MD1032

That sounds completely wrong. Are these guys an authorized Klipsch repair center? I'd take them back, you must've gotten the wrong speakers back.

This may sound stupid, but oftentimes the obvious answer is the right answer: check to see if the receiver is hooked up with the right polarity. Make sure the striped cable is in the right place, etc. The amp might have a problem... try the other speaker channel and see if it changes anything.

That's the way mine are. And I don't believe the passive's according surrounds are rubber, but I'm 100% sure that my woofers have rubber surrounds. I have a bit of the same thing going on in mine, and it's just dust or oxidation. If you have Forte II's with foam or "pleted" surrounds I've love to see a picture.

My sister uses/used a small Altec Lansing 2.0 system on her desk. She's away at camp right now. Those things are just quite the abomination. They're single-driver, almost as big as the PM2.0's, and sound like fuzz. I told my dad about the deal on Klipsch's site now for the PM2.0's for $50.00 with free shipping and he thought I was nuts for ordering them, but when I hooked them up side-by-side today we were both blown away. Is the sound completely amazing? Well, not really, but is it darn impressive? Certainly. They completely outperform the A/L speakers. It's a night and day difference. I'm also very surprised by how much bass they produce. I set the bass at about 10:00, because the "bass" control seems to only affect how much mud there is, not the quantity of low frequencies reproduced. The sound is definitely not "thin", though, there's some real meat to the lows that just seems impossible for something this size. The highs are very detailed for the price, and overall the PM2.0's seem to represent a much larger sound spectrum than the A/L's, and with some semblance of balance. Now, for the bad. Firstly, the highs are a bit bright. I'm not sure why that is. I never found my Promedia 4.1's to be bright, and they had a larger horn than these. I notice they have a titanium diapgragm, but I would think that would make them smoother. Secondly, I'm not going to lie, they're just extremely boomy sounding. It sounds like a combination of zero damping and thin walls on the actual sattelites themsevles. I might try to take them apart and put some foam on the inside to tone that down because it's a bit distracting, even with the bass at 10:00. If you turn the bass up, it seems to increase the boominess substantially, raising the upper bass, but not the lower bass. I suppose it's an inherent sound. Bottom line, though, I can't complain. For $50, free shipping, plus the one-year warranty (unusual, Klipsch usually offers 90 days on refurbs) these are a complete steal, and I'm sure my sister will be extremely impressed with them. At the end of the day, they still retain the Klipsch quality to them, and are designed to impress and sound really good despite being very small.

"The Digital Fox" is the highest quality recording Virgil ever made. Enjoy! This CD mentioned above is a copy of The Digital Fox, but it cuts off the beginning, which sucks. http://www.amazon.com/Virgil-Performs-Franck-Dupre-Widor/dp/B000001VNE My favorite bass test track is Gordon playing The Boellmann (try the Toccata, track 4!) at Ocean Grove on this CD: http://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Grove/dp/B000028D4G/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215006960&sr=8-5 Another organ with four 32's, and he uses em. That Diaphone (which, mind you, is smaller scale than the originally installed one!) is the one making all the noise, the other three don't contribute nearly as much. It's even better in real life, trust me! Not even my favorite CD, but if you like bass, you will enjoy the opening and fourth tracks of that CD, trust me.

In your price range, a preamp/amp combo and a tube amp are unattainable, hate to say it. You can easily tell which kind of Heresy it is by the look of two things: 1) the woofer. The I's have a smaller dust cap than the II's. 2) the horns on the I's are back-mounted, and the horns on the II's are front-mounted. I have no experience with the III's, but they're out of your price range anyway. It's pretty well documented around here that there's not too much difference between the Heresy I's and II's, so bear that in mind because the Heresy I's tend to go cheaper for whatever reason. Keep an eye on the garage sale forums here and craigslist also. I'll take either of those over ebay any day. Frankly, there's no need or reason to get two subs. If you find the bass lacking when you get them for whatever reason, buy a cheaper sub on ebay (I see sub-10's and sub-12's going for reasonable prices every day... great choice) or build your own using some stuff from partsexpress. Frankly, I don't understand why people around here buy more than one subwoofer. Every good subwoofer I've ever heard can hold its own, and bass is not directional anyway, which is why you can hide the pedal division of an organ anywhere and still have your innards rattle. Klipsch is not the best known company when it comes to subs, so take that into consideration. I am absolutely planning to DIY my own sub one day because you can get excellent results for a very small investment.

I noticed the same thing. Great time to pick up a pair.

Double post, delete.

