 400-watt 10" sub.

One way to look at used Heritage speakers is that the sound value far exceeds the dollar value.  They may sell for bargain prices, but they still sound nearly as good as the latest versions, which are fairly expensive speakers.  New Heresy IIIs are around $1500 a pair, for example.

 One of my favorite home theaters is a friends 5 hersesy's and a sub. He was lucky enough to not pay more than $40 a pair!!!!!

 The only problem with the recommendations is that MDG wants to keep it around $500.  If I was in the same boat, I would seriously

look at the Hsu Research Ventriloquist system for $300, and add a subwoofer.   Depending on the size of MDG's room, there may

not be room for 5 Heritage speakers. Then you could still keep the Heresys.  Or, being a cheapskate, I would add a sub first, then

look at other Klipsch products that "could" work with the Heresy's up front.

 

NP - WHBY  

 Alex, without having heard that Hsu Ventriloquist system, I feel confident in saying that any speaker that can be keyhole-mounted to a wall is going to be at least a thousand light-years behind in performance from an all-heritage theater.

I'm sure it probably sounds nice, but I'm willing to bet that it would noteven begin to approach the level of visceral sound and amazing dynamics that an all heritage-system is capable of. Just my $.02

 

 

Alex Harvey:

 The only problem with the recommendations is that MDG wants to keep it around $500.  If I was in the same boat, I would seriously

look at the Hsu Research Ventriloquist system for $300, and add a subwoofer.   Depending on the size of MDG's room, there may

not be room for 5 Heritage speakers. Then you could still keep the Heresys.  Or, being a cheapskate, I would add a sub first, then

look at other Klipsch products that "could" work with the Heresy's up front.

 

NP - WHBY  

 

You can buy Heresies in the price range he wants if you are willing to be wait, be patient, and look. I recently bought a single Pro LaScala in perfect working order for $60, I also recently bought a single working OaK K-Horn for $350, and I know where a single Birch LaScala can be had for $100 right now. Just because you are not familiar with such deals yourself, does not mean they don't exist!!!

                                                                  Roger

 I think we need to hear back from MDG on a couple of things.  What size is your listening/viewing room, can you continue to get by with your current setup while you look for "used" Klipsch; do you like to turn it up?   What part of the country do you live in?  Maybe there are some Klipschaholics in your area that has something for sale.  I haven't kept up with the latest all-in-one systems from Klipsch, but can someone recommend something in MDG's price range?

I've been a Klipsch fan since since I found a pair of Heresy's years ago, and fortunate to have amassed other used Klipsch in my arsenal of sound.

NP - Rhino Bucket....and then it got ugly