oldtimer

That's hilarious yaffstone! I purchased my Forte II's new in 1989 with student loan money. I actually ordered Forte's but the II's came instead, because the factory had changed over to making them. Now even my student loans are paid off; I still maintain it was the best money i have ever spent.

Some post to remember, some post to forget.... _____________________________________________ No Tom Clancy, you are not paranoid enough.

Thanks for your input. I have not heard them before, but i have Forte II's and an Academy center so I imagine that they would sound similar to Forte II's for stereo. Was this not your experience? Do they sound more like the Academy and less than the Forte II's, or vice versa, realizing that these are timbre matched? What else would you suggest shopping around for, as queried in my original post?

Glad to hear you have something that makes you happy. If you don't mind sharing, what does this pre/pro and amp cost? Also, does it run hot, or say hotter than the sunfire series? When I crank it in the summer I hate it when the room heats up and I have to use a fan on the receiver. On another note, I love your avatar steamer! What a crappy frustrating year it has been though. ____________________________________________________ "Are you a mod or a rocker? "I'm a mocker."

"What gear is your Dad running now? " I think they are some Pioneer's from the 70's, maybe 2 feet high. They sound pretty boxy, and are not on stands, although they probably should be.

I guess you would call that a bi-gluteal projection?

Thanks for the compliments! Yes, this forum is full of good people. As for being a good son, when you figure what parents have done for us over the years, I think that giving good sound is only human. ___________________________________________ "Free societies are helpful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."----George W. Bush

Thanks Ken, I have sent you email, I would love to check them out. ____________________________________________ "When the musics' over, turn out the lights."

Yes Michael, you have it right........ I listened to the 321 at a bose place and could not believe the price for the performance. Talk about a negative ratio. Keep in mind this was in a place designed to sell the things. There is truly a hole where the mids should be. They were demoing this with some disney movie. All for 1300 dollars. I did better with an Onkyo in a box system (for my parents) at a third of the price. _________________________________________ "Soup from a stone, imagine that!"

I have not tried them. Looking at the mfsl listings that are sealed and new I can say some are tempting, but there are no deals here. $100 for a Moody Blues seems high to me, but take it from a bottom feeder. __________________________________________ Football in the groin...it works on so many levels...

i second rplace in that my FII's were in plastic and taped shut and put in styrofoam side and side molds in the original box. I used the boxes and plastic for the second pair I picked up in Denver to drive home in. When stopped for speeding in the Texas panhandle the trooper asked me what was in the boxes, I told him, and explained why I was speeding for such a short time and got off with a warning. I just might frame that item.

there is only one thing worse than being a smart ***, and that is not being smart, or not having an *** to be smart with. __________________________- Dan Quayle we miss you

They do look nice. Too bad they are all the way in PA. The seller says they have done no research, yet talks about serious cash, and has a reserve of some amount. I hope someone on the forum near there can get them at a good price. _________________________________________________ "Everyone has a hobby."

I am thinking of upgrading my Dad's speakers as a gift, and figure that Quartets would be great without being too large (waf) or expensive (my own parameter). Does anyone have a pair for sale within a day or two of Denton Texas? Also, are there any other comparable alternatives to look for? Thanks. ___________________________________________________ "There is no sanity clause."

When I bought my speakers in 1989 I auditioned the Forte's and signed up. None were in stock, at least in the OO finish I wanted so I waited. The ones that showed up were Forte II's, probably one of the first pairs relatively speaking. Such is fate. I have not been disappointed with the II's by any means, but every now and then I wonder what else would be different.......(cue in twilight zone music). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The poodle bites, the poodle chews it..."

What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend?......... Homeless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIP Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

I agree with Jbart, I agree with Sartre (I have even read him, And Camus). Dragonfyr loves to stamp on anthills even more than I, which makes him dangerous in my book......not necessarily bad, the world needs this, up to a point. But do I really need an Academy? No, I don't. I already have one. If you have what has been called extended heritage and need a center for multi-channel applications, and don't have room for a third speaker identical to your mains, then yes, you would optimize your listening experience by installing an Academy. This answer uses both heuristics of the end users and the design physics of the manufacturer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The crux of the biscuit, is the apostrophe."

I grew up listening to this stuff....For those not familiar with Thelonious Monk, also try his recordings on Columbia, starting with Monk's Dream and Criss Cross. I am a huge fan of Chick Corea (next generation after Monk and others) but T Monk is hands down the most stimulating keyboard master I have ever and will probably ever hear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "There's evidence of settlements with one long village street. Hamlets farmsteads little towns the framework was complete....."

"Anyways, allow me to present another argument....if the academy is a perfect timbre match to Chorus II, Forte II, etc etc.... then why aren't people using academies for mains and sticking with the smaller footprint speaker?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- People (myself included) already have ForteII's, etc. from buying them for 2 channel back in the days before all this ht stuff. Economically, it is still cheaper to buy used Forte, Chorus II's, and quartets as mains than going with rarer Academies all around. You can put together something pretty nice without a sub this way. Academies all around with a good sub would make a good system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A man's gotta know his limitations."

Thanks for the tip. Two of my favorites.

I experimented with different centers and with phantom setting with my Forte II's. When I installed an Academy I finally heard multi-channel the way it was meant across the front soundstage. On its own, the Academy is not by any means a be all and end all speaker. What it does do is work perfectly with Forte II's, and I suspect the same must be true for the Chorus II's and Quartets, given the space requirements of most set ups. I later added Forte II's for the surrounds, and even though they are perhaps under utilized in this capacity, it only added to the seamless sound experience for multi-channel. I know it will be great when I upgrade to multi-channel music. If what you are using now is acceptable, then you can afford to be patient while looking for the best Academy deal you can find.

Of course! I agree with you totally. Jeff Beck wipes the floor with the guy he replaced. (That should ruffle some feathers)(It was Clapton, right?)

Stan. John Bonham is a household name for most people. He transcended his field with powerful beats that ran counter intuitively to how many would have played the song, gave new emphasis to what the bass drum was all about, and was rock steady yet had a bluesy, laid back feel that made Zeppelin so compelling to hear. Mentioning Bonham and Starr in the same sentence conjures up two completely different ideas of talent and greatness. Imagine Bonham playing for the Beatles, and well it might seem possible. Now imagine Starr with Led Zeppelin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "With a double major in acting and international languages, you're the perfect weapon."

I am glad to see a few mentions of Steve Gadd. As for Carl Palmer wiping the floor with Neil Peart, I'm not too sure of that. I am a big fan of both, it would be great to see them do a collaboration solo trading album ala "Rich versus Roach." Billy Cobham was one my biggest influences, and one of my very first albums is his "Crosswinds," a fusion effort using the Brecker brothers on horns. I am loyal to my early seventies Ludwig set, Remo black dot heads, and also early seventies A. Ziljian cymbals, especially the 8" splash. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I just wanna make some eardrums bleed. Heavy..duty...heavy duty rock and roll..."

OK, so to prove or disprove whether it is a pos or not, who is willing to take the gamble and test it out? Maybe if 20 of us chipped in $10 each, we could pass it around and compare impressions? Just a thought.... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Remember when we were in Africa?"