dstrachan

I'm sure you are right. The existing caps haev a small "n" on one end. Would this indicate negative? I thought it might be a brand marking as there is no name on the caps just "Japan". If it is a marking for negative, that would make it easy to align the auricaps. Does it also make sense that the negative end (black) of the auricap would be attached to the binding post and the positive (red) to the PCB? Thanks

Thanks, I was hoping that was the case. Another question if you don't mind...how critical is it to have the red lead on the auricaps connected towards the + of the driver unit? Audience says it "should" be aligned this way but not that it has to be. Thanks again for posting!

My Auricaps arrived and I am ready to dive in and replace the stock Japanese caps. IN my haste, I ordered the wrong mix of caps and now have too many 1.0 caps and not enough 1.5caps I'm going to go ahead and mod the one speaker that I have parts for now that I've torn it apart. Question: My '85 Fortes have no circuit board but a small connecting plate. Things are kind of tight so is it okay to snip the previous cap leads and solder the new leads to the stubs? Or do you have to desolder and remove the lead end? Would there really be any sonic difference particularly if the connection was right up against the connection? Thanks folks.

Bill, Hate to place doubt in your mind but... You could get into some decent tube gear on the used market within your budget and still get a taste of the "better" tube sound. Tube integrated amps that sold for $2k 3 or 4 years ago can be picked up for well less than half price. Go older and they can be even cheaper. I paid $500 for a Consonance Ella which is a kit integrated. The basic kit cost $650. It had $500 worth of tubes with it, many upgrades (caps etc) and was assembled. The parts alone cost around $1,200 and it is a very respected tube amp for a fraction of the cost of a decent new one or a used high end amp. Patience and perseverence and you can have your cake and eat it too! I ended up selling my SS stuff (Bryston and ARC) çause the tubes just sound soooo good!

I am using a Consonance Ella tube amp with my Fortes and it sounds great. Mine has NFB onóff switch and a triode/UL switch so, lots of options to play with. It is a kit available from DIY audio. Check out Audiogon and the DIY forum. Lots of knowledgeable builders there. I think the kit now retails for around $650.00. It is the kit form of the Conconance M100 integrated amp...very highly regarded. Lots of upgrading options and lots of tube rolling possibilities - EL34, KT88, KT90, KT100, 6550. GOod luck.

Lots of good advice here already as to upgrading down the road. There is no guarantee that what you buy today will not be replaced by newer cheaper technology that outperforms what you buy now. I have the Jolida CDP and use it with Fortes. I had a Rotel which I used with a Theta Pro Basic DAC and found the Jolida much more dynamic with a better sound stage. It is a highly regarded unit and can be upgraded to a very high-end piece should you decide you are looking for more than the stock unit delivers. I have not heard the Ah! but understand it too is a very nice unit. Is the difference in price for a new Ah! versus a used Joilda worth it...you have to decide!

I have the Forte I's and place mine about 16"from the wall. This seems to give the best soundstaging (openness, 3D) without taking away too much of the wonderful Forte bass. Another consideration is to raise the Fortes to get the squawker closer to ear height at tthe listening position as the are a little short for floor standers. I have mine raised 10" on wooden boxes (hope to sand fill them soon) and this seemed to me to smooth out the sound and open up the stage a bit without affecting the bass. Drove my Fortes with a Yamaha SS (100W/ch)and they sounded VERY dynamic but...in my opinion a bit grainy and fatiguing. Now use tube gear and am amazed at the sound of these heritage horns. I've run them with low power (17W/ch) and they soudn great with some music but, IMHO the Fortes like a bit of extra juice to really open up. Currently running them with 50W/ch and really enjoying! KHorns...in my dreams!! and when I have a house to accommodate!

Any thoughts on the voltage question? Does it matter with the Auricaps in the Fortes? Thanks

Popbumper Still toying with just doing the Auricap upgrades. Does it matter what voltage the caps are? I see Auricaps come in 200, 450 and 600V. How's your boards coming? Any pricing yet? Cheers

3dzapper, I actually had the same KT88s in triode before and didn't notice anything like what I am hearing now. A bit better bass but nothing exceptional and not the openness and upper extension. I've got some various El34s here and some 6550s all of which can be swapped in and out of my Ella. I plan to do some more rolling to see what happens and some more switching back and forth but for now, I am going to enjoy listening to some of my favorite stuff with the current sound. The last time I had the 6550s in, I recall they sounded fuller and with better bass than the KT88s in my system. Another possibility is the synergy between the pre amp and amp. I am running a Raytheon 12au7 in the output stage of my pre and even in triode I noticed an improvement over others I have tried. Maybe they and the KT88s in UL together are pushing my buttons...more options and rolling, I'll be exhausted soon! I should probably just accept what I have right now and not mess with it but what would be the fun in that. Cheers

185 watts/ch sticking with tubes would be a challenge (financially if nothing else). I think the Ella is very good for the first few watts...I'm really impressed with the match of her and the Fortes. I agree the Fortes can sound nice with low power but...something happens when they get more juice. I can only describe it as "opening up".