Look for a used Harman/Kardon 430 on ebay. Great deal. Honestly, you CAN afford heritage with $600. I've seen perfectly good pairs of Heresys go for $250 on ebay or less. Just be patient, wait, watch craigslist, and watch ebay, and you'll get what you want by the end of the summer, guaranteed. I always tell my friends when they're about to buy something on ebay to wait two weeks before hitting the bid button. You may think the greatest deal has come by after only a few days of being on ebay, but I can guarantee it's just one of many, and you're going to want to watch the prices for a while. I'm not sure the RF-52's would be the best choice, not because they're a bad speaker, but because there are so many RF-3's, RF-3 II's, and RF-35's out there at this point that you'll probably just want to look for a pair of those. I don't care what the specs say, 8" woofers are going to produce vastly superior bass compared to 5.25" woofers.

Note: I am assuming you're looking for floorstanding speakers. I'm a big fan of the synergy series, actually owning a pair of B-3's. What's interesting about the current Synergy series is that the F-3's, at least, are actually based on (and are an improved version of) the old RF-3's, and I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the series went likewise. They're miles ahead of the old Synergy series, and despite what their prices suggest, they offer extremely good performance. I paid retail price for my B-3's ($330), and still feel they vastly outperform everything in that pricerange, including all of the promedia systems. I haven't heard any reference other than the RF-35's, but I must say that the Synergy can get you mostly there for a lot less $$$. I would encourage you to ignore the frequency response specifications. My B-3's, for example, are rated down to 55 hz, but I think they have plenty o' bass. Never added a subwoofer, probably never will. Everyone's always looking for the "subwoofer" in my room setup... hahaha. Oh, and if you want truly amazing all-around speakers for any price, I will put in a plug for the Fortes, because I just got a pair, and they blow me out of the water every time I hear them. Really, it depends on what your budget is, and what you want to do with them: You could go Heresys, possibly with a sub if budget allows. Really, as good as the reference series is, it doesn't compete with Klipsch's higher-end three-way systems like the Heritage, IMHO. While the reference will sound great in the store because of their in-your-face presentation and great bass, if you take a pair of Heresys home, you'll realize what you've been missing... a sound that is superior in neutrality, detail, and imaging. I think the Heresys, for what they can be bought on ebay or picked up on craigslist for, are a steal for the resolution they offer. And honestly, while the #1 complaint about them is that they don't have enough bass, they do have bass, and in the right setup, plenty of it. Then again, if you're into pop, rock, rap, and don't really care about the actual quality of instrumental reproduction, then the reference series might be for you because they offer a more impactful sound. Post back with specifics. There's a lot of knowledge here, and while you honestly can't go wrong with most any pair of Klipsch speakers, people here can help you find a pair that you'll like the best before you go off buying and selling you find out what you like.

I'm in the process of trying to figure that out myself. I've messaged a few members, but gotten no response. I haven't seen a single review of the mod that isn't overwhelmingly positive. But yes indeed, they are grand. I will say this, I've tried them with the HK 430, my parents' Pioneer SX-3700, and my T-amp, and the HK 430 is definitely the best performer. The T-amp sounds too bright to me, although it is quite amazing that such big bass can come out of such a small object!

Yikes, well, I wasn't planning on just digging into them as soon as I got them, but it sounds like it's a worthwhile investment. Who do I go to to get started? Also, how much does it cost?

Wow, that's weird. I had the opposite impression. I thought the imaging was spectacular. Then again, maybe I just got lucky with my BB's display, which no longer works, of course. The F-3's are, in fact, an updated version of the old reference RF-3's if I understand correctly.

I heard both the F-2's and the F-3's at a Best Buy once, and trust me, as good as the F-2's are, the F-3's blow them out of the water. The bass is much, much better on the F-3's. It's quite impressive.

Either. I have a receiver obviously but I never listen to the radio or use a tape deck with it. Actually, I was talking to a buddy on another site I'm on and he said I'd be better off just having the 430 serviced rather than risking getting a new one or something else. What do you guys think of that?

Wow, serious stuff there. How much did those mods cost you? I'm quite pleased with mine right now, so no plans for modification any time soon (besides some kind of grilles for the passives in back). I just created a new thread today with a relevant topic, and it's regarding my quest for a reasonable amp for these since my HK 430 isn't healthy.

