hach13

Burlington. Thaks for the response. I'm actually going to upgrade my CD first as currently I'm using an inexpensive admiral 5 disc. I'm running Forte II's - Rotel RC972 Pre Amp - Rotel RB980 Amp 120/ch. The sound is very good with plenty of base from the Forte II's. I'll likely stick with Rotel for the CD. The Hersey question is a result of spotting a pair on Craig's list for a very reasonable price of $225. No response from the seller to date so likely already sold. I'm not in a big rush and will up-grade as deals come along. I travel Eastern Iowa quite often. Would'nt mind hearing your Cornwall / Forte combination if you're around during the day during the week. Thaks again for the advice. Hach

I have a pair of Forte II's and considering adding another pair of speakers. Will I be satisfied with a pair of Hersey's or should I hold out for another pair of Forte II's? Room size 30 x 20 with 8 ft ceilings. Primarily 2 channel now but eventually would like to add and academy center for 5.1. Thanks Hach13

Parrot, It would depend on the speaker and the condition. It's not very practical with the shipping issue and the size and weight of the speakers. If someone is interested and willing to deliver and pick-up, I might consider it. I'm located in Burlington, IA. It actually is a fairly easy process with tung oil - justtakes some time and a warm well ventilated area. Randy

Thanks for the response. I'll look into the Cambridge Audio and the Phillips. At this point I'm leaning towards a CD separate and continue with my existing Toshiba DVD until I do the full upgrade to surround system. There are a couple of Rotel CD units I've been watching on E-bay also Randy

Looking for suggestions on whether to purchase a DVD player to serve also as my main CD source or seperates for my 2 channel system. Rotel 980 amp, Rotel 972 pre-amp, Klipsch Forte II's. I was set to buy a Rotel RDV995 in the 200 -300 range but now have read I may be better off to purchase a new unit in Sony or other brand for the same money or less with better performance. Or would a stand alone CD player be the better way to go if my primary interest is improving the CD capability of the system. Suggestions for either for under $400?

Carl. Glad this helped you out. If you want to further enhance the appearance wait till it warms up a bit and you can work in a well ventilated area. Then I'd suggest going the tung oil route. I like tung oil over BLO in that it will dry faster and form a harder finish. Be sure you use a pre-thinned tung oil which will have the consistancy of a light to medium thick oil. Pure tung oil is more like molasses. Apply the tung oil with a saturated rag or a brush and allow to become slightly tacky. Then wipe off the excess. There should not be so much tack that it's difficult to wipe. Wipe just enough to remove the excess tung oil. If the cloth becomes damp with tung oil that's ok just continue to wipe with the final wipe being in the direction with the grain. They should appear like you applied a light wet coat of oil at this stage. Allow to dry for at least 8 hours. Lightly sand with 320 or 400 gritt paper. If you use the black wet/dry paper dampen the paper with a small amount of tung oil and then follow by wiping off any excess oil without allowing it to tack. Only very light sanding will be required. If needed repeat the process. Each coat will increase the sheen and depth of color. Id' suggest at least 2 coats. On the last coat you can rub the excess off to the point you are buffing the finish. Once finished in this manner an occasonal wipe or dusting with the orange oild will maintain an excellent appearance Be sure and lay the wiping rags out flat outside or drape them over the side of a garbage can to allow them to dry. If you clump them up they can and will likely begin to smolder and catch fire. The other alternative is to put them in a sealed bag with enough water to dampen them. Drying them out is the better method. If this is done inside with good ventilation or outside and then brought inside - lit candles will go a long way in covering and helping rid any objectionable odor. I'm planning on going this route with my Forte's once it warms up. Randy

