The Klipsch Heritage line of speakers, does what it does, better than any other brand in hi-fi. The K’s produce big dynamics and sound pressure levels. It’s literally a blast to sell these iconic American speakers, built in Arkansas with a ten year warranty.
Heresy 4, $3200pr
Forte 4, $5000pr
Cornwall 4, $6600pr
LaScala, $13,200pr
Klipschorn, $16,500pr
The K Heritage models are tremendously efficient, dynamic and clean. You might infer that large-ish cabinets have to thud. The K’s don’t.
In fact, the Heritage models are so taut that we don’t sell them only for rock music. We have many jazz and even classical fans that want a big musical presentation without the boom. K’s are a great choice for that music too. But we have to take some care in what we use to drive the Ks. They’re true chameleons.
There’s a stereotype about the Klipsches that says they’re great with tube amps. Well, that’s a double edged sword. If your tube amp is NOISY, and almost all of them are, I wouldn’t call it a good match at all. The Ks are so efficient that the tubes will hiss more with Ks than traditional designs. It will be evident on any quiet music, from classical piano to singer song writers. If your tube amp is very quiet, like a McIntosh, then it’s a good match. If your tube amp is hot and bothered or a piece of ChiFi, the combination will be annoying. Why listen to Bill Evans with a layer of hiss floating above the music?
Suppose you have less than McIntosh money to spend on electronics. What’s the best amplification to drive these FUN Klipsch Heritage speakers? It’s an easy answer, Atoll of France.
Atoll is solid state gear that runs about 15% class A. Its flavor is robust in the bass due to its dual mono design with hefty transformers and filter caps. Atoll sounds very dynamic and exceedingly mellow with the great Ks.
The K’s efficiency is 99 dB or higher. You might think that you’d be fine to run them with a garden variety integrated amp. Nope! An entry level integrated will play them loudly enough. But the Ks will reflect the thin, hard edged sound of that amplifier. So even though the Ks don’t need a lot of wattage to play loudly, they’re not acceptable with a cheap, edgy, Chinese built amplifier. The Ks will show you the coarse personality of the amp.
The Ks will reward you for mating them with a full sounding, warm amplifier. THAT… would be Atoll of France. Atoll makes a full family of integrated amps and separates. The base level integrated, IN50, will drive Ks quite nicely. I’m not saying you need to spend a fortune to drive the Ks. But you need an amp that isn’t strident. The Atolls are the exact opposite.
Atoll amps have rich bass to go with their mellow middle and top end. Atoll is also extremely quiet. This is a fabulous combination of talents to drive the Ks.
All the Atolls run dual mono designs. The first integrated to use dual transformers is IN100. If you can swing IN100 for $2100, that would be the BEST starting point. Of course you can go north and take advantage of other Atoll nuances.
My point here is, even the mid priced IN100 will bring warmth and impact to the Ks that you can’t get for similar money with the Chinese built gear. Please consider starting with IN100 and then buy the best Ks you can. The money is more wisely spent in speakers because the advantages are abundant as you go up. The amplifier benefits are more subtle as you go north of IN100.