I'd like to try triode at higher power (say 30W+) but not an option right now...maybe some day. For now, I can continue to play with Triode and UL. I might try the El34s next which should give me about 34 w/ch UL. I might give up some bass versus the KT88s but the mids should be better. Looks like my future may include higher output triode mono blocks at some point.

What are you driving them with? How many watts? My Fortes are '86 and I was thinking about a sub for awhile. I was driving them with a tube amp in triode mode at 17w/ch. I switched to Ul mode which gives me about 50w/ch and the bass improved tremendously! No need for a sub wuth these but they seem to need some power to open up those woofers. Cheers

Dean, You mean it takes more than 1 watt to drive Klipschorns? I just found it interesting as many have written about how you can drive Fortes with 8 watts, and you can. For certain volumes and types of music they sound great but for a wide variety of music and certainly louder volumes, the Fortes sound more dynamic and cleaner with more power. BTW, thanks for the DIY cap replacement post. I'm thinking of giving it a try on my Fortes. Big difference?

I've been running my Forte 1's at about 17 watts triode and really liking the open sound but... Recently decided to switch my Ella amp to UL mode and drop in some KT88s. This should give me about 50W/ch and I am VERY impressed with how much the Fortes have opened up! The bass is much tighter and the highs more extended. I know many say you can run Fortes on low power and they do sound very nice particularly with acoustic or soft jazz but for all around music, it would appear to me they like a little more juice to really shine. Lucky for me my amp allows me to choose at the flick of a switch! Love these babies!!

I'm in Canada also so can relate to the exchange factor. I am using a Consonance Ella PP integrated amp with triode/pentode option. Very versatile allowing lots of tube rolling (KT88, EL34, 6550). These come in a kit but can also be found for re-sale already built from time to time. Very highly regarded and considered by many to compete with some of the best pp amps out there. Check out the DIY forum on AudioAsylum. Recently saw one on Audiogon for about $1,100US with many great mods! Great bang for buck but only has one input. If you want more, ther is room to add a second set of inputs or you could do as I did and bypass the volume pot and use the Ella as a pure power amp and get a noice pre. I am using the Eastern Electonics Mini MAx and while the gain is a bit much for the sensitivity of the Ella, the sound is magnificent!! Cheers,

I am intrigued by the idea of replacing the whole crossover. I'll likely hold off doing anything until you are further along on your development and have a better idea of the cost implications...hopefully it won't be too expensive (or too long). It will be interesting to hear about the sonic improvements your boards make. I'll dig around a bit more and try to figure out how much of an improvement replacing the caps alone makes. Regards

Thanks Popbumper Seems the more answers I get, the more questions pop up! Popbumper...I am interested in your plans to design and supply new boards for the Forte. What are you anticipating the difference in sound quality will be over the originals? Any idea on price? I sourced the caps and of course, there are many varieties...Auricaps, Audionote, Hovland etc. Can someone share their opinion on the characteristics of the variouls caps? The prices vary with the Auricaps being the cheaper end of the spectrum...is the added price for Hovland worth it? Auricap doesn't have a 1.5Uf and I am reluctant to try and mount 4 caps (1.0 + .47) on the small board for the Forte. Any suggestions? Thanks

Thank you. Have you done this mod yourself? What are your observations as to the impact of this mod? Do the Forte I's have p2p wiring or a circuit board. With the Fortes, can you do the mod through the terminal cap hole as described by DeanG or is it better/easier to remove the passive? Sorry to be a pain but this is all fairly new to me and gathering information now is better than after I begin operating on my patient. Cheers

Thanks. Just saved me alot of work!!

Have been realy enjoying my mint Fortes but am tempted to try some of the mods talked about here. Damping Horns - as these are plastic, does this make a big difference? I've read where some thought it had a negative effect. Replacing Caps - I was likely one of those e-mails responsible for Dean's recent "how-to"post. How noticeable is the change by replacing stock caps with Auricaps? What are the values needed to change the caps on the original Fortes? Thanks a bunch folks. Dave

I just re-finished my walnut Fortes that had not been done in quite awhile. I simply applied BLO with super fine steel wool as the applicator. All old water stains etc came out beautifully and any roughness or raised grain is smoothed out. Came out like glass and have a wonderful sheen. Remember, you have to let the BLO sit for a few minutes only and then wipe off the excess and buff with a soft cloth. Mine look like new!! With veneer, any chemical cleaners run the risk of damaging the glue or stripping the oils from the wood. Water based cleaners will raise the grain. With veneer you have precious little wood to be sanding.

Thanks, Which caps would you recommend for the Fortes?

Anyone care to share their experiences and techniques for modding these beauties. Which makes the most difference, Caps, wire, rope caulking? What improvements were made and how noticeable (please be honest). Thanks folks.

Your finding would seem to be consistent with some of my reading over at the audioasylum where they claim the challenge for an amp driving Klipsch is in being able to handle the varying loads. I was running the Ella on its 4 ohm taps and it seemed to handle the Fortes quite nicely...lots of bass when required. Thanks