Meagain, I've been in the paint business for the last 20 years and refinished many antiques. You've received all kinds of advice here much of which is very good. If you see any evidence that any small scratches or dents appear somewhat clouded there is a good chance they have a lacquer finish. From your description it sounds like they are more likely oiled. I recently purchased a pair of Klipsch Forte II's in oiled oak. The finish was dried out and little depth in the color. I initially only wanted to clean the wood and add some lustre as they are in the house and it's winter. I used Pledge with orange oil. The orange oil is already in the pledge as you buy it and will say so in the bottle. Mineral spirits will not remove the stain and it will have a fiarly strong dor that will stay in the wood for awhile. It will not any better in removing dirt etc. The orange oil will cut through and remove any light grease, dirt or grime and at the same time add some lustre to the wood. Just apply enough to wet the wood and rub thoroughly with a cotton cloth. If you see the cloth becoming fairly dirty repeat the process with a clean cloth. Then follow by rubbing with a dry clean cloth to remove any excess. You may be surprised with how good they look. This will also be appropriate if they are lacquer. After doing this and you decide you still feel the color is too dark you will not be able to lighten it or dramatically shift the color by staining. You would need to attempt to remove the existing finish and stain which is not easy to do on thin veneer. If you decide you want to add more lustre and depth I would suggest using the Watco products or Tung Oil. With either of these you would want to lightly sand first to smooth the wood. Then apply a coat and let it dry till it just becomes slightly tacky and follow by wiping off the excess. 2 coats minimum - the more coats the higher the lustre. I personally like this over lacquer as lacquer forms a hard finish that can be scratched and possibly delaminate. The oil finish will never peel and can easily be repaired if scratched. Good luck on the project Randy

I've read a few posts on the subject recently but could use a little more. Just putting together a newly acquired 2 Channel system. Rotel RB980BX Amp 120W/Ch Rotel RC-972 Pre Rotel CD ???? Forte II Speakers Currently running Lowes audio 12 Guage wire to the Forte II's What do you suggest for cables for the components. Also open to suggestions on a CD player-would like to stay Rotel unless strong feelings otherwise. Need to keep the CD around $200 or less -- maybe $250 tops. Thanks Hach13

Colin, I picked up nice oiled oak Forte II's for $475. Now for a new power source. Looking at a Sunsui AU-717 Amp/Preamp in the $300 range The other option is a nice HK630 that appears very clean that will likely go for $200 or less. I'm not to concerned about not having a tuner with the Sansui. Any suggestions would be appreciated - Thanks Hach13

Almost picked up a H/K730 but hesitated as the one on e-bay had a few scuffs on the glass face plate. Recently have been checking out Sansui AU-717 Amps. These appear to have very cleanTDH [.025]with 85W per channel. Looks like they could be picked up for around $350. That's about my max price range at this point. Is the extra couple hundred spent on the Sansui a good value as compared to the H/K730? Looking for some advice. Open to other suggestions Thanks Randy

Thanks for the response. I 've sen good comments on the H/K 430 in the past, however when I tried searching this I'm getting 0 results. Any suggestions on an alternative way to search this?

Finally picked up a pair of Forte II's. I'm a novice but would like to improve my current power source which is a Kenwood 30W/Ch receiver from 1980. This receiver sounds ok but if the volume is set at 1/3rd volume and turned up while playing I get a momentary static pop with each increment up. Once set the static is gone. I'd like to have remote control for at least the volume I'm open to a receiver or amp. Would like to keep it under $500. Primarily used for 2 Channel audio. I could also uses some sugestions for a decent cd player. Thanks

Thanks for the reply. May still be a chance I pick up the oak finish quartets but the price is getting high at $550 and the guy is deciding not to sell at that. Starting to get in the range of Forte's but not much on e-bay currently anywhere in the area and I agree in the problems with shipping

Thanks for the info. I'm actually still trying to negotiate the quartets. Thought I had a deal at $550 with 25 ft monster cable. Realize this is on the high side for quartets but they were oak finish, nice shape and within a 3 hour drive. The guy's girlfriend talked him out of selling them at the last moment. They are 12 years old and one owner. I'm in Burlington with 3 kids at Iowa - made it to all of the Iowa home football games. Great times. Nice Mustang, I had a 65 fastback in 1970. Just getting started in putting a system together - if this guy doesn't come through it's going to be tempting to hold out for forte's for about the same money. I'm in sales and travel Eastern IA and Northwest IL.

Any suggestions on locating a pair of Fortes or Quartets for sale. I'm in Southeast Iowa and would like to find something within 300 - 400 miles so I can pick up. Not to excited about having them shipped. I've been watching e-bay and thought I had a pair of quartets but the guy decided not to sell. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Hach13