Hey all, Well I recently posted (scroll down) a rather enthusiastic post showing that I got my Forte II's. So far, they're spectacular, but I definitely have a problem with my amp, my Harman Kardon 430 amp. This is a generally well-regarded amp, and it's easy to see why: the sound is quite good. However, it was obviously damaged in shipping because it is emitting a low-level hum and hiss. The seller is already in the process of getting a refund from FedEx. So, in the end, no damage done, I will have gotten this amp for free, but it's still not making me happy. The sound was noticeable through the B3's, and now that I have the Fortes, it's even more painfully obvious. The question is, what do I do? I could try to fix the amp, but I am not an electrical engineer and only have basic soldering skills. I tried Deoxit on the pots and that didn't do anything. It must be coming from the amp itself because the bass, treble, and volume controls actually affect the sound. Maybe old caps or a bad transistor. At any rate, I seriously doubt it's worth the money to fix it as it was $75 shipped in the first place. I could also just try to get another amp. This one's good, but I get the feeling it's just not the best I can do. It's just a tiny bit leaner on the bass than my parents' Pioneer SX-3700, but more detailed on the treble. I personally wouldn't mind a little more bass, though, and I'm guessing the reason it's a little lean on the bass has something to do with its age and this problem. Anyway, I'd appreciate a recommendation from the pros here! If you think I'd be happy just getting another 430 that has a black background, that would do the trick, but if you have another recommendation, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks.

I bought these from Chris (noki139) here on the forums today. He came forward and let me know he was interested in selling his since he doesn't use them much anymore with his current setup and schedule and wanted to pass them along to someone who would use them. I'm a huge music/audio nut and I'm moving into an apartment next semester, so I've had the Fortes on my radar for a while and was surfing ebay for a few months before Chris made an offer and I, of course, eagerly accepted the offer to do a local sale/pickup. He's a really awesome guy. Anyway... There are few things I've heard in my life, either instrument or audio product, that have changed the way I judge other things I hear, but these are one of those things. I've never, ever heard a more balanced sound from a speaker in my life. There's nothing missing from the sound at all. Every single nuance in the recordings is right there. The way the recording engineers mastered the CD is the greatest limitation in the sound I can detect for the first time. It's really a shame that speakers like this are seldom seen anymore. These are speakers that are obviously just plain well-engineered. Put one of them on either side of you, put a few watts through them, and hold onto your seat, because you're about to be transported to whatever place is on your playlist! Preliminary judgment: Phenomenal. Switching to the B3's is actually pretty hard to do now.

I can't speak for the reference bookshelf systems, but with my B3's (Synergy series), I've never desired a subwoofer, and these have 6.5" drivers. The reference are a step up, so I can't possibly imagine you'd be disappointed. As long as your amp is decent, they should sound fine, but obviously a better amp will make them sound worlds different.

I believe the quintet sattelites are better than the promedia sattelites. They use a 3.5" mid-driver instead of a 3" and have a different, probably improved crossover.

You should get in touch with my friend who runs a website called Reuter822.com. If you're on the organ forum, you'll already know him as NYCFarmBoy, but he's already miditized the 822 and he's adding another small unit organ and quite a few ranks... will be around 21 ranks when he's done this summer, and it'll all be MIDI-controlled. Extremely cool stuff But yeah, admittedly, I am quite a Virgil Fox fan. I have all of the Legacy CD's, the Art of Virgil Fox CD's, and about 7 or so other CD's of his. I'm just a big pipe organ fan in general! And what can I say? My B3's can chunk out the 32's (16 hz!) without too much of a problem... what's wrong with this company?!

Biggs encouraged churches to buy a real organ instead of a piano or electronic organ. Many pipe organs are in churches today because of his efforts. Of course, he also encouraged many churches to throw away many excellent E.M. Skinner organs... But you're right, and my church's organ is a victim of such a transformation. I'm easily the only one that plays it any more or even cares about it. It's a fine instrument too. A bit of a frankenstein, but a II/17 turn-of-the-century Moller at its core with some A.R. Schopp ranks (two trumpets and a III-rank Mixture). Not bad! Anyway, I'm a huge pipe organ nut as well. The organ is the biggest and best instrument ever made in many aspects. I literally have gigs and gigs of organ music, even though I'm a clarinet player as my primary. Some of my favorite recent organists include Pierre Cochereau, Michael Murray, Gordon Turk, Olivier Latry, Daniel Roth, but my all-time favorite is Virgil Fox. That man played the music with such emotion that the world will probably never see another organist like him. I have some really old, terrible quality recordings of him, in fact, but a bad recording can't hide a good musician! The Hi-Fi recordings I do have of pipe organs sound great on my B3's, though. They have a lot of gusto for a bookshelf speaker! I can't wait to really crank this stuff with the Fortes I'm getting this summer. If anyone's looking for a good organ CD to start out on, I'd say "Great Toccatas" with Marie-Claire Alain at St. Sulpice is a safe bet. As for me, I'm home for the summer, and already filling my schedule up with organ concerts to attend! Good stuff.

Only problem is that ethanol and most alcohol-based additives are quite bad for your engine.

Here's a link for ya. http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/rp-5.aspx

Hey, I found a craigslist listing where this guy near me has these Klipsch RP-5's for sale for $500 that I've never heard of. I was going to wait for a good pair of Fortes to show up on ebay, but is this an especially good deal? Thanks. edit: Also looking the F3's on ebay. How would those compare to the other